Most people know I love a good historical fiction novel especially set in the developing American frontier. So, when I saw that Crossing the Wide Forever by Missouri Vaun on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to read it. I was not disappointed.



Here is a short blurb about the book:

Cody Walsh leaves Arkansas for California. Lured by stories of opportunity, even for women, Cody disguises herself as a man and prepares for the arduous journey west.

Lillie Ellis leaves New York to accept a post as a schoolteacher on the frontier near a small homestead she just inherited from her uncle. Lillie’s ultimate desire is to become a painter, and she hopes the Kansas frontier will offer her the freedom to follow that dream. In the nineteenth-century, a young woman has few options in the East that don’t revolve around marriage and motherhood. Lillie is interested in neither.

Cody rescues Lillie after a chance encounter in Independence, Missouri. Their destinies and desires become entwined as they face the perils of the untamed West. Despite their differences, they discover that love’s uncharted frontier is not for the weak in spirit or the faint of heart.



I really enjoyed this book. I liked how it was from the point of view of both Cody and Lillie. When they had conflicts, you could understand them from both of their points of view which made the characters very relatable. I also thought their romance was sweet. It seemed to develop naturally and not be forced like in a lot of lesbian fiction. The story also kept me on the edge of my seat. The ending was amazing one of the best ending I have ever read. I also appreciated that Cody was portrayed as butch. The only problem I had with the story was sometimes phrases were used that took me out of the period setting. But that was only in the first portion of the book.



If you like historical romance novels I would highly recommend this book. Also, if you like strong butch women this is a great book for you.

You can purchase a copy of Crossing The Wide Forever by clicking here.





A big thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review Crossing the Wide Forever.

This is the first novel I have read by Missouri Vaun, but I really enjoyed it so I am going to read her other books. I love historical fiction, but I really enjoy this style of historical fiction. The cross dressing women of the frontier always get me. I wish there were more books out there like this one. It is a fast read, and was well written. It was a lot more fiction than historical... so you don't have to worry about reading a historical fiction that ends up reading like a history lesson. The book was a solid read, and even if you do no like historical fiction, you may want to give this one a go. It isn't going to bore you with information.

Crossing The Wide Forever

Great Title, Lovely story!


Thank You to Bold Strokes Books and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was wonderful in it's simplistic intention. Girl meets girl, girls fall in love, they don't voice their love, one girl thinks other girl will leave her for good so she leaves first, second girl goes away but comes back, first girl realizes her stupidity and comes back, they declare their love for each other and they live happily ever after. This is basically what you will get from every romance novel but what always makes the difference and the reason people like me who devour romance novels is always the journey we take with characters through the authors words. This is also what makes the difference in a good romance, an ok romance or a great romance novel. This is my first time reading this author's works and it won't be my last. The first novel by this author that caught my eye was 'All Things Rise'. I was attracted to the premise of that story and bought the novel. I have yet to read it but because of that book and knowing who the author was made me want to read this novel even though the two books have very different story lines.

So this story takes place in the 1800's. The author does a marvelous job with the feel and descriptions of the scenery and life in those times. Each character come from very different backgrounds. Cody's mom died several years ago and left behind Cody, her younger sister Ellen, and a father who is unable to cope with the loss of his wife, who drowns himself in alcohol and physically abuses his daughters, Cody in particular. On the other end of the spectrum is Lillie. She's from New York City high society but she's at the age for marriage and children and she feels suffocated by the expectations of her family and the roll of the demeure female in that society. Both parents are alive and she has siblings. Her lot in life is very different from Cody's but the are both looking for a freedom and independence from their current lives and decide to head out to the wild and largely unsettled west.

Cody takes her sister Ellen to an aunt's home with the intention of sending for her when she gets settled somewhere out west. In order for better job opportunities and safety she cuts her hair and puts on men's clothing, intending to live as a man out west. She meets Lillie while in St. Louis and then on a steamship to Independence Missouri. They both like each other but not quite sure why they are drawn to each other. One night on the ship Lillie kisses Cody out of the blue. Cody likes the kiss but she feels it isn't right for Lillie not to know she's a woman so she tells Lillie. When they are close to arriving in Independence they decide to have the Captain of the ship marry them for safety and because there would be situations where an unmarried woman and a single man should not be alone together. This is where their journey together really begins and I don't want to ruin it for any reader that hasn't yet read the book. This is a wonderful read and I would definitely recommend that others read the book!

Cody and Lillie are wonderful characters and I loved following their story. I would love for the author to revisit these characters in another novel down the road. I would love to see how their lives keep progressing.

Cody Walsh has finally had enough of her abusive father and takes her sister away from their Arkansas home. She leaves her sister with her aunt, she dresses like a man and strikes out for California to join her brothers. When she meets Lillie Ellis, who is bound for a farm and teaching position in Kansas, the two form a mutually beneficial bond, but neither is prepared for the feelings that begin to develop or farm life on the frontier.

I enjoyed this book, but it took me a bit to get through it. I’ll admit I put it down for a while for sci-fi pursuits before returning to Cody and Lillie. It plows on at a steady, if leisurely pace, but it’s a good story with rich characters, and it’s not without action, far from it, but their relationship develops at a modest pace. It’s kind of refreshing, seems more realistic that way. I’m not huge on period pieces around frontier time, but I appreciated Vaun’s descriptions of places and characters, and I was a little sad to leave these ladies behind when it was over.

Overall, I’d recommend it.

‘Crossing the Wide Forever’ is an epic love story set against the background of the drive to the West. Cody Walsh leaves for California disguised as a man, rightly thinking she will be safer and have more opportunities. She meets Lillie Ellis, an artist who is on her way to claim her inheritance. Their tale is one of recognising something in each other, of passion and love that was missing before. It was beautifully told, full of emotion and sexual intensity that took my breath away. Keeping Cody’s secret is vital as is warding off unwanted male advances. Missouri Vaun really knows how to heighten the tension for the reader as I found myself frantically worried for the pair as they continued their trek. I loved the descriptive language used as it made the landscape come alive. An excellent book that I highly recommend.

I was given this ARC by Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley in return for an honest review.

A 2 1/2 star book at best for me with at least half a star for the cover alone, which is far more interesting than the actual story. I've read quite a few historical les-fics set in this rough time period and they're all pretty similar with almost carbon-copy characters. This story didn't do much to differentiate itself from the rest of the pack with the same ho hum characters and a very light story with no real stakes no overcome. For a story about fording the great frontier and staking a claim in the "wilds", there was precious little descriptions of these struggles, save a brief scene or two. Most of this book just takes place during various stages of travel and just plods along with the two leads making moon eyes at each other, while secondary characters tell each how obvious it is that the other likes them. Huge pet peeve of mine! The final act irritated me for a similar reason. All in all, this book was just "okay". It's a light and breezy quick read but not a story that will stay with you for any length of time after finishing.

Until now, I had not read any book by this writer, one of the reasons was that I did not like the covers of her books, is that reasonable enough? Well, now I have read the first one, which is not part of a series, although it is not his first romantic historical novel. And I must say that I liked it quite a lot. The history seemed to me well developed and well paced, the two protagonists are very interesting, each one in her role. With all the sordid adventures that could have cross their path, the author avoids falling into an excess of anguish and drama in the situations that make them go through. So I recommend reading this book if you want to spend some entertaining time reading about women looking for their dreams through the untamed west.

I really enjoyed this book. It was written with passion and the adventurous spirit of those who made the journey all those years ago. It is a really enjoyable book and I could not put it down.

There are two main characters. Lillie from New York from a well educated and privileged background inherits her uncle's farm in Kansas and decides to make the journey west to new lands. Cody has a simple life on a farm in Arkansas, after her mother died her father became a violent drunk. So she leaves and asks her aunt to look after her younger sister while she travels west looking for her brother. She also dresses as a man so she can travel easier and find work. They meet in St Louis and decide to marry knowing each was female. Then they continue the arduous journey west to Lillie's farm. That is all you are getting. Want more? Then read it.

What I loved most about this book is the open spaces and freedom that going west gave these settlers. Yes, it must have been very hard. Harder for Lillie than Cody. It took hard work and courage which I think the author portrayed really well. I've read a few lesbian westerns and I would put this right up there with them. I also would not mind a sequel. I think there is more to Lillie and Cody's story to be told.

I think Vaun described the two women well. Lillie being a positive and confident young woman. Cody strong but not having much confidence in herself, probably due to her father's beatings.
This is my first book by this author but I will definitely be looking out for more by her.

Yes I would definitely recommend this book.

*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2002070244

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R38SBJVMIJA26K/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Historical fiction and lesbian romance … what a great combination! I loved this book and was caught up in the story immediately. One of my hobbies is genealogy and I have learned that many of my ancestors rode wagon trains in the 1850’s to settle in the Midwest. I experienced an instant melding with the characters.

The two main characters are Lillie and Cody. Lillie is from New York city and longs to be free of the confines of societal rules for women. She inherits a Kansas farm and heads out west against her parents’ wishes. Cody, on the other hand, is from Missouri and is running from an abusive father. They meet up and join a partnership to help achieve their goals and dreams.

Ms. Vaun did a wonderful job of character development. I loved the way she would not only display the dialogue, but also the mental thoughts of the characters. This mental dialogue allowed the reader to also feel the “real” thoughts and emotions of the characters.

The story was well written and quite conceivable. You can tell that Ms. Vaun did her research work on the development of the story. The scenes where smooth and flowed together in such a way that you wanted to continue reading. At the end of each chapter the story pulled me into the next chapter.

The romance between Lillie and Cody was convincing. Instead of the usual attraction followed by jump in the bed romance, this book was quite the opposite. First there is a connection and then attraction. This allure builds through their day to day interactions and eventually a mutual agreement to help each other to meet their goals. Of course, through this partnership, love grows and with it comes the passion.

I highly recommend this historic romance. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.

I was given this ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

It is a good book, an enjoyable, plausible story of two women finding each other a long time ago.
It kept me interested from the beginning to the end, but it bothered me that a lot of expressions seemed too modern for the time. For example "she wasn’t sure if the adrenaline charging through her system was because of the fistfight or because she was in Lillie’s cabin." I don't think that adrenaline was commonly known back in the 1800s. There are several similar out of time words, but overall it was an enjoyable book.

It was a quick and easy read but for some reason the main characters did just not seem believable or realistic enough for me. The historic parts seemed well researched and accurate but it is a timeframe I'm not particularly interested in, so the story didn't keep my attention.

I have an appreciation for historical reads with interesting and engaging leading ladies. Cody Walsh is unsure of the fortitude she has yet she knows life can and should be better for her and her sister. Lillie Ellis is naïve to some extent but has a willingness to go after what she wants. The description of the landscape, people and hardships was so well articulated that I felt for and cheered for the leading ladies. The romance was so sweet as Cody and Lillie worked together to overcome various challenges. I also learned about geography, travel, and farming during that time period which in my opinion is a good thing when you can be entertained and learn while reading a good story.

3 1/2 Stars. This was a good, historic-fiction, by Vaun. I like how Vaun writes, and I easily got sucked into this story. I am not the biggest historical-fiction fan. I think part of that is because women were treated so badly back then, that it can be hard to read about. Luckily, this was mostly a feel good story, with some romance.

The story is about two mains, Lillie and Cody. Lillie, is well bread and raised in New York. Her uncle dies and left a homestead in Kansas, in her name. Lillie decides she will travel there, to live by herself. Cody is from Arkansas, dealing with an abusive father. She finally has enough and runs off towards California to be with her brothers. Cody has always been lean and tall, not many outward signs she is a woman. Cody dresses in her cousins clothes and pretends to be a man. Lillie and Cody meet on a steamer, and decide being together, would be safer for both of them. Will Lillie and Cody remain friends, or will the sparks surrounding them turn into something more?

I've read other books and seen movies about what it was like during these times of westward expansion. I'm very happy for the most part, this was a feel good story. There is some excitement and danger, but all in all, a happy ending. It gives me hope during these tough times, some gay women still found happiness.

I thought all the traveling aspects were very well done. The wagon train, the steamers, Vaun obviously did her homework. I felt like I was there in the old west. I also thought Vaun did a nice job of putting together a romance, with everything else going on. I was not crazy about the bit of angst towards the end. I figured they had been through enough and didn't need it. But at least it has a happy ending.

I would recommend this to historic-fiction fans, or fans of the old west. Vaun is a good writer, and I always look forward to her books.

An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.

Firstly, the number of books that have done the marriage of convenience between two women venturing forth toward the West is limited and Ms. Vaun does not traditionally venture into historical territory-so the effort and resultant product were greatly appreciated. I quite enjoyed and empathized with Cody's character, but was more irritated by Lillie's background/resultant actions until two-thirds of the way through the volume. The writing possessed a strength consistent with the author's previous publications and the ensuing journey was captured well. Though this book did not touch me to nearly the degree that a similarly set body of works by the Ylva author, Jae did-specifically "Backwards to Oregon," which I adored-it was a different, welcomed course for Ms. Vaun to pursue. I look forward to more.

I have an appreciation for historical reads with interesting and engaging leading ladies. Cody Walsh is unsure of the fortitude she has yet she knows life can and should be better for her and her sister. Lillie Ellis is naïve to some extent but has a willingness to go after what she wants. The description of the landscape, people and hardships was so well articulated that I felt for and cheered for the leading ladies. The romance was so sweet as Cody and Lillie worked together to overcome various challenges. I also learned about geography, travel, and farming during that time period which in my opinion is a good thing when you can be entertained and learn while reading a good story.

Crossing the Wide Forever was a story about two strong independent women who migrated west during the mid 1800s. Kellie left New York while Cody left Arkansas. Their initial meeting in Independence, Missouri set the stage for a journey that involved new discoveries and adventures they could not have imagined previously. For example, Cody traveled as a young man in order to more easily find employment and for safety reasons. Kellie discovered the beauty of the west was the muse she needed to paint gallery worthy watercolor landscapes. Along the way they both discovered they needed each other.
This story was so well plotted and written that it was read in one sitting. The descriptive details within the story, such as Kellie entering the Kansas house for the first time, not only told the reader how the house looked, but the reader felt every sensory detail about it.
This story had a little bit of everything in it: adventures, mystery, suspense…and of course romance. Aside from the multidimensional main characters, the secondary characters were very diversified… which only added to the realistic type situations encountered by Cody/Kellie in this time period.
Overall, the author did an amazing job of not only telling this story, but allowing the reader to understand, with such descriptive sensory details, how it felt to live in that time period. The author’s writing allowed the reader to be completely immersed in the story.

<i>I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.</i>

In 1856 two women, separately, begin to head west. Lillie Ellis has an inheritance of land that she’s decided, against her mother’s advice/desire, to go assume. She’s setting out from New York, heading to Kansas via St Louis and Independence Missouri. Meanwhile, Cody Walsh cannot take another whipping from her father, and so she’s also going to head west – starting from Arkansas with some vague idea to head off to join her two brothers in California. She’s also planning to head through St. Louis and Independence Missouri.

Lillie is from a higher level of society, a richer tier, though not sure of society position (as in, not sure if they just have money or if they also ‘have a name’). I’ve gotten the impression, right or wrong, that the higher up you go in society/wealth in the 1800s, the fewer ‘rights/privileges/freedoms’ that a woman will be granted. Well, Lillie has a certain greater freedom, due to a somewhat indulgent father (getting a tutor for art and the like). But even with this limited freedom, Lillie still feels both stifled and undermined – because she’s female. She might be allowed to paint, but she’s not going to have a great deal of luck getting past the ‘she’s a female artist’ burden. The land inheritance is Lillie’s breath of fresh air – her chance to have greater freedom, which she leaps upon, though she doesn’t know much about the West, or farming for that matter.

Cody, we learn almost instantly, comes from an average size family, maybe a little small (for a farming family in the 1800s). She has two older brothers and one younger sister. When she was ten, Cody’s mother died. The father, who apparently was a nice enough man before the death, fell apart completely, and crawled into a bottle of whiskey and only comes out to savagely whip his children. The two older brothers have fled to California, but Cody stayed behind to try to raise her, then, four year old sister. The book starts years later (something like 8 or 9 years later, making Cody about 18 or 19 in the book – based entirely on a vague believe that Ellen, the younger sister, is around 12 when Cody finally leaves the small remote isolated farm), and Cody is taking a whipping. Ellen, being clumsy, knocked over papa’s drink. Naturally that calls for a whipping, Cody jumped in front of the whip, but eventually knocks out her father as it’s just too much. She’s off to the west, stopping briefly with her mother’s sister (who lives 2 miles, or so, away who they haven’t seen in about 5 (or is it 9?) years). Up until this point in time, Cody has lived a life of being kind of manly but presenting as a female. The aunt tells Cody that she’d get better luck dressing up in her dead son’s clothing and pretending to be a man. So Cody does. Which is putting things somewhat wrongly – Cody already had had the idea that she might pass herself off as a man, she just hadn’t put that idea into practice.

Eventually Cody and Lillie separately reach St. Louis – and they meet when a stationmaster at the station calls over a young man to help Lillie with her baggage. And no, it is neither love nor lust at first sight. They go their separate ways only to bump into each other again on the steamship heading from St. Louis to Independence. Again they do not instantly attach themselves to each other or find deep longing love/lust, but they do strike up a friendship that very quickly becomes more (and no, I mean becomes a method for both to continue West with the ‘cover’ of the other <spoiler> marriage of convenience </spoiler>).

It’s hard to mention what happens next as I’m on the edge as it is with revealing too much (if I haven’t already crossed over). Everything else I can mention leads directly off of the spoiler above so, can’t mention anything else.

What I can say: As noted, Cody is somewhere around 18 to 19 years old, ‘had no curves to speak of, and she was tall, at the high end of five feet. She’d always kept her hair short too.’ ‘She was eighteen now.’ So, her age is actually mentioned. 18 in 1856. And has no real trouble passing herself off as a man (or at least as a boy, due to lack of facial hair). Lillie, on the other hand is somewhere near her mid-twenties (based on a comment that someone she had meet, Beth, ‘seemed close to her age, maybe a few years older, but definitely still in her mid-twenties.’) So there is an age difference, and a cultural difference involved here.

The book was quite interesting, rich in certain areas, less so in others (ooh, ooh, give me details! . . . um, well, occasionally I rather felt as if I really was there – the muddy rain filled wagon journey, the bouncing train, the smokey air of St. Louis; and . . . um . . . not exactly sure what to put down as ‘less rich’). For a good long while I was thinking that the book was quite strong, quite interesting, but not anything at or above five star. But then I kept reading. And experiencing, and the book really did leave me feeling like it is at about that level – maybe, perchance, 4.75? Maybe lower at 4.66? Somewhere between 4.66 to 4.92.

One of the first things I thought of when I learned of the book, and thought of as I read the book, is that there aren’t exactly many lesbian fiction books involving two women heading west, one of whom has assumed a male persona. The most ‘famous’ example I can think of would be Jae’s [book:Backwards to Oregon|6080751], which I’ve also read and enjoyed. So, compare and contrast? Despite the differences in length, some of the back story that ‘Crossing’ provided, isn’t actually in ‘Backwards to Oregon’ – things like the time the ‘woman posing as a man’ didn’t pose as a man. But yes, both books involve one obvious woman, and one woman who dressed up and acted like a man; and both books follow the two women ‘to the west’. And both include . . . the thing I put in spoiler somewhere above. But in many ways the two are completely different books. Though I’m going more by memory as it has been more than three years since I read ‘Backwards’. I’ll just lightly note that the women in Backwards seemed older, to me, and of a . . . ‘lower class’ – at least background wise (since, while the book opens with the ‘man’ being an officer in the military, ‘he’ also was the daughter of a prostitute, and the other main character in Backwards <i>worked</i> as a prostitute). And, um . . . stuff. Heh, just been too long for me to do a compare/contrast. Oh, and <spoiler>both characters in Crossing knew that both women were women before they ‘married’, while that wasn’t the case in Backwards – if I recall correctly.</spoiler>.

Enjoyable book. Quite readable. Oh, and, somewhat surprising to me, much sex.

Rating: 4.79

Expected publication: June 20th 2017

May 16 2017

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32072954-crossing-the-wide-forever" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Crossing the Wide Forever" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1482874293m/32072954.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32072954-crossing-the-wide-forever">Crossing the Wide Forever</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8433400.Missouri_Vaun">Missouri Vaun</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2001269723">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I rec'd an ARC from NetGalley/Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review. This is a historical romance with main characters Cody and Lillie. A quick easy read from Ms. Vaun that does not disappoint. 4 stars.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/31134832-gail">View all my reviews</a>