My review of this book was published at All About Romance on August 14, 2018. It has also been cross-posted to my personal Goodreads account (www.goodreads.com/lynnaar)

When Bound for Eden landed on my doorstep, it wasn’t even on my radar. Oddly enough, the next read I had planned was an Ellen O’Connell re-read, which also would have been a western book, so I felt like this came along at just the right time. I loved this from the moment it started. Alexandra was so protective of her brother and sister and wanted to keep them safe, and she was a scrappy thing who was going to do anything to keep them safe. This book doesn’t ease the reader in – we are thrown right into how treacherous the wild west can be, and it rarely lets up as the story goes on. Recent events have forced this family of foster children on the run, and they are running for their lives. In an attempt to throw the trackers off their trail, Alexandra dresses as a man, takes on the role as head of the family, and sets them off for the west. But before their journey even begins, Alexandra meets Luke Slater, and sees enough of him to kick her womanly fantasies into overdrive. It was interesting seeing Alexandra out of her element, as men have always been drawn to her, but when she finally meets one she is drawn to, she has to remain in her male disguise. Of course it’s not a one time meeting, and once Alex’s family joins Luke’s caravan west, Alex’s sister is also quickly smitten. I have to say, this made for a lot of prickly scenes between the sisters, and boy were they fun to read.They also have a brother who is ‘simple,’ and I love how accepting Luke (and everyone) was of Adam and how it didn’t seem to be a big deal to anyone. But for Luke, there was a genuine fondness there and I loved their easy relationship. Alexandra may be dressed as a man, but she and Luke get to know each other regardless, going so far as Luke taking Alex under his wing to teach ‘him’ how to be a man.

I really liked the pacing of this one; like I mentioned before, it hardly let up throughout the book. And I thought the villains in this book were fun, too. They were a bit over the top, but for some reason, I feel like that works well in western stories.

I did have a few concerns about this one – there was a lot of head hopping here and a little more continuity with whose head we were in would have been nice. I also wish the sister would have had something dramatic and bad happen to her. There were times she was mean to Alexandra, and I would have loved to get hers in the end. Also, there was a separation at the end when it was revealed that Alexandra was a woman, and it was so sudden it was jarring. I wish we had seen more of what Luke thought when it came out.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed Bound for Eden. I am a huge fan of westerns, and this one delivered on so many fronts. It reminded me of the old Oregon Trail game that was one of the first computer games every, and I loved the similarities. If you like western historical romance, you aren’t going to want to miss this one.

This title caught my eye for two reasons. It has a cross-dressing heroine, and it’s set on the Oregon Trail. I can’t imagine traveling across the country in a rickety wagon, helpless against the weather, disease, and in this story, the vicious Grady brothers. Parts of this worked well for me, and parts fell flat. This is a new to me author, and while Bound for Eden wasn’t a total success, I am interested in following the series further.

Alex, while getting back at the awful neighbors that have made life unbearable for her and siblings, helps make her own misery. Stealing gold from the Gradys, Alex sends Adam, her autistic brother, and Victoria, her pretty sister, fleeing from their destroyed home in Mississippi. Traveling by river boat to Independence to join a wagon train so they can join their older brother in Oregon, Alex disguises herself as a boy. A filthy, dirty boy. Most of her disguise consists of slathering layers of dirt and mud on herself, and all I could think was – are you washing your hands before you eat?? With all of the potential diseases she could contract, hand washing is a valuable safeguard again infection. But, no, I don’t think she did and that freaked me out.

Luke is a horseman from Oregon, in Independence for a auction. He intends to buy a stellar Arabian and take the stallion back to his ranch for stud. A horse of that quality will set him up for his breeding business, and he’s eager to get his hands on that horse. He’s also whiling away time at the cathouse, where he has all of the girls wrapped around his little finger. This will be his final journey east – after he gets back home with the stud, he’s going to ask the prettiest girl in Utopia to marry him (again) and settle down with a dozen kids.

Luke got on my nerves. Him having unprotected sex with all of the whores every time he came to town was just gross. It’s a wonder he didn’t catch something and have his package fall off. Ick. The biggest irritant with him, though, was how he blamed Amelia, the girl he intended to marry, for the girls at the cathouse falling for him, and begging him to marry them and take them away from their lives in dusty Independence. Because Amelia had rejected his proposal twice, it was her fault he was in Independence, being a sweetheart to the whores, giving them ideas that they didn’t need to have. Um. No. Number one – what a conceited jerk. Number two – Rejecting him was probably the only smart thing Amelia had ever done.

Alex is jealous when Luke shows some interest in Victoria. Dismissing Alex as a grubby runt, he turns on the charm for Victoria. In a moment of ill-conceived vanity, Alex cleans up, dons a knock out dress, and attends a dance, mesmerizing Luke. To the dismay of Victoria, who is completely smitten with him. Pretending to be Beatrice, a relative of the cathouse’s owner, Alex and Luke share a moment, just before Alex’s past races to catch up with her.

I didn’t really become engaged in the story until the wagon train, led by Luke, hit the trail. That was about halfway through. I enjoyed the setting and the challenges the hardy travelers faced, which included the murderous Grady brothers. While their villainy got to be over the top, they did add some much needed suspense to the story.

I don’t understand how Luke, and everyone else in the wagon train, didn’t see through Alex’s dirt encrusted disguise. Surely, with all of those months on the trail west, someone would have seen through her overly large clothes. These people were living in close quarters – what about when she had to relieve herself. Or when it was her time of the month? The continued pulling the wool over the eyes of everyone on the wagon train did not work for me.

Despite some issues with the story, I thought this was a fun read. I’m curious to learn more about the other Slater boys, but I’m even more interested in learning more about Nathaniel.

Grade: 3.25 stars

On the run from a family with power, Alex, her sister, and her brother with special needs take a perilous trip across country to find refuge with her step brother in Oregon. Since Alex is being hunted she hides herself in the disguise of a teen boy. The disguise works perfectly until she falls hard for their trail guide Luke.

Cute, fun and everything I wanted in western based historical romance.

I have to admit, the amount of time it took for Luke to figure out what was going on, well it went a little too long. But overall, it kept a pretty strong pace as they trekked across the country to escape the Grady's.

Alex's wit made the book for me, even tormenting an Indian...

Lots of humor, engaging and completely lovable characters, Bound for Eden was just what I was looking for in a book escape.

I received this ARC copy of Bound for Eden from Berkley Publishing Group. This is my honest and voluntary review. Bound For Eden is set for publication May 1, 2018.

My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Tess LeSue
Series: A Frontiers of the Heart novel
Sequence in Series: Book 1
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: May 1, 2018
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451492579
ISBN-13: 978-0451492579

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*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was interesting to read and kept my attention, although I didn't really grow to love any of the characters. They were okay and I empathized with Alex and her family, but I just couldn't get to that next level.

Alex is dressing as a boy in order to get away from the Grady brothers who are after her for stealing their gold and also because Silas wants her to marry him. Her siblings Victoria and Adam are present as well and Alex is determined for them to get them to safety. The thing is, as a boy Alex looks younger-- like 12 apparently, so this is the weird part for me. How did practically no one guess she was actually a she and older!?
She is in charge of her siblings, they listen to her, she acts responsible for them! I just... it takes some suspension of belief. Because we are led to believe Luke is mister amazing and smart, but she's hiding easily... even though-- UGH! I'm not saying I don't like stories where the girl pretends to be a guy to hide--I usually like them, and for the most part I liked this as well, but towards the end I thought it was just getting ridiculous.
Honestly, Luke is so slimy to me. He is supposed to be this naturally charming guy, flirting without meaning to, and making women of all ages lose their minds. We learn not much else about him or why Alex would fall for him. So, I was disappointed.

So, the book is about getting away from the Grady brothers who are following them even on the Oregon trail. I thought this added to the story in a good way, showing some of the brutalness of that life. It was nice that a romance was given some action or just something else besides the romance.

I will recommend this to people looking for historical romances or westerns.

Bound for Eden by Tess LeSue is the first book in her new Frontiers of the Heart series. Bound for Eden is a western historical romance that was an enjoyable, fun story with some witty humor. Alexandra Barratt, our heroine, is on the run with her two younger siblings; Victoria and Adam. Having survived the death of their parents, Alex has been pressured by the bad neighboring brothers, who are trying to force her to marry one of them; but they are evil, and bad to the bone. Alex manages to steal some money from those Grady brothers, and escapes with her siblings to join a wagon train. She knows the Grady brothers are looking for two girls and boy, so Alex disguises herself as a boy to throw them off.

Luke Slater, who is ready to go home, after a long trek to buy an Arab horse, he meets the boy (Alex) and willingly takes him under his wing, advising him to purchase a wagon and horse to move west. Before they go, Alex gets to see more then she bargained for in Luke Slater, as it seems that every woman throws themselves at him, as he is a known womanizer. Luke enjoys the attention, especially in the whore house he visits, where he meets the woman of his dreams (Alex after she cleans up, and calls herself another name), but she manages to run away before he can find out who she is. Alex finds herself falling for the hot gorgeous Luke, but unfortunately, so does her sister, Victoria. Alex must keep her disguise and secret, as Victoria throws herself at Luke.

When the Grady Brothers come close to finding them, Luke will step in and help them, thinking that it is Victoria who they want. They all manage to escape and the wagon train moves west.
What follows is a sweet adventure with some danger, excitement and the humorous banter between Alex and Luke. The battle with the Gradys escalates, as they attack the wagon train. When they are caught and arrested, Alex, Victoria, Adam and Luke feel safe, but the danger will rise again.

I really liked them together, but this went on a bit too long & I found myself anxious for Luke to wake up and see what others could see; the woman who calls to his heart. When his brothers find the pretty Alex very attractive, Luke’s anger keeps him at a distance from Alex, who truly does love him; but Luke was blinded by his anger. The exciting climax, where both lives are in danger and hanging a thread, had me holding my breath to see if they would survive.

It was a very intense finish, but satisfying finish. Bound for Eden was a sweet fun historical western that was exciting, suspenseful and humorous, with a great couple and perfect blend of romance. I suggest you read Bound for Eden, which was very well written by Tess LeSue. I look forward to the next book by Tess LeSue.