So I originally had given a review for this on my podcast which is having issues and not available for review. So this review will be quite short. I had a blast with this book and the representation in this story was on point. I have so much respect for this author and what she was able to create with this story. Small-town romance is such my catnip, and the romance that developed between these two was so unforgettable. There is such sweet vulnerabilities that we see from the characters, and from their first meeting you can sense their deep chemistry. They have a beautiful story that has the reader aching to cheer them on. I love how this author just captivates you immediately with her writing, and you just want more of it. Definitely eager to see what she does next.

When Nevada blows into town she shows up at her friend Carly's cafe very unexpectedly. She needs to hide out but doesn't want anyone to know why she's running. She also doesn't want anyone who helps her to get hurt but she doesn't expect to feel welcome or make friends or put down roots. Is she getting too complacent? Will those looking for her find her and if so, who will be harmed? There are a lot of twists and turns in the telling of Home at Chestnut Creek which takes place in the very small town of Unforgiven, New Mexico.

I loved the characters who have a depth to them and their own stories to tell. Carly and her husband have a baby that everyone loves. The cook in the cafe, Joe 'Fishing Eagle' King or Joseph as Nevada calls him is Navajo. There are Navajo words sprinkled throughout the story and I liked the way the meanings were explained. We learn of his traditions as well as his dreams. The manager, Lorelei, has her own problems, and we are introduced to her aging mom.

The story flowed nicely with Nevada being befriended by those she works with but also trying to keep to herself and stay under the radar. She and Joseph do a lot of talking and she tells him some of her story, sometimes without realizing it. She doesn't want him or anyone else in Unforgiven getting hurt because of her but every time she thinks of leaving something holds her back until it's almost too late! Joseph gives her the time and attention she needs by giving her a place to live, letting her help with chores and giving her a ride back and forth to work. They are just friends even though they both feel an attraction which he fights since she's a white girl. He wants to keep his Navajo traditions alive and she can't get too close since he would try to protect her and only get hurt. Nevada gets through his defenses as well as helps him see things from his past differently. I liked his connection and love he shows for his grandmother who he lived with but has since died.

Nevada opens her heart through letter writing to her mom who was a druggie and more and died when she was young. It helped her heal but also showed us another side of Nevada and not the tough girl persona she portrays. There were wonderful descriptions of the setting that made me feel like I was there. There is danger afoot but I like the way it was resolved. There is nice closure with a better happily ever after than I anticipated thanks to the epilogue.

The bonus novel, Wild Cowboy Ways by Carolyn Brown, was included in the book and I will review it in a separate post but it was another 5 star read!

Ms. Drake is an author whose books I've read before and enjoyed. I missed the first book in this series, The Last True Cowboy, that I have added to my always growing TBR pile. I look forward to reading more of her books.

I enjoyed this book a lot. My favorite part was the setting. I love New Mexico and Laura Drake always does an amazing job of describing the setting. If you haven't read books in this series before I would start with the first books before reading this book. I enjoyed the love story and recommend this book and series

I received a free copy of Home at Chestnut Creek in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be a great read with lots of character and a few good laughs while tackling some tough issues I especially fell in love with Grandma.

I would recommend this book if you are looking for something light and entertaining.

This is the second book in the Chestnut Creek series and I really enjoyed the first one, but boy did I struggle with the second book, which is surprising as it would be the type of book that I would have normally loved! girl on the run from a bad guy and starts a new life, finds a sweet/strong guy, falls in love and defeats the bad guy, but yeah....that didn't happen for me in this book, and it wasn't even (so much) the storyline, but one character that really killed the book for me.

I didn't enjoy Nevada at all, she is on the run, but the first thing she does is goes to a friend, isn't the whole point of being on the run means you hide from everyone you know, so you can't be tracked? Nevada's characters also struck me as very immature, which leads me to think that this book should have been put in the new adult's section rather than contemporary romance/romantic suspense. Joseph's character I understood more, but he was not enough to save the book for me.

Received in exchange for a honest review.

Upon first starting the book I was wary of Nevada. She had that past and you weren’t quite sure how to feel. She was a little squirrelly and she didn’t trust easily. Gooing to chestnut Creek happened because she wanted to hide. She didn’t really think about those around her only herself. That kind of put me off on her. I know she had been through alot as we find out but still it seemed a wee bit selfish. Don’t get me wrong Nevada grew on me. She was resilient, smart, determined, stubborn and hard headed. She was also kind and fun. She was smart and sarcastic as well. She beat to her own drummer. She was also a good cook and Joseph saw more in her than others did.

Joseph was on the res but not on the res. He held some guilt and was trying to prove himself. TO who I am not really sure. To me it was more for himself than others. He was determined to do as her grandmother wished of him only his heart had other ideas. We see him be quiet and honest. Kind and generous and extremely into his heritage. He showed us though that you can have your heritage and still be yourself. He had to forgive himself first though and Nevada helped him do this. I loved him from the beginning for there was more to him than meets the eye to me.

Joseph knew something was up with Nevada and was intrigued by her as well. He helped her out and started to get to know her. The atraction between them flew off the page. You could tell that they were meant to be. ONe was hiding and trying to find their way into trusting and letting go of the past and the other was trying to forgive themselves. They both needed to trust one another and learn that things weren’t their fault and to let go. I loved how they started as strangers and slowly learned about one another and became friends. Jospeh opened Nevada’s eyes and she helped him heal. they were great together.

The plot was interesting. We had the past catch up to both of them but in different ways. Nevada’s had danger and intrigue where we see Joseph help her and his was about forgiveness and facing your demons. About finding your place and seeing where you belond and always belonged They both learned about family in different ways. Nevada found one and Joseph to me reacquanted himself with his. They both found their way to each other and to protecting each other. The story felw by and the romance was sexy with snarky sarcastic fun banter as well as serious moments and entertaining times. A great tale all around on love, forgiveness, friendship, famliy and trust.

When Nevada blows into town she shows up at her friend Carly's cafe very unexpectedly. She needs to hide out but doesn't want anyone to know why she's running. She also doesn't want anyone who helps her to get hurt but she doesn't expect to feel welcome or make friends or put down roots. Is she getting too complacent? Will those looking for her find her and if so, who will be harmed? There are a lot of twists and turns in the telling of Home at Chestnut Creek which takes place in the very small town of Unforgiven, New Mexico.

I loved the characters who have a depth to them and their own stories to tell. Carly and her husband have a baby that everyone loves. The cook in the cafe, Joe 'Fishing Eagle' King or Joseph as Nevada calls him is Navajo. There are Navajo words sprinkled throughout the story and I liked the way the meanings were explained. We learn of his traditions as well as his dreams. The manager, Lorelei, has her own problems, and we are introduced to her aging mom.

The story flowed nicely with Nevada being befriended by those she works with but also trying to keep to herself and stay under the radar. She and Joseph do a lot of talking and she tells him some of her story, sometimes without realizing it. She doesn't want him or anyone else in Unforgiven getting hurt because of her but every time she thinks of leaving something holds her back until it's almost too late! Joseph gives her the time and attention she needs by giving her a place to live, letting her help with chores and giving her a ride back and forth to work. They are just friends even though they both feel an attraction which he fights since she's a white girl. He wants to keep his Navajo traditions alive and she can't get too close since he would try to protect her and only get hurt. Nevada gets through his defenses as well as helps him see things from his past differently. I liked his connection and love he shows for his grandmother who he lived with but has since died.

Nevada opens her heart through letter writing to her mom who was a druggie and more and died when she was young. It helped her heal but also showed us another side of Nevada and not the tough girl persona she portrays. There were wonderful descriptions of the setting that made me feel like I was there. There is danger afoot but I like the way it was resolved. There is nice closure with a better happily ever after than I anticipated thanks to the epilogue.

The bonus novel, Wild Cowboy Ways by Carolyn Brown, was included in the book and I will review it in a separate post but it was another 5 star read!

Ms. Drake is an author whose books I've read before and enjoyed. I missed the first book in this series, The Last True Cowboy, that I have added to my always growing TBR pile. I look forward to reading more of her books.

Favorite Quote: Flat-bottomed gray clouds cover the sky like a lid on the world, cutting off the tops of the mountains on the horizon. I take off, running away from the road, The wind picks up in small gusts, but unlike the past week, it doesn't cut through my sweats. My leg muscles warm, and when I pick up the pace, Nevada follows, breathing easily.

Another excellent story from Laura Drake. Western romance at it's finest. A blending of Navajo culture with modern Western life. Slow beginning that develops into a compelling page turner.

This is really a different type of Western Romance; the characters are so well developed. The insight into the Navajo culture was eye-opening. I got new insight into the area of the US always been portrayed as the barren wastelands of New Mexico. This is a recommended must read from me.

Not really sure why I didn't feel a connection with the characters or the storyline but the whole thing was just ordinary and a bit forgettable.

A fast paced romp in romance with a stellar cast and some fun surprises... Nevada is just the strong woman needed to keep this book going and I liked the chemistry between her and Joseph. I just loved this book!!

This is gradually becoming my favorite author. This book was such a new take on romance and it was exhilarating and refreshing. This is book two of the Chestnut Creek Series and just like the first one, I loved it. There is something great to be said for an author who takes a risk of writing a romance with the hero being a Native American and do it very tastefully.


This story is about Nevada Sweet, who from book one, is a raunchy, tough woman with a heart of gold. If you read book 1 then you know that Nevada was the cook from the food truck that Carly worked at temporarily. Nevada Sweet is on the run from the drug cartel and she arrives in the small town of Unforgiven to hide out for a while. But she wasn't counting on meeting Fish, the Navajo cook with a huge heart and even bigger muscles. Fiercely independent, Nevada does not stand for charity or free rent, so Fish offers her his grandmother's former RV and the relationship starts from there. With Nevada on the run, will she stay in the small, sweet town of Unforgiven with Fish or will she forever live her life looking over her shoulder?


I wanted to start this review with a hand clap. I absolutely enjoyed myself while reading this story. I loved seeing Nevada and Fish's relationship blossom to such a beautiful love story. Nevada is like a caged wild animal and she has that natural instinct of survival. I mean who could blame her after the constant punches that life have thrown at her? Her character develop was done so while and I could tell that the author took such great care with this character. Joseph or Fish, is a of the Navajo tribe and his back story and character development was great as well. The author really did her research with this character and both of their past intertwined and contributed to the story arc as a whole. Most importantly, the story had that small town feel that I love so much and she included characters from the first book, but they did not distract me from the main characters from this story. The slow and progressiveness of their relationship is what caught me. They were polar opposites, but love happened and it was so exciting to see come together.

The only one thing that rubbed the wrong way was the use of the "Indian" word to describe the Navajo tribe. The word was used from the character's point of view, but I just did not like it. Luckily, the word is not mentioned a lot throughout the story. Other than that small thing, this book was almost perfect.

This book packed so much heart in such a small package and I was so grateful that I got the chance to read a romance with a different type of hero who was hot in all the right places. This is a Five Star read for me and I had have my tea and blanket while reading this book because it was that good. Go pick this up ASAP. !!!

🍷 #Review of Home at Chestnut Creek by Laura Drake

Kimberly's Thoughts:
Nevada Sweet is on the run and with a lack of funds, she decides to hit up an old work colleague to see if she has a job for her. Unforgiven is a small town but the restaurant where Nevada buses tables has a cook that makes it hard for her to want to move on.
Joseph “Fishing Eagle” King is Dine through and through and would do anything for his Navajo community. He offers the diner's new employee a place to stay but never sees himself getting involved with a white woman.
Nevada is busy trying to hide from her present and Joseph refuses to let the past go, these two can try and hide from themselves but they can't hide from each other.

She is an odd combination; equal parts swagger and fear. Once you realize the swagger is a mask, it's easy to see the fear beneath.

Home at Chestnut Creek is book two in the Chestnut Creek series and while it is possible to read this as a standalone like I did, you miss some of the background relationships in the first that end up playing a part here. I was lost as to why Nevada would go to her old work colleague, who I guess is more of a friend that Nevada wants to let on. If you're on the run and don't want someone to find you, I'm not sure you'd go to someone you had a previous connection with, but again, not having read the first, I'm not sure how close these two characters actually were.

This story was written in first person point of view and present tense, this is a very hard combination for me to personally read, if you're not bothered by that structure, then your mileage would vary greatly. I also had a very hard time warming up to Nevada. She came across extremely immature and trying a bit too hard to be a rebel, she was more bratty teenager than closed, hardened heart woman to me (her age is early twenties). She mellows some in the second half and opens up a bit to Joseph but her being rude, snarky only came off as thus, and didn't translate to scared, vulnerable, just lashing out in fear of not wanting to get close to people.

“Forgiving others is much easier than forgiving yourself.”

Joseph was the more interesting character to me but it takes a while to get why he feels he shouldn't get involved with a white woman and must devote his life to his Navajo community. There was so much just tell and talk about him being dedicated to his community, but besides running with a group of Navajo girls, we never get any showing. Which was one of the biggest problems I had with this book, a lot of surface telling and no substance showing what the author was trying to relay about the characters.

The suspense story line of why Nevada was running, made sense when we finally are let in as to why but the villain she is running from gets only a handful of povs, does basically nothing but get lucky to find Nevada and then is dealt with very quickly. The ending was a rushed, forced happy everyone gets along now.

This might have benefited from a larger page count to allow the author to expand on the plots and emotions. Joseph's pain from thinking he betrayed his family, the running group that doesn't like Nevada but has a sudden moment of sharing their deepest darkest secrets with her to never really become a part of the story again, Nevada finally saying she is going to “stop running” and opens up to Joseph telling him the truth, only to on the same night, after they are inmate, run away for “his safety”.

The writing structure, lack of depth to characters' emotions and actions, and motivations not always making sense, had this a tough read for me. I would only recommend this to previous Drake readers who enjoyed her style or people who have read the first in the series and enjoyed.

This is the second book in the series and it is awesome. . I highly recommend reading this book. This was Nevada and Joseph’s story. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. . ( I received the privilege of reading an ARC of it and I can only say thank you for the amazing read’s)

This book came with a bonus book “A Cowboy for Keeps by Carolyn Brown”. This book was also an amazing read, it also gets five stars.

This was a awesome summer read!

Home At Chestnut Creek is a very good book. I enjoyed the plot and the dynamics between the main characters. I recommend this book. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my digital arc this is my unbiased review.

Title: Home at Chestnut Creek

Series:Chestnut Creek #2

Author: Laura Drake

Pages: 602

Genre:Westen Romance

July 2nd

From an award-winning author who "writes real cowboys with heart and soul" (Carolyn Brown, New York Times bestselling author) comes an unforgettable western romance about two strangers who learn that home is where the heart is. . .


First rule of life on the run: never get attached. Nevada Sweet knows that better than anyone-it's just too dangerous to stay put. And until now, she's never wanted to. But she gets more than she bargained for when she walks into the Chestnut Creek Café looking for a job. Despite the protective wall she's built, her coworker Joseph has her imagining a life she isn't yet convinced she deserves...


While Unforgiven, New Mexico has always been home, Joseph "Fishing Eagle" King still feels like an outsider-no matter how much he tries to give back to his Navajo community. Beneath Nevada's biting wit, he glimpses a similar vulnerability. Against all odds, Joseph finds himself falling for her, and it's clear she's not as unaffected as she pretends. When her past finally catches up with her, she'll have to decide whether to keep running, or fight for what's hers.


Includes the bonus novel Wild Cowboy Ways by Carolyn Brown!



My thoughts

Would I recommend it? yes

Will I be reading the rest of the series ?yes in fact I have book 1 to read as well

Would I read anything else by this author? yes

As for the other author ? I'm not sure , because I can't get in to her waiting

This is my first book by this author and since I've read it I now can't wait to read the first book in this series which I also have, I love how Joseph and Nevada hit it off and how Nevada is as tough of nails and seems to be hard as a nut to getting to know , but there's just something about her that I liked , as for Joseph I loved how he loved everything about his people's history and was doing everything to keep it alive so that the next generation would have it and understand about what their families went though all those years ago. Right from the start there seems to be something going on between the two and even if Joseph dosen't know the hole story he decides to help her. So if your looking for a romance in a small town, a girl running from her past and heading unknown to her feature , then you might want to check this one out.With that said I want to say thank you to Netgalley as well as Forever for letting me request it and sending me a copy of to read and review it exchange for my honest opinion.

Nevada is running for her life, literally! Having tried to remove herself from her horrible, drug filled youth, she runs to shelter at a friend's house where she meets Fishing Eagle. She doesn't know how to love and he doesn't want to love a white woman. Her past is what brings them together. This is a romance filled with love and Indian culture.

This is the second book and is about Nevada Smith who we met in the first book. She is still wearing the t-shirts with the sarcastic sayings on front and still has a tough outside. She shows up at her friends place looking for a job. Carly who now runs the diner gives her one as a dish washer and busing tables. She at first does not make any friends with the customers. She does make friends with Joseph Fishing Eagle. He is the cook and he also rents out a trailer to her that he has on his land. She becomes attached to the sheep he raises and slowly becomes to like the people. She knows though she must move on because the man she is running from is still looking for her. You find out about her story and her childhood in Houston and Vegas and how she ripped off a drug dealer and flushed his product down the toilet. You also find out why. You see the pain she has as she is growing as a woman and a person along with Joseph also. They are both fighting demons just different ones and neither one wants any help. Maybe they can help each other? Or not. This is a very good book and had me from the time I started reading it until the last paged. I did not stop until I finished that night and I am glad I did. I already liked Nevada from the last book but now I found myself likening more characters of this author’s. this was a very, very good book and very much worth the read.

This book was just Wow! Laura Drake hit all the right buttons with this!
Nevada Sweet has always been a loner because she has always looked over her shoulder when she called her friend and come to Unforgiven to work she knew this place could be a home.
Joseph "Fishing Eagle" King a Native American who rightfully so is extremely proud of his heritage and preserving it. When he offers Nevada a place to stay - little did he know how engulfed in her life he would become!
Such an incredible read.

Heartwarming, fun, witty and engaging romantic journey that is filled with intriguing charters, exciting twist and undeniable passion. I really enjoyed reading this small town romance that had me glued to my e-reader from beginning to end.