Ellen Webster graduated in Chicago and saw an advertisement for a teaching position in Wallace, Wyoming. She secured the position and went to Wallace with high hopes.

The train stopped in the middle of a prairie town barely two blocks long. The school house was one room with kindergarten through 9th grade being taught. The area was desolate with no trees. Most teachers stayed for one or two months maximum, but Ellen is determined to stay the entire year per her contract.

The town comes to meet the new school teacher and a handsome cowboy catches her eye. It is love at first sight and she is soon married to Charlie Bacon.

A one-bedroom shack is their new home on the windswept landscape and sagebrush and creosote are their constant companions. The wind blows relentlessly but the two lovers are determined to stick it out together. Coyotes howl every night and although desolate there is never a dull moment. Ellen is happy with Charlie but misses her Illinois home with the green and trees.

The couple is well-liked and the neighbors work to make the new school teacher happy in the community. Like most pioneer communities’ danger and demise are often an integral part of everyday life. This book paints a portrait of pioneer life at its’ most basic. Only the strong of mind and spirit can survive. 5 stars – CE Williams

This was an amazing read! I definitely could feel the emotions of the characters and feel how difficult life in Wyoming was. This was a beautiful story set in the early times of the expansion west. I definitely would read more of Sandra Dallas novels.

A great book indeed. This one did n9t disappoint if your a fan of historical fiction you definitely need to get this book.

Thanks to NETGALLEY and publisher.

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

Another fabulous read by Sandra Dallas. I never realized the difficult times that faced the ranchers in Wyoming. Charlie and Ellen have a wonderful romance. They work so hard to have the ranch the dreamed of. I enjoyed meeting all of the neighbors and friends they made. Each had their own story and blessings and sorrows. This book played in my mind as I read. I could see the homes they made, the faces of the neighbors and children. This story will leave you with a true understanding of the first ranchers in Wyoming. I loved it!

When I see a new book by Sandra Dallas I always pick it up. This one did not disappoint. I am fascinated by the pioneers and admire their grit and strength. This was a beautiful book I highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher.

I look so forward to this author's books and once again she did not disappoint! I absolutely devoured this latest one and highly recommend it.

This novel is excellent and causes the reader to ponder what life was like in the early pioneer days in this part of the west. Wyoming was appropriate as there are strong female characters and this state first gave women the right to vote.

The story's main character is Ellen who came west from Iowa to have an adventure teaching school in the town of Wallace. She gets far more that was originally in the bargain --but as a strong woman is able to overcome many obstacles and learn that what the surface shows is to the "truth."

There is a great story but the development of characters is what kept me spellbound. Whether is was "fallen women" that got married or just plain neighborliness, the story moved along well and was full of pathos as well happiness. Folks settling the west in this time had to be both physically and mentally tough and we see those who are and who are not in this story.

While I am not not one normally very interested in love stories there are several in the story that held my attention. If I had to describe this in two words, I would probably say "real life." A reader could do far worse than spend a couple of hours seeing what happens to Ellen and her husband, Charlie...and their neighbors. I loved following this story,

I was today years old when I learned about the incredible Americana historical fiction author Sandra Dallas. I received an advanced readers copy of Where Coyotes Howl and was instantly drawn into the lives of Charlie and Ellen who lived and loved in early 20th century Wyoming.
The realistic telling of their story was at times so heartbreakingly beautiful that it was easy to see why people chose to leave the relative safety of their cities to stake their claim out west.
I have been very curious about this place in time where ordinary families both old and young left their homes and became 100% self-reliant in search of an extraordinary new life. Strangers became family and friends out of both necessity and love. A stranger could be the difference between life and death.
I feel the author tells the story of Ellen and Charlie not to gratify the need to turn daily trials and tribulations into horrifying details of life on the frontier but to give a voice to all those brave souls who came and lived before. A nod to those who took some of the greatest risks in order to have a better life.
Thank you Netgalley for introducing me to Sandra Dallas. An author that I intend to continue to discover and to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Where Coyotes Howl is published on April 18, 2023.

This is my first book I read by this author and I loved it. The story is about Ellen Webster who is a school teacher and takes a job in Wallace. She boards with the McGinty's in a cold shack. She finds a friend in Ruth but Ruth's husband is a drunk and abusive. As she teaches school she meets Charlie Bacon who she falls in love with and then marries. The story is about the hard life the people in Wallace live and the hardships they have. I loved the characters and even through all the hardships Ellen and Charlie had the one thing they never gave up is the love they had for each other. Thanks to Sandra Dallas for introducing me to her books also to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and give my honest opinion.

This authors books have long been a favorite because she gives a realistic not romantized view of the west . It was a hard life and her books portray this . This one is just as good and deserves its place alongside the rest of her fantastic historical fiction
Thanks for letting me read and review this book to the publisher and Netgalley

Where Coyotes Howl is now my new favorite I have read by Sandra Dallas. I loved every single page. Warning to readers to get their tissues handy while reading it. I highly recommend it and am giving it five stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for the preview copy in exchange for my review. I really do like Sandra Dallas' work, but please do not expect an uplifting and joyful read. It is realistic and sad and it matches the hardship of the times. There is joy but it is found in the simple things, in relationships and nature and in the kindness of neighbors. Set in 1916 Wyoming Ellen sets out on an adventure and accepts a teaching job in a one room school house. She soon learns she is ill-prepared for the hardships of the west but she perseveres and rises to every challenge. When she meets Charlie Bacon and they begin to build a life they encounter hardships that most would not be able to withstand.

This is definitely a grown up version of Little House on the Prairies and I did enjoy it, darkness and all. Highly recommend!

I enjoy the books by this author so was excited to be able to read this one. Its not the deepest book you will ever read, however, the way the author describes the hard life in the west is amazing. It can be a bit of a depressing story, so would recommend reading it when you are in a good frame of mind. Its an easy read, and somewhat predictable. However I loved the way the author described life in the prairie and how relationships between neighbors, friends, and family developed and evolved. good read

Where Coyotes Howl is my first experience with Sandra Dallas and I will be back for more! Ellen Webster travels to Wallace, Wyoming to start her life as a teacher. She didn't know just how hard life would be in this vastly different from the life she was used to. Ellen slowly becomes connected with the small community and learns to love the hot summers and the hard, cold, blizzard winters. It helps that Charlie has entered her life, wanting to make her his bride. Ellen moves from being the town teacher to Charlie's bride and learns how fulfilling and how hard life can be on the ranch. Dallas pulls at your heartstrings and has you heartbroken in some places of this story.
Dallas's writing is beautiful and has your reading far into the night. I will be recommending Where Coyotes Howl to all my book reading friends and will be looking for other works by Dallas. Special Thanks to NetGalley, Sandra Dallas, and St. martin's Press for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

“Where Coyotes Howl” paints a stark picture of the hardships for early settlers, pioneers, and cowboys in Wyoming. The author tells of how the land was brown for miles and how chilling the winds of winter were. Ellen, who came to Wyoming as a teacher, and her cowboy husband try to build a future on land they hope to ranch on. They, like all of their neighbors, face a lot of hardships constantly just to survive. This was a pretty sad story, but would recommend it to those that like historical fiction set in the west.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this to review.

I enjoyed this book! I thought the setting was well done and interesting, the writing was atmospheric and appealing, and the characters were well-developed and likable. I felt invested in the story, though the pace was slow at times. Overall a good read!

I could not get into this story. I know that others will enjoy it and we will be getting it at our library.

It’s 1916, and young Ellen Webster accepts a teaching position in a small Wyoming town. It surely isn’t what she expected, but she finds that most of the townspeople are welcoming and glad to have her there. Instead of staying in a boarding house (which this town doesn’t have), Ellen is told she will be lodging in the simple and sparsely furnished home of a husband and wife, who don’t seem very welcoming. It soon becomes obvious they only took her in in order to gain the income it provided, and she quickly realizes that the husband abuses his wife. Ellen tries to help find ways for her new friend to survive her husband’s brutal treatment of her, including standing up for her and speaking out about the abuse.

Soon after, Ellen meets handsome and single rancher, Charlie Bacon. Their love develops quickly and marriage comes soon after. Life begins for them on a small parcel of land. Things are not easy and they struggle to make ends meet on the flatlands of Wyoming, where nothing seems to grow. Surviving each season of unforgiving winter blizzards and oppressive summer heat is difficult. They don’t have much, but Ellen does her best to find ways to make their simple house a home. Over the years, Ellen and Charlie experience times that bring great joy and happiness, as well as deeply tragic events that leave them grieving and feeling hopeless. If not for their deep love for each other, and the care and support of their closest friends, they wouldn’t have been able to overcome what they endured.

I love Sandra Dallas’s writing and her ability to make you feel everything her characters are experiencing. Her depiction of the time period she writes about is accurate and you can truly imagine how things must have been for those that lived in the early 1900’s. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction! Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.

In “Where Coyotes Howl”, Sandra Dallas has written a love letter to the Early American West, specifically the people that settled the plains of Wyoming in the early 20th century. She describes a heartbreaking, hardscrabble life that was made more difficult, especially for women, due to poverty, societal norms and natural disasters.

I really appreciated that the author didn’t feel the need to add any unnecessary drama. The setting was dramatic enough. Instead, what we get is a colorful cast of characters separated by vast distances and very different circumstances coming together and relying on each other to survive.

There were reminders every now and then that another world was available to these homesteaders. Characters visit from big cities where there are good jobs, better medical care and modern conveniences like indoor plumbing. Instead, the characters in this story made the choice each day to stay and support each other.

Dallas' writing style and talent with description transported me directly to this time and place, which I loved. I read this book in practically one sitting and stayed up way past my bedtime to finish.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first read by Sandra Dallas and it did not disappoint!
It was an excellent account of the hardships of life in the West in the early years. The dreams of adventure by many were met with the many highs and lows of love and loss.
Ellen moves to start a new life as a school teacher where she meets Charlie, a handsome cowboy. They're soon married and start their life together building their own ranch. There is love, loss, crazy weather, and many struggles along the way.
I look forward to reading more from this author.
#NetGalley #SandraDallas #Wherethecoyoteshowl