Sandra Dallas writes comfortable books, in that you can just climb into one and even though the characters face hardships, disappointments, and tragedy, you can just feel right at home in her style of writing. In her newest book she will take you to the plains of Wyoming and the settlers, some reluctant and some willing, who try to make a go of it despite the rough and often intolerable circumstances. Each character is flawed in their own way, yet the author focuses on their good parts and redeeming qualities throughout and makes you care for people you may not otherwise care about. The harsh realities of the pioneers’ lives and their relationships with each other have so many intricacies and ups and downs that it is hard to share much of the story, but just know it is well worth a read and will keep you engaged for days after you go onto the next book. Thank you to NetGalley for this advance copy read, Sandra Dallas is a favorite of mine!

Sandra Dallas does a stellar job at evoking the historical West — in this case a small town on the prairies of Wyoming in the early 1900s. This is the story of two “ordinary” people of time — an imported schoolteacher and the cowboy she falls in love with. It’s a hard life and frankly that makes for a hard read. The tight friendships and support structure formed by the women who often live up to an hour by horse from each other can help but not quite overcome the relentless tragedies that occur — from weather, illness, starvation, and from (some) husbands that are just plain bad. Dallas never resorts to melodrama but then she doesn’t have to — the real life stories are (mostly) pretty awful. I’ve read every book that Dallas has written and will continue to do so, but I admit that this book left me pretty depressed — her depictions so vivid that (being the emotional sponge that I am) I couldn’t help but feel sad for all my new found fictional friends.