First sentence: A ragged curtain snapped against the broken glass of the window in the old shack, which had begun to list. Its boards, the paint scraped off by the wind and sand, were a splintery gray. The door sagged open, its white china knob cracked and yellowed.

Premise/plot: Are you looking for a book completely devoid of hope and joy? Are you looking for a book where women [and children] are oppressed on every single page? Did you find Romeo and Juliet too cheerful? If you want the 'one ring to rule them all' of bleakness, then Where Coyotes Howl might be a good fit for you.

The premise is simple enough, Ellen Webster, goes to Wyoming as a school teacher in 1916. She meets and falls head over heels in love with a cowboy, Charlie Bacon. They marry. Life goes downhill after the 'I do's.' Not because they stop loving each other madly. No, because of situations and circumstances. Ellen experiences many tough situations, no doubt, but she witnesses a thousand times worse in the community.

My thoughts: Is this one realistic? Perhaps. Surely you can find difficult, hard, tragic [how in the world do you experience all that and still keep on breathing] rough stories when doing genealogy. Pioneer stories can be ROUGH. It isn't that I went into this one expecting it to be cheery-happy-lovely-cozy-warm-fuzzy. But personally, I think a chain of hope OR a strong resilience [or both] could make a difference in perspective.

The overwhelming message seems to be that without agency, a woman cannot hope to have even a 1% chance at happiness. Men will abuse, misuse, manipulate. Even if you find the one in a million husband that will be tender and loving and supportive, you still can't be happy because you inevitably will suffer. Without birth control, you are doomed to SUFFER. This one seems very, very, very heavy-handedly pro-choice. The message seems to be that women need full and total control over their own bodies and their lives. A secondary message seems to be that it would be better to be a prostitute than a wife. [Some characters, though not Ellen, have been both. Husbands make life HELL on earth 99.2% of the time.]

Mental health. Every single character needs help or intervention. Of course, there's no help to be had. Again, embracing the abandon all hope philosophy.

This one needs LOTS of trigger warnings.

A study of early 1900s life on the plains with the closest town miles away. I could see both the similarities and the marked differences between then and now, including no proper health care often leading to death, and how people went crazy from things like the incessant sound of the wind and having too many babies too closely together. I did not see the end coming and was totally shocked. I highly recommend this to all fans of historical fiction of the plains, like fans of Willa Cather or Stephanie Grace Whitson.
#WhereCoyotesHowl

Another great book by Miss Dallas portraying the reality of the strong men and women who came West and pioneered and ranched as a way to make a living. There are very hard subject matters discussed, however, and I feel like readers should be aware of these trigger warnings: Child death and Domestic violence, just to name a few.

Thanks netgalley for giving me the advanced copy so that I can share my thoughts and opinions with y'all 💛

This book is truly heart-wrenching, and its beautiful prose kept me engrossed from start to finish.

Set in the early 1900s, Ellen makes a life-altering decision to leave her city life in Iowa and apply for a teaching position in Wallace, Wyoming. Life in the plains is unforgiving, marked by poverty and harsh winters. Despite the challenges, Ellen takes up her teaching role in Wallace. It’s there that she encounters Charlie Bacon, a cowboy, and their love for each other blossoms instantly. They marry, and Ellen leaves her teaching career to join Charlie in ranching. Their journey is filled with love, but also marred by numerous tragedies that left me heartbroken.
The story also delves into the hardships faced by other residents of Wallace, painting a raw and heartfelt portrait of their lives.

The writing is both eloquent and vivid, painting a rich tapestry of emotions. The characters are portrayed as resilient, devoted, and remarkably strong. The plot is a poignant exploration of life’s trials and tribulations, touching on themes such as loss, hope, family, friendship, grief, culture, community, hardship and love.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is an enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction. It is set in Wyoming and I felt like I was transported back in time!
Many thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This story is told in third person and follows a young woman in 1916 as she takes a teaching position in the American West. Ellen is surprised by the conditions that she finds when she arrives in Wallace, Wyoming, but determined to last longer than the previous women who have tried to fulfill the position of teacher in their school.

This reminded me of a grittier Little House on the Prairie during Laura’s teaching years. Ellen is courted by a smitten cowboy from one of the nearby ranch spreads and theirs is a love story that all in the region hold up to be the dream. But life in Wyoming during this time period is difficult and the winters are harsh. Everyone must depend on each other to keep the loneliness at bay and to survive the severe conditions. Tragedy always seems just around the corner.

The characters, especially the women, really make this story. They were expected to shoulder a lot of the hard work and some of the men were atrocious at the best of times and downright abusive at the worst. Some of the harsh realities were hard to read although I did feel like there were places when more modern issues and phrases did not seem time appropriate. Still, I fell in love with Ellen and Charlie and enjoyed all the relationships that they made with the other strong women and some men in the American West and cried when it was over.

Recommended to readers that enjoy stories about the American Frontier and West.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy provided for an honest review.

I was in the mood for a decent western and this book delivered. The characters were all so lovable. Well, maybe not quite all of them. The writing and plot kept me interested but could have been a little better. I love how Sandra gives us the good and the bad in all of her stories.

I apologize, I wanted to red this book, but was unable to read this book in the permitted timeframe. Life got in the way, but now I am back, so if this is released to me again, I will download, read and review it.

This one was a struggle for me. I tried audio twice and the book two times. I just couldn't get into it. I am sure it's a beautiful story, and many people are going to love it, but it wasn't for me.

Another amazing novel from Sandra Dallas! I was transported to depression-era Wyoming and following new teacher Ellen as she settles into life in her new town. For cowboy Charlie, it was love at first sight. Seeing their love unfold was beautiful. Every character faced hardships in this rural community but the bonds of friendship helped in those difficult times.
TW: death, death of a child, suicide, miscarriage, stillbirth, domestic abuse, rape

I'm such a fan of novels set in the Wild West. And Sandra Dallas has done a tremendous job in bringing the reality and grit of life as a pioneer to her readers. Despite not being tied up in a pretty little bow, this story was beautifully rendered. I felt the reality of life in this nascent Wyoming town. This was an epic that had me glued to the pages while anticipating the worst, yet hoping for the best for these women and their families.

Many thanks to partners, @netgalley and @stmartinspress for sharing this gripping #gifted early release e-copy with me.

This book was stunning, but absolutely heartbreaking. Ellen moves from Illinois and everything she’s ever known to take a job in the vast desolate area of Wyoming. While there she meets popular cowboy, Charlie Bacon. Things move fairly quickly from there. You follow the perspective of Ellen throughout the book and her relationships with the people she meets in Wallace. This book gripped me from the beginning to the end and after I was finished I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest and stomped on. It was beautifully written but so sad.

*review trigger warnings

Everything I have ever read by Sandra Dallas is always a treat and of the highest quality, and this book was no different. What sets her apart is her breathtaking prose, her excellent characterization, and the quality of her historical accuracy. Combine that with tender love between a husband and wife, strong female friendships, and the wild wilderness that was the American West, and you are swept away yet glued to your seat! Absolutely wonderful! I recommend all her books, but I believe this one is my favorite and her best yet! TEN STARS!

This unforgettable book left me speechless. It is the story of the lives of Ellen Webster and Charlie Bacon who met and married in the tiny town of Wallace, Wyoming in 1916. It is not a storybook romance, where the story ends with a kiss or 'I do'. It is the story of their lives together until the end.

Ellen came to Wallace to teach. She had wanted to travel and Wallace was the most appealing of the two offers she had received. Charlie Bacon worked for a local rancher, and his dream was to have his own ranch. He met Ellen and they both found another dream. Ellen taught for the rest of the year, then resigned her job to marry Charlie. Married women could not teach.

They were profoundly and dangerously isolated after they moved to the ranch. Charlie was working alone rather than with a group of other men, and would be away for days on end working the cattle. Ellen would be alone in their house until they had children. Early on, she would be unnerved by the sounds she heard, particularly at night. The silence was only broken by the sound of the wind, of crows, hawks and eagles, and the screams of small animals caught and dying, This was also a time when infant mortality was high, and childbirth was very dangerous for women in the best of circumstances. Picture when a woman in labor is alone with no way to call for help. .

I received an e-arc from the publisher St. Martin's Press via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas is a beautifully crafted story of life on the high plains, the challenges, the heartbreak and the abiding love that can be found there. Sandra Dallas has written another gem, as she has done many times before. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a joy to read. Sandra Dallas has been a favorite author of mine for many years . Her love and knowledge of the West is always evident in her stories. In this book, which takes place in 1916, young Ellen Webster moves to Wyoming for a teaching job and meets a handsome cowboy. I don’t want to give anything else away, but remember, Wyoming was a wild, lonely place at that time.

I loved this book! The setting is one of my favorites - the westward expansion and the settling of new territories. There were so many historical tidbits throughout that it felt authentic and real. The author also didn't shy away from the harsh realities that these people dealt with at the time, which I appreciated even though it made me sad.

I find the frontier life fascinating, and details of the lives of teachers, ranchers, cowboys and children are all included in the story. People came together to help one another regardless of their social situations or even reputations. Where Coyotes Howl is a beautiful demonstration of early American life in an unsettled place.

While I liked this book I also feel like something was missing or just wasn't right. It wasn't enough to prevent me from finishing it but I definitely feel there could have been a bit more of something to make this even better than it was.

This book is a heartrencher to read. Everyday these dear folks had more trouble, and more love to overcome it. I felt like I lived it with them, such a great Author. Sandra Dallas must have lived one of
her lives during this time in history, a truly compelling read. Thank you Net Galley for allowing me
access to this gem of a book, I’ll be watching for more books from Sandra Dallas.

I enjoyed Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas. The characters and story are wonderful! Happy Reading!
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**