I love a good western romance and Sandra Dallas writes an excellent story in her latest novel. Set on the plains of Wyoming in 1916, Ellen Webster accepts a teaching job in Wallace, a small town that is miles away from a big city.

Almost immediately Ellen meets a cowboy named Charlie Bacon. Charlie is a decent man who has been through some tragic times in his life. Even so, he finds enough love in his heart to include Ellen in his life. They soon marry and begin a life together in the rugged countryside of Wyoming.

Church socials, dances and picnics fill the couple’s social lives, but most of their time is dominated by work on the plains. Naturally, there are more tragedies to come in their small community.

I am not going to give the story away, but readers need to prepare their hearts for the struggles, love and loss that the young Bacon family endures. This is definitely a tissue-worthy story. I loved it in spite of the hardships they went through and am happy to recommend this to historical fiction and romance readers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to offer my honest review.

This was a refreshingly different from the thrillers that I usually read. Sandra Dallas is an excellent writer and skillfully portrays the hardships of Wyoming prairie life. The characters, both good and bad, were well-drawn and authentic. The descriptions of the hardships endured will draw readers in. This will appeal to a wide range of readers.

Where Coyotes Howl is the second book I've read by talented author Sandra Dallas. She obviously does meticulous research for the settings of her stories; here she paints a vivid picture of the High Plains of Wyoming in the early 20th century. This book is more of a character-driven drama as opposed to one filled with action, though there is some of that, too. There are incidents of child and spousal abuse, prostitution, poverty and death, so be warned. In a nutshell, Ms. Dallas puts you through an emotional wringer.

In 1916, Ellen Webster decides to take a chance in applying for a teaching position in the two-street town of Wallace, Wyoming and is accepted. The High Plains is a desolate place with terrible winter blizzards and intense summer heat, but it has a beauty all its own. Ellen eventually falls in love with the place, as well as handsome cowboy Charlie Bacon. She moves on from being a teacher and is now a rancher's wife, and Ellen and Charlie hold on to each other through happiness and heartache. Ellen becomes friends with the diverse group of women who are also trying to survive in this harsh landscape. Will Ellen and Charlie find the happiness they both deserve?

After reading just two books by Sandra Dallas, I've arrived at two conclusions: There's going to be some ugly crying going on, and don't expect a happy ending. Now I may very well be wrong about that, but I will still seek out her work despite my love for happy endings. This book doesn't show an idealized view of the American West of the past, but rather the harsh realities. After accepting a job as a teacher in Wallace, Ellen made friends and the kids loved her. But when she fell in love with Charlie and married him, she had to give up her post; otherwise Charlie would be shamed, as people would think he could not provide for his wife. Ellen entered an entire new world as a rancher's wife and had to learn an entirely new set of life skills. Charlie worked hard to provide for his family, trying to establish his own ranch while also working for the Gurleys, a well-to-do family who had a large property. The premise was to show how Ellen and Charlie were ordinary people, except for the great love they shared. Though the love they had for one another was obvious, I didn't feel a great passion between them. I feel like we really got to know Ellen, but not so much Charlie, besides him being a hard worker and having lost both his parents and brother in violent ways. It's Ellen's relationships with the other women in the area that took the spotlight here, and showcased the great resiliency of women in the West. Mrs. Gurley worked hard supporting her husband and their ranch, while also dealing with her two children, one of whom had mental disabilities. Gladys was a former prostitute, now married with two children. Ruth, Ellen's former landlady, was physically and mentally brutalized by her husband. Miss Ferguson was a woman with a mysterious past and no friends, but Ellen befriended her and drew her into her circle. It was the friendships with these women who made the story. The significance of the title "Where Coyotes Howl" is a theme throughout the book and will give you chills while breaking your heart. It's not a happy story, but definitely worth reading.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

"Where the Coyotes Howl" is an ode to 1916 life on the prairie. Seeking a better life, people moved westward with hopes of living the American dream.

Synopsis: 1916. Seeking adventure Ellen Webster accepts a teaching position in Wyoming. Life is not easy in the flat, brown corner of the state where winter blizzards are unforgiving and the summer heat relentless. It isn't long before she falls in love with the high plains, the sweeping skies and the broad open spaces.

Ellen finds happiness in Wyoming, marrying a cowboy named Charlie. The novel follows their trials and tribulations as they build a home, start ranching and living off the land. Ellen is a lucky in her marriage compared to other couples nearby - some of those stories were absolutely heartbreaking. Ellen and Charlie face it all together, their relationship growing stronger with each shared success, and each deeply felt tragedy.

Those who have read The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah or Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon will absolutely love Sandra Dallas's Where the Coyotes Howl. She gives us a glimpse back into our past where anything was possible and early settlers faced challenge after challenge. It truly was a man's world - times were very difficult for women. It's amazing how far we have come since then.

Dallas's writing is powerful and vivid. Her characters are resilient, devoted, and strong. And her plot is a harrowing tale about life, loss, hope and family. We feel the wind and hear the coyotes howl in the vast unforgiving landscape where neighbors live miles away from each other and need to rely on each other to survive.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of the book and audio for review and both are equally wonderful. Stephanie Németh-Parker (narrator) made the characters come alive. If you are looking for a read or listen book that has you feeling all the feels this is it! I can't imagine living back in 1916 on the prairie. These people had grit, determination and were tough.

Many thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and St.Martins Press for the opportunity to experience the westward expansion complete with frontier life, female friendship, community, hardships, grief and love.

I love books that transport you to another place and time, and give you a taste of what life might have been like for ordinary people there. This deeply moving story is set in rural Wyoming in the 1940s. The protagonist, Ellen, takes a job as a schoolteacher and moves there without knowing much about it. She marries a cowboy and they build a life together in this unforgiving landscape, a flat, arid prairie, suitable only for ranching. Life is incredibly hard, particularly for women, and many don’t survive it, physically or emotionally.
Like all exceptionally good stories, this has deeper layers of meaning. It’s also about the rest of us, and the way we deal with the wondrous and dreadful events life throws at us. It’s about how love makes all the difference.
I highly recommend this book.

I have over the years become a huge Sandra Dallas fan. I just kind of realized it today. Every book I've read of hers is right at the top. Books I remember forever. That's pretty good for me because I read so much, I tend to forget the story line or the general gist of the story. Let me tell you that Where Coyotes Howl will be one you won't forget.

This book tugs at your heartstrings all the way through. It kept me totally immersed and interested. I could not put this book down. The characters were addictive. This is one of those books that are the whole 360 and everything you want from a book.

Ms. Dallas has a way with her character development that makes you know and feel each one. You know right away when you meet them in the story what they are all about. Ellen is a school teacher and she has a heart of gold and likes Charlie as soon as she sees him. Charlie falls in love with her the minute he meets her. Love at first sight. 

Life on the High Planes is rough during this time period and takes many lives. Folks move out there and don't know what they are in for. Charlie and Ellen make a good couple. They work together to build their ranch and start a family. I was wrapped up in their lives and how hard they worked and the challenges they faced. I don't think I would have been able to make it in Wallace, Wyoming. I like the comforts of city life too much.

If you like to learn about what life was like in other time periods or you just enjoy a good love story, this book should interest you. I am only a little of a quarter of a way through this year and I would have a hard time picking my top ten but, this one would have to make the list. Until next time…Happy Reading!

Don't forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from #Netgalley, #St.MartinsPress and the author. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

WHERE COYOTES HOWL by Sandra Dallas is a new work of historical fiction set in Wallace, Wyoming during the early twentieth century. Main characters are Ellen Webster, the women whom she befriends, and a romantic interest, Charlie Bacon, who is a cowboy. Dallas refers frequently to the title and its poignancy as an indication to the loneliness and dangers in such a desolate area. Ellen goes to Wallace for a one year adventure as a school teacher; she falls in love and stays longer, but still struggles with the demanding environment, particularly for women. Dallas emphasizes how Ellen's friends (varied in age and background) experience prejudice, spousal abuse, and the devastating death of young children. As in many of Dallas' other novels, the women draw strength from each other which lessens their pain while allowing readers to more readily appreciate that support and concern. WHERE COYOTES HOWL received a starred review from Booklist. Definitely have a look at some of Dallas' earlier works, too, including The Diary of Mattie Spenser (a personal favorite of the author), The Persian Pickle Club, and more recently, Little Souls. Plus, numerous historical fiction novels have an emphasis on settling a frontier and/or overcoming hardships, including titles like Homestead by Melinda Moustakis, Christy by Catherine Marshall, and News of the World by the Paulette Jiles.

(3.5 stars)
It’s going to sound odd that I enjoyed Where Coyotes Howl, given it’s such a sad story. The extreme hardships experienced by settlers in early 20th century Wyoming are brought to life by the author. Unfortunately, the happy parts are few and far between, so it’s one tragic event after another.

Ellen is a young school teacher who comes to a very small town in Wyoming on a one-year contract to teach in their one-room schoolhouse. There she falls in love with one of the local cowboys, Charlie Bacon. They marry and the book follows their lives, along with several of the townspeople and ranchers in the area. The author has chosen to bookend their story with a prologue and an epilogue. Once you read the prologue, which takes place about 30 years later, you already know that nothing much good happened to this young couple, so there wasn’t a whole lot of suspense in the rest of the book.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook’s narrator, Stephanie Nemeth-Parker, did a great job with all the voices.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

It is 1916, and Ellen has moved to Wallace, Wyoming, to start a career as a schoolteacher. But, what she wasn’t expecting, was to fall in love with a handsome cowboy named Charlie Bacon. After marrying Charlie, Ellen finds her purpose in being a rancher’s wife and purpose in her friendships with the other women living in the prairie. But life isn’t easy for Charlie or Ellen. When tragedies and trials threaten their happiness, Charlie and Ellen must face and endure them together. Can they weather everything life is throwing at them? Or will they crumble?

I wasn’t exactly sure what to get into when I started reading Where Coyotes Howl. I only knew what I read in the blurb: It was a Western, and the author set it in the Wild West. This book was so much more than what was in the blurb. But, this book’s center was the love story between Charlie and Ellen. It was this love story that made the book.

There are trigger warnings in Where Coyotes Howl. They are:

Domestic Violence: There were several scenes in this book where one of Ellen’s good friends was beaten by her husband. Keeping with the time, Ellen’s husband wrote off the DV as something between that woman and her husband and refused to get involved. The DV was mainly off-page, but the author highlighted a few scenes. The most memorable one was when that woman’s husband burned her hands on the stove because she dared to crochet Ellen something.
Death: Death is a common theme throughout the book. People died all the time from various things. There were a few on-page deaths, but I will explain more about them in the other trigger warnings.
Child Death: There were quite a few scenes where children died, either from illness, accident, or murder.
Child Murder: There was one brutal scene to read where a woman went crazy and killed two out of her six children. It was graphic (because of where and how she did it) and heartbreaking.
Stillbirth: Ellen gets into a carriage accident when she is almost to term with her pregnancy and loses the baby. The author doesn’t get too much into detail, but enough is given to understand what happened.
Death during Childbirth: There is a scene where one of the characters dies during childbirth, along with the baby.
If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading this book.

Where Coyotes Howl is a medium-paced book set entirely in Wallace, Wyoming. There is a brief trip to Iowa at the beginning of the book but other than that; it stays in Wallace.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is a good book when it surprises me and captures my attention. What I liked the most about this book was that it didn’t sugarcoat how awful the living conditions were back then (they were pretty awful). But it also showcased how good people were to each other.

The author beautifully wrote the main storyline centered around Ellen, Charlie, and their love story. Neither Ellen nor Charlie was perfect, but they were perfect together if that makes sense. There were times when I laughed and other times when I cried. I hated how it ended (but I will get to that later in the review).

The secondary characters and storylines in Where Coyotes Howl gave this book extra depth and fleshed-out characters.

The end of Where Coyotes Howl was not a happy ending. I was astonished because, typically, in these types of books, they are. I had to reread the last couple of chapters before it sunk in. But, as surprised as I was, I understood why the author ended the book as she did.

I would recommend Where Coyotes Howl to anyone over 16. There are nongraphic sexual situations (off-page), violence, and mild language. Also, see my trigger warnings.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Sandra Dallas for allowing me to read and review Where Coyotes Howl. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Ellen has accepted a teaching position in Wallace, Wyoming. She only intends to stay for a year. But, she meets and falls in love with Charlie Bacon. These two face death, hunger, and overwhelming tragedy. But, somehow their relationship grows stronger with every trial and tribulation.

When this story begins, you think it will be a love story and it is. However, it is so much more. This is a tale of love, endurance, family and strength. Life is hard but I cannot imagine living life on the prairie. These people were tough.

I loved Ellen and Charlie. These two had so many ups and downs, it tore my heart out. And don’t get me started on some of the friends. You will have to read this to find out.

The narrator, Stephanie Németh-Parker, is excellent. She made the characters come alive.

Need a story which will have you feeling every emotion you can imagine…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I spent a very emotional week thinking abou WHERE COYOTES HOWL by Sandra Dallas. For the first 40% of the book, I kept being reminded of Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder which was a book I read many times as a young girl. Where Coyotes Howl is a read which tore me apart reading about Ellen Webster, a young teacher who leaves her safe job to accept a teaching job in Wallace, Wyoming. Life is more than difficult in 1916 in a land that is harsh a good part of the time. Dallas has filled her book with a variety of characters. Ellen faces obstacle after obstacle throughout the book. She does not give up! Ellen made friends with Ruth McGinty who is the wife in the house where she boards. Ruth’s husband made me cringe! He was not a nice person. He abused his wife throughout the story. I found myself rooting for her cowboy husband, Charlie Bacon, who truly loved Ellen. They face many painful obstacles throughout the book. There are many touching moments and many strong women. The book is perfectly named. This is a book that will stick with me for a long time. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

A beautifully written story of life in the community of Wallace, Wyoming in the early 1900's. The story centers around Ellen and Charlie. She comes to Wallace as the schoolteacher, little prepared for the differences between smalltown Iowa and barely settled Wyoming. He is the cowboy who will capture her heart. These two will face every challenge imaginable together while their love and dedication to each other remains strong.

Through Ellen and Charlie's experiences, Sandra Dallas will touch upon the high and low points in the settling of the American West. The backstories of the characters are true to the era. People moved west for so many different reasons, the hardships quickly divided the good and bad, the hard working and the grifters, the strong and the weak. In WHERE COYOTES HOWL, the women of Wallace come together to give support, both physical and emotional, to each other. This adds an added element to the center life story of Ellen and Charlie.

This is definitely a book that will stir up your emotions. Good or bad, there will be no indifferent.

This is a beautifully written story that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page. It's full of emotions and you can feel every one of them. This book is a great read and I hated to see it end.
I received a complimentary copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The writing painted an excellent picture of life on the prairie and all the trials that came with it. At times it was heartbreaking to read, but never depressing. It brought to light the importance of working together as a married couple and having good friends/neighbors to help each other through the hard times in life.

This book would be a great Book Club pick because there are so many great things to discuss!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book centers on Charlie and Ellen Bacon who are living in Wyoming trying to establish a cattle ranch. Ellen was the school teacher in town and Charlie was a real cowboy. Their love is true but life for them is so very hard. They encounter brutal weather and terrible losses in their lives but they struggle to carry on. We meet their many friends and neighbors all of whom are also facing hardships and losses.

The story here is extremely sad and made me cry. Our forefathers who settled the west were of a very tough breed. How they persevered and kept going is truly amazing. Yes, an overly used word, but for these people, it fits. I was a bit hesitant to start reading the book because I knew it would be difficult to read. But I have read another book by this author that stays with me to this day. She lets readers know the hardships people faced to move on in their lives and grow.

This may seem like a short review but I think writing any more would be giving out spoilers. Suffice to say that this book will tug at your heartstrings and you too may shed some tears. Of course, there are three sides to this. One is those people who tried and tried only to lose but some did win and were successful and there are those who realized that it wasn’t something they could and went back to what they knew. How can one say which way is the right way. Read and learn and enjoy their journey.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a very emotional read for me. There are trigger warnings for miscarriage and also death. Set in early 20th century America we read of the joys and hardships of settling in Wyoming. There are unexpected friendships, hardships, and times of joy. This book is real, no holding back. I felt let down at the end but I enjoyed the reading.

I chose the author's latest because I loved her sensitive LITTLE SOULS, about the 1918 Flu Pandemic in Denver. I find WHERE COYOTES HOWL equally moving, a deft account of a prairie couple in Wyoming two years earlier. At the heart of this compelling tale is their extraordinary love that keeps them bonded through horrific weather, tragedies and travails. Highly recommended for lovers of the American West and stories of the brave settlers who made it their home

Where Coyotes Howl is a captivating and immersive tale, the well-developed characters, authentic period details, and picturesque setting all contribute to the novel's allure. I was engrossed in the story from beginning to end.

This is a Hard-Hitting Historical Fiction. I listened to the first ten chapters of this book from an e-audiobook, and I read the last part of this book by reading the e-kindle book. I found the narrator of this book to be easy to listen to. I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, and I got pulled into this story and those characters very fast. I found the middle of this book to be slow moving and some parts of this book were not need. I feel like some parts just kept going over the same things. I did really enjoy the ending of this book. I love a historical fiction have really hard-hitting parts, and this book as not in the middle and the ending. This book as some parts that is very hard to read and could trigger some readers. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (St. Martin's Press) or author (Sandra Dallas) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Set in small town of Wallace, Wyoming in the early 1900s, Where Coyotes Howl is superb work of historical fiction. Author Sandra Dallas writes of the realistic hardships and challenges that were faced in this time period. Her story is often achingly sorrowful with the harshness of weather, domestic abuse, and heartbreaking loss that her characters endured on the prairie and plains.

Ellen is a young schoolteacher who relocates from Iowa to teach and start a new life in Wyoming. She falls in love with cowboy Charlie, and the two face many obstacles in spite of their deep devotion to each other. The history presented in this book is important to know about. It leaves one with hope and appreciation of endurance, perseverance, and bravery, even during devastating circumstances and uncertain times.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader's copy of this book. My review is my own.