Although this works as a ‘stand-alone’ book, I hadn’t realised it was part of a series & will certainly be catching up with the rest of the stories. I always like a book where I am learning something, & in this case it was about the attitudes – even of other women! - towards a female who aspired to be a medic (back in the 1880s.) As in real life, surprises in the storylines mean things might not happen quite as you expect. Likeable main characters make this is an enjoyable read.

The story opens in the late 1880's. Louisa Vaughn is making a trip she never thought she would take. She didn't want to return to her hometown of Sweetwater Crossing in the Hill Country of Texas, but her friend needed her help getting there and Louisa could not refuse her. She had not left on good terms with her sister, and she had no idea how she would receive Louisa. All Louisa wants is to get back to her medical studies. Her dream is to become a doctor. While on the road Louisa finds Josh Porter on the side of the road and his leg is broken. Upon returning to Sweetwater Crossing, using the training she has received she sets his leg. He will have to remain in Sweetwater Crossing for six weeks. Six weeks that will change the course of their lives.
The author has created compelling characters. Louisa is worried the townspeople will never accept her as a doctor. Josh, too, is trying to prove himself worthy of recognition. While they see the best in each other, they struggle with their own self confidence. Even though Josh is engaged, an attraction between them develops. Where is this relationship going?
In this beautifully told story, the author brings to readers themes of family, community and faith. Added to the mix is unexpected romance and the power of acceptance. It all comes together to give readers a story well worth reading. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Learning about pioneers, like Louisa, who refused to give up on helping people despite their constant attempts to get her to leave the medical field was inspiring. The community felt that Louisa ought to get hitched, settle down, and raise a family. That was a woman’s role.

Louisa Vaughn was a remarkable woman who, with the support of her sister Josh and prayers, courageously faced the townspeople head-on. Josh Porter is a worthy hero. He enjoys Louisa's lack of concern for his family's financial situation. Finding out who he was and why he came to Texas intrigued me. It's also admirable that he let a female doctor repair his broken leg while other people wouldn't even let her help with small cuts. I liked how Josh and Louisa met, got to know each other, and ultimately fell in love. I appreciated the natural spiritual thread throughout the story. Threads like God works all things for our good, therefore our battle against the wind ultimately gives us the strength to soar.

This is a fun escape and one that would work for your next book club pick.

Disclosure Material Connection: I requested and received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog https://psalm516.blogspot.com/

Louisa Vaughn has decided to return home, if only briefly, to make matters right with her oldest sister. There were words said after the devastating deaths of their parents, and the three girls all went their own way. Now Louisa will make things right and move on with her life, pursuing a career in medicine. What happens next when she gets back to her hometown changes everything for her.

Josh Porter is from New York City, and he is striving to make his late father's dream come true. Coming from a rich and successful family, albeit without a lot of love, he and his cousin are in a contest of sorts set up by their grandfather. What is at stake is the one who will control the Porter empire. Josh, however, has great ideas that will help their company, but unfortunately, he has an unfortunate accident. Now he is laid up in a small town with a broken leg. Can he still beat his cousin in their race to the top?

Both Josh and Louisa have goals, and both thought that they were headed in the right direction. This was a story that showed that sometimes when we think the worst has happened, it may just turn out that it turned us to the right direction.

Josh and Louisa's relationship is a slow burn one at first. Each turning to the other in times of need and friendship. They developed a genuine care for one another and supported each other, especially when Louisa's life is in danger from someone who is not happy with her life's choices. And then there was love. Something one of them felt was just a fairy tale.

I enjoyed meeting up with the sisters again. I am looking forward to Joanna's story next.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

I couldn't put down this absolutely wonderful book. There was nothing simple about this story set in the town of Sweetwater Crossing. There were mysteries to be solved, a strong lady doctor who had prejudices to overcome, and a bit of romance. There was the healing of hearts and families, and there was some emotion and sadness,

This book had a little bit of everything for everyone, especially for lovers of historical Christian Romance.

The only thing that had me second guessing and wanting more information was the mystery of the previous doctor. There were a couple of things that I read into it that I would have liked answered, but maybe in the next book in the series.

Overall the writing was good and now I am interested in the previous story for a bit more backstory and the next story to spend more time with these wonderful characters.

The main couple was wonderful and the evolution of their relationship was organic and true to life. I was pleased with the story development and the natural roadblocks as real life happened around the story. There were moments of laughter and tears. This one tugged as a good story should.

I received an early copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest review.

“Against the Wind by author Amanda Cabot is a Christian historical romance novel and Book Two in her Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing series. This book weighs in at 368 pages. The cover is intriguing. Even though it is Book Two, I was able to follow the story without having read the first one.

Set in 1883 Texas, this is the story of Louisa Vaughn. She is the youngest of three sisters and being trained as a doctor, as well as a midwife. Louisa goes back to Sweetwater with the intention of returning as quickly as possible.

The writing is exquisite in this novel. Details all appear to be historically accurate. I found myself being transported back to the late 1880s Texas. Characters were thoughtfully crafted and realistic. The book opened strong and immediately captured my attention.

I loved the Christian element and scriptures that were woven throughout the story. Filled with prayer, praise, worship, and God, this is an inspiring tale. It did bother me that when God was referenced using He or Him, the “h” was lower case and not upper.

The story has romance, mystery, and a few twists. There are many intense moments and issues throughout the book such as death, illness, verbal abuse, physical abuse, child birth, imprisonment, grief, but there are also a lot of light, happy ones. After the story’s conclusion, there is an author’s letter, sneak peek for the next book in the series, acknowledgments, the author’s biography, and advertisements.

I highly recommend this riveting novel. It is a page turner and diffuse to put down. I would not recommend it to anyone younger than older high school age. Mature readers will be fine. This would make a wonderful book club selection. It gets a 4 out of 5 star rating from me. A copy was provided by the publisher, but these are my honest words.

“Against The Wind” by Amanda Cabot is a fresh, new and appealing read for all lovers of Amanda Cabot’s inspiring books. Readers are instantly drawn to Amanda’s arresting style, plot and storyline. Every word is aptly set in its place, her characters are larger than life, depicting reality to perfection. The book captures our rapt attention from start to finish. It holds the reader spellbound as the story unfolds thrillingly, page by page. I highly recommend it as it is guaranteed to inspire readers to the hilt.

Wow! This book is a rollercoaster ride with swoony romance, mystery, messages of faith, and some heart wrenching situations. After meeting Louisa in After the Shadows, I wasn’t sure how the author would make her likable. With the power of great storytelling, Louisa gets her own redemption story and becomes an endearing character you want to see succeed. This slow burn historical romance is another exciting installment in the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing series

After the death of her father, Louisa Vaughn left Sweetwater Crossing determined never to return. She’s been working towards her dream of becoming a doctor. When she returns home to help a friend, she finds a wounded man on the side of the road. Her desire to heal overcomes her reluctance to stay, so while her patient recovers from a broken leg, she temporarily becomes Sweetwater Crossing’s doctor/midwife. But, a female doctor is not looked too kindly upon in this small Texas community and someone seems to have it out for Louisa. Will she and Josh be able to figure out who’s threatening her before it’s too late?

Josh Porter is traveling West to compete for control of his grandfather’s business. He’s got to prove he’s worthy not only to his grandfather, but to the woman he’s supposed to marry. His broken leg has put a wrench in his plans, but a new idea forms and with the help of Louisa, he turns lemons into lemonade or rather tea in this case. While he doesn’t believe in love, his ideas are soon to be challenged as Louisa gets under his skin. Will he thwart expectations for a chance at love?

I really enjoyed this book! The first half was a little more slow moving, but built to a nail biting conclusion. Louisa was awful in the first book but really redeems herself in this one. I loved how Louisa reconciled with her sister Emily. Both Louisa and Josh were faced with high expectations, Josh from his grandfather and Louisa of her own making. The prejudice against female doctors was high at that time and Louisa’s forced to prove her capabilities under difficult circumstances including untimely deaths, accidents, and stillbirth. Some of the realistic situations were heartbreaking and might be hard for some readers.

Loved the slow build, friends to more romance between Josh and Louisa. I loved watching him eat his words about love. They worked together so well in making Josh’s tearoom a reality.

The mystery started really picking up in the second half of the book. The threats against Louisa included all the things she’s afraid of like snakes and bees. They’re also endangering her patients. The villain was a bit of a surprise and a great twist in the story.

The title of this book is aptly named. All the circumstances in the book center around the idea that everyone at one time or another is fighting against the wind. How each person deals with their trials is explored throughout. I loved the idea that even the difficult trials are used by God to work together for our good.

I’m thoroughly enjoying this series and can’t wait to find out more about the third sister. I recommend reading this series in order. I think it’d be difficult to read this book as a standalone. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

This is by far a great book! "Against the Wind" by Amanda Cabot is the first book I've read from this author and will not be the last. "Against the Wind" is the second book in the "Secret of the Sweetwater Crossing" series. I recommend that you read "After the Shadow" first because it is the beginning of a story.

This story is a about a young woman Louise who has a desire to get people to look at her as a doctor. The towns people didn't look a woman as being a good doctor compared to a man. You see how she changes their mind. The story is about Josh from New York who is traveling to look for ways to win a challenge the grandfather gave him. If Josh achieves the challenge he will take over his grandfather company.

This is about overcoming obstacles in your path of life in front of you and in the past. I love seeing how the interaction between Louise and Josh develops. There is so much you will love about this book.

I recommend this book through Netgalley, Amazon, BookBud, Good read and Barnes and Noble.

I received this complimentary copy from Revell for a honest review. All opinion and thoughts are mine and mine alone.

One of the reasons I love reading historical fiction is being able to learn about the trailblazers – especially women – who paved the way for the freedoms our generation has. It makes me appreciate those freedoms even more, yes, but it also gives me a more thoughtful perspective on the sacrifices that made them possible, sacrifices I too easily forget otherwise. Louisa Vaughn is one of these characters, her skills as a doctor constantly brought into question simply because of her gender. The emotional toll that this harassment takes on Louisa made me so sad, particularly when the bias against Louisa has a heart-wrenching ripple effect on the community. And even though my experience with Louisa in book one made me a little hesitant about having her as a heroine in Against the Wind, I needn’t have worried. I enjoyed getting to know her beyond that less-than-stellar first impression, and I was quickly cheering her on in her quest to be taken seriously by the people of Sweetwater Crossing. (Fans of the author’s Cimarron Creek Trilogy will enjoy reading about Louisa’s mentor, too.)

Josh Porter is the perfect hero for this book, though I admittedly wanted to gently purse whomp him a couple of times. Like when he issues his opinion on love, bless him. Although, come to think of it, that was also the moment when I gleefully became fully invested in watching him fall head over heels … hence the ‘gently’ disclaimer to the purse whomping urges. I found the reason he’s in Texas to be quite fascinating and very unique for a western romance hero, and I loved watching his potential prototype take shape in Sweetwater Crossing for several reasons. I love going to tea rooms with my mom and imagining us visiting one in a small Texas town in the 1800s brought a smile to my face. I also appreciated that, just like Louisa, he dared to step outside what was expected of him and do something he was passionate about. He’s another true ‘good guy’ too – just like Craig in book one – and there’s just something to be said for a man like that.

Bottom Line: In Against the Wind, Amanda Cabot takes two misunderstood characters and sweetly gives them hope, purpose, and of course romance while entertaining readers with their story. Both Louisa and Josh are well acquainted with the self-ascribed pressure to succeed, one to fulfill his father’s dream and one to fulfill her own. Their unique individual circumstances give these two protagonists compelling layers that will keep readers personally invested in the story’s outcome, falling in love with them even as they fall in love with each other. I loved the reminder that God works all things for our good, that our struggle against the wind ultimately gives us the strength to fly. As I stated in my review for book one, the town of Sweetwater Crossing has some secrets that it’s holding onto, and I wasn’t expecting the one(s) revealed in Against the Wind. I still have my suspicions about one of the still-to-be-revealed secrets, and what I learned in this book has me thinking I’m on the right track. Can’t wait for book three!!!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

About this book:

“Doctor-in-training Louisa Vaughn has no intention of remaining in Sweetwater Crossing. She's just there for a few days to help a friend. But she can't abandon the injured man she finds at the side of the road. Until his broken leg heals, she'll serve as the town's doctor and midwife. She may not be fully qualified yet, but surely she's better than nothing.
Josh Porter's plans to win his grandfather's challenge and fulfill his father's final wish to gain full control of the family business hit a roadblock when he breaks his leg. But his enforced stay in Sweetwater Crossing gives him new ideas about the expansion of the company into new territory--ideas Louisa could help turn into reality.
If only the town were more accepting of Louisa's talents! Someone is determined to convince her to abandon her dream of healing others. Can Josh help her uncover the person behind the threats before it's too late? And is there any future for them together when neither of them plans to stay?”


Series: Book #2 in the “Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing” series. Review of the first book, Here! Mentions the town from the author’s previous series, “Cimarron Creek”.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, read, & quoted; Prayers; Bible reading; Church going & Sermons; Set around Easter time; Talks about God; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Louisa believes that God intends for her to be a healer; A voice (implied to be God) speaks to Josh; A mother who is grieving says that her grief is between her and “the God who won’t let me be happy” (there are no other mentions on her emotions towards God by the end of the book); Another mother says that God took away her daughter but gave her a second chance of happiness with another daughter; Mentions of God, Jesus, His plans, & His creation; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of churches, church going, sermons, ministers, & hymnals; Mentions of Easter, Jesus’ resurrection, Good Friday, & Palm Sunday; Mentions of blessings, being Blessed, & a Blessed event (childbirth); Mentions of miracles; A few mentions of someone seeing angels due to his fever; A couple mentions of Heaven; A couple mentions of signs from God; A mention of the Christian thing to do; A mention of sinners.


Negative Content- A mention of a curse (said, not written); Seeing the death of a young teen & Grief (up to semi-detailed); Being held at gunpoint, Being flung off of a horse, Pain, Injuries, a Broken bone, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of deaths, how they happened (including murders and accidents, Book #1), & grieving (including Louisa and Josh for both of their parents, a mother for her daughter and other mothers for their sons, a wife for her husband, a boy for his father, & a husband for his wife and son); Many mentions of injuries, accidents, pain, & near-death experiences (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a carriage accident & deaths (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of fevers, seizures, vomit, illnesses, blood/bleeding, delirium, & deaths (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of domestic violence, a man physically hurting his wife, & her injuries (*Spoiler for Book #1* Emily; She can’t talk about it with Louisa for half of this book, but does tell her that he was violent towards her and Louisa is shocked to learn this as she didn’t know but does remember seeing a glimpse of Emily’s bruises *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of stealing, stolen items, thieves, & horse thieves being hanged; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of injured animals; A few mentions of wars & deaths; A few mentions of fighting & fights; A few mentions of a storeowner cheating others; A few mentions of betting; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of fires; A couple mentions of threats; A couple mentions of a saloon; A mention of it appearing like someone took their own life (Book #1); A mention of jail; A mention of a child being locked in a smokehouse when she misbehaved; A mention of someone rolling their eyes;
*Note: *Spoiler* A mentally unstable woman holds Louisa at gunpoint & locks her in a room with bees; Louisa is saved, and the woman is whisked away by her husband to leave to go to a place that treats “diseases of the mind” *End of Spoiler*; Louisa believes that her sisters are better than her at most things and that she’s lived in their shadows growing up (Louisa and Emily’s relationship is quickly improved at the beginning); Josh’s father pushed him to surpass his cousin, even if he’s the younger one (due to his father being the younger sibling and not getting a fair chance); Many men and women make comments to Louisa about women not being doctors (including blaming her for deaths, telling Josh he’ll be lucky to be able to walk again, that women are too weak and aren’t smart enough for being doctors, & a man says he would “let” his wife be a midwife but not a doctor; A woman tells Louisa that women are supposed to be a wife and mother so she should give up her fantasy, but Louisa believes God has called her to be a healer); Josh wonders if it’s true that females don’t crave adventure and new places like males did (particularly referring to horses); A young teen gets upset at his mother for not being able to give him what he wants (financially); Mentions of when Louisa had an allergic reaction to a bee sting as a child & her fear of them since; A couple mentions of a child with Down Syndrome being called “simple” by most.


Sexual Content- Three hand kisses, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, and two border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kisses; Remembering a kiss (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Warmth, Smelling, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch, embrace, & dance (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing; Josh doesn’t believe in love, only in marriage being beneficial for both families; Mentions of kisses; Mentions of jealousy; A handful of mentions of a young teen girl (age 15/16) getting pregnant by a man who left after he got “what he wanted” from her & her having to give up her baby; A couple mentions of men leering at Louisa; A couple mentions of blushes; A mention of a young woman conceiving a child in only one night; A mention of a dalliance that resulted in an illegitimate child; A mention of chaperones; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
*Note: Louisa helps deliver two babies and there’s mentions of blood, screaming, & pain (semi-detailed) *Spoiler, but Important Trigger* One goes well but the second is a stillbirth; Another one that Louisa does not help with ends with the mother and baby dying (all are up to semi-detailed) *End of Spoiler*; Louisa’s midwife mentor told her that some “young mothers did not always make the best parents”, adding “they’re still children at heart, if sometime goes amiss, they’re less able to handle the grief”; Mentions of mothers and babies dying or possibly dying in childbirth (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of some believing that a woman is too old to have her first child & Louisa thinks that while “older women were more likely to have a difficult time during their pregnancy, but that didn’t mean they shouldn’t have children”; Mentions of a woman believing she’s barren *Spoilers* Emily; her first husband told her that he could have one (though she didn’t know how he could be sure) so it was her fault they couldn’t have children; At the end of the book, she shares she’s pregnant with her new husband *End of Spoilers*; A few mentions of some women telling a petite woman that she’ll have a hard time in labor because her husband is tall; A mention of a woman who has had three miscarriages.

-Louisa Vaughn
-Joshua “Josh” Porter
P.O.V. switches between them
Set in 1883
368 pages

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Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)

{Trigger Warning: Side characters go through deaths of their children & major grief}

For the first half of this book, it was much calmer than the prior book, which was nice. It was very sweet and a good read—particularly the first half. I say that, because in the second half of the book there is a lot more about death and grieving that could be hard for some readers. A part of life, yes, but everyone has different topics they can handle and topics they cannot—and sometimes things hit closer to home some days than other days. This was still a really good book, I enjoyed it much more than I was expecting to, actually. But I do want to give that warning that there is sadness.

I think this is a series that you’re going to have to read in order or you will get lost. I was struggled to remember everyone and events from the prior book, so I had to skim parts of it and reread my own review because events were hinted at in the beginning of this book, but not explained fully. There’s also a lot of different characters mentioned and I had a harder time keeping up with everyone and how they are all related, so I made use of the search feature in my e-book copy.

One thing I was concerned about going into this book was Louisa. She was quite harsh towards Emily in the first book, but I’m glad that the sisters made up very quickly into this book Louisa felt like a completely different person in this book, but that could be because of grief and her anger cooling down after leaving.

It may be an odd thing to note, but I liked Josh’s marketing skills and how his eye was trained to set up merchandise. The business information and parts were really interesting to me. (I’m a nerd, I know, I know.) He’s a good guy—a gentleman even, but has been raised with the concept that romantic love is only for fairytales, not real life. Oooh, I was so looking forward to seeing him eat those words! Hahaha! The romance was very sweet clean, and innocent. May be a little cheesy, but I’m okay with that!

The ending was pretty typical for Christian historical fiction, but that doesn’t mean it was bad. It’s just a plot line I’ve seen many times before. That said, I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, the middle sister’s, story when it releases and possibly even reading a few other books by this author as well in the meantime.



*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.

I loved this book. I liked Louisa and her desire and persistence in wanting to serve her community as a healer despite the prejudice against her. She was kind to not rub it in people's faces when they made a bad decision. I enjoyed hearing her comments on Josh's business decisions and thought he was very wise to get her input.

I had never heard of a Sunday house....a place in town that people who lived farther away would use on weekends to get supplies and to attend church. It was fascinating and I liked seeing them come into use in a fresh way.

Josh started out kind of dense :) but you knew he was going to get there. I loved his character. It was a fun read. I kept wanting to get back to the story when I had to put it down.

Thank you to Revell for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I set this aside after about the 30% mark. I read book 1 in the series (3 stars), and enjoyed it enough to request this one from NetGalley as well; while I really like Louisa and Josh as characters (and more so than Book 1's MCs, truth be told), I found myself doing too much mental line editing to truly/comfortably sit back and enjoy. My desire for word-choice variation and conciseness at times won out at this point.

I may revisit down the line, but for now, it's a DNF.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this story! It was unique and had great characters and a twist that I didn't fully figure out until it was happening. What I really loved was the dialogue. Dialogue isn't something that normally sticks out to me unless it's funny, witty banter (which I love) or if it is not done well (which is distracting). But I loved the conversations between the characters and how it added to the story! This was my first book by Amanda Cabot and I will be checking out more! Highly recommend!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“Against the Wind by Amanda Cabot is the second of three books in the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing series. I am delighted to be back in Sweetwater Crossing in this second book, with characters I am familiar with from the first book. We also meet new characters.
I think the story was well-plotted. I enjoyed Louisa Vaughn’s and Josh Porter’s characters a lot. Louisa is a midwife/doctor with no formal training, but many didn’t have schooling for this. It was just a hands-on approach back then. Sweetwater has many with the attitude that women are to be midwives only, and many had trouble accepting a woman doctor.

When Josh is thrown from his horse, he becomes dehydrated and has a broken leg. He is very fortunate to have Louisa find him, and he trusts her with his care, and she’s able to set him on the mend with his leg.

As they become closer friends, she finds out he is on a quest to impress his grandfather in a challenge to expand the family company to a new territory. Two men become interested in Louisa, but one is not understanding and wants her to give up practicing medicine.

As in the first book, we have a bit of a mystery to solve as Louisa finds threatening notes and someone sabotages her medicines, among other things. Is it someone in town who has not accepted her, or could it be more?

I enjoyed seeing the natural flow of the relationship between Louisa and Josh. She is so encouraging to him as he gets his business started. Despite many people in town turning their backs on her in unacceptance, Josh has always accepted and stood by her. He is kind and encouraging. When I found out who was behind the mystery, I was surprised, not expecting things to turn out this way.

I had a hard time putting this book down and eagerly look forward to reading the next sister’s story in the last book in this series.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Revell through Interviews & Reviews.”

We return to Sweetwater Crossing in Amanda Cabot's latest novel, Against the Wind. The second novel in the trilogy, the story focuses on Louisa (sister to Emily, the protagonist in the first novel), who is returning home after studying with a doctor and midwife in another town. On her way, she discovers Josh, a New York businessman who's been thrown from his horse. Both of them have something to prove, but will their paths cross or run together? I always enjoy Cabot's stories, and I love the little callbacks to her other series that she sprinkles throughout this novel. I look forward to the conclusion next summer!

I enjoyed this book very much! Louisa wanted to be a doctor, Josh gets wounded and Louisa administers help to him. They both have plans on leaving the town with plans of their own. Do they continue with their plans or are their plans changed? I have always enjoyed reading books from this author and this book did not disappoint.

As the second book in the series, I felt I did not really know that much about the Vaughn sisters. That being said, I did enjoy the book, especially the descriptions of the American midwest in the late 1800s. Louisa finds herself treating a stranger she found at the side of the road in her hometown that is in dire need of a doctor. A little romance and good storytelling, recommended.

This was a sweet book, no pun intended. I enjoy my fictional trips to Sweetwater Crossing and this story of finding where one belongs was impactful to me in my season of life.

I think one of my favorite things in this book was the way Josh respected and valued Louisa's thoughts and opinions. I also liked how Louisa encouraged Josh in his quest and helped him see the path he actually needed to take.

All of the darling secondary characters are back as well, which is wonderful, and there are some exciting new developments too!! And speaking of developments, I certainly did not suspect the identity of the person behind the issues. That was definitely a surprise.

I am looking forward to the final book in this series and I think I need to check out more of Amanda Cabot's books in the future.


I received a copy of this book in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own and a favorable review was not required.

It took me a bit to get into this book, but when I did, I enjoyed it. I love small towns, which Cabot is goot at developing. Louisa is a great heroine and definitely worth rooting for. I loved seeing her persevere when the townsfolk didn’t take her seriously as a doctor. And her romance with Josh, although a slow-burn, is sweet and well-paced.

I also enjoyed the spiritual arc about finding God’s purpose for your life and not being swayed by others. We all need this reminder, I think. Especially when others around us are skeptical.

While Against the Wind is part of a series, I read it without having read the first book and followed everything just fine. Though now I think I’ll be going to read the first book.

Overall, Against the Wind is a sweet historical romance western fans will enjoy.