HOME BY MORNING (HEROES OF HEARTBREAK CREEK #3) returns us to a small town in Colorado in the late 1800's but also takes us to Indianapolis and Washington, D.C. There are a myriad of complex and interesting characters that we get to know little by little as their layers are pulled back. What you see is not what you always get!


Warner's HOME BY MORNING is nicely introduced with a prologue and has an epilogue that ties up a lot of loose ends and gives wonderful closure. The story is told in three parts with lots of descriptions and adventures, not all good. I have not read the first two books in this series but there was enough background given that I did not feel at a loss. The story flowed smoothly no matter whom was doing the telling and who was front and center. Thomas and Pru are an unlikely couple but bound to each other for many reasons. When she puts her social needs before their needs as a couple and family one too many times Thomas feels he has no choice but to go on with his own life and not wait for Pru any longer. Their lives continue to intertwine and he continues to watch over her and rescue her much to his dismay. When they are together there is chemistry that is off the charts especially given the time period the story is set in. I love when Thomas talks in Cheyenne and one of my favorite phrases is Eho'nehevehohtse - One Who Walks in Wolf Tracks, and is what Thomas calls Pru. Individually they are forces to be reckoned with but together or with other family and friends they put up a united front. At the end of the book there is a Glossary of Common Cheyenne Words and Phrases which is a nice addition although when the word is first used in the story the translation is given.

There are many vivid descriptions of the land, the people and the animals. My senses were engaged and I could feel the cold, smell the animals especially the bear pelt, hear the night sounds, the preaching, the singers and the crowds and taste the foods. There is sadness, fear, tears, illness, hurt, secrets kept and shared, violence, happiness, laughter, love, family and friends along with lessons to be learned regarding life, the treatment of people and where you belong. There is nice closure and several happily ever afters along with peace. The epilogue was a total surprise in how all the loose ends were tied up.

Warner is a new to me author having only read HEARTBREAK CREEK (RUNAWAY BRIDES #1) which is a connected series to this one. I look forward to reading other books by this author that I've missed along the way as well as the rest of the books in the HEROES OF HEARTBREAK CREEK SERIES and THE RUNAWAY BRIDES SERIES.

I rated the book 4.5 stars but rounded to 5 stars here and on other sites.