Book 5 in the Montana Sky series.

Book four was my least favorite of the series. I loved the first few books, but was nervous to continue the series after book four was disappointing.

This tells the story of Antonia, a widow, and Erik, a widower. Both are trying to care for their children and just survive. They marry, despite being strangers, because Erik's infant needs a wet nurse.

As they work together, they develop affection for each other. They work together to survive various challenges.

Antonia Valleau has to reassess everything when her trapper husband is killed by a grizzly bear. She ends up packing up her belongings and travelling to the nearest town with her two young children, where she meets Erik Muth - a recent widower desperately looking for a wet nurse for his daughter. Out of convenience, the two end up marrying and Antonia and her sons move to the Muth farm to start a new life. Erik and Antonia begin to build a new life together as they slowly begin to know one another, and learn to deal with their grief and growing feelings together.

If anyone is looking for a really nice, simple read this is one for you. It's been a while since I read a book that is just so nice, and comfortable with a lot of charm and I knew that nothing bad was going to happen to my favourite characters. This is mostly a story about dealing with grief while trying to start a new life, and dealing with feelings you might not be ready to really feel yet.

I really enjoyed the characters of Erik and Antonia - they were quite simple but I do think they gelled really well together and they were a couple I really rooted for. I enjoyed the family life and how the children were a big part of the family, for both Erik and Antonia and loving their stepchildren as their own.

There were times when Erik compared to Antonia to Daisy or Daisy to Antonia that was a bit negative towards the other woman which could be annoying at times, and I didn't really like that, and I felt Antonia didn't do that between her two husbands.

There is also some racist language and derogatory terms used in this book towards Native Americans (the word "redskins" and "squaw") and they are referred to as Indians rather than Native Americans as well which yes, would be of the times but if this book can have a female sheriff, there could probabl be a change in language too.

Overall, a charming, nice read which I really needed and enjoyed. And I am definitely interested in possibly continuing with the series - as I am curious to see how the snobby banker finally meets his match in the next book!

This book tugs at your heart from the first chapter. Antonia and Erik lost their spouses. They make an impulsive decision to marry to help each other. They come from very different backgrounds. They each have their own unspoken rules which the other doesn't know. It takes them time to adjust, but there is the possibility of finding love again.

I liked that Antonia and Erik both wanted to preserve the memories of the other's former spouse. They both need to move forward, but they want to make sure the children still remembering that they had a parent who loved them.