MY REVIEW
I’m not a huge western fan, but I am a Jody Hedlund fan so I wasn’t about to miss out on her latest novel. I could relate to this in some interesting ways. I’m not a sick 11 year old as Astrid is, but I am a disabled and mostly homebound wife and mother. The thoughts of being a burden are frequent. Also, trust me, people do tire of a constant cough. My reactive airway disease causes an awful cough that annoys even myself. The feeling of being a burden and making life more difficult for those I love is definitely not a rare one for me.
The plot and storyline are simple and an easy read for me. It’s message and faith theme were good. It had a bit more romance than I tend to like in my historical fiction books. I love learning history, and I didn’t feel that happened in this book. I am not sure why, but I didn’t feel as if I traveled to Colorado. I’m not a big fan of constant physical attraction being a large part of a story which it was in this one. It’s just my personal preference, but a deeper storyline and historical details are things I find appealing in a book.
I did like the characters. I hope we learn more about Judd as the story continues. He was such a special part of this story with wonderful wisdom and wit. I just fell in love with Astrid! She is so trusting and fun…yet ornery and feisty. I love kids in books! Another aspect I liked was that Greta was very capable on a ranch. Many stories have a wimp of a woman who has a hard time adjusting…not true with this character.
Good characters, faith theme, and an interesting story has me waiting for the next book in the series.
I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
