Happy Friday and Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you all have had a great week and will get to spend tonight or this weekend with the one your heart belongs. I know some of you like me are digging out of yet another snowstorm and spring can’t come quick enough. I definitely won’t be missing the snow once its gone. Today I am bringing to you a historical romance set in Alaska during the gold rush. But, you will be happy it is set during the summer so no snow. This is a delightful story that will have you rooting for the hero to capture the heroine’s heart. Be sure to read the rest of my review after the book blurb. I hope you all have a good weekend and for those of you with lots of sunshine keep us with the snow in mind. 🙂
Book Blurb:
Alaska’s gold rush is no place for a lady, but that doesn’t scare Ellie Webster. Ellie travels with her younger brother to the wilds of the Klondike gold rush to save the family farm. She’s prepared for hardship on the trail, but not for the sparkling blue eyes of Duke Masterson, a charming saloonkeeper. And Duke is surprised to find that Ellie and her apple pies are more valuable to him than all the gold nuggets in Skagway, Alaska. Now if he could only overcome Ellie’s fear of losing her newly-found independence and win her heart. Together they must defeat the conman corrupting the town and make their fortunes before the last steamship of the season heads South
Review:
Ellie is travelling to Alaska to find her fortune in the Alaska gold rush. With her brother she plans to take the summer and strike it rich or just enough to pay off the family farm back home. On her way to Alaska she meets Duke who is also looking to make his fortune only instead of the gold fields he wants to run his own saloon. Duke doesn’t make a good impression and Ellie hopes to avoid him when they get to their destination. When Ellie and her brother arrive to Skagway, Alaska they have a short stay before taking the arduous journey on foot into the hills for the gold. Unfortunately, fortune is not on their side and their trek in the Alaskan wilderness is cut short and they are forced to return to Skagway. After returning, Ellie finds herself pouring her heart out to Duke and with a little help from his partner they manage to set Ellie and her brother up to make money selling pies. Ellie’s pie stand quickly becomes very successful and she soon becomes the target of the town con man. Duke continues to be a part of Ellie’s life even when she doesn’t want him to be. Even as Ellie fights her attraction to Duke she can’t help but begin to care for him, but she is scared of a commitment that would take away her independence. Ellie has a choice to make stay alone and nothing changes or follow her heart and possibly lose everything including her independence.
I love historical romances. This one was a really great story in this genre. The characters were very well-developed and vivid. You could really see those around you. The story is also fantastic. It brings you in and makes you a part of it. By the end you feel like you have had a piece of Ellie’s pies and you have had a drink in Duke’s saloon. The atmosphere of the time was so thoroughly done that you stop reading and are watching it like a movie in your mind. The love story in this romance is so very believable. Duke tries to woo the very independent Ellie with no avail until he finally starts writing her love letters. These letters are one of the best parts of this book. I fell in love with Duke with these letters. They are so heartfelt and honest that you can understand how Ellie falls for Duke finally. Overall, this is a great story and anyone who loves historical fiction will not be disappointed.
Author Bio:
Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. She taught English for 20 years before retiring to make more time for writing. She enjoys reading, hanging out with friends and family, and hitting targets with a cowboy action shooting club. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest.