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The Colorado Brides #1
An Unexpected Widow
Hannah Hoffman Clark is the spirited young wife of Denver City’s only preacher, Frank Clark. After arriving by wagon to the howling wilderness of the unexplored west, they settled on land, built a home, and began what they thought would be a long and prosperous life together. After an accident leaves Frank without feeling in his legs, the dream of self-sufficiency suddenly slips away, but even more tragedy is on the horizon for Hannah.
Once widowed, she struggles to cope with her loss, relying on those her husband had hired, especially Nathan Weaver, a no good gambler and drunkard. While the tenuous hold she has on her sanity crumbles, her connection with Nathan becomes something far greater than she could have ever imagined, but her family would be scandalized if she married such a man.
One should never judge a book by its cover, and Nathan, although rough around the edges and crude, has his heart in the right place, and it belongs to Hannah…if only she could see it.
This is the first book in The Colorado Brides Series, chronicling the lives of the Hoffman sisters and their adventures in finding love out west.
Once widowed, she struggles to cope with her loss, relying on those her husband had hired, especially Nathan Weaver, a no good gambler and drunkard. While the tenuous hold she has on her sanity crumbles, her connection with Nathan becomes something far greater than she could have ever imagined, but her family would be scandalized if she married such a man.
One should never judge a book by its cover, and Nathan, although rough around the edges and crude, has his heart in the right place, and it belongs to Hannah…if only she could see it.
This is the first book in The Colorado Brides Series, chronicling the lives of the Hoffman sisters and their adventures in finding love out west.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 12, 2013
472 people are currently reading
1142 people want to read
About the author
Carré White
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Carré White is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and historical romance. Her Colorado Brides Series has been a historical and western top 100 bestseller. The romance anthology, Western Kisses - Old West Christmas Romances, is an Amazon top 100 bestseller.
Carré lives in Colorado with her husband and two children. When she's not writing, she loves to travel and explore new places for story ideas. Her newest series, Bachelors of the Prairie, is available now on Amazon.
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Just copy and paste the following link into your web browser:
Carré White is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and historical romance. Her Colorado Brides Series has been a historical and western top 100 bestseller. The romance anthology, Western Kisses - Old West Christmas Romances, is an Amazon top 100 bestseller.
Carré lives in Colorado with her husband and two children. When she's not writing, she loves to travel and explore new places for story ideas. Her newest series, Bachelors of the Prairie, is available now on Amazon.
Follow my blog at
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
October 13, 2013
This was a sweet short novel. I can't understand why some reviewers complain about the intimacy scenes - there are none! Sure the readers are aware the H/H are/have been intimate but there is no description at all! If you are looking for an in between book, or something you don't have to think too hard about then this book is perfect.
September 5, 2013
Ugh, thank goodness this was free. I don't even have words. The dialogue was stunted and amateurish and didn't convey to me any realism. I also had issues with some of the historical inaccuracies. I am not a nitpick when I read stories, but it should hold some sort of realism and historical accuracy. Some examples...Nathan actually said, "hell to the no." This 1859 people. Hannah got a dog that was a Labrador....umm pretty sure they weren't called Labradors in 1859, since they weren't an American breed until the early 1900's. I'm also pretty sure that if one needed to buy a hammer, he'd buy it at the general store/mercantile not the carpenters. Also what the hell is a cold navy revolver? Colt navy yes, so maybe it's a typo. Oh and I might have missed something but the opening chapter says Kansas Territory 1859 and then later in chapter four it's called the Colorado Territory. I love historical fiction. I don't even mind if the descriptions are of the mundane everyday life, I just want a well told story that I can be invested in. This wasn't it for me.
March 30, 2015
Well, it took half the book for the main character to become an "unexpected" widow. I wasn't a fan of the borderline adultery or the writing. And no one in the 1800's said "Hell to the no." I wasn't impressed.
May 30, 2016
I was expecting a sweet Christian book and instead, this book had some language that was far to modern for a historical book and some scenes that were just things I didn't want to read about. I just couldn't finish it for both the stated reasons
July 11, 2013
What I LOVED about this book:
the author sucked me into the characters from the very first page. Each and every one is well rounded and unique. I loved the playful banter between the man and wife, this kind of writing 'shows rather than tells' us their personalities so right from the start it felt like I knew them. She loves her husband and the reader does too which is why 'what happens' is so traumatic.
I won't be spoiling it (cos you know from the title what happens) but the emotion portrayed is raw and gutsy; the first half of the book my heart was in my throat. I like a book that can trigger emotion from the reader. I want to CARE what happens to the characters and I did.
What I DIDN'T like about the book:
I thought that the intimate interaction between husband and wife was borderline smutty. It's not explicit by any means but I suppose if you were to give it a TV rating it would be PG-13 (but that being said I would not recommend this book to 13 year olds, the subject matter is just too mature). I am told that the next two books in the series are not like this so I'll let you know. :)
Also, some things just didn't seem right for the time. It seemed strange to me that the female lead wouldn't consider a farmer as a potential 2nd husband (because of her social standing- but this was the WEST and she had a FARM to look after so who cares about social standing) and then she acts contrary to her 'proper upbringing' by risking her reputation on several occasions. I was puzzled.
And on a general note:
One little pet peeve (and I'm not just picking on this author, it seems like every western book has it)..what is up with the smell of perspiration being a turn on? I'm sorry but there is NOTHING pleasant about the smell of sweat, male or female. SOAP. Now SOAP smells good. And speaking of soap, have you noticed how the women in these books always smell like violets or rosewater (don't ask me how they get this on the trail) but men smell like horses and perspiration and we're supposed to swoon. What's up with that? I'm waiting for a book that describes a woman as stinkin like chicken mess meets fried onions and the male hero getting a whiff and saying "Now THERES a woman I'd like to get my arms around". See, it just won't happen.
All that being said, I enjoyed the book, it held my interest and I plan on reading the rest of the series.
the author sucked me into the characters from the very first page. Each and every one is well rounded and unique. I loved the playful banter between the man and wife, this kind of writing 'shows rather than tells' us their personalities so right from the start it felt like I knew them. She loves her husband and the reader does too which is why 'what happens' is so traumatic.
I won't be spoiling it (cos you know from the title what happens) but the emotion portrayed is raw and gutsy; the first half of the book my heart was in my throat. I like a book that can trigger emotion from the reader. I want to CARE what happens to the characters and I did.
What I DIDN'T like about the book:
I thought that the intimate interaction between husband and wife was borderline smutty. It's not explicit by any means but I suppose if you were to give it a TV rating it would be PG-13 (but that being said I would not recommend this book to 13 year olds, the subject matter is just too mature). I am told that the next two books in the series are not like this so I'll let you know. :)
Also, some things just didn't seem right for the time. It seemed strange to me that the female lead wouldn't consider a farmer as a potential 2nd husband (because of her social standing- but this was the WEST and she had a FARM to look after so who cares about social standing) and then she acts contrary to her 'proper upbringing' by risking her reputation on several occasions. I was puzzled.
And on a general note:
One little pet peeve (and I'm not just picking on this author, it seems like every western book has it)..what is up with the smell of perspiration being a turn on? I'm sorry but there is NOTHING pleasant about the smell of sweat, male or female. SOAP. Now SOAP smells good. And speaking of soap, have you noticed how the women in these books always smell like violets or rosewater (don't ask me how they get this on the trail) but men smell like horses and perspiration and we're supposed to swoon. What's up with that? I'm waiting for a book that describes a woman as stinkin like chicken mess meets fried onions and the male hero getting a whiff and saying "Now THERES a woman I'd like to get my arms around". See, it just won't happen.
All that being said, I enjoyed the book, it held my interest and I plan on reading the rest of the series.
September 3, 2013
This was a nice, quick read. I feel the author did a good job in portraying the tension of the hero and heroine loving each other but believing they shouldn't act on their feelings. I was afraid that the heroine would end up coming across as not caring once her husband was injured due to her feelings for the hero, but she didn't. The author did a great job showing the heroine's guilty, sorrow and confusion without having her come off as a whining brat.
I am interested to see if the character of the madam from the brothel shows up more in the series. I liked her and would like to see a happy ending for her, also.
On another note, on the Amazon site I noticed that most that gave a bad review did so on the grounds that this was listed under Christian Fiction and they felt there was too much smut. Well, there are NO explicit scenes. There is more of a PG-13 vibe. Yes, the preacher and his wife are attracted to each other and have sex. No, there are no details. Yes, the hero talks about wanting the heroine...again, no details. Guess what, Christians have sex just like the rest of us. Even preachers. I think the author was trying to get across that the heroine has very deep feelings for her husband, both physically and emotionally. That way when she is attracted to another man we know it's not because her husband is a dog. If you think a Christian woman cannot be attracted to another man just because she's married then you live under a rock. Part of the premise is that she feels guilty for finding the hero attractive. I feel this is a bad reason to give a book a bad review. Especially since most reviewers admitted they didn't finish the book because of the content. The story and the writing are good and do not warrant one star.
I am interested to see if the character of the madam from the brothel shows up more in the series. I liked her and would like to see a happy ending for her, also.
On another note, on the Amazon site I noticed that most that gave a bad review did so on the grounds that this was listed under Christian Fiction and they felt there was too much smut. Well, there are NO explicit scenes. There is more of a PG-13 vibe. Yes, the preacher and his wife are attracted to each other and have sex. No, there are no details. Yes, the hero talks about wanting the heroine...again, no details. Guess what, Christians have sex just like the rest of us. Even preachers. I think the author was trying to get across that the heroine has very deep feelings for her husband, both physically and emotionally. That way when she is attracted to another man we know it's not because her husband is a dog. If you think a Christian woman cannot be attracted to another man just because she's married then you live under a rock. Part of the premise is that she feels guilty for finding the hero attractive. I feel this is a bad reason to give a book a bad review. Especially since most reviewers admitted they didn't finish the book because of the content. The story and the writing are good and do not warrant one star.
January 3, 2014
Have you ever watched the Debbie Reynolds movie, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"? It's about this absolutely horrible woman who is so self-absorbed and obnoxious, and this guy who just doesn't quite measure up to her standards but loves her (Gawd only KNOWS why)... and how he bends over backwards for her just to get kicked in the teeth over and over and OVER again? To the point where you just pray some sane person will dump her ass off the side of the lifeboat so she'll go down with the Titantic? I hate that movie. I have hated that movie since I was a child.
This book is that movie, done seven times worse. And I'm not even sure how that's possible considering how I loathe Molly Brown.
Here we have Hannah, who's husband is a minister who doesn't reference verses, read the Bible or visit the sick/poor. No, he's busy with crops and gardens and acreage and... he's a pastor?!?!? Really? ((O_o)) But don't worry, Hannah's not really into God, either - well, it's nice that her husband is admired in town and all, but this isn't 'Love, Inspired', y'know.
Then the author introduces Nathan, who's a nice guy, but likes a good stiff drink, gets laid at the whorehouse like the rest of the single guys out west, and doesn't really care what the snooty town folk have to say - as long as he's honest and works hard and does right by people, he's happy. He comes to work on Pastor's farm, and sticks around when pastor falls off a roof at a house-working party and breaks his back. He carries the pastor around, helps change his soily diapers, takes care of the critters and the crops... all because he's got a thing for Hannah.
Here's where the author does stOopid. ((Yes, bad grammar and spelling to enhance said stOopid.)) Carre, darling: If you want to kill off the damn minister, good on ya, luv. BUT... breaking his back and then later giving him pneumonia is pushing it. Better to make the SCI a higher level injury, so that when he gets the flu/cold/WHATever, he can't cough to expectorate it, and dies of complications, thus weaving together the events of the story, instead of shooting them off like loose freakin' cannons.
From there on, we go into "I can't marry you, you're a drunk lecher miner nobody" and "where's my tea set!" and "keep me warm at night, but don't think about me marrying you"... until you want to haul Hannah the Hag to the top of the roof and pitch HER off. And STILL Nathan loves her. Why? Who the HECK knows. She's horrific.
Skip it. Seriously. There are MUCH better ways to spend your time.
This book is that movie, done seven times worse. And I'm not even sure how that's possible considering how I loathe Molly Brown.
Here we have Hannah, who's husband is a minister who doesn't reference verses, read the Bible or visit the sick/poor. No, he's busy with crops and gardens and acreage and... he's a pastor?!?!? Really? ((O_o)) But don't worry, Hannah's not really into God, either - well, it's nice that her husband is admired in town and all, but this isn't 'Love, Inspired', y'know.
Then the author introduces Nathan, who's a nice guy, but likes a good stiff drink, gets laid at the whorehouse like the rest of the single guys out west, and doesn't really care what the snooty town folk have to say - as long as he's honest and works hard and does right by people, he's happy. He comes to work on Pastor's farm, and sticks around when pastor falls off a roof at a house-working party and breaks his back. He carries the pastor around, helps change his soily diapers, takes care of the critters and the crops... all because he's got a thing for Hannah.
Here's where the author does stOopid. ((Yes, bad grammar and spelling to enhance said stOopid.)) Carre, darling: If you want to kill off the damn minister, good on ya, luv. BUT... breaking his back and then later giving him pneumonia is pushing it. Better to make the SCI a higher level injury, so that when he gets the flu/cold/WHATever, he can't cough to expectorate it, and dies of complications, thus weaving together the events of the story, instead of shooting them off like loose freakin' cannons.
From there on, we go into "I can't marry you, you're a drunk lecher miner nobody" and "where's my tea set!" and "keep me warm at night, but don't think about me marrying you"... until you want to haul Hannah the Hag to the top of the roof and pitch HER off. And STILL Nathan loves her. Why? Who the HECK knows. She's horrific.
Skip it. Seriously. There are MUCH better ways to spend your time.
November 13, 2013
enjoyed the story. Hannah is married to Frank and they leave New York and come to Denver City area and they farm. Frank the pastor is injured when helping fix roof a parishioners bunkhouse he then dies from pneumonia. one of the workers on the farm has a strange affect on Hannah and he tries to watch out for her, even asking her to marry him. With her families thinking still occupying her mind she believes he is not for her. when she asks him again to hold her while she sleeps he says no and leaves the farm n town. she realises she loves him and she will not judge him anymore cos at nineteen to be a widow the options of men were not to her liking. Nathan returns and Hannah demands he marry her that day so she does not have to sleep alone again and apologises for judging him badly.
January 21, 2019
In the end I enjoyed this book. I say this that way because my feelings towards the book changed as l continued to read it. As I read the book I also read some of the reviews on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ regarding this book. After reading the book I was astounding by some of the reviews especially by those who started the book but chose not to finish it. What they did is prejudge the book. I think the author chose the title for the book because she wanted to focus on how Hannah deals with sudden finding herself widowed in the particular time period and how she dealt with it. The book also pointed out the plight of women especially in that time period and how they were sometimes forced to deal with things. For women during that time there weren’t lots of options and many of them not good. I think that was what the author was trying to show with the meeting between Hannah and Ruby the Madam running the Parlour House. Another point that the author shed a light on was the prejudging some of the other townspeople did regarding Hannah going in to the Parlour and the gossip that was spread regarding that visit. Also, pointed out was the fact that most of the people; especially those that called themselves Christian would not even speak to Ruby when they passed her on the street, at church, funeral, or other public event. And, what I find interesting about that is that this exactly what those people who posted reviews for this book; but did not finish the book. This was a clean read. It was a book that dealt with very real issues of that era. Including the fact that Christians and even pastors and pastorsâ€� wives can have short comings and deal with temptation.
September 7, 2020
When a husband dies
The characters are surprisingly human without the author being graphic--I appreciated the way the author handles different aspics of the characters' lives.
Our leading lady has a lot of growing up to do in her personality. This childishness is believable, although I think her childishness can, in part, be a result of her husband's "babying" her. He, too, had a "sheltered" life and was not yet a "hardened" western figure. Both of them are members of a "young couple."
Despite the anticipated complication of the death of a significant figure, the story has a good premise. I am looking forward to more books by this talented author. I expect the author to develop greater depth as the stories continue.
This story does not make a great book, but it does not make a bad one either. Historical inaccuracies? There are a few; however, they didn't detract from the story unless you are picky.
I'll call this story a "light caramel candy read" since it has a few sticky parts. I am glad the author chose to tackle an unusual aspect in the life of a young couple in the west.
The characters are surprisingly human without the author being graphic--I appreciated the way the author handles different aspics of the characters' lives.
Our leading lady has a lot of growing up to do in her personality. This childishness is believable, although I think her childishness can, in part, be a result of her husband's "babying" her. He, too, had a "sheltered" life and was not yet a "hardened" western figure. Both of them are members of a "young couple."
Despite the anticipated complication of the death of a significant figure, the story has a good premise. I am looking forward to more books by this talented author. I expect the author to develop greater depth as the stories continue.
This story does not make a great book, but it does not make a bad one either. Historical inaccuracies? There are a few; however, they didn't detract from the story unless you are picky.
I'll call this story a "light caramel candy read" since it has a few sticky parts. I am glad the author chose to tackle an unusual aspect in the life of a young couple in the west.
January 26, 2024
The story focuses on newlyweds Hannah and Frank Clark who left New York to settle in the Kansas territory of Denver City (which would later become Denver, in the state of Colorado.) Initially,
life was great, they secured a large tract of land through settlor possession, located three miles outside of Denver City; and while most came to strike it rich mining for gold, the Clarks built a home and the beginnings of a successful farm. But fate had other plans for the young couple, when when Frank was seriously injured, and months later 19-year-old Hannah found herself a widow.
I liked this book! I live in Colorado and this historical piece about Colorado's gold rush caught my attention. The love story between Hannah and Frank was sweet and written as one would expect for the time-period. The author writes well, she did a great job developing her characters, describing 1859 Denver, and exploring the struggles faced by the new settlers. The gentle banter between husband and wife was a beautiful way of describing the love and mutual respect between this young couple. I highly recommend this book.
life was great, they secured a large tract of land through settlor possession, located three miles outside of Denver City; and while most came to strike it rich mining for gold, the Clarks built a home and the beginnings of a successful farm. But fate had other plans for the young couple, when when Frank was seriously injured, and months later 19-year-old Hannah found herself a widow.
I liked this book! I live in Colorado and this historical piece about Colorado's gold rush caught my attention. The love story between Hannah and Frank was sweet and written as one would expect for the time-period. The author writes well, she did a great job developing her characters, describing 1859 Denver, and exploring the struggles faced by the new settlers. The gentle banter between husband and wife was a beautiful way of describing the love and mutual respect between this young couple. I highly recommend this book.
March 17, 2021
The main thing that bugged me about this book (besides the fact that the title is a spoiler that doesn't happen till halfway through the book) was the inaccurate historical details. For instance the wife makes peanut butter pancakes and later a friend brings over peanut butter cookies. It seemed wrong to me so I looked it up and "peanut butter wasn't developed until the 1890s and didn't become popular until the 1920s". There were some other thinks that irked me, but it's been a week and I've forgotten them. In case it helps someone else, I was very uncomfortable with the sex scenes, even though they weren't terribly descriptive, just way more than I'm comfortable with, along with her attraction to another man while married.
March 7, 2017
Very Fine Western Romance
This was a tender hearted story, full of sadness and joy. The storyline is incredible and the characters were great. I am sure the times back then in the frontier didn't allow for long courtships or a long time to grieve. Thank you for a very engrossing story, Danny Scott.
This was a tender hearted story, full of sadness and joy. The storyline is incredible and the characters were great. I am sure the times back then in the frontier didn't allow for long courtships or a long time to grieve. Thank you for a very engrossing story, Danny Scott.
June 19, 2021
An Unexpected Widow.
I chose this rating b/c I thought the story was written for readers 14 years or younger, that have a little love scene, or two, in there. It was a little silly, but I think if I was 14, I would have really liked it. Who knows, that's been a long time ago.......!!!!!!😥 J 🌻
I chose this rating b/c I thought the story was written for readers 14 years or younger, that have a little love scene, or two, in there. It was a little silly, but I think if I was 14, I would have really liked it. Who knows, that's been a long time ago.......!!!!!!😥 J 🌻
May 22, 2022
This was a really good story of Frank and Hannah Clark as they begin their married life in Denver City. Frank is the pastor with many ideas on farming their land. Then a terrible accident leaves Frank paralyzed. Hannah is distraught but with the help of hired hands Nathan and Jerry they plant the corn crop and wait for harvest. Quite a love story.
May 14, 2017
Because it was tender and it showed how hard life can be.
It was tender and showed how hard life can be. It was a bit of a surprise to find out she was only 19. That explained some of her naiveness.
It was tender and showed how hard life can be. It was a bit of a surprise to find out she was only 19. That explained some of her naiveness.
November 1, 2017
With a title like An Unexpected Widow, the plot of this romance was pretty predictable: Young wife, out West, loses husband due to accident and/or illness, then finds new love unexpectedly. Still, the writing was well done, and there were a few unanticipated twists.
February 4, 2019
This was the weirdest Christian fiction I've read. There were adulterous thoughts, sex, and lots of mentions of prostitutes and visiting the brothel. I'm not offended by any of that, I've just never had a C.F. be that explicit.
September 5, 2020
I really enjoyed this book!
This was a great story about settlers in the 1800’s. The insight of a young married preacher and the love of his life is so interesting. I enjoyed it so much!!
This was a great story about settlers in the 1800’s. The insight of a young married preacher and the love of his life is so interesting. I enjoyed it so much!!
April 20, 2024
A few quick notes:
Spoiler: she doesn’t become a widow until after 50% in to the book.
There’s PG scene at the beginning, but there’s a PG13+ scene at the end. “There was wetness between my thighs…certain female parts had begun to tingle again…� Just no.
Spoiler: she doesn’t become a widow until after 50% in to the book.
There’s PG scene at the beginning, but there’s a PG13+ scene at the end. “There was wetness between my thighs…certain female parts had begun to tingle again…� Just no.
August 7, 2017
Okay
Not bad but not great either. A distraction. 3*. Just writing more words so it can post... Stupid system. Blah
Not bad but not great either. A distraction. 3*. Just writing more words so it can post... Stupid system. Blah
December 7, 2017
Loved it!
Great book. Can not wait for the next one. Loved it! If you like romantic books you will love this one. Stories like this one are very special.
Great book. Can not wait for the next one. Loved it! If you like romantic books you will love this one. Stories like this one are very special.
February 5, 2018
An Unexpected Widow
The first Carré White book I have read was great. I really enjoyed this story about Hannah Clark and her pastor husband, Frank.
The first Carré White book I have read was great. I really enjoyed this story about Hannah Clark and her pastor husband, Frank.
May 13, 2020
Excellent
Simple sweet storyline. Easy to read. Just right for the covid lockdown when stuck at home. Was a Free Kindle Book.
Simple sweet storyline. Easy to read. Just right for the covid lockdown when stuck at home. Was a Free Kindle Book.
August 20, 2021
Great book
July 3, 2022
Very good read. I love the entire series!
October 9, 2022
Not my cup of tea
March 23, 2017
Good enough.....
The storyline was interesting, but the editing errors were distracting. Minor/miner, ought/aught, etc. Might not bother some people, but it ruins a good book for me.
The storyline was interesting, but the editing errors were distracting. Minor/miner, ought/aught, etc. Might not bother some people, but it ruins a good book for me.
June 4, 2018
Book starts out with Hannah and Frank, a cute married couple that can laugh and tease each other. Then disaster strikes and their happy marriage is threatened. Author writes with terrific empathy. Actually found myself tearing up a time or two, which is something I just don't do with books. As the plot moves along, I really start not liking Hannah. She's selfish and thoughtless and it bothers me. Would a person's character change so much after what she'd been through? Erm...don't think so. Would Nathan have stuck with her just on faith? Don't buy that. But a cute story nonetheless.
April 12, 2014
I got this book as a free Kindle Download. It's also pretty short, which was good considering it was pretty terrible. My first issue was that it was in first person. I didn't much like being in Hannah's head as she was pretty naive, spoiled, and later on annoying. I'm also used to reading historical romances in third person so it was a bit jarring.
I didn't much like any of the characters. Frank was pretty one dimensional; he was a good preacher who was trying his hand at farming and then he died. It was a bit refreshing that he was optimistic about his paralysis, but it was, as obvious from the title, all for naught. Other than that he was pretty much a non-entity except as a good person that Hannah was in love with and didn't have a problem being married to. Which made Nathan's character all the more problematic. There's even a line in the book where Hannah states that she feels lust for him. While Frank is still alive. Now, I can believe this would really happen, but Hannah's "guilt" felt more like lip service considering the two find themselves in various compromising situations while Frank is still alive.
Also, once Frank dies Hannah has no problem sleeping in the same bed, cuddled with Nathan, which would be weird enough in a contemporary novel let alone a historical book. And then she gets super clingy and claims she can't sleep unless Nathan is with her. Nathan, who up till this point has also been a non-entity except a vaguely good looking guy who drinks and gambles and visits prostitutes (at least until he starts working for the Clarks), finally gets a bit of character development and says he won't continue to sleep in the same bed as her unless they're married. Hannah pouts. It's even stated in the narration that she does, which is just irritating.
Anyway, it was extremely contrived, and I didn't like any of the characters. Even though there weren't any sex scenes or straight up infidelity, there was a lot of innuendo (at least most of it was between Hannah and Frank to show how much in love they were). The writing was amateurish, and the dialogue was stilted at first but got a little bit (but not much) better later on.
Sometimes I'll give a book two stars if it was terrible but still had a good grasp of grammar and syntax. But considering I didn't enjoy this at all and hated being inside Hannah's head the whole time, this is getting one star.
Also, what the heck was with the random thought that a harmonica and banjo weren't a logical pairing (I'm paraphrasing, I'm too lazy to check to see what Hannah actually said)? Did she just arrive in the west that day?
I didn't much like any of the characters. Frank was pretty one dimensional; he was a good preacher who was trying his hand at farming and then he died. It was a bit refreshing that he was optimistic about his paralysis, but it was, as obvious from the title, all for naught. Other than that he was pretty much a non-entity except as a good person that Hannah was in love with and didn't have a problem being married to. Which made Nathan's character all the more problematic. There's even a line in the book where Hannah states that she feels lust for him. While Frank is still alive. Now, I can believe this would really happen, but Hannah's "guilt" felt more like lip service considering the two find themselves in various compromising situations while Frank is still alive.
Also, once Frank dies Hannah has no problem sleeping in the same bed, cuddled with Nathan, which would be weird enough in a contemporary novel let alone a historical book. And then she gets super clingy and claims she can't sleep unless Nathan is with her. Nathan, who up till this point has also been a non-entity except a vaguely good looking guy who drinks and gambles and visits prostitutes (at least until he starts working for the Clarks), finally gets a bit of character development and says he won't continue to sleep in the same bed as her unless they're married. Hannah pouts. It's even stated in the narration that she does, which is just irritating.
Anyway, it was extremely contrived, and I didn't like any of the characters. Even though there weren't any sex scenes or straight up infidelity, there was a lot of innuendo (at least most of it was between Hannah and Frank to show how much in love they were). The writing was amateurish, and the dialogue was stilted at first but got a little bit (but not much) better later on.
Sometimes I'll give a book two stars if it was terrible but still had a good grasp of grammar and syntax. But considering I didn't enjoy this at all and hated being inside Hannah's head the whole time, this is getting one star.
Also, what the heck was with the random thought that a harmonica and banjo weren't a logical pairing (I'm paraphrasing, I'm too lazy to check to see what Hannah actually said)? Did she just arrive in the west that day?
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