When he agreed to guard her, he never bargained on having
to guard his heart.
Brilliant scientist Linnea Newberry is on the adventure of a lifetime,
traveling the Santa Fe Trail with her grandfather, Dr. Howell, on a botanical
expedition to Colorado Territory. She longs to be valued for her contributions
and not seen as a helpless liability. But at every calamity she faces, her
grandfather threatens to send her home.
After watching his ma suffer and die in childbirth, Flynn McQuaid has sworn off
women and marriage forever. Headed west to start a new life, he has his hands
full not only taking care of his younger siblings but also delivering cattle to
his older brother. He doesn't need more complications.
When Flynn rescues Linnea from drowning during a river crossing, Dr. Howell
promptly hires Flynn--unbeknownst to Linnea--to act as her bodyguard for the rest of the
trip. As Flynn fights against the many dangers of the trail, he soon finds himself in
the greatest danger of all--falling for a woman he's determined not to love.
My Thoughts:
Flynn and his younger brother and sister are on there way with their business venture of cattle to meet up with their older brother Wyatt. (Wyatt is from the first book in this series and I gave his story five stars.) But this is Flynn's journey out west after the nightmare they have lived through and his poor attempts to stop his younger brother, Brody, from signing up to fight in the Civil war.
On their way they meet up with a wagon train of scientists who are going out west to study plants. Among them is Linnea Newbury who is also a scientist and knows because she is a woman how hard she must work to keep her position. In a time that this was not the norm for women, Linnea was raised with a forward thinking mother and a loving family. She is traveling with her grandfather, who loves her dearly. She strives to show him and all the men that she can make this trip and be an asset and not a liability.
Unfortunately for Linnea she seems to be accident and danger prone. And Flynn seems to be rescuing her from one scrape or another. There is a secret bargain struck between Flynn and her grandfather that is beneficial to both, however it might just come back to haunt Flynn.
I really liked Flynn and Linnea and their obvious chemistry both try to dance around. Flynn is a loyal and protective man. Not overly so but it is enduring and sweet. Linnea is a woman and she is not ashamed of that. She realizes she is weaker in some ways and she is not headstrong or stubborn that she can't take and heed advice. That was refreshing. They really did treat each other as equals.
I am really enjoying this series and this particular story had a few twists and turns that made for a memorable wagon train out west.
I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.
About the Author:
Jody Hedlund (www.jodyhedlund.com)
is the bestselling author of more than thirty historical novels for both adults
and teens, including Come Back to Me, and is the winner of numerous
awards, including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Awards. Jody lives in
Michigan with her husband, busy family, and five spoiled cats. She loves to
imagine that she really can visit the past, although she's yet to accomplish
the feat, except via the many books she reads.
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