Summer of Promise

Author: Amanda Cabot
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group, 2012
Pages: 416
Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: Though she had planned to spend the summer in Vermont with her sweetheart, Abigail Harding cannot dismiss her concerns over her older sister. Charlotte's letters have been uncharacteristically melancholy, and her claims that nothing is wrong rings false, so Abigail heads West to Wyoming.

The endless prairie seems monotonous, but when her stagecoach is attacked, Wyoming promises to be anything but boring. Luckily, the heroics of another passenger, Lieutenant Ethan Bowles, save the day.

When circumstances -- and perhaps a bit of matchmaking -- put Abigail and Ethan together, there's certainly attraction. But Abigail is planning to marry another man and return to life in Vermont as soon as she is finished attending to her sister. And Ethan loves his life in the Army and the wilds of Wyoming. When summer ends, will Abigail go back East. Or will she fall in love with this rugged land herself.

Book 1 of the new Westward Winds series, Summer of Promise is a tale of following your heat to unexpected places. Readers will enjoy Amanda Cabot's passionate characters and vibrant setting in the beautiful high prairie.

Review: After reading two emotionally exhausting, but wonderful books simultaneously, one audio and one hard back, I knew I needed something lighter.

This novel was not a random choice. We are vacationing this summer in what was once the Wild West, and Fort Laramie is one of our planned stops. I generally love this genre, and it's a great way to cleanse the palate, so to speak.

Abigail juggles her feelings regarding a beau back home, an unwanted "suitor" in Wyoming, and a lieutenant at Fort Laramie, whom she is clearly attracted to, and vice versa. This all well and good, and a hallmark of this genre. But, the subplots. Oh, the subplots.

There's a group of bandits/deserts/road agents attacking stage coaches with wealthy passengers. There are solders at the fort responsible for getting to the bottom of who the ringleader is and who's involved, but only as an afterthought.

A rambunctious puppy whose typical puppy antics take center stage at times, and for what purpose, I do not know.

Sister Charlotte is experiencing marital discord, something is "off" with her husband, and of course her pregnancy is a difficult one.

We meet a prostitute who works at a "hog ranch" near the fort, and whom Abigail befriends despite social mores, and despite suspecting her brother-in-law is a paying customer.

There are more, but you get the point.

Forget cleansing the palate, this was like being served meat when you've been a vegan for years, or finding out the wine bar only serves beer.