Life in the Book Lane: Love on the Prairie by Ciara Knight

Monday 24 April 2017

Love on the Prairie by Ciara Knight

Love on the Prairie

Ciara Knight

Historical, Western Romance

Cover Designer: Clarissa Yeo

Editor: Cora Artz and Emily Sewell

Hosted by: Lady Amber's PR

Blurb:

Abigail McKinnie refuses to allow her sisters to be dispersed across the nation as mail order brides. Despite the fact the union soldiers took everything from them during their march through Atlanta-their lands scorched, house burned, food stolen-she won’t give up. With a plan in place, she sets out for Kansas to her second cousin under the guise of marriage. But instead, she plans to convince him that the seven of them can help run the homestead for him. Her plan is full proof, until she makes the arduous journey to discover he’s dead.

Owen Baker vows to never have a woman in his life again after the death of so many in his life, but when Abigail McKinnie struts onto his land claiming ownership on behalf of her dead cousin, he’s dumbfounded by her drive and beauty. Despite her abilities and their attraction, he vows to throw her over his horse to deliver her to the first train home the minute she recuperates from her trip.

Faced with living in a small dugout through storms, Indian attacks, and violent gunmen, they realize they must work together to save the homestead, the last hope for the McKinnie sisters and Owen’s heart. But when their attraction becomes more formidable than the surrounding elements, they will have to overcome their fear or lose everything.

I would give this 3.5 stars.

This was my first foray into historical romance, I'm not 100% convinced that it's 'my thing'. I enjoyed/liked this book, but if this is a genre you enjoy, you would probably rate it higher. I would label this as a Novella length rather than a full novel as I managed to read it in a couple of hours.

The story was well written and had good pace, the plot flowed smoothly, it was well edited and the main characters were likeable. I felt that parts of the story lacked resolution, Abigail's main reason for heading out the the prairie was to find a home for herself and her sisters but this part wasn't resolved in this book. I also wasn't convinced by the story line with the native Americans.

However the romance part of the book was very well written and I did feel that both Abigail and Owen were well written characters. Owen was a very kind and caring man, who you can't help but love. Abigail is a strong woman, particularly for that era, and certainly doesn't let life get her down. The book was very easy to read and whilst it didn't 'blow me away' it wasn't hard work reading it either.

Ciara Knight writes with a ‘Little Edge and a Lot of Heart’ with her contemporary and paranormal romance books. Her most recent #1 Amazon bestselling series, Sweetwater County, has topped the charts and received acclaimed reviews. Her international best-seller, Pendulum scored 4 stars from RT Book Reviews, accolades from InD’Tale Magazine and Night Owl Top Pick. Her young adult paranormal series, Battle for Souls, received 5 stars from Paranormal Romance Guild and Night Owl’s Top Pick, among other praises.