Tamera Alexander has done a fantastic job building each of these characters so we can relate to them. Elizabeth is trying to win a job as a photo journalist on a large eastern newspaper. Her secondary task is to help a friend of her boss find land in Colorado near the hot springs to build a hotel and resort. When she comes to the west her big city ways and feminist leanings don't earn her many friends. She has to learn to depend on people and God rather than just herself. As she learns and grows she finds people are much more likely to respect her if she respects them.

Daniel's story is one that many who live through the war have to cope with. Josiah as a slave had life especially rough but it's his faith in God that helps renew both Elizabeth's and Daniel's faith.

Ms. Alexander uses sensitivity to build these people, their friends and others in the town of Timber Ridge. There is a villain, one who almost destroys Elizabeth and sets Josiah up for a lynching. The suspense is well constructed and woven throughout the storyline.

This is a heartwarming story of people coping with losses caused by war and life in the late nineteenth century. The details of living for all of them are well painted as is the land of a mostly unspoiled Territory. The author has done a superb job making this book believable, enjoyable and memorable for me and, I hope, for all readers.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Sweet

Reviewer: Dee Dailey
October 17, 2008