Audrey's Awakening (Oregon Sky #2)

WESTERN:  Audrey ran away from home to marry her true love after her father turned him down. On the way to Oregon, her new husband died of cholera but instead of going home she continues on, hoping to make a new life for herself. If she does go home, her father will sell her in a marriage contract to the man he owes money to.

Reid's wife died giving birth to his daughter. Convinced he will never love anyone else again, he is fine with his family's help in raising his little girl, but his family knows he needs someone. Just as Audrey and Reid are contemplating a life together, her father shows up to drag her back to a home she doesn't want.

While second in a series, there is little left out by not entering this world at the beginning. Audrey and Reid are good people, who need each other for realistic reasons; he needs a mother for his daughter and she needs the protection of his name. Marriages of convenience were more common than many modern-day readers imagine, and this story is a perfect example of how they most likely happened. The depictions of life and the setting will draw readers in without overwhelming them with unnecessary minutiae, a rarity in historicals. Issues between Reid and Audrey, and problems with the bad guys, were a bit too easily solved and fixed. This sweet story is full of robust secondary characters, a beautiful setting, and a couple that readers will love to watch fall in love.

Julie York