Orphans, Outlaws, and Redemption in the Old West!(Looking for a prairie romance? Don’t look here!)A classic Western tale of Joshua and Jonathan Jackson, brothers orphaned during the Civil War. They needed someone to give them a chance, but the war-torn countryside and people had little to spare.After the war, the teen brothers headed West to find their fortunes and escape their past. Instead, … find their fortunes and escape their past. Instead, they found a hard land and nobody willing to lend a hand. At every fork in the road, fear, grief, or pain prompted them to choose the wrong path.
By the time they were grown men, they had traveled so far into trouble, there was no way out except prison or death. They had one chance for redemption. Would they take it?
If you’ve read LOST IN THE STORM, you met Jed Jackson – this is the story of what happened to Jed and his brothers.
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This was sooooo good!! I kept rooting for JJ and Kid, didn’t really care if they got an HEA, which JJ did, I just wanted to make sure it ended the way I wanted, and it did!! My heart broke for them in the beginning, then I wanted to spank them, then I just kept rooting for them! Honestly, a western at it’s finest!!
A great story that takes place during the time of the War between the States. I’d wanted to read this book for some time. Great book!
My thoughts on Forks in the Road:
I loved this book. It’s so good if you need a laugh but also draws you in and your heart will break for the characters. This book ties into Lost in the Storm but you don’t have to read the other book to understand and read this one. Should you? Yes! Because they’re both wonderful and I think you’ll enjoy them both, but I can’t force you.
This author is amazing. She draws you in and holds you there. Her writing is expressive and makes you think you’re really in the story. The characters are so real that you immediately feel that you’re best friends or arch enemies.
I loved the history in this novel. History is something I love to study so any book that brings out history within it I am going to love and want to sit and just read the whole thing. And this is what happened with this book. I started reading it and couldn’t put it down! You’re going to love it!
Have you ever read a book that read like an old granny telling a tale? A book that kept you spellbound? That’s this book as you listen to the story unravel. JJ and Kid have had a hard life and without meaning to have slid away from their early life teachings and into the devil’s camp. Can they make it out before it’s too late? And what will they say when they hear how many people have been praying for them all these years?
Highly recommend this book and hope you get to read it soon!
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
What I think you should know:
Forks in the Road is a historical fiction/ Christian Western by Tamara Lynn Kraft. It starts during the civil war and follows two brothers who were orphaned during a raid that killed many from their town.
What I think about Forks in the Road:
I am a huge fan Western fiction and this is going on my favorites list. Kraft has a gift for writing that makes you feel like you are part of the story. Oh how my heart ached for JJ and Kid, they captured my heart at the beginning of the books. I wanted to knock them upside the head over some of their choices , but I know that was the choice of Kraft to help demonstrate God’s grace. I enjoyed reading the story as it unfolded and would love to read more about the characters in this story.
I received a complimentary copy for this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.
This is a very good book. It shows one road that two young boys might take when they find themselves the only family left after war hit their area during the civil road. These boys go out west and keep making poor life choices. Even with the poor choices the boys make I still had a soft spot in my heart for these boys. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
One of the best things about the author is the way she tells a story that makes you feel like you are a part of it. The writing style is perfect for the time period and the struggles are realistic and believable. I loved meeting Joshua and Johnathan and how determined they were to stick together. Being orphaned had to be so hard for them at a young age.
When a family takes them in for a bit I was struck by the obvious lack of faith in the family taking care of them. As they are sitting down to eat Jonathan asks if the are going to pray . Mrs Greer says, “I put this food on the table, not God.” Well that sure shook me up to hear so plainly what someone thinks about God. I didn’t like Mr. Greer at all. He was a mean man who hit his wife and barked orders. His treatment of the boys was horrible and I wanted to scream at them to run away.
The story is filled with adventure as the boy’s go out on their own. They see their share of violence and I could even understand why Joshua was angry at people and God. He feels like God has abandoned him and his brother. Will temptation overtake the boys? Will they fall away from their faith? There are so many wonderful lessons in the story that relate to the Bible.
The title is perfect for this story because when facing a difficult decision, one wrong turn can lead you into sin. The story spans several years and introduces Jeb, the oldest brother. He has become a preacher and is determined to find his brothers. You can sense the grief he feels knowing his brothers have gone astray. There is one very subtle but funny part in the story. When the brothers encounter a sheriff in town who they want on their side his last name is Fife. If you are familiar with shows you will understand the reference to that name. I just love it when an author puts in a little humor in a story that is mostly serious. This story is a wonderful look at praying, having faith and never giving up. I can’t wait for readers to get to know Joshua and Jonathan as they follow them on a journey to forgiveness and a great example of God’s mercy and grace.
“If you ever stray from the right road, God is merciful. Turn to Him , and He’ll direct your paths.”
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
What a fabulous novel! I love this spinoff from “Lost I the Storm”! It is very well-written with likable, well-defined characters. At times it is heartrending and at others exhilarating, with strong faith in some characters and spiritual lessons for all. It can be read as a standalone, and I suggest not before “Lost in the Storm”. The time period is one that I appreciate reading about.
Joshua “JJ” Jackson is twelve and his brother Jonathan “Kid” is ten when their father and 2 brothers are killed by Quantrill’s Raiders. Their mother died from a rattlesnake bite incurred when one of the raiders pushed her onto a woodpile where the snake was. One older brother died in the Civil War. Their other brother, Jed, is also serving in the war, far from their Kansas farm. 1863 is not a good time for two boys to be homeless, especially since so many people have been killed by the raiders. Joshua and Jonathan were adopted by a couple, and the preacher said he would let Jed know where they were sent when he hears back from him. The man who adopted them, however, gave an incorrect name and location so he could not be tracked. Thus began two years of boys doing the work of men and suffering terrible abuse at the hands of the farmer.
The boys finally escaped. Jedidiah had never returned to Lawrence, Kansas and was assumed deceased. They had to find a way to make it on their own. The Jackson family believed in the Lord. The boys had gone forward to give their lives to Jesus only a week before the raid occurred. Joshua gave up on God after their family died. Jonathan had not given up and still tried to pray and believe, remembering the things their parents taught them As a young child, Jonathan called Joshua JJ, and returned to that nickname. In turn, Joshua called him Kid, as in, kid brother.
Jobs were not to be had where they landed in Hunt’s Peak, Colorado, and they worked in the saloon, sweeping and taking buckets of beer to the miner’s camp. They made very little money until JJ began to watch men play poker and learned the game. That was the beginning of a lifestyle that took them further from their upbringing than they could ever imagine. At times they held honest jobs. Other times they lived a life of crime, and even Kid gave up on the God of his youth after reading more than his share of dime novels. They were wanted throughout Colorado and Wyoming. Their future became bleak; their crimes had escalated far more than they ever intended. They were devastated when they began to see the true cost of their crime spree and the prison time they could face if captured. Unbeknownst to them, there were people praying for them, and the Lord never gave up on them.
This novel shows the power of our prayers and the prayers of others, and what the results of our lifestyles can be. I love the symbolism of one of God’s beautiful creatures throughout the story! I appreciated what was going on behind the scenes in Hunt’s Peak, things the boys never dreamed possible. This novel brings out many emotions. I ached for the men they became and heartache they endured as well as the harsh results to those they didn’t realize they hurt. I highly recommend this novel to those who appreciate Christian historical stories from the Civil War and shortly afterwards, and even for those who, like me, chose the wrong path.
From a thankful heart: I received a complimentary copy of this from the publish and Celebrate Lit, and this is my honest review.
An evocative, tragic, and ultimately triumphant character study, Tamera Lynn Kraft’s “Forks in the Road” relates the story of Joshua and Jonathan Jackson, brothers of Jedidiah Jackson, a Union soldier from the author’s “Lost in the Storm: Ladies of Oberlin Book 2.” At the beginning of the story, they are 12 and 10, young boys with a loving family who are baptized and accept the Lord into their hearts mere days before tragedy turns their lives upside down and leads them to forsake the straight and narrow. Set partly during the Civil War, there is a double aspect of loss and of marching through the flames, and with it the danger of either being consumed or of emerging. This is symbolically underscored by the presence of a monarch butterfly multiple times throughout the narrative; in my mind, it took on some aspects of the phoenix.
As Joshua (JJ) and Jonathan (Kid) attempt to navigate through their grief and make a way for themselves, time and again they are let down and forsaken by Christians. Hence it comes as no surprise that a loss of faith is a major theme, and at the same time it is a call to action for all Christians to truly embody the spirit of Christ by loving each other. As Kraft so sorrowfully demonstrates, once embarked upon, the slippery slope of sin is very difficult to rise from. A compromise here, a little lie there, and suddenly the enemy holds sway. “Forks in the Road” depicts how easily one can fall away, and my heart went out to these brothers as they experienced one hardship and tribulation after another, with seemingly no end in sight. Unbeknownst to them, their older brother Jedidiah lives, and, symbolic of the Good Shepherd who willingly leaves the ninety-nine to search for the one that is lost, so does Jed embark on a journey to save his brothers from the wrong path they have chosen and from themselves, declaring, “It might take a miracle to find them, but he served a God who did miracles.”
Time lapses emphasize how quickly and subtly circumstances can change and habits can form. While there are multiple time jumps as Joshua and Jonathan grow up, Kraft handles them well, and they are not jarring but rather fit well into the narrative. With a resounding message of hope and an appeal for truly living as Christ followers in actions as well as in words, “Forks in the Road” leads each of us to consider which way we will take in our own lives.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.
Life during the Civil War was tough regardless of where you were. Young Joshua and Jonathan Jackson find their family, home and farm in flames after a great day of fishing. Raiders led by Quantrill are sweeping the countryside leaving scorched earth and death behind them. With no family except the brother they believe has died in the war, the boys, ages 12 and 10, are unknowingly sent into an abusive situation.
Perhaps this is when their heartbreak changed into survival. Decisions needed to be made, whether easy or not. Their choices put them in situations that were questionable. Despite their illegal actions, the Lord built a family around them that loved them. This led to a life that eventually brought them back to the faith of their parents. I loved the way the author wove a monarch butterfly throughout the book – a symbol of hope and new life.
This incredible book was received through Mt Zion Ridge Press and CelebrateLit. All comments and impressions are my own and were in no way solicited.
Tamera Lynn Kraft writes heart grabbing, breath taking, can’t wait to read what happens next stories. From heartache to making hard decisions which were sometimes the wrong ones, the brothers experience life in unexpected ways. From the moment I started reading this story, I felt like I was in a great movie. I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required.