LAND OF STARS, from Amazon bestselling author Dorothy Wiley, continues the highly-acclaimed Wyllie family frontier saga. It’s now 1824, and the Province of Texas, an exceedingly dangerous and volatile place, is the leading edge of the West and is seized by Mexico from Spain. Blending action and romance with vigilant research, Wiley brings to life the generations of driven men and women who shaped … shaped Texas—all of them a part of the creation of a place that became not just a nation, not just a state, but an enduring dream.
Steve Wyllie, a young man with the courage and grit to confront the dangers and adversities of life in Texas, stands beside his brother Samuel and the rest of their family as they face a catastrophic flood. Their fevered need for the land that will erase the misfortunes that beset their family leads them well into Mexican Texas and the frontier town of Nacogdoches. But getting land is far more complicated than they anticipated.
Rebecca Tyler and her family, along with the rest of the town have been subjected to the tyranny of a cruel and corrupt Mexican Alcalde. Along with her parents, she has suffered unimaginable loss. Rebecca stays strong for her parents’ sake. But her hurting and angry heart still demands justice. And hopes for love.
When Steve meets Rebecca, the attraction is immediate and compelling. As they both struggle against the dangers of the frontier, finding ways to help each other, they also discover the grand beauty of Texas. Will this new, unpredictable land provide a safe future for them? And will it include love? Steve is willing to do whatever it takes to help ease the pain Rebecca feels, no matter the cost to himself. But as he and his brother face the same corrupt Alcalde, he may be the one who needs saving.
This is the second breathtaking novel in the Wilderness Dawning Series, the Texas Wyllie Brothers. The first novel, RED RIVER RIFLES, set in 1818, brought the family to the Pecan Point Settlement where Steve’s brother, Samuel, and Louisa carve out a life in the raw wilderness.
Wiley’s Wilderness Dawning Series and her two other highly-rated series are gritty westerns, love stories, and gripping tales of the first daring settlers of the West. Her stories of the frontier and the pursuit of the American dream are tastefully romantic and authentic historicals set against the stunning backdrop of the wilderness.
Each book is a stand-alone, full-length novel.
AMERICAN WILDERNESS SERIES – Wyllie family brothers
Book One – WILDERNESS TRAIL OF LOVE
Book Two – NEW FRONTIER OF LOVE
Book Three – WHISPERING HILLS OF LOVE
Book Four – FRONTIER HIGHLANDER VOW OF LOVE
Book Five – FRONTIER GIFT OF LOVE
Book Six – THE BEAUTY OF LOVE
WILDERNESS HEARTS SERIES – Wyllie brothers and their grown children
Book One – LOVE’S NEW BEGINNING
Book Two – LOVE’S SUNRISE
Book Three – LOVE’S GLORY
Book Four – LOVE’S WHISPER
WILDERNESS DAWNING – The Texas Wyllie Brothers Series
Book One – RED RIVER RIFLES
Book Two – LAND OF STARS
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Again, I understand why Dorothy Wiley is one of the best. She can write historical romance like no other and now she is adding suspense to her credentials. This story is absolutely gripping. Don’t miss it.
Another wonderful tale of revenge and hardship, love and fear, healing and fresh starts! Dorothy sure knows how to pull the reader in! Definitely a heartpounding, inspiring story set in the precarious turmoil times of the Texas border conflicts!
All I can say is wow. Ms. Wiley’s stories have always been top-notch and 5 star reads from the first book Ms. Wiley has written but they seem to get even better with each successive book if that’s possible. If I could give each one more than 5 stars she would be deserving of it. Land of Stars, the second book in the Wilderness Dawning series and her twelfth book with the Wiley’s at its core, did not disappoint and picked up with the Wiley’s once again where Red River Rifles left off. This book was unique in that it’s a two-part story. Part One, continues the story of Samuel and Louisa but we seamlessly pick up with Part Two, Steve and Rebecca’s story. The story takes place in the early 1800’s in the Pecan Point Settlement and in Mexican Texas.
I loved how Samuel, Steve, Thomas and their father along with Samuel and Thomas’ wives and the doctor/preacher Baldy and his wife Melly and their son are front and center along with many others. I was immediately drawn into the story and felt like I was there due to the imagery created by such vivid descriptions and the feeling of family, friendship and the pioneer spirit throughout. The characters all have a depth to them, know the power of their word, the importance of family and friends who are more like family, their workers and animals, and that ultimately hard work and treating others well help shape them. They know how to protect themselves against evil and wrongdoers – even the women. It is the frontier after all!
The story flows smoothly and has such a richness in the telling of the story. Every word, every character, every thread is important and weaves together a moving tale of love, hardship, good times and bad, and the importance of looking at the positives in your life to move forward to meet your goals. Often their prayers are answered but not in the way they think they will be. We’re shown the happiness that is often hard-won but also the unseemly side of that pioneering life as well. But throughout they are strong for each other and stronger still when they work together to forge their new life – this time in Mexican Texas.
The Tyler family, of which Rebecca is their daughter, adds another layer to the story but also takes us in new directions. There is wonderful closure with the epilogue that takes place two weeks later and a princess-like happily ever after. There’s definitely more stories to tell and I can’t wait to see whose story will be told next.
Ms. Wiley is a wonderful author whose books I can’t get enough of. She’s one of my favorite authors of historical romance set during the period of the American Frontier and the settling of the West. It’s one of my favorite time periods in American History and I can’t wait for more. I love her stories but the addition of the section titled, Fact and Inspirations Behind the Story, provides so much historical information along with links and tends to add another layer to each story. Her list of characters is all encompassing – even listing some of the animals and the Author’s Note and About the Author sections gives more insight into her books and series and even her thought process. Her titles are very apropos to the story and always make their way into the telling of the story. If you haven’t given her books a try you should. You won’t be disappointed if you love historical romances set in the West.
There are a few books in your reading life that stand out; feature intensity; and, have family love and romance. This is one of those amazing stories that you can’t just close the book and walk away. It makes you think and realize how great our lives are because the pioneers that went before us gave their all to making our country strong.
The Stephen Willie family is a “one for all and all for one” with attitude, strength and deep abiding love that can’t be destroyed. They have each others back, stand together in battle and have a bond that cannot be broken. It is 1824, turmoil comes to Red River; the land and homes are threatened; and, yet the strength of survival for family and friends stands the test. It’s a deep Willie family story-line with fictional events that make you read long into the night and then dream about the book. Thanks to the author I was given an ARC to enjoy.. I highly recommend this book as well as others in this wilderness adventure.