The Oregon Trail Romance Collection

The Oregon Trail Romance Collection is a collection of 9 Christian love stories set in the mid-1850s on the dangerous and exciting Oregon Trail. Each story is roughly 50 pages long and is written by a different author.
I am typically not a reader of short stories. I prefer a longer book so there is more opportunity to develop the characters and the plot. But I really enjoyed reading this book. I find this time period extremely exciting — the Oregon Trail, wagon trains, the forts, such as Fort Laramie, that they stop at along the way, the dangers they encounter. I enjoyed every story without exception in this book, and when I finished one, I looked forward to the next. I think they were all very well written, and I thought that each author did a great job of developing an interesting, unique, and exciting plot in a relatively short story.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

From dust on the Oregon trail to danger and bravery along the way, each story contains characters and story lines that made me feel as if I was right there. I received a complimentary copy of the book. No review was required.

(My full review can be found at https://justjenniferpurcell.com/?p=1526)

As I’ve come to expect from novella collections, some stories are better than others, but they were still nice, light reads. I enjoyed reading The Oregon Trail Romance Collection, and I do recommend that anyone who loves stories set in the western frontier give it a try. And it’s definitely worth it if you recognize any of the authors. Pam Hillman and Amanda Cabot are what drove me to read this collection, but I’ve discovered some other authors I now want to check out. That’s the good thing about novellas, they’re a good way to discover new authors without a large commitment.

Note: I received a complimentary copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

These nine stories of life on the Oregon Trail were very good. I enjoyed the details of the different parties as they traveled across the country, with good and bad experiences they had to endure. Life and death happened.
Some of these stories have stuck with me perhaps to do being educated on the facts that I had not read before. One morning I told my husband one of the whole stories at breakfast and he liked it too!
I highly recommend this book if you enjoy historical Christian fiction like I do.

This is a wonderful collection of nine historical romances that take place in the mid 1800’s. The stories are all inspirational with prayer, God or the family Bible as part of the story. There are wagon trains of families heading out West to Oregon or California and we get to know them as well as the adventures they undertake and the hardships they must endure as the miles pass. Seeing it through each of their eyes made history and their stories come to life. It’s my favorite part of history – the settling of the West! Most are new to me authors with the exception of Amy Lillard, who is a favorite go-to author and Anna Schmidt whose only book I’ve read is the first book in The Cowboys and Harvey Girls series, Trailblazer. This was Jennifer Uhlarik’s debut novella. I look forward to reading more of all of the authors’ books. The introduction summaries were a nice addition to the book, giving us a flavor of what each story would be about.

The Sagebrush Bride by Amanda Cabot
Avice is traveling with her uncle after the death of her parents on the way west. She doesn’t like what she suspects he’s up to with his new associate, Matthew Dempsey, who’s old enough to be her grandfather. When she meets Raleigh and his motherless son, Jay, at Fort Laramie, he and Avice make a business arrangement, but will it turn into more? Her uncle and Mr. Dempsey don’t like what they are hearing but their plotting just might be at an end. Avice is kind, generous and a giver and takes to baby Jay and he to her but what about his father and his first love? There are twists and turns to the story along with a lot of scripture and prayer as well as God’s blessings to be thankful for. The happily-ever-after was sweetly portrayed.

Beckoned Hearts by Melanie Dobson
The story initially takes place in Fort Hall and is a sad tale of death on the frontier and Molly trying to figure out whether she should still head to Oregon to fulfill her husband’s dreams or head back East. She currently works in a mercantile for a man who charges ridiculous prices for supplies needed by travelers on the trail. When Payton and his sister, Faith, cross her path, none of them knew the importance of that chance happening and what her kindness would mean to them. They’re headed to Oregon to meet Faith’s husband who went to Oregon earlier to set up a new school. The story meanders nicely and has a happily-ever-after that was months in the making.

Shanghaied by the Bride by Pam Hillman
Blake and Cassidy are unexpectedly traveling together with her mother and sister since she owns a wagon and he owns the mules needed to pull it. Oh, and women can’t travel alone in Beecher’s wagon train. It was fun getting to know Blake and Cassidy along with many of the other characters. The shanghai stunts gave a little levity but when there’s a flash flood emotions get high and true feelings seem to come out, or do they? The happily-ever-after was a nice culmination to the story.

Settled Hearts by Myra Johnson
This story drew me in from the beginning with the heartache felt by many different characters. John is traveling with his niece and nephew who have been instructed to call him Pa. Emma is looking for her father who went to Oregon two years before and no one has heard from him in all that time. She must find him before her mother succumbs to her illness back home. When their paths cross and it’s determined they can help one another on their travels west, things get interesting fast. With unexpected turns, some thanks to Emma, we get to know them each a little better, but there’s a lot of heartache before happiness prevails. This was definitely one of my favorite stories.

As Good as Gold by Amy Lillard
There are characters that came to life and that had a depth to them. Trudy and Ellis are thrown together when she needs a driver for her wagon and his rig has just been stolen. She’s traveling out west and pretending to be a married woman who’s to meet up with her husband. Her sister, Molly, is posing as her daughter. Will Trudy and Ellis come to terms about compensation and are they of the same mind of what that compensation should be? As they pass each milestone, she and Ellis tend to get closer, until he seems to avoid her. There are twists and turns and secrets to be told and a wonderful happily-ever-after.

Daughter of the Wind by DiAnn Mills
This was one of my favorite books in the anthology. I loved how Lane considered the orphans his girls along with Deborah who unknowingly saved them from a horribly, devastating storm that took even a worst turn than expected. He was also spared when he took shelter under a rock ledge. The devastation left in the storms wake was demoralizing and tough on all of them. The little girls were such darlings and tried to do everything an adult would – whether man or woman. Watching Deborah regain her faith in God felt right and the story had a nice flow to it. I loved that the end of the story took place five years later and showed us how their lives turned out. It was just the closure I needed.

His Frontier Family by Anna Schmidt
This was a story about matchmaking at its core. The commander of the fort’s wife, Ginny, seemed to make it her personal motive to get Jason, one of the officers, married. She’s always throwing women from the wagon trains in his path but he has no interest in marrying, or does he? When he and Emma first cross paths there are daggers flying and lots of fireworks but that’s because of how he’s treated her twelve year old son, or is it? It was nice watching her son Ben take pride in something and also start behaving as he should, all thanks to Jason. It was interesting to watch sparks one minute and attraction the next between Emma and Jason. The shopkeeper, Ezra, was not a likable fellow at all and I got bad vibes from him from the start. Jason’s Indian friends played a heartwarming part in the story. The culmination of the story takes place three years later and gave me the closure I look for.

State of Matrimony by Ann Shorey
Mr. Golden, the owner of the mercantile that Diantha works at scrubbing the dirty floors, is front and center in this story. When Mr. Golden invites Diantha to join his wagon train going west as their cook, she has to decide if that’s what’s best for her but her landlady, Mrs. Wilkie, who was very manipulative, isn’t sure that’s the right move for her, but is it? Griff signs on as the driver and there are instant sparks between him and Diantha but will Mr. Golden’s brother, Michael, who is also traveling with them, muddy the waters? Mrs. Golden’s wife, who never wanted to go west, tries to make her life as miserable as possible. With unexpected twists and turns to the story, Diantha seems to get a backbone. I liked the happily-ever-after in the offing but the story ended too abruptly for me.

Sioux Summer by Jennifer Uhlarik
There are more Indians in this story than any of the others and while Ellie said they could be trusted because they traded with her and her father-in-law at their mercantile, others thought differently. Ellie feels like she’s let not only her deceased husband down but also her father-in-law, since they never made it to Oregon because of her. When Teagan returns with another wagon train heading west her feelings are mixed. They have a history since he’s stopped by their shop for several years. I liked getting to know them as well as his brother, Cody, traveling with him. The story flows smoothly but has twists and turns to it that had me turning the pages to see what would happen next. When bad things happen and seemed like it would get worse, it was nice to see that the Benton brothers came through and helped the situation since always before they seem to try and antagonize others, especially the Sioux. There was some closure with the epilogue that takes place one year later in California but it left me wanting more. The facts given by the author at the end of the story was a nice addition.