My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing
Colorado
1880
Once upon a time,
Rose was a barefoot dreamer, carving whimsical creatures from the driftwood she
found on the beach. However, after the death of her father, Rose finds herself
cut adrift. So she answers an advertisement to become the bride of a blacksmith
in Sweet Briar, Colorado, bravely leaving behind the coast of Maine and her
beloved sandy beaches.
Living in the
shadow of the Rockies, Emmett Southerland is a bit of a hopeless romantic. He’s
been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the dark-haired beauty in the photograph
he keeps over his heart. However, once Rose arrives, he finds himself snowed in
with her during the worst storm Colorado has seen in twenty-five years.
This sweet
mail-order bride romance very loosely reimagines the classic tale of Sleeping
Beauty, complete with a satisfying happily-ever-after. Sweet Briar
Rose is a short novel of approximately 42,000 words.
My Review
I love a good mail-order bride story, and this one delivered! I loved the contrast between Rose and Emmett- she is numb from grief, he has already given away his heart to her. Her emotions are slowly awakened as she learns to trust and love Emmett in a new and very different part of the country. Emmett was pretty awesome- a true romantic inside a burly blacksmith, I loved how he was such a gentleman to Rose and also appreciated her individuality. Their romance is sweet with chemistry that had plenty of sparks ;) While the story felt a little too-good-to-be-true, that same quality contributed to the fairy tale feel. Both settings- the east coast and the snowy mountains of Colorado, were very much a part of the story and they were easy to picture. I'm happy to have discovered a new-to-me author that I enjoy and look forward to reading more!
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
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Excerpt
It was eerily
quiet now in Emmett’s kitchen, alone, with just the snapping of the fire.
Rose strained to
hear the sounds of Emmett and his burly dog, Boston, as they left to go
downstairs and outside through the front entrance to Emmett’s shop. She heard
the creak of the door to the stairwell opening and closing again, and the
sounds of them climbing down the stairs. And then nothing. She pictured Emmett
lacing his boots and putting on his coat. She pictured Boston too, standing
beside him, the long brown plume of his tail swaying, awaiting his own morning
ritual.
It was impossible
to sit still, simply waiting, a sense of foreboding gathering around her. If
anything happened to them, she’d well and truly be alone.
And then she
heard it, a crash like a thousand pounds falling. She didn’t know what it was,
but she leapt to her feet and scrambled down the stairs after them.
On the final
step, she stopped. Emmett and Boston stood before the open door. Snow had
spilled in around their feet. Thin swirls drifted across the floor and settled.
More snow was piled high in the doorway, all the way to the top. Not only snow—a
wall of ice.
“What was that
sound?” She stood on the last stair, gripping the handrail.
Emmett turned his
head toward her, as if startled by the sound of her voice. He brushed snow from
his coat and quickly shut the door against the cold. His leather hat lay on the
floor at his feet. It too was covered in snow.
“What was that?”
she repeated, frightened by the look on his face. He looked so grim. Had he
been hurt? She tucked her robe more tightly about her. It felt too thin, not
nearly enough to keep her warm. Her teeth began to chatter.
“A sheet of ice.
Up on the roof. It must have formed overnight. All that icy snow... I just
opened the door and it broke free.” He said it so matter-of-factly. Despite his
grim expression, it didn’t seem as if he was nearly as concerned as he should
have been.
“And it fell in
the doorway?” she pressed. At his calm nod, she blurted out, “You could have
been crushed—you and Boston.”
Did he not see
that they could have been severely injured, that they could have died?
She swallowed and
asked, “Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m not
hurt. And thankfully Boston didn’t push out ahead of me, like he usually does.”
For one brief instant, a sickly expression crossed Emmett’s face. He did realize
they could have been crushed. That Boston might’ve been killed if he’d rushed
out the door first. Emmett reached down to ruffle the dog’s neck fur. Boston
simply sat there with his eye on the door, perhaps waiting for his master to
open it again, not understanding they were quite literally snowed in.
About the Author
LENA
GOLDFINCH is the Amazon-bestselling author of
sweet historical western romance, inspirational romance, and books for teens.
She's always been a sucker for a good old-fashioned romance, whether it's a
novel or short story, young adult or adult, fantasy or realistic, contemporary
or historical. Lena has been a finalist in several national writing contests,
including the RWA Golden Heart and ACFW Genesis contests.
