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He thinks life will be hard but simple. However, things get complicated quickly.
First, Matt falls in love when he meets Lavina Lavold, a young woman who has journeyed west with her family from Illinois. She shares his zest for life, and it doesn't hurt that she's very attractive. But it's not clear if the family is just passing through or if they will settle there.
Then there are rustlers who steal cattle on the vast prairie. Though it's dangerous, Matt joins a band of ranchers intent on capturing and punishing the criminals.
Bully Buehler, a neighboring rancher only concerned with profit, causes the most trouble. He thinks the Daly ranch would be an attractive addition to his land holdings, and he's ready to try to take it.
Join Matt as he pursues love and adventure and in A Story of the West.
Well this book was not what I expected! Holy cow!
It was a tad bit slow starting out, but then got real good when the little love story was thrown in there. It went from a love story to sadness to adventure and suspense, back to love story, back to sadness.... I love a book that can take you from the edge of your seat to sobbing in a matter of pages!
And - how can I talk about this book without giving it all away? Well - there are so many things that happened that just blew my mind. It was not predictable at all. My sweet happily ever after turned into a gunslinger adventure book!
Now I have to admit - I have never been the gunslinger type of gal. I am more the woman staying home keeping ranch waiting for her man kinda gal. But I really got into this book! At first I wasn't sure I even liked Matt Daly - I really liked Lavina, but then half way through I really did start liking Matt and I was rooting for him and actually respected him!
The book switches back and forth from Matt's point of view to Lavina's point of view and I really love books that do that. Of course I loved Lavina's part better only because I can connect with a female better. She started out as a frail shy naive little girl and ended up being a Kick-ass woman of the west! I loved her!
"Hello, I'm Mrs. Daly, and I wish to withdraw funds from my husbands account." ...
The young man facing Lavina wasn't sure how to handle her request.... He was faced with what he considered a big decision. The large amount Mrs. Daly wanted would drain the account.
"How much do you need?" He asked again in a condescending tone. It was an obvious attempt to hide his inexperience. "Isn't there someone who could sign for you?" He glanced over at Samuel, believing that women were incapable of handling financial matters.
Lavina looked him in the eye. "Are you questioning my intelligence or my honesty?"
Reluctantly he agreed to the withdrawal.
The character development was good but a little slow for me at first, it took me a while to feel like I really knew them. It did come, just took a while.
But on the other hand the descriptions were excellent. You really get a good picture, a visual of everything and feel like you are right there. And the Historical research is excellent. I have read so many Historical fiction books it is hard to learn something new - But I did!
I learned all about branding cattle, the cattle drive and round ups. It was all very interesting.
This book really has something for everyone - Love story, suspense, adventure, rich historical facts, even sadness and joy! This book was also very clean (thank-you!) no swearing (that I remember) and only suggestions of sex nothing explicit. So this would be good for any age.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.CelticladyKK
Posted May 31, 2012
The Story of the West by Susan Spence is a historical novel that takes place in the American West in the later 1880's. It is about Matt Daly who is in town one day for supplies and see's the woman he will marry, Lavina. They marry, have children and are very happy on the ranch until a ruthless neighbor who wants the Daly's ranch and water rights. As in the old west things are settled with a gun and Matt becomes a fugitive from the law, everyone thinks he is dead and he was told that his family was dead also. So on the run he is until he comes across an Indian who helps him get back on the road to recovery. Lavina does the only thing she can do. She sells the cattle and moves back home with her parents along with her children. Tragedy strikes and Lavina almost dies from a fever. Needless to say, things do work out for Matt and Lavina, but not without loss.
This is a story that does not have a lot of dialogue but that does not detract from the story. A very descriptive tale of love and loss, a sweet romance. I am not usually a fan of westerns but I really enjoyed this story. It moved right along and I even learned a bit about cattle ranching in the old west at that. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves to read historical fiction and also loves a good old fashioned love story.
Overview
He thinks life will be hard but simple. However, things get complicated quickly.
First, Matt falls in love when he meets Lavina Lavold, a young woman who has journeyed west with her family from Illinois. She shares his zest for life, and it doesn't hurt that she's very attractive. But it's not ...