A Story of the West [Paperback]

Susan Spence (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 8, 2009

Matt Daly arrives in Montana Territory with his father John in 1880, eager to begin his life as a cattle rancher.

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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Susan Spence has always been intrigued with life in the West during the 1880s. She researched historical accounts and first person narratives as she prepared to write A STORY OF THE WEST. She currently lives on an old sheep shearing station in Montana with lots of furry critters, plus one non-furry critter and views of the Crazy Mountains. This is her first novel. She is currently working on a sequel. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse.com (June 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 144014799X
• ISBN-13: 978-1440147999
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,831,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Spence writes about the West, both old and new. She watches the prairie, alive with deer and antelope, eagles and hawks, rabbits and snakes. The animals share an old sheep shearing station with the author and her husband while she tells stories about the people who live there.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Story of the west May 1, 2013

By AutoFill Connie Noland

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Wonderful book couldn't put it down I will read more from this author Susan Spence I love old west story 's

4.0 out of 5 stars An easy read October 18, 2012

By kbusz

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was an interesting read. The author spent a good part of the first half of the book developing characters and the setting for the book. The descriptions of how to saddle a horse or round up cattle, to the setting of the ranch, and the inside of the house, painted a great picture of the west in the 1800s.

The second part of the book had more action, and the descriptions continued to help me feel like I was right there with the main characters.

Our book club had the rare opportunity to discuss this book with the author. What a delight it was to hear how she went about writing the book and where the origin of the story began.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great suspenseful love story! June 4, 2012

By WBfromNY

Format:Paperback

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.