Customer Reviews

Amethyst (Dakotah Treasures #4)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 1886 Eastern Pennsylvania her nasty father calls his daughter Amethyst Colleen O'Shaunasy an "idjit" for paying their bills; he ignores how much he wastes getting drunk. He haughtily informs Colleen that she is to bring home her eight year old nephew Joel, who apparently lives in Medora, Dakotah Territory under the care of preacher Jacob Chandler.

Taking the train west, Amethyst becomes ill in Minnesota; another passenger tends to her as it is the Christian thing to do. In Medora, she remains somewhat ill; the Hegland family takes her in to their home. Their other guest, Army Major Jeremiah McHenry has just retired from the military and returned to his hometown. As the two guests become acquainted they fall in love, but can Jeremiah persuade the easterner to stay as his wife as he knows she believes she must perform her dad's task though honoring her father has always been difficult and besides she feels that even the kind former officer would turn female relatives into servants.

AMETHYST, the fourth Dakotah Treasures novel, is a superb Americana tale that brings to life a long-gone era due to the strong cast. Amethyst (don't call her Colleen as only her father uses that name) is a courageous individual who on her journey west meets caring people, a far cry from her verbally abusive father. Jeremiah knows she would make the perfect wife for him because she is a brave nurturing Christian woman whom he loves and believes loves him too, but he must overcome the relational lessons her father taught her. This is a terrific entry in a fabulous inspirational series in spite of the impossibly of honoring her no redeeming value dad.

Harriet Klausner

Amethyst by Lauraine Snelling will most definately take a place on my shelf, displayed along with the best. I don't think it was the best in the series, but it was certainly entertaining and a great read.

I liked how Amethyst's story was a little different than the others. For one, she didn't come from a good background at all. Ruby and Opal grew up in a well-to-do house, even though techinically they were not family. Pearl grew up in a wealthy family. Amethyst didn't have either. She was neither wealthy nor loved. And i found that a refreshing change.

There were other aspects of the book, however, that i found rushed. Little Squirrel's death was over in about five lines. No struggle, no nothing. Just dead. There were other things too, that ended too quickly.

I definately recommend that a reader begin with the first book in the series. All four book rely heavily on each other and it won't make sense if you start on book three.

I love romance and i found Amethyst and Jeremiah's relationship, along with that of Opal and Jacob's relationship beautiful. Opal's struggle with her faith, too, was written beautifully. Also, Snelling's description of scenery and the daily comings and goings were on target and at times i felt as though i were sitting in the room or on the range with the characters.

All in all this was a wonderful book and is highly recommended.

"Amethyst" which is the fourth and final book in the Dakotah Treasures series was a nice read but I think relied a little heavily on the previous titles. Readers may want to pick these up first before starting this one. I think it will give the reader continuity and a little bit more understanding. Especially when it comes to the secondary storyline.

Amethyst O'Shaunasy travels west in order to find her father's heir. What she finds instead is a secret that she's not sure she should share with her da. On top of this she has been ill and when a very giving family takes her in she meets Major Jeremiah McHenry recently retired from the Army. This man is trying to make a new life for himself and Amethyst can't help but be drawn to his kind nature. He's a gentleman in every way and this speaks to her, as she has not known the love and respect of a man. But, will she be willing to follow her heart and marry Jeremiah, or will she allow her duty to her father to cause her to walk away from the only chance at happiness she thinks she'll ever find?

This was a nice read and with additional secondary storyline between Opal and Jacob finally playing out to it's conclusion. Sadly the secondary storyline seems to have been started in a previous title so this was not a fully satisfying addition for this reader. Ms. Snelling has descriptively brought to life the Dakota Territory and I imagine this was a very engaging series overall if all titles had been read before picking up the conclusion first.

I Have read all 3 so glad there is another one can't wait to get number 4 I enjoy her books so much hope there is number 5 In Portland OR

Thank You Barbara

Great book!!! If you have already read the first three, this just puts the icing on the cake for you. If you haven't read the first three, I suggest you read them first.

I ordered this book because It was the last one of a series of four.The other three I ordered on my kindle,but this one was unavilable on the kindle. This book along with the other three were great its the kind you have to keep reading you dont want to sit down. I do recommend having the whole series before you start reading, for it is fast pace as soon as you finish one you want the next one to start. Not stop and wait to order the next one.I really enjoyed this set by Lauraine Snelling and others.

I listened to the unabridged audio edition of Amethyst, and while I found this story started off very well (albeit a bit predictably), I was disappointed to find this novel lost steam about halfway through. Mostly because the author insists on multiple POV switches within the tale which was disconcerting... And secondly because I did not care for either of the romances. Amethyst's relationship with captain McHenry was not very fleshed out. Even though she is a title character, the novel is quickly subsumed by the regular cast leaving her albeit weak story by the wayside. Opal's relationship with the preacher was likewise unsatisfying (to me), because of the age difference between these two characters. I just did not like Jacob because he found a girl so young attractive. I know its historically accurate, but to be frank it skeeved me out. I would prefer if he found a woman his own age. That this character was the town preacher made it worse.

Overall, while this novel was enjoyable, it just lacked oomph to keep me interested. Also, the author usually does a better job of romances than this. 3 stars. Only average.

I was very impressed with this book,compared to one of the reviews I first read before reading the book. The author did a wonderful job of bringing this character into the lives of the people in this series. The author should have expanded more the last few months of the story, she went from Christmas to the end of June in one chapter.

Enjoyed the sequil for this series. I have reread all four of her books in the series "Dakotah Treasures" and have enjoyed them each time.

I love the books by Lauraine Snelling that describe the family life of the people who came to this country and settled in the Dakota Territory. I feel like I am now a cousin of the Bjorklund Family. These are wonderful books!