Customer Reviews

Paper Roses (Texas Dreams Trilogy #1)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Paper Roses" by Amanda Cabot is one of the best historical books I've read. I was immediately drawn into the story with its believable characters. After a family tragedy, Sarah Dobbs wants to protect her young sister. She follows her heart to Texas to become a mail-order bride, only to find her dream shattered by another tragedy.

Clay, the brother of her dead fiancé, offers her passage back to Philadelphia. Sarah shows her independent spirit by taking a job and forming a new life for her and her sister. In her new surroundings, Sarah is challenged to put the past behind her and forgive her father's mistakes. Clay also struggles with his painful losses. He is determined to find out who murdered his brother and seek vengeance.

The mystery element in this story was intriguing. I liked the way this book kept me guessing at who the killer might be, and the ending had a surprising twist.

"Paper Roses" was a very satisfying read, and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

In Amanda Cabot's "Paper Roses," Sarah Dobbs is leaving behind her life in Philadelphia to make a new start in San Antonio, TX, as a mail-order bride to a man she's never met. Upon arrival she learns that her fiancé has been murdered, the killer unknown, and she is offered temporary lodging with his brother, Clay, and his father. But mysteries abound. Who killed Clay's brother and why? Why is Sarah leaving Philadelphia and what sorrow lurks in her past? Why is Clay so sullen and bitter around Sarah? And why does he seem so set against her? Who is responsible for the thefts in neighboring ranches?

Set in the 1850's with ranches, horses and wagons, a sheriff, and French and German immigrants, the plot moves along with page-turning suspense, uncovering heartache and revealing the prospect of faith, forgiveness, and second chances. With a cast of believable characters and a few well-turned twists in the plot, this story comes well recommended. I give it five stars.

In 1856, Sarah Dobbs becomes a mail order bride for two reasons. First she needs to move on with her much younger sister Thea after the tragic deaths due to influenza of her parents back in Philadelphia and second she cherished the paper roses and loving letters her fiancé Austin Canfield sent her. However, in San Antonio instead of Austin arriving, his brother Clay informs her that her groom was murdered by an unknown assailant. Clay offers to pay the return fare for the two siblings, but Sarah refuses his kind offer preferring to find work in nearby Ladreville than face ridicule and bad memories back home.

Clay, a widower, almost goes berserk when Thea affectionately calls him papa as he wanted to hear that word from his baby, but both the infant and his beloved Patience died. On the family ranch that he takes the two siblings to, he admires Sarah for her spunk in spite of her recent tragedies and her leg that leaves her limping and actually likes the little one though feels guilty for doing so. Soon Sarah and Clay fall in love, but both hide their feelings out of guilt and fear of rejection; rationalizing that solving the murder mystery must come first

The first Texas Dreams tale is an excellent western romance with an amateur sleuth whodunit investigation serving as a minor but powerful support. The two likable lead characters are tied together initially by grief, but soon that becomes love and a precocious (perhaps too much so) young girl enhance their relationship. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Sarah waits for her fiancé to arrive while Clay dreads the mission of telling her he won't and never slows down even with the inspirational message of keeping the faith interwoven from start to finish. Fans will enjoy this fine pre-Civil War Hills Country historical.

Harriet Klausner

In 1856 Sarah Dobbs travels with her two year old sister from Philadelphia to Ladreville, Texas, to marry Austin Canfield. From the standpoint of being a mail-order bride Sarah was very fortunate indeed. Her prospective bridegroom was willing to accept Sarah in spite of her having the complete care of her sister Thea and a physical handicap. Sarah thought herself very lucky indeed until Clay Canfield arrived and told her that his brother could not marry her because Austin had been murdered.

First, this is a Christian novel. Not just some mentions of faith or religion, but a novel where faith in God plays an all important role. If that is not to your liking, this is probably not the book for you. I was not aware of that aspect of this novel when I chose it, but was interested to see what role those guiding tenets would play in the structure of the book. Both main characters, Sarah and Clay, have either lost their faith or never had a strong faith to begin with. Clay has a very hard time understanding why everyone he loves is taken from him and Sarah is consumed with anger and hate about the circumstance which caused her to have to leave Philadelphia and seek a new life. The faith based ideas of this novel were very well written by Amanda Cabot.

I liked the fact that the story takes place in a part of Texas which was very heavily settled by immigrants from France and Germany. That gave this story an unusual aspect which is not found that often in American historical romances. Finding a way to bring these two factions together in this new land was an interesting process to watch and the author did a really fine job with that. There has been one murder and someone is involved in malicious pranks and theft which is pitting neighbor against neighbor, French against German. It seems that traveling all the way to America did not resolve the centuries of animosity which existed between these two nationalities. Sarah plays a large role in helping heal some of those divides.

What I didn't particularly like about the novel was primarily the two main characters. I never managed to feel any real connection for either of them, no sympathy or empathy. I understand that this was a Christian romance, but that did not mean that there could not have been romantic tension between these characters. They were bland to the point of boredom for me.

The theme of the mail-order bride is a real hot button for me, I absolutely love that premise because it signifies the determination and independence of spirit necessary for both bride and groom to make a success of what must have been a terrifying situation. These two characters both had some good qualities, but without that fire-bright spark of romance their story fell rather flat for me.

I read these types of books knowing, for the most part, that the pattern is usually the same. They are easy light reads that can be very enjoyable if done well. This one was OK, but fell short because of some issues.

The writer seemed to make great use of a thesaurus. While many of the terms were accurate because of the French and German characters, many large fancy words were used when a simple one would have seemed more appropriate, given the time and place of the book.

Hearing over and over again that Clay was "angry and wanted vengeance" got very old. We got it, he was angry and wanted to get the person responsible for harming his family member. But we didn't need to be told this fact in every chapter of the book.

While most of the mystery was fairly easy to figure out, there was a bit of a twist which was nice.

I got this book when it was offered for free for Kindle. While I might be interested in reading sequels, I certainly wouldn't pay $10 to do so. The writing just isn't that good, and the story is the same as we get in all other books of this genre. A good author should be able to accomplish this type of book without simply removing the explicit language and sex that you get in a Harlequin Romance. The hero is always tall and strong, the woman always small and fragile though strong. How about some real life people?

This is a Christian/Catholic book, for those who don't like that sort of thing. It isn't preachy though, it is very "middle of the road" as far as the religious aspect.

The story is very interesting, with the murder mystery and the cultural integration of the town. The secondary characters are well formed and engaging. But I don't get any feeling of chemistry between Clay and Sarah and I found thier relationship quite dull and un-developed in this story.

"Paper Roses" is the first book in the Texas Dream's Trilogy by Amanda Cabot, and a splendid beginning for a new series.
After the deaths of her parents, Sarah Dobbs begins a correspondence with a bachelor in Texas and agrees to be a mail-order bride, so that she might provide a good life for herself and her little sister Thea. She expected a business-like transaction and is surprised when she falls in love with the author of these romantic letters. When she arrives in San Antonio she is devastated to find out that her husband-to-be is dead. Unable and unwilling to return home to Philadelphia, Sarah opts to stay in Texas and makes a new life for herself and Thea. Her fiancée's brother, Clay Canfield, a widower, brings her to his home for the time being, until he can send her back to Pennsylvania. He isn't thrilled with her plan of staying but Sarah and Thea slowly work their way into his heart and they become members of the Canfield family. Sarah manages to get a job so that she will not be a burden to Clay or her father-in-law and eventually winds up teaching school. The longer she stays in Texas, she learns that the town is divided. Consisting mostly of French and German immigrants, they have a history of dissention and have no intention of settling their feuds until she steps in. Over the next few months the town begins to heal, and Sarah and Clay fall in love.
"Paper Roses" was anything but the typical romance story. By the cover I expected a simple little love story, but this tale is twisted with mystery, murder but most of all- redemption. Usually in Christian fiction, one of the main characters is a believer, but neither Sarah nor Clay has a personal relationship with Christ. In fact, they ignore Him. In time they do come to Him and admit their feelings for each other. The one part that I liked most about this story was that even though Clay was a widower, he wasn't harsh or uncaring as most widowers are portrayed. Yes, he is bitter and overcome with grief at the loss of his wife, but he isn't without a heart. I eagerly look forward to "Toward the Sunrise," the second book in the series which will debut in January 2010.
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Paper Roses

It is true that pain can cause us to turn from God, but we can't hide from Him no matter how far we run. The main characters in Paper Roses are about to find this out.

Sarah, filled with hatred, is running from pain, loss and ridicule. She has taken her little sister with her to start a new life with the man of her dreams. Upon her arrival she is met by more change, perhaps more than she can handle.

Clay is ready to run back to the city but first he must fulfill his responsibility to his brother's bride. He must see her safely onto the stage back east so he can concentrate on finding the man responsible for his brother's death, then he'll leave this God forsaken place. Clay hides behind anger, but will that anger keep him from the love that is waiting?

Can these two lost souls find God's will in their lives before anger consumes them? Will Sarah be able to keep her secret and make a home in this small town for her little sister?

Amanda Cabot has written an inspiring story, truly a page turner. I enjoyed it fully and though I intend to pass the book along to family I will put it on my shelves as soon as it returns. Great job, Ms. Cabot.

Paper Roses
By: Amanda Cabot
Revell (a division of Baker Publishing Group)
ISBN # 978-0-8007-3324-7
$13.99

"Paper Roses" by Amanda Cabot was a thoroughly enjoyable read. The book is about Sarah Dobbs, who travels to Ladreville, Texas after the death of her parents to marry Austin, a man she has been corresponding with, but has never met. Upon arrival, Sarah learns from Clay, Austin's brother, that Austin has been killed. Clay, not wanting the responsibility of caring for Sarah or her little sister, is ready to send them back to Philadelphia. Destitute, penniless, and being the sole provider for her two year old sister, Thea, Sarah does not know how she will be able to survive, but she knows she cannot return home to face the stigma waiting for her there, so she insists on staying in Ladreville. Clay reluctantly agrees to put her up for the night with every intention of returning her to the station in the morning. But Sarah has different plans.


This book is a story about forgiveness and trusting in God's will, no matter how bad the circumstances look. I liked the way the author showed the humanity of her characters in the struggles they faced. Throughout the book, Sarah wrestles with the decisions her father made that tore her family apart. She knows she should forgive him, but she cannot. Clay also experiences struggles of his own. He is so focused on finding his brother's killer; he loses sight of everything else around him. He blames God for taking everything from him that he holds dear, including his brother, his mother, his wife, and his daughter. His journey towards forgiveness is laced with denial, anger, fear, and heartache. The author did a fine job of showing how God uses everyday situations to gently nudge the characters towards forgiveness.


I found Ladreville to be an intriguing place because it is settled by French and German immigrants. Their centuries' long animosity towards each other is not prominent in historical fiction set in this period, so the author was able to offer a unique perspective on their relations with each other. Throughout the book, petty thefts occur that serve to ignite the hostility between the two races; Sarah plays a vital role in bringing the thief to justice. Sarah is a very determined, fearless, headstrong young lady, and the book details how she impacted these peoples' lives in many different ways. Despite the fact that Sarah faces seemingly insurmountable difficulties when she arrives in Ladreville, she conquers each one with grace and perseverance.


Normally, when I read a book, I have a hard time keeping all the characters straight, and I have to keep flipping back through the pages to remember who is who. The author did an excellent job of creating characters that all have distinctive personalities, so it was easy to keep everyone organized in my mind. I liked the way the author used the image of the paper roses throughout the entire story, and I liked what they stood for. I thought that was very sweet. Though the author did not waste many pages on descriptions (which, in my opinion, causes the story to lag), I was still able to immerse myself in the time period and experience what the characters were going through. The book is written in every day language so it flows naturally. The book is not predictable; it holds many surprises, including the mystery of Austin's death and the petty thefts that kept me guessing to the end. Once I started reading, I could not put this book down, and to me, that is the true test of a good book.

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I absolutely, positively loved this book! It was a wonderful mix of Christian, western, mystery, and romance. I couldn't put it down!