Customer Reviews

Summer of Promise (Westward Winds, Book 1)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well I want to begin with good news and bad news. The good news is that I loved, loved, loved this book and the bad news is I have to wait over a year for book 2 in the series. This is Amanda Cabot's newest book and is the beginning of the Westward Winds series. Every since I finished reading her first series, Texas Dreams I was ready to read more from her, this book did not disappoint at all and I am so blessed to have stumbled across this great author. Summer of Promise was so much fun to read it was full of twists, suspense, romance and adventure. This book kept me turning the pages and when I thought I had found a place to stop something exciting would happen. I loved Abigail the way she grew to love Wyoming, not just the people but the land. If I was in her shoes I think I would have responded the same way. Abigail is a kind and loving person that truly put others first in her life and also kept the story alive. This is a book you just have to read, it is that good. I give this book a solid 5 stars and know that it will have a place on bookshelf for years to come. Great job Amanda Cabot!!!!

*I received this book from Revell for the purpose of this review.

I really loved the last two books in Amanda Cabot's Texas Dreams series, so I was very excited to receive the opportunity to share the first volume of her new Westward Winds trilogy, Summer of Promise, with you on a blog tour here at MiscMayzee.

Perhaps I went into Summer of Promise expecting a LOT or perhaps it was just the fact that this book is the first of a trilogy that will share the "Westward Winds" theme, but the volume came up a bit short. I tend to think it was the latter because there was a lot going on in this book.

The main character of Abigail Harding hops out to Wyoming (From Vermont) to spend time with her sister Charlotte because she thought perhaps her sister was a bit lonely out on Army fort in the middle of the "boring" Wyoming countryside. You may think that this and the likely love interest that we find in Ethan Bowles, a lieutenant at the fort, would consume the bulk of the book. However, this is not the case.

Within this book we also focus on the following:

Robberies at the fort
Peg's place (the hog ranch or a house of ill-respute)
Leah who works at Peg's Place
Abigail teaching English to the German soldiers at the fort
Abigail and her sister Charlotte bringing up a puppy named Puddles
Charlotte being sickly while expecting and the underlying reasons
Charlotte's cranky husband Jeffrey
Ethan's complicated relationship with his grandfather

That alone is a lot but there were also other smaller things such as baseball games, friends like Oliver, sewing circles, adventures with the cook, etc. that also took up space in the volume. The constant changing of thoughts and activities made the book a bit hard to follow consistently or develop a firm desire to keep turning the page. This was a rare volume that I went through chapter by chapter.

I ended up reading the second two volumes of the Texas Dreams trilogy without reading the first though I do own it now to read later. I am thinking that this book is the way Amanda Cabot sets up the scenery for her books and that the next two will be more focused as the other Cabot books I have read were most concise and gripping. I don't think I put Tomorrow's Garden down once.

I would emphasize that despite my note on the activity in the book that ended up being a satisfying read and leaves me waiting to read more about the next chapter in Charlotte's life as she is to be the star in that book. It should be quite interesting, and I will also be interested in seeing how the book compares to this one and the previous trilogy mentioned.

Also interesting--- Amanda Cabot mentioned at the end of this book that she will have a Christmas novella released later this year. I will be watching for it as well.

On a further note, I do want to call attention to the hearty way Amanda Cabot works the Christian message into this book. Instead of skirting around faith with generic calls to pray or Bible verse relating, this book features testimony and a female lead who offers true Christian compassion and aid to all while also offering a heartfelt reflection on trusting in God and Christ to help a man who has a void. I would recommend this volume for these aspects alone.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this volume.

Summer of Promise is an inspirational historical romance by Amanda Cabot.

It's June 1885 and Abigail Harding is concerned about her sister, Charlotte. Charlotte's letters have grown increasingly downhearted and Abigail is sure there's something wrong - though Charlotte never mentions anything. Not that she would.

Since Abigail has the summer off from the girl's school she teaches at in her beloved Vermont, she decides to travel to Fort Laramie, Wyoming where her sister lives with her enlisted husband to spend some time with her and get to the bottom of whatever's going on.

On the monotonous travel by stagecoach to the fort, their stagecoach is attacked by armed robbers - which is how Abigail meets Lieutenant Ethan Bowles, a fellow passenger. He quite easily diffuses the situation with a well-placed bullet and back to traveling they go.

Despite being rattled by the incident, Abigail is even more disturbed when she reaches her sister and finds her thinner and in ill health. She knows she made the right decision visiting.

Yet Abigail knows she won't stay forever - Vermont is her home, and she plans to marry a fellow teacher when she returns - though nothing has been set in stone yet. But as the summer continues she begins to see the beauty of Wyoming, with the help of Lieutenant Bowles who quickly becomes a good friend.

She begins to wonder... will she return to Vermont? Or is her heart finding a home elsewhere?

That might sound a tad cheesy, but stay with me here. :)

Summer of Promise is actually a very good novel - especially for an inspirational historical romance fan. It has a lovely, visual Wyoming landscape and a likable, independent heroine in Abigail who is dealing with an unhappy, worrisomely pregnant sister and her not-so-welcoming, possibly secretive husband, giving lots of good family drama which is both interesting and tender.

Ethan, as our male lead, also has a good chunk of character development and investment potential. The subplot dealing with his profession of finding the numerous deserters and traitors is actually quite absorbing and twisty, creating a novel long mystery that I enjoyed.

Though I wasn't head over heels with Summer of Promise, I was pleasantly and gently swept away by the time period detail and burgeoning feelings between the leads. The biggest moment for me, though, was when Ethan had his epiphany about God (no details here!) and all the circumstances surrounding it. It was truly touching and emotionally beautiful - gave me chills!

I did correctly guess who the sought-after traitor amongst them was quite a bit earlier than the characters, but that only bothered me mildly. The outcome did end up being surprising, despite my seeing clues all along. It ended up being a great reveal. I only wish the end of the book hadn't felt so hasty and rushed. Of course, that's just how it felt to me.

Summer of Promise was easy to read, fast-paced, and very charming - though I'm not jumping up and down over it personally, I am definitely interested in continuing with the series (of which it looks like there'll be two more books) as I did have fun reading it and found it to have many merits.

Don't know if this is necessarily a novel for non-fans of the genre though. From my point of view, I'd recommend it to all y'all who are already interested in some good historical romance with a Christian heroine.

*Available January 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

*I received a copy of Summer of Promise from the Baker Publishing Group. Their generosity in no way influenced, nor sought to influence, my opinion of the novel.

*To read more reviews from the Bibliophile Support Group or comment on them, simply click on my Amazon profile and find a link there. I'd love you to check out my blog, where I post new reviews every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

4.5 Stars!

Abigale Harding thought she knew where her life was going - she'd live in Vermont, continue working as a schoolmarm, and marry Woodrow Morgan. But will spending a summer with her sister at Fort Laramie, Wyoming change her plans?

After having no success at finding the pocket of deserters in Cheyenne, Lieutenant Ethan Bowles is heading back to Fort Laramie a day sooner than planned. It turns out to be a great decision because he saves the stagecoach from being robbed. However, that is not the end of his problems - a lot more trouble is coming his way.

Summer of Promise is the first book I've read by Amanda Cabot, but I plan on reading the second and third book in the Westward Winds series when they are released.

The story was very adventurous! With stagecoach robberies, snake attacks, deserters, spies, romance, and some mystery, Summer of Promise was an enjoyable read.

Aside from the main characters, which were great, my favorite character was Oliver. He just made me laugh when he declared he was in love and had found the woman he was going to marry (after having just met her).

As can be expected, since this is part of a series, the ending left me with some questions. I'm awaiting the next book, but will have to wait awhile since it's not supposed to be released until Spring of 2013.

Summer of Promise is a great book that I think fans of Historical romance will enjoy! I know I did!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for my review. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

"Available January 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group."

A love of historical romances originally drew me to SUMMER OF PROMISE by AMANDA CABOT. Discovering it took place in Wyoming was the sealed the deal. As I began to read and realized it was set at Fort Laramie, I quickly flipped back to the front cover. Sure enough the building was the exact one I had taken pictures of on a trip to Fort Laramie, Wyoming a few years back.

In reading the authors notes, she too visited Fort Laramie and was quickly inspired to write a story. Having been there I couldn't agree more. While I was there I recorded information for a book that I was writing based out of Hartville, Wyoming, not far from there. I hope to visit Fort Laramie one day with my family, and I'm sure when I do, SUMMER OF PROMISE will once again come alive.

When Abigail Harding set out to confirm her suspicions about her sister, she never imagined what God had planned for her. An attempted stagecoach robbery. A man who killed for a living. And...

Ethan Bowles has lived a life protecting his heart, so love was not in the picture. That is until he meets the beautiful and impulsive Abigail Harding. Only problem is, she's promised to a man back home in Vermont. Even if that were not the case, she'd made it perfectly clear that Wyoming was boring and not for her.

AMANDA CABOT writes a wonderful historical romance with an equal portion of suspense, intrigue, and romance. The majority of books I read are Christian fiction, but I don't welcome being preached too. I believe that stories need to be realistic, and sin, trials and tribulations are a part of life. SUMMOR OF PROMISE met my desire on both accounts.

The faith aspect was mildly woven in with just the right amount. I liked that the secondary characters in the story were allowed to drink and visit "Peg's". There are some faith based publishers that doesn't allow such things, even though it's the "bad guys" that do so or a character that goes through a faith growth. I loved the ending as well. Readers will be kept guessing, and are in for a not so common ending.

Though there are several characters, each were unique and well thought-out. I really loved the idea of touching on one of the secondary characters throughout the book, to later discover her story will be continued in the next book.

MS CABOT has done an amazing job of creating intrigue and anticipation for her next book in this WESTWARD WINDS series.

"Summer of Promise" is another winner by Amanda Cabot. Amanda continues to develop fresh plots, new twists and angles, and exciting, realistic characters. It was very hard to put the book down once I started reading. Amanda has a style that is consistently clever, quick moving, and not filled with trivial characters to confuse the reader and take away from the plot. Amanda has the wonderful ability to paint a detailed picture of the raw natural beauty of Wyoming. Her readers literally fall in love with the good characters and detest the evil characters. Amanda Cabot's talents amaze me with her ability to evoke emotions. I find myself laughing aloud, worried, nervous, angry, and at times, my heart feels as if it's breaking.
"Summer of Promise" is an excellent novel guaranteed to capture and satisfy the reader.

I figured out the bad guy from the very beginning. It was sooo obvious. Plus, Abigail was annoyingly sweet. I never connected with any of the characters. It was as boring as Wyoming. I'm hoping the next ones will be better.

I did enjoy this book, I did read a review that stated there was a lot going on ... well, yes, but some of us do have a lot going on in our lives. I have memory issues and I managed to follow it, so it couldn't have been too hard ...LOL... but we all know that everyone has different styles they appreciate.

Abigail heads out to fort Laramie as she is concerned over her sister ... she has the summer off from teaching at a prestigious girls' school back east so it is perfect timing in her estimation. One, has to remember that she is leaving behind a man that she feels will be her future husband, because he is what she feels is perfect for her, not because she or he is head over heels in love with each other. On the way there to this wilderness, that she is not sure about ... the stagecoach she is on is robbed, she is saved by a soldier, who ends up being stationed at the same fort she is headed to. Yes, this book has a lot of twists and turns but I found most of them interesting and I do look forward to the next book in her series, although it won't be out for a full year.

Summer of Promise is Book 1 in the Westward Winds series, and begins in Wyoming Territory, June 1885. It is and my first novel by Amanda Cabot, but it won't be my last. I've read many good things about her Texas Dreams series.

I found Summer of Promise to be an enjoyable story, with morsels of suspense, intrigue, faith, and romance. Mrs. Cabot is a very skilled writer, and is to be commended for crafting a satisfying story.

The characters and setting are well written, and I appreciate the unique historical aspect of the story. The story moved along at a nice pace, and I really liked the added suspense that was woven into the love story. There was plenty going on to keep me turning the pages.

I think fans of Christian Historical Romance will enjoy this offering by Amanda Cabot. Book 2 of the Westward Winds series will be released in the Spring of 2013, and will focus on Abigail's sister, Charlotte.

**Thank you to Revell Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book for review, in exchange for my honest opinion.**
**Available January 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.**

I would give this love tale 3 out of 5 stars. The story had a great start - adventure and a great hook.

The author did a great job explaining the characters without getting too visual about certain questionable occupations. I appreciated this and therefore could recommend as a mature family friendly book.

As for the characters, I found myself liking how the author describes each one and still left room for the reader to be able to draw their own conclusions.

Although, this is Christian fiction and it had a Christian undertone - it did nothing to help my faith.

The reason I gave it a less than perfect rating - I felt the story drag on in the middle. There was too much dialog and not enough action thus making me put the book down and not caring what happened.

Although, I finished the book and was thoroughly surprised at the ending. I hope to read the next book in the Westward Wind series.

Blessings to you! You are loved!

Note: I was sent complimentary copy for review purposes only. This review has not been monetarily compensated. The review was my honest opinion and views and not influenced by the sponsor in any way.