Sandy M’s review of Whispers on the Wind (Prairie Hearts, Book 5) by Caroline Fyffe
Historical Romance published by Montlake Romance 30 Aug 16
It’s always such a treat to revisit favorite places and characters in a series you’ve read from the beginning, isn’t it? Caroline Fyffe’s Prairie Hearts series has been an absolute pleasure since the first book, Where the Wind Blows. I always enjoy taking a stroll through Logan Meadows with the charming characters who grace their streets. Hunter and Tabitha are the newest residents in town, and their destinies become entwined very quickly.
Tabitha’s dream, since she was a child, is to own a bookstore, and it’s finally come true. Not without cost, however. Leaving her well-to-do family in the east because they expect her to marry and marry well, as the times dictate, her feelings of guilt plague her now and again, but when she places books on her shelves and her open sign on the street outside her door, nothing can drown her elation. I really like Tabitha’s business sense, especially being a woman in the late 1800s. I’ve found no matter the times, proper advertising, a creative mind, and tenaciousness always garner great results. Her book reading nights in her store are a stroke of genius, very successful, and she eventually begins to make a profit. Of course, there has to be conflict amid the success.
Having never stayed in one place for any length of time, Hunter rides into Logan Meadows after becoming half owner in the local saloon. His new partner isn’t happy that a lone wolf wagon master and rumored gunslinger is horning in on his business, of course, but Hunter’s tenaciousness is just as successful as Tabitha’s, but it also causes him a bit of grief when his bright idea comes in on the stage from another town. By this time, Hunter and Tabitha have been dancing around one another during his reading lessons with her and her attempts to collar the drunken cowboys and their ways in his saloon.
Another threat to their happiness blows into town unexpectedly – Tabitha’s mother is determined to drag her back home and marry her off. Despite all their disagreements and doubts, Hunter jumps in to support Tabitha and they find themselves in close proximity playing house and trying to keep their feelings and desires in check, while also dealing with a dangerous threat that erupts out of the blue. I love how the townsfolk rally around them when the chips are down, and it’s fun catching up with those characters from previous books.
For the first time I have a nitpick or two with a Caroline Fyffe book. Yeah, surprised the heck out of me too. While I enjoyed Tabitha and Hunter – they’re very likable characters – I didn’t have the same connection with them as I have had with other characters during the series. I’m thinking that’s because to me they aren’t as sympathetic as those other characters. They’ve had a bit of a difficult past, but not difficult enough to make me that invested in them. I found myself waiting for more about Jake and his fiance, both of whom are quite sympathetic as well as very likable. Also, it seems this time both Hunter’s and Tabitha’s internal thoughts and doubts showed up printed on the page much more than being shown in deed or dialogue, which is a first I’ve seen in Ms. Fyffe’s writing. There are a lot of doubts and questions going on in both their heads, and I’d hoped they would have begun talking to each other sooner than they did and not let those doubts cloud their thinking and feelings so much.
Despite these hiccups for me, this is still an enjoyable story, mostly due to Ms. Fyffe’s talent as a writer. She’s one of the best at transporting the reader to the American West – the sights, sounds, and smells leaping off the page as her characters draw you into their lives for a few hours. The books in this series stand alone, but I encourage you to start at the beginning for the full effect of Logan Meadows and its residents. I can guarantee you’ll be happy you did.
Grade: B+
Summary:
Wyoming Territory, October 1883
Tabitha Canterbury came to Logan Meadows with one goal: to open the bookshop she’s always dreamed of having. In a town full of illiterate cowboys, though, making the Storybook Lodge a success is easier said than done. And things get more complicated when the saloon next door gets a new co-owner and Tabitha finds herself falling for the wrong sort of man…
After a lifetime guiding settlers across the prairie, Hunter Wade isn’t looking to stay put in Logan Meadows. But as a partner in the Bright Nugget saloon, he’s determined to turn a profit—and if that puts him in competition with Miss Hoity-Toity Canterbury, that’s fine. Even if she is beautiful, and clever, and always ready with a witty retort.
Can these two stubborn souls come together—or will pride keep them apart?
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
