Sandy M’s review of Heart of Eden (Colorado Hearts, Book 1) by Caroline Fyffe
Historical Romance published by Montlake Publishing 23 Jan 18
The American frontier is always truly portrayed when in the hands of Caroline Fyffe. She begins a new series with this book, giving readers characters who once again paved the way for those who came after them. While the real pioneers blazed trails, settled homesteads, and tamed the wild west, they were also made of sterner stuff to get through the adventurous and often difficult times ahead, passing such characteristics down to future generations. The Brinkman sisters are exactly like you would imagine any of your ancestors who came west were, when there were no guarantees for what they would find once their journey ended, only for a new one to begin.
Blake Harding is now part owner of the Five Sisters Ranch with the passing of his mentor and friend, John Brinkman. The five sisters were taken back East by their mother when they were all children, that journey coming under a number of misunderstandings and later deception that kept the sisters in Philadelphia until now. He’s a bit put out with them that they never even tried to contact their father as the years went on. However, he has to put that behind him and deal with them for the next six months, as John’s will dictates, before they can then decide how they’ll eventually get their inheritance.
Aside from the ranch, each sister is also given a business their father owned in Eden. Belle Brinkman is determined to put in her time and then head back home so she can marry her soon-to-be fiance. The other sisters are divided on what they’ll do in the end, but in the meantime they all hunker down and make the best of their current situation. Belle is the first to begin work on the ranch, and as her father before her, she falls in love with the land and little by little her heart begins to feel Eden is home. Especially now that she and her sisters know the truth about their father that was kept from them all their lives.
There’s a bit of a mystery that befalls a couple of the sisters, and Blake and Belle work together to figure it out. As they spend time together and learn more about one another, their attraction can no longer be denied. While I enjoyed this story, it doesn’t quite have the emotional heart that I’ve come to expect in Ms. Fyffe’s books. I do feel for the sisters and how they never knew their father, I admire their spunk and attitude when figuring out life in the West, but never felt quite as invested as have I been in her characters in other series. There is a lot of internal dialogue in this book, which is a bit distracting for me. Being in a character’s POV already shouldn’t need the added look at so many inner thoughts on top of it. I’m hoping that’s a one-time thing in this series.
But this is a very good start for historical western romance fans. The feel of the west and its beauties and pitfalls are wonderfully done, as well as the residents of Eden and their curiosity about the sisters. I do look forward to the next book, which is out later this year.
Grade: B
Summary:
Raised by guardians in Philadelphia, the Brinkman sisters have suddenly been bequeathed more than the truth about their late, estranged father—they’ve also inherited the Five Sisters Ranch, the dynasty he’d built for them in Eden, Colorado. It’s theirs on one condition: to claim it, they must live on it for six months—a wilderness worlds away from the comforts of the city. For Belle Brinkman, her father’s last wish could fulfill a dream she never knew she had.
Though Blake Harding, their father’s protective friend and faithful foreman, has yet to come to terms with his own broken past, he finds his heart opening to the inspiring and determined Belle. But Eden soon proves to be a tough paradise for all of them when the sisters’ lives are threatened by someone hell-bent on driving them out of town. Now they must gather their courage if they’re going to secure their legacy and have a chance at claiming the new life and possibilities of love that the untamed territory offers.
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
True Heart’s Desire – June 2018
