A well-written novel with humour, plot twists, and lots of drama. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and was pleased with the ending. I will definitely be reading the sequel to find out what happens next! ( )

Having grown up in Southern California with the rich history of the area still lingering in my mind I was thrilled to have won an advanced reader’s copy of this book through a librarything giveaway. I have to say that this took me back to other historical and books of the west that I once read. Ms Turner has created a first in a series of books that I would definitely want to read more of in the future

This story is more than just a love story. Each character is created with depth and feeling and history attached. While reading the story I got to know the people in the story and felt I could sit down and talk to any of them and KNOW them well…only hoping I could impart to them as much as they gave to me through reading about them.

The reasons that Jace and Catarina are they way they are and how they come together is believable. The descriptions of scenery are lush and delightful almost reminding me of a long ago author I once read, Gene Stratton Porter. There are some twists and turns and interesting bits that unfold through this love story but what really grabbed me was the sense of family and belonging and want and how they all came together in this wonderful story. ( )

I had a hard time getting into this book at first, but it really picked up the second half.

We have Jason, who wants to own a ranch of his own, and Catarina, who wants to run a household of her own but is stuck in her current situation because she didn't want to stand up to her parents.

Their families have a long-standing feud, only neither realizes it at first. Jace hides who he actually is, and continues to do so after he realizes who Catarina's family is.

I liked Jace. He went after what he wanted, but he had a conscious about it, eventually coming clean to Catarina. I wasn't crazy about Catarina. She seemed to do only what was expected of her instead of standing up for what's right. Even when her father basically mocked their relationship by providing them sickly cattle, she still didn't confront him about how unfair that was to her. He may have been mad at Jace, but he didn't have to do something that would hurt his daughter.

I loved Catarina's sister, Franny. She was feisty and independent, not letting anyone walk all over her. Her other sister, Isabel, comes across as stuck up, but it seems like she's really just as unhappy as Catarina and going along with the flow as to not upset her parents.

I'm interested enough to see if Sebastian can find Isabel's attacker that I would consider reading the second book in the series when it's released.

**A free copy was provided by the author via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review** ( )

Plot line: Young man meets young woman. They fall in love, but their families have a long-standing feud.

Actually, there are some new twists on the familiar story, and it could be that further volumes in the planned series will tell you how they all live happily ever after.

This isn't great literature, but it is smooth chick-lit, although the sex is a bit too graphic for my taste. The story takes place in California in 1898, but it seems strangely suspended outside of time and space. The characters are fairly well defined, but they belong in 2014 much more than in late 19th century California.

This was a Member Giveaway book. ( )