Life at a Frontier Fort: Summer of Promise by Amanda Cabot

Summer of Promise (Westward Winds, Book 1)
by Amanda Cabot
Revell Books
Copyright 2012
ISBN: 9780800734596

My Thoughts:
Out of concern for her eldest sister, Abigail Harding leaves a comfortable life and ventures across the country to Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Along the way she encounters danger but is rescued by a fellow stage passenger. Lieutenant Ethan Bowles. Believing that the only good thing at the fort is her sister Charlotte and a precocious pup named Puddles she's anxious to return home to her cozy job and soon to be fiance. Little does she know that the frontier is more than it seems and the people at the fort are much more than gun-toting soldiers.

In this start to a brand new series Amanda Cabot once again tells an interesting tale of life and love in the West. While not as fast-paced or romance filled as Scattered Petals, Summer of Promise is a good story if for no other reason than being set at a 19th century garrison. It was a little hard to believe that Abigail would drop everything just because her sister seemed "melancholy" in her letters especially in a time when travel wasn't as easy or safe as it is today. I know she is an "impulsive" character but it still didn't make a ton of sense.
She just had some quirks that annoyed me.

As for the storyline itself it was good but only a story I'd recommend to historical fiction or romance fans not suspense or mystery readers. While I may not be the sharpest tack in the corkboard I picked up on the killer/robbers/rogue soldiers other than the mysterious "baron" (whose identity will apparently remain a mystery until book two) much too easily. I know, I know this is marketed as romance but still if there are going to be murders and robberies I like to be surprised or have at least a few red herrings thrown in the mix.

Even though this wasn't my favorite story I still think it was worth the read. The next story definitely has potential and if Westward Winds is anything like Texas Dreams it will get better with each book. I plan on making a point of reading this next story as it will focus more on Charlotte. I hope she gets what she deserves. I'm sure I won't be disappointed.

~3 stars~

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About the book:
Though she had planned to spend the summer in Vermont, Abigail Harding cannot dismiss her concerns over her older sister. Charlotte's letters have been uncharacteristically melancholy, and her claims that nothing is wrong ring false, so Abigail heads west to Fort Laramie, Wyoming. When her stagecoach is attacked, Wyoming promises to be anything but boring. Luckily, the heroics of another passenger, Lieutenant Ethan Bowles, save the day.

Abigail plans to marry when she returns to Vermont, just as soon as she attends to her sister. As the summer passes, she finds herself drawn to this rugged land and to a certain soldier determined to persuade her to stay. When summer ends, will she go back East, or will she find her heart's true home?

To learn more about the author visit her WEBSITE

*I received my complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for posting my honest review during the tour.*