Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon

1/14/2020

No Spoiler Book Review

Release Date April 28, 2020

This was the Okayest book that I loved the most. This book and I got off to kind of a rocky start. The initial writing, particularly dialogue made me question its historical accuracy. I am not a historian, so it is probably perfect, maybe just different than I was expecting. There was a big chunk of “memory” that maybe should have been sprinkled throughout the book instead of just dumped near the beginning. Hopefully, that will be corrected, since this was an advance copy… With that being said, I loved this book more with every page I read.

I have been into historical fiction lately and westerns are no exception. I would actually love to see westerns make a comeback. They are such an exciting mix of danger and naïve optimism. This book did a good job of illustrating that people did not put their lives on hold while they were on the trail. They continued their hobbies and work in some cases, got married, and had babies. Can you imagine? Having a baby. On the trail. Westerns are wild.

Naomi and John are fun, strong-willed characters that play off each other nicely. Amy Harmon does a good job of writing the sexual tension between the two characters and it helps add to the excitement of the story. It was amazing to find out that John Lowry and many other characters in this book were real people with a personal connection to the author. Don’t miss the author’s note, it was one of my favorite things about this book.

This is a western expansion, soft romance. If you like wagon trains, pioneers, settlers, Indians and sexual tension with no sex, this is the book for you. Fans of the ancient series Into the West (2005) will love this book. If you are looking for a western with no romance try News of the World.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of this book for allowing me advance access in exchange for this honest review.

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6 Comments

lazybookconqueror link

1/15/2020 06:38:11 am

I need to read more historical fiction, but this definitely sounds interesting.

Alison Kelly

1/17/2020 07:15:22 am

Not a perfect book, but engaging enough to keep me craving more

Carolyn link

1/15/2020 07:14:49 am

"This was the okayest book that I loved the most," made me lol. Great review! I love westerns myself, and historical fiction is right up my alley! I can't believe that people had babies on the trail, that's nuts! Definitely adding this my reading list, thanks!

1/17/2020 07:19:22 am

I won’t even go on a long car ride with my kids! These people were a whole other level of adventurous!

Sarah link

1/15/2020 04:47:51 pm

You had me smiling with that opening line. I enjoy reading westerns and historical fictions, so this book sound like it might be a good one for me. Will need to add this one to my TBR for when it comes out.

1/17/2020 07:20:06 am

Let me know what you think when you read it!