Linda K. Hubalek

Moses Brenner has come to the Gellen ranch to find out information about his biological family in 1893. His family was killed when an a Cheyenne party attacked their wagon train and he and his sister were kidnapped. When they were recovered from the tribe they were adopted by a soldier and his wife. But Moses has always wanted to more about his family and the Gellen ranch is the burial ground for the people who died during the attack. Faith Geller is busy caring for a father who is slowly suffering from dementia and a neighbor's baby, who's mother has run off. This is a sweet story of finding the truth about your past and deciding on a future.… (more)

I liked that one of the main characters was a photographer and seeing how different photography was in 1886 (even though the photography wasn't discussed much). It was interesting to see that there were black and white photographs and tinted photographs (oils on the black and white). It was also interesting to see what people thought needed to be in a photo. (Not just family but sometimes livestock or heirlooms or prized possessions as well). I also liked reading how Fergus got interested in photography.

I thought the way Fergus and Iris met was different from the norm seen in the sweet romance genre. There's also a reminder that the freedoms enjoyed today were not always the case. Iris was a slave--more educated than some. She was also treated as property, even though she should not have been, and given away to pay a debt. The man she was given to abused her to the point that she attempted suicide to get away from him. There's also societal taboos such as a man and woman spending time together if not married.

Fergus is an honorable man--almost too good to be true in our culture today, though maybe less so in the time period this is set. I enjoyed this book and hope I get the chance to read others in the series.… (more)