On one hand I really wanted to like this book. Because I've read historical fiction where women have dressed as a man for various of reasons. And I loved them. But on the other hand, if you take the why out of this book there isn't much left.

Even in the UK we are aware of the U-Haul jokes but even here there didn't seem to be much connection. It was like they met, spent little time together and that was it. They were in love.
I didn't experience any depth in the romance side of the story.
But I did like the unusual setting of logging camp.

I gave it 2.75 stars. Because although I liked the idea of the story, for me it fell short of its mark.

This was a good novel. I was interested in the plot and in the characters, but there was something lacking. I kept comparing it to Patience and Sarah for some reason even though the books have nothing in common. When I went to review the book in Goodreads, I read about the author's life. It seems her background is as a technical writer and perhaps some of that is still present in her writing.

The expectations that I held for this piece of historical fiction were not fully met. Too much of the tale focused on the daily tasks and difficulties that the women confronted at the logging camp, without sufficient consideration of their emotions for each other and detail into how they arose. They went from friends to committed far too fast. Additionally, I was left wanting more for Sarah than the life that she and Evelyn began to build. Her character interested me more but by the conclusion she had reached a state of being that was unlikely to have been sustainable (given the period) and seemingly less than what she had with Abigail.

I have mixed feelings about this book. There's almost nothing about it that's overtly bad, but there's not anything that really blew my mind either. I guess that sums up my feelings about it: it's a good book, but not a great book. I enjoyed it, but wasn't excited by it.

To be a little more specific:

Things I liked:
-The descriptions of life at the logging camp and at the farm. It really made the historical setting very vivid.
-Evelyn's self-reliance and willingness to do anything to take care of herself and her kids.
-Evelyn's kids. I would read a book that's a Little House on the Prairie-esque log of Evelyn and her kids' life on the farm, honestly.
-It was painful to read at times, but I thought that the depiction of how scary and isolating it could be to be one of the only women at a logging camp with one of the men in power aggressively interested in you was powerfully written and showed how rape culture played out in that setting.

Things I wasn't sold on:
-There was really no reason given for the two leads to fall in love. They're the only women at the logging camp, so I guess it's a given, but honestly I don't feel like I got a sense of how their relationship worked at all and the romantic/sexual tension wasn't built up to the point where I got invested in their relationship.
-The conflict in the latter part of the book literally could be resolved with a single conversation. Them fighting was silly and overwrought, especially since it was the result of a misunderstanding that could be easily cleared up.
-I felt like Sarah had very little personality besides being an attractive lesbian. I honestly cannot think of any other words to describe her. Evelyn was much better defined as a character.
-This is a pet peeve I have with a lot of lesbian fiction, but Evelyn's relationship with her husband was reduced to a marriage of necessity with no romantic or sexual tension. Which is fine, because that does happen, but I feel like this was a missed opportunity to write a love story with a bisexual woman. Sarah is a lesbian, and that fits, but Evelyn is written as a lesbian who never had the chance to think about it. Which again, is fine occasionally, but I am a little tired of seeing every woman in a woman/woman romance who had a past relationship with a man write off that relationship as passionless and unimportant. Evelyn obviously viewed George as a life partner, if not a sexual partner, and it would have been easy to have their marriage be something that was a romantic and sexual partnership as well. I have no problem with platonic partnerships, and would love more depictions of them, but as valid and positive relationship structures rather than a relationship that's lacking something because the people in it have not realized their true selves yet. This is a bit of a rant at this point, but basically my point is it seemed a little unnecessary to have Evelyn remind us over and over that sex with George never aroused her; the story would not have been changed in any significant way if she had been in love with her husband romantically, and it would be refreshing to see a woman's bisexuality acknowledged rather than covered up.
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This is a historical romance set in the year 1853. The two main characters are Evelyn Bauer, whose husband recently died, and Sarah Bell, whose partner also just died.
Evelyn grows up on a family farm and inherits the property. She and her husband work the farm from sunrise to sunset. Although there is no sexual spark in their marriage, they grew up together, are best friends and love each other. They are raising their three children and, as with many farmers, are just keeping their financial heads above water. When Evelyn’s husband dies, she realizes that she must leave for the winter to work in a lumber camp to earn extra money. She must pass as a man to work there. Fortunately, she is big and strong and possesses the skills needed to be cut down trees.
Sarah has lived a very hard life as an orphan. Her life finally turns around when she meets and falls in love with her partner, Abigail. Together they work as seamstresses. Unfortunately, Abigail dies and Sarah takes a kitchen job in the lumber camp. Her job is very hard. She works long hours and is abused by one of the cooks.
When Evelyn and Sarah meet, Sarah does not know that Evelyn is really a female. At the camp, lumberjacks and the kitchen help are not allowed to talk or interact. However, somehow the two strike up a friendship.
This book is basically a two-part story. The first is the time at the lumber camp. The second part is the time that Evelyn and Sarah spend on the farm together.
I enjoyed the story in that it provided me with a lot of historical information about life at the camp and on the farm. Unfortunately, the storyline was slow at times.
I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. This is the first book I have read by this author and will look forward to her next book.
I was given this ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

Interesting historical novel with the added bonus of an authentic lesbian romance. I enjoyed this book but did find it rather slow paced. I wasn’t always convinced that the history and times were accurate with some terms seemingly unlikely eg Big Dipper star constellation Overall though good writing style and a pleasant read.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36592571-the-northwoods" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Northwoods" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1510647972m/36592571.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36592571-the-northwoods">The Northwoods</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5288939.Jane_Hoppen">Jane Hoppen</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2329918103">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I rec'd an ARC from NetGalley/Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review. No synopsis needed.<br />Set in the mid 1800's in the brutal scenario of a Wisconsin winter logging camp, the main leads of Evelyn and Sarah develop their relationship slowly. Ms. Hoppen's descriptions are clear and gritty and the overall storyline (while seemingly slow) is historical with a dash of romance and drama - enough to keep me interested. A good enough read on a winter's night.<br />3 stars.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/31134832-gail">View all my reviews</a>

The Northwoods by Jane Hoppen is a historical romance set in the mid 1800’s. Evelyn must leave her farm after her husband passes away to go and work in a Wisconsin logging camp to earn enough money for her three young children and to ensure the future of their farm. She dresses in her husband’s clothes and poses as him while working in the camp, as a woman in that role was not an option. While at the camp, she meets, Sarah. Sarah is at the camp working in the mess tent, serving the lumberjacks their meals. She is there because her lover, Abigail had recently passed away and she did not have the means to support herself.

The first half of the book is set in the logging camp where Evelyn is posing as her dead husband. Hoppen does an excellent job in bring the environment to life. The sights, smells and frigid temperatures are wonderfully described, as is the palpable tension and fear that Sarah exists in while surrounded by cruel men. Eventually Evelyn reveals to Sarah that she is a woman. Evelyn and Sarah have to flee the logging camp after Evelyn saves Sarah from a beating and violent rape, because her actions jeopardize her life at the camp.

The novel then moves to Evelyn’s farm. By this time Sarah realizes that her feelings for Evelyn are more than platonic and Evelyn is begins to question her feelings for Evelyn. This is the crux of the romance. Will Evelyn come to understand her feelings for Sarah and be willing to act on them?

I really loved the historical aspects of this book. I am always interested in learning what life was like for women trying to get by in a man’s world. I also thought the author really captured what it must have been like in these logging camps. My main problem was with Evelyn’s character. She is a woman of few words, however, I thought her dialogue was quite stilted. While Sarah may have been a little overly sweet, I didn’t get enough from Evelyn to see her changing feelings about Sarah.

One thing of interesting note, this novel takes place in the 1850’s. There is no reference to slavery and the political tumult of the time.

An interesting read that’s light on romance, but a detailed look at life in Wisconsin during the 1850s.

I was provided with an ARC on this novel from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The premise of the book sounded very interesting and it reminded me of Jae's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6080751-backwards-to-oregon">Backwards to Oregon</a>. The story *is* riveting, but the book didn't live up to it's promise. I still think this is a cracking story, it just needed more work to thrash it out to its full promise.

At the moment it feels more like a very detailed outline rather than a finished book. There seems to be no palpable chemistry between the main characters and one was only told that they were attracted to each other; moreover, there was a strange lack of emotion holding the book together. And even though the set-up was intriguing, the turn of important events in the story was unconvincing, including George's reveal to Sarah. I wasn't even convinced as to why someone like Sarah would agree to come to a logging camp as a cook's assistant, given that she belonged to a completely different class and unused to manual labour. Why couldn't she have gone looking for work in her own town? I don't think this is an insurmountable problem -- just that it doesn't seem convincing in its current form.

The characters too were problematic, especially Sarah. I found her insistence on George/Evelyn coming out to meet her at the logging camp, thus endangering herself, somewhat off-putting. Her checking out Evelyn's body surreptitiously was also creepy, playing into some of the more offensive stereotypes about lesbians.

(Oh and how much the children worked, especially the two boys! I don't know if that's how it went in farms, but the poor kids seemed to have no playtime, didn't go to school, and hardly interacted with their mum except to say "Yes ma'am" when being sent off to do more chores!)

Drama and some romance in the Northwoods of Wisconsin

In 1853, just a few months after her husband dies of a heart attack, Evelyn Bauer makes the decision to go to a remote logging camp in his place - dressed as him and performing his duties as a sawyer.

Their farm had a bad harvest year and she needs the money to get through the next growing season to support her and her three children.

Sarah Bell had been a seamstress, living romantically with another woman until her partner dies of pneumonia. Now she heads to the logging camp to help with the cooking duties to earn some extra money.

There were interesting details about life in a rugged logging camp plus I enjoyed the details about running a large farm.

I did find myself not quite believing the few romantic passages. The emotions seemed rushed. And, maybe I'm wrong, but there seemed to be more openly gay women in this book than I would have ever expected in 1853.

I received this book from Boldstroke Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

It was a well written story with an interesting plot but for me, there was a big lack of chemistry. The romance was very slow to the point that it was too slow.

‘The Northwoods’ by Jane Hoppen is set in 1850s Wisconsin when most women were entirely dependant on husbands and fathers. When that is no longer possible for Evelyn due to the death of her husband she decides to disguise herself as a man and go to a logging camp for the winter, in order to help her family survive . She meets Sarah Bell, a woman seemingly at the mercy of her dead lover’s brother. Evelyn must keep her real identity secret at all costs, while Sarah lives in fear of being assaulted by any of the rough loggers in the camp. Their friendship is of necessity but they see something in each other that drew them together.
The story was about women doing what they had to in a harsh world. They discovered things about themselves that they did not realise they wanted or needed. I was on the edge of my seat at many points in the book as they were in danger and taking many risks. Evelyn and Sarah’s relationship was slow and sweet and tender. I wanted them to have a future together and not be forced into the roles people expected of them. I loved the historical aspect of the book and felt it was well imagined and well written. I could almost smell the appalling odours of the camp, so good was the writing. A very enjoyable book with characters I wouldn’t mind finding out more about.

I was given this ARC in return for an honest review.

That was kinda cool. It's the story of Evelyn and Sarah. Evelyn's husband George died and Sarah's partner Abigail died. Oh, and it's set in 1853 Wisconsin mostly.

They both find themselves at a logging camp for the winter surrounded mostly by what are called 'jacks'. The all male loggers. Evelyn especially has a tough job, since she dresses up and is pretending to be her husband George. Sarah meanwhile is a cook's helper for her sorta brother-in-law (Abigail's brother) Sam.

They become aware of each other as the winter slowly goes on, but then Sarah finds out about who 'George' really is, and they sorta grow closer together, being the two only women (there is a younger girl) in the camp. And then something horrible happens that changes both of their lives, and sends both of them home to Evelyn's farm.

That's when they really start feeling feelings for one another, but, because it's a romance, it does not go in a straight line, there's a bit of back and forth first.

A lot of the stuff that took place at the logging camp was super intense, and I liked that when they got back and were no longer in the logging camp it wasn't all of a sudden totally easier, just hard in a different way. For any of them, Sarah, Evelyn, or Evelyn's kids.

I really liked it. Probably because I've been a sucker for books along the lines of Words Heard in Silence and the like, although this book isn't exactly the same as that one. Still, an awesome read.

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.

I'm a bit on the fence about this book. I liked the story, enjoyed the authors writing style and fell in love with the characters. Even the scene descriptions left nothing to be desired. I think my problem is the pace of the romance. It seemed to be lacking chemistry or desire from both main characters. The build up was very slow and then romance itself was sudden. It felt rushed in the end. It's a sweet story regardless so I would recommend.

This story is more of an adventure of two women in a difficult time and place than a typical romance.

The first part runs in a work camp in the mountains, in winter, in very poor conditions, in which the two protagonists arrive for different reasons but with the sole purpose of earning some money in hard times so that a single woman can subsist. At times you can almost feel the cold, the smell, the fatigue after the hard days of work. The descriptions are very explicit.

The second part of the book runs on the farm where Evelyn lives with her family, to which she and Sarah arrive after their adventure / ordeal in the work camp.

The truth is that throughout the book there is always the feeling that something dramatic is going to happen and yes there is drama and anguish, but not as much as there could have been.

In short, in this book there is more historical adventure, in a not too distant time, than real romance. But I found it well developed, perhaps with an excess of detail in some passages, especially of life on the farm, but ultimately a book that is worth reading.

ARC received from NetGalley for an honest review

3.25 Stars. This is the first book I have read by Hoppen. I thought it was a decent story, but it fell a bit short of the expectations I had going into this read. While the story is interesting at times, it also felt predictable. Overall not a bad read, but only a little bit better than okay.

After the death of her husband, and a bad season on the farm, Evelyn decides to dress as a man, and take her husband’s place at a logging camp for the winter. The logging camp is known for hard work, rough conditions and rougher men. The one bright spot is her friendship with the camp cook’s helper Sarah. Sarah is in a similar position, after losing her partner Abigail to sickness. Sarah just wants to survive the winter to get money to start her life over. Can these two women work together to get through the toughest winter of their lives?

I find historical fiction to be a little up and down for me. Some of the horrors women had to put up with in the past, is not fun to read about. I do tend to like books better when the women pose as men, since they can take things on under their own power. So when I read the blurb to this book, I thought I would really enjoy this. But as I said above I really found the story predictable. I’m not sure if anything really happened, that I didn’t see coming. Also, while I thought the first half of the book flowed well, I thought when the book was back at the farm, the pace slowed way down. It was a lot about day to day chores. Some days were interesting; others just got a tad too repetitive.

I also struggled a bit with the main characters. While I liked both women, especially Evelyn, I found both characters could be wooden at times. I need a bit more depth into their feelings, or something so I could connect to them more. The romance is very slow burn, and when it heats up, it doesn’t really get past a simmer. I don’t mind that, not every book is poised for a steamy romance, but I could have used more chemistry.

I do want to make clear this is a decent read. There is nothing bad about it and it did provide a night or reading entertainment for me, it just wasn’t what I hoped for.

What to do when the person you intend to spend the rest of your life with suddenly passes away? For one, Sarah Bell, you do the unfamiliar. For the other, Evelyn Bauer, you do what is necessary. Both women are strong in their own way which makes them interesting and awesome. The farm description as well as the description of the logging camp was so well done that I could visualize the setting. I like the historical aspect and people doing what they need to do to survive. What was unexpected was the even handed discussion or reference to same sex couples. Which is was that smooth and easy.

When Evelyn's husband dies in the fall 0f 1853, she knows the only way to survive the winter and support her family of three children, is to disguise herself, take her husbands place at a loggers camp, and bring home much needed funds. It's there that she meets Sarah, a young woman who has also recently lost her lover, and who is working at the camp in the kitchen. They're inexplicably drawn to each other and a tentative friendship blooms. Both women are mourning the loss of their loved ones and the conditions are trying and rough at the camp. On top of everything, Evelyn must maintain her disguise or all will be lost. Will the two women, and their friendship, survive the winter?

It really, really, enjoyed this book. I will likely be buying the paperback to read it again when I need my fix of historical fiction. This book was so real and vivd. I could smell the loggers camp, the wet socks and the body oder, and feel the cold. It was so well done. There were only a few instances where some of the dialogue felt very present day, but for the most part it was really nicely done historical fiction.

Evelyn and Sarah, where do I even start... Evelyn is awesome - she's so strong and fierce and inspiring. And Sarah's dedicated and precious and strong in her own way too. Together, they were gorgeous. The way the two women's friendship grew was just lovely, and progression to love felt so natural. They went through so much, I feel for them, and I am so happy that they got a chance at a happy ending.

I really loved all the characters too- they were good people and unique/well-rounded characters. There were a lot of really cool guys at the lumber camp and some great people back home at the farm too, and it brought a nice warmth to the story even with frigid temperatures outside. There were also the characters you love to hate, brilliantly done as well.

All in all, this was an excellent historical fiction and a feel good story all around, even when our ladies are dealing with impossible situations. Totally romantic and totally inspiring. I loved it!

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Northwoods immediately piqued my interest because it's set in Wisconsin, a neighboring state to me, and during the late 19th century. We are immersed in the hardships of the upper Midwest during this time period which are made even more difficult when both Sarah and Evelyn's partners unexpectedly die and leave them clamoring for income to support themselves, and in Evelyn's case, support her 3 children. It was interesting following them along in their survival in a primitive logging camp and while they forge a friendship that blossoms into attraction the romance never quite seems to really sizzle or sparkle. Considering their harsh circumstances and the enormously bigoted time period it makes sense they have to keep their romance private, nor should we expect unicorns and rainbows blazing a trail for them. What it turns out to be is a solid friendship based on mutual attraction that blossoms into love and a strong family.