Full disclosure. This book was not at all what I expected. The entire story felt "young" in my opinion. The story and characters were well written even though some parts were paced quite slow.

Full disclosure- this book was not at all what I expected. After having read the description I was all cued up for an Apache-kidnapping, but instead read a teen melodrama about a girl named Barleigh (ugh with the Millennials naming people!) Replete with dashing (yet ever gentlemanly) men and a New Orleans madam (or angel?), Orphan Moon was not what I was in the mood for. Although I did enjoy the dive into the Pony Express. Thanks for that!

Exchanging your fears for the chance to free your heart is the high cost of hope. And, hope is what fuels the fire of love. Are you willing to exchange your fears and let go of your heart?

I was very surprised by this Wild West romance. It was truly an escape for me. Set in the 1860's before Lincoln became president. It deals with the heroism of the Pony Express of getting the mail from Washington to California. However, Bar(leigh) Flanders is not your typical rider. He is a she with more grit and determination for a 19 year old. After surviving a massacre in her home of Texas with only her baby 1/2 sister and aunt, she must earn money to pay for the taxes due at the end of year or lose the family ranch. Her father and step mother were brutally killed. It seems everyone she loves dies, her mother at her birth and now her father. Growing up on a ranch, she knows more about riding a horse and the dangers that surround her. She heads up north to St. Joseph, Missouri and then across to Utah riding and delivering mail. She is fooling her counter parts but she hasn't fooled Texas Ranger Hughes Levesque, who has a secret of his own.

I loved the history of this time and the grit that you had to have to survive. Barleigh (Bar) not only had that but she had a vulnerability that was easy to relate to. They both had a admiration for each other that I like in relationships. There was all kinds of tension- Barleigh keeping her secret, dying on the trail, and not falling for Hughes. Hughes had his own tension, keeping his own secret about Barleigh and keeping Barleigh safe. A great adventure to be had!

A special thank you to Books Go Social and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This is the beautiful, heartfelt story of a courageous girl, Barleigh, who loses everything and, while trying to put her life back together and saving what is left of her family, becomes a woman.
It seemed like a well-researched book and I will definitely check out the bibliography suggested by the author.

Set at the beginnings of the Pony Express, Barleigh finds she must impersonate a boy to enable her to support her family. Riding like the wind and delivering the mail gives her a way to make the money she desperately needs after the family ranch is destroyed by what she thinks are members of the Comanche tribe. Well written and researched, highly recommended historical fiction.

A good old fashioned western saga. At times I skimmed because it got a little too slow. At times I skimmed because it got a little too fast. Overall, I think this is a great book but I’m not the audience. I love a saga but this one sometimes touched on subject matter I prefer not to read about. I know it’s got an audience out here in the works though!

I’m not yet fully finished with this book, but I think I’m at a pause point in my reading where I can give a review, and maybe why I’m not yet ready to unpause this book.

Normally I’m drawn to historical works on the pre-civil war period. That’s what drew me to this particular book as well. Where I think the writing is written for a younger audience , the writing is well- written and engaging. I also think a trigger warning should be included for some of the language, violence. I didn’t mind the different pov’s , I had trouble with multiple time lines going at the same time.

This would be great for a highschool class to work through. I wouldn’t say that I won’t go back to this book, but that I need a break to decompress before I go back to it

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. After reading the first few chapters, I decided that this book was not for me. I enjoyed the first bit, but once it got to Hughes perspective, I was board.