A historical fiction which isn't always my cup of tea, but Vaun usually always delivers both in description and writing from back then which I find interesting and engaging. This was somewhat missed the mark though. I felt like it could have been developed more.

Wes dressed as a man in order to get property with his brother as she thought it was the only way, but tragedy happens and she believed she'll be all alone until Charlotte shows up, scared and alone. Not to mention pregnant.

Wes gives her a place to stay and they grow closer and closer until Wes's secret is revealed.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend, but not my favorite of Vauns books.

A nice gentle story (mostly). A couple of fraught bits but no angst. I enjoyed this. I usually like a bit more action/spice in my romances but I think this was well written and a good story of two women coming together to make a life in the frontier.

I’m not normally a reader of a lot of historical fiction, but I found this frontier prairie story by Missouri Vaun quite enjoyable and educational. To just imagine what life was like during that time is a little overwhelming with all of today’s modern conveniences. But to imagine that time for two women forging their lives together on a farm is daunting.

Vaun did a great job describing all of the challenges that they faced and how they overcame them. Throw in some personal discovery, yearning for affection, and some nice intimate scenes and this story portrays a strong relationship that can stand the test of time. 4 stars

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Missouri Vaun novel and it did not disappoint.

I really enjoy historical fiction especially one’s that focus on queer stories and characters.

Wes and Charlotte’s romance on the Kanas frontiers was richly detailed. Wes’s character was a standout for me. Living her life as a man in order to achieve freedom and coming to terms with that being her preferred identity.

Definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to Bold Strokes and NetGalley for this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Forever’s Promise by Missouri Vaun is exactly the kind of historical romance novel I enjoy reading. I have long been fascinated by tales of the American West, especially the years when settlers were leaving their homes in the East and looking for a better place to live. I could blame this on my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Sweet (Yes, that was her name.) introducing me to ‘The Little House Books’ which I read over and over. There was also my obsession with the computer game “The Oregon Trail” which I constantly played until I got a computer that didn’t support it. Whatever the reason, I just absolutely love novels like Forever’s Promise.

This is the story of two women who meet on the Kansas prairie in the 1850’s. Wesley (Wes) Holden had moved from Tennessee with her brother Clyde to get a homestead and farm the land together. Because there were severe limits on single women owning land for homesteading, Wes felt she had no choice but to dress as a man. When Clyde died in an accident, Wes continued to farm their land, though it was hard to do alone.

Charlotte Rose had to leave her home town after she was romanced and then abandoned by a man. The only things he left her were a stagecoach ticket and an unwanted pregnancy. With nothing to lose, Charlotte uses the ticket and through unexpected circumstances, ends up stranded at Wes’s homestead.
There are so many wonderful things to say about this book. The characters are well drawn and true to the life and time they are in. The slow-burn romance will melt your heart, and the story itself is captivating.

The best part of this tale, is something I know to expect from this author because it is one of their strengths…descriptions. We see the night sky, black with a million plus stars twinkling down on us in the darkness. We watch the prairie grasses move in waves as the wind passes over them. We hear the cottonwood trees talking to each other as the breeze brushes though their leaves, and the creek murmurs to them at their feet. I’ve always considered this author to be an artist creating masterpieces with words, and Missouri does this again in this novel.

I highly recommend this book to all who love historical fiction and romance.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books.

A good lesfic western with a predictable plot.

It's fast moving with not a lot of drama, but likeable characters.

I would have liked a bit more intensity and feeling about situations that popped up and maybe a bit more plot to really thicken out what happens to the characters. Overall it felt a little lacklustre.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Wes has a secret she a woman dress as a man it’s was the only way for her and her brother Clyde to travel out west to share a homestead that they build up from scratch. Charlotte wants to experience a better life but when she thought the guy she was falling for was serious about building a life with her he abandon her but does leave her a ticket to go out west she decides to take a leap and go. Wes thought she was always going to be alone now when her brother dies from an accident but that changes when Charlotte tumbles onto her place after her stagecoach got rob and later learns she pregnant. Wes at first didn’t want her to stay in fear of her learning she not a real man but when Charlotte suggested they could help each other Wes decides to trust her and tell her secret. Wes and Charlotte grow closer and love is form. I enjoy this read. I like that I learn back then a bathroom was called a water closet although I thought it was called outback back then.

A historical romance set in the frontier of 1850s Kansas. Wesley Holden and brother Clyde have been working their homestead for five years. It’s a rough and quiet life but it gives Wes the freedom to pass herself off as a man. When Clyde dies accidentally she is left alone to work their land. Charlotte Rose stumbles into the small cabin belonging to Wes. She is on a stagecoach heading west when it is attacked and she is left for dead. She’s been on her own since she was 16 and only after arriving at the cabin does she realize she is with child. Two lonely souls realizing they can help each other and they are stronger together. But first they have to share their secrets.

The author uses words sparingly only giving the reader enough to set the each scene. There is detail on the hardness of the life like dressing game, smoking venison, the fetching of water for a simple things like a bath. The details give added realism for the time period. Wes and Charlotte’s trust in one another is organic as is the acceptance of their situations. I could have stayed with these characters longer than this shorter novel (less than 250 pages) allows. Very enjoyable. Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review. (4.5 Stars)

Wes has found her life dressing as a man and working his land with his brother. But, then his brother dies and he is alone. Not for long though.

Charlotte gets dumped and decides to go west to find something new. Except. Her ride gets held up, and she gets hurt. Luckily she finds Wes' cabin, and then Wes. And, they quickly find that they need each other.

I thought of this being Backwards to Oregon lite. (In only the best way I promise). The story wasn't the same, and the tension running through the story. But, the feeling was definitely there.

I did feel like a beat was missing at the end. It was a good ending, but, just felt like it was 80% there? On the whole though it was a great read and fun story.

Wesley Holden moved west to the Kansas frontier with her brother for a new life, disguising herself as a man to share the homestead claim with her brother. After an unfortunate accident that leaves Wesley alone, a strange woman unexpectedly ends up on her remote farm, knocked up and abandoned by a man who'd promised her a grand life. Initially suspicious of each other at first, the two eventually need to decide to trust each other because neither can survive alone.

This is the first book I've read of this author, and I'm so glad I found them. This book is well-written, the plot moves the quickly, and the characters are so real. I love their journey from being so suspicious of each other to their eventual trust and love for each other. This book is an almost agonizingly SLOW burn, but with the plot, it feels natural and delicious. An absolute delight of a read!

[Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Forever’s Promise is a romance featuring Wes and Charolette. They have met at a time they are both suffering through hardships never mind that this is happening during the frontier time when everything is harder.
What Charolette doesn’t know at first is that Wes is actually a woman posing as a man to keep working the homestead she and her brother have claimed.
A series of events finds Charolette alone and pregnant. They both need someone to make this life work for them.
Along the way love may even seep into their relationship.
This is such a wonderful well written story with strong women.

I definitely recommend this one, you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you # NetGalley #BoldStrokesBooks #ForeversPromise

I have recently started reading historical romances and this one was excellent. I learned a lot about the time period and appreciated the chemistry between the main characters. I liked that there wasn’t an internal struggle to “come out” and it just was.
I am definitely interested in reading more from this author.

This author is prolific and her books are very varied in terms of the time in which her stories are set but not so much in the profile of her characters. Generally there is a protagonist who is butch and another who is femme, with all the clichés and stereotypes included.

In this case, the two protagonists coincide in a very convenient and bizarre way on a farm located on the Kansas prairies at the time when the first settlers began to colonize that territory. One of them, Wes, is a woman who lives like a man in the company of her brother with whom she has built the homestead from scratch. An unfortunate event leaves Wes alone in this hostile and dangerous environment. Until Charlotte arrives at Wes's home after a series of incidents and coincidences, not all of them pleasant.

The initial mistrust between the two of them will have to be put aside due to the needs of their current situation, although little by little, each one on their own, they realize how opportune their union has been and all the possibilities that it opens up for them. to live the lives they have dreamed of or, without even having imagined, the lives that will make them happy given the circumstances they will have to face.

With some initial reluctance, the story has hooked me and has finally been quite to my liking.

I’m not a regular reader of historical romances and knew nothing of the time period during which this book was set. The author had done a great job of depicting the immense challenges that those people who set out to build new lives across the frontier were up against. I found myself rooting for the characters as they tried to overcome the difficult in living somewhere so remote where all sorts of lawlessness took place and you could only depend on yourself. The lead couple fit well together and their relationship developed at a pace that felt believable, although I was surprised that no conversations or inner struggles ever took over place about the fact that they were two women in a relationship (although I appreciate that this kind of “coming out” narrative might be a more modern issue that didn’t necessarily enter people’s thoughts at that place in time).