Peace River – an entertaining historical romance set in 1848 in the American West.
Review by Book Readers
Peace River is the first book in
the Rockland Ranch series by Jaclyn M. Hawkes.
The story is about the struggle of a young girl who has an abusive,
alcoholic father with a gambling addiction.
Carrie is an heiress to her grandfather’s multi- million dollar
thoroughbred farm and is afraid her father will try to take everything from her.
The following passage from the book will give the reader an insight into the
religious aspect and possibly the inspiration for the title. "Your grandfather
wanted this farm to be in both our names.
He died trusting it would be that way, and that's the way it will
stay. They wouldn't let us take it out
of your name legally anyway. Come. Dry your tears and we'll figure something out. The Good Lord is in His heaven, and He is in
control. Remember His promise in Isaiah,
'And I will extend peace to her like a river.'
Have faith.
The police do not understand the
danger she is in, Carrie’s love of her horse and fear of her father drive her
away from the farm. Carrie and her
world famous stallion end up travelling with two Rodeo cowboys and she falls in
love with one of them.
There is a religious theme
throughout the story. Readers who are
not particularly religious may find this annoying. Those comfortable with the Latter-day Saint
faith will appreciate the religious part of the book. But the strong story line and characters
keeps one involved and turning the pages.
There is lots of action, adventure, and romance to keep most readers
turning the pages.
I found Ms. Hawkes way of
developing the characters relationships refreshing. She leads us along the path of friendship and
respect to love and commitment in a sensitive way. At the same time, Jaclyn keeps us on track
with a sense of everyday realism. I
enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more from the series. I would definitely recommend this book for
readers who prefer romance with action and a little danger.
Excerpt
“Carrie
walked into the mostly empty diner and waited by the front counter for Anna to
respond to the sound of the bell on the door.
The only people in the place were two men in the back part of the dining
room working on heaping pieces of pie.
They’d both looked up as the bell sounded and seemed to be openly
studying her. Their expressions weren’t
flirtatious or aggressive, just frankly curious, and she discreetly returned
their scrutiny.
...She
walked purposefully up to their table and they immediately stood up.”
About
Jaclyn
M. Hawkes grew up in Utah with 6 sisters, 4 brothers and any number of pets.
(It was never boring!) She got a bachelor’s degree, had a career and travelled
extensively before settling down to her life’s work of being the mother of four
magnificent and sometimes challenging children. She loves shellfish, the out of
doors, the youth and hearing her children laugh. She and her fine husband,
their family, and their sometimes very large pets, now live in a mountain
valley in northern Utah, where it smells like heaven and kids still move
sprinkler pipe.
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