Reviewer: Tracy A Rainbow for Christmas by Mary Montague Sikes
Publisher: Oak Tree Press
Publication Date: November 16th 2011
Genres: Westerns, Historical Romance
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As they prepare for their wagon train trip, a gunslinger kills Meg's brother, leaving her to manage the trip--and the care of her orphaned niece-- alone. Meg must ignore her fears and complete the trip to Denver, where she will meet the man who has arranged to marry her, a deal made by Meg's father. Meg's trepidation about her future grows with each mile west, as do her feelings for the handsome wagon master, Cade. "What's a girl to do when she's crossing the prairie by wagon train to marry one man, but falls in love with another along the way? A Rainbow for Christmas will entertain you with its story of love overcoming everything nature--and a very bad man--can throw in Cade and Meg's way." Mary Montague Sikes is a native Virginian who grew up in the historic city of Fredericksburg in the shadow of Civil War battlefields. Motivated by her surroundings, she started writing and painting at an early age. A Rainbow for Christmas is her first Western novel. Sikes is also the author of the Passenger to Paradise romantic suspense novels.
Having been raised on a farm but yet a very gentle woman, Meg is scared and rightfully nervous about travelling to Denver by wagon train. Her brother and sister and law have both died leaving her with her 5 year old niece, Eliza. Her fears about travel lesson as the days go by but her worry over her upcoming arranged marriage to a man she doesn’t know grows each day. Her worry is compounded by the fact that the wagon master, Cade, has not only become her friend but she finally admits to herself that she’s fallen in love with him. When she hears from her fiancé that he will NOT happily take Meg’s niece into her home she’s not only mad but even more concerned about what to expect when she gets to Denver. She knows she doesn’t want to marry this man but she has to in order to save her family’s farm.
When Meg arrives in Denver and has to say goodbye to Cade she’s heartbroken but when she meets her fiancé her life turns upside down. All she wants is Cade but he’s not around and she has to make the best of a bad situation.
This was a very sweet novella. I liked Meg from chapter 1 and didn’t stop. She proved that she was strong, resilient, kind and loving and not afraid to stand up for herself. Her fortitude was a huge plus in my book. Cade was a man who was torn. He had decided never to marry after his wife and child had died but Meg set him on his ear and he wasn’t prepared for the feelings he had toward Meg and Eliza.
The story, while getting in to a bit of background on both main characters didn’t get too emotional. I felt for the characters situations but I wasn’t completely engrossed in their story. The part about Meg’s brother being killed was a bit odd, I thought. I think we could have been told about his death and then moved on as it explained why Eliza was an orphan. Meg worried that his murderer was on the wagon train with her but nothing ever really came of it once she found out one way or the other. As I said it was a sweet story and a good way to pass some time but wasn’t too deep.
Rating: 3 out of 5
You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place.
This book is available from Oak Tree Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.