I'm always on the lookout for an adult version of The Little House on the Prairie. This is set in the Wyoming territory and is about two families forcefully forged together. I enjoyed the descriptions of the landscape and farm life, but felt that sometimes the prose could have been shortened. There was something about this book that made it difficult to pick up at first, which I can't quite put my finger on. After about 200 pages, I felt more invested in the families and their futures. This is a solid Western for those who like the genre and an interesting story for those who seek to read about the long road to forgiveness.

I've sat on this a few days because I'm having a hard time sorting out how I felt about this book. I enjoyed the writing - it was sparse, simple, and natural. I enjoyed the McPheron brothers and their relationship with Victoria - it was laugh out loud funny in several spots.

But there was so much that made me cringe. There were a few sex scenes that seemed misplaced and crude. Several characters never seemed to redeem themselves, but maybe that's how things really are? I'm not too interested to learn anything more about any of these people other than Victoria and the McPheron brothers, so I'm not sure I'm going to continue with the series.

This was totally fun! I don't usually like fantasy novels, but this was a winner for me. I described this on my blog as a drugged up Harry Potter and I still stand behind that. Ghosts, magic, secret societies, enchanted libraries, hidden hide-outs, dorm rooms, and dreamy school campuses - this book has all of it! The only reason why I'm not giving this five stars is because it was a tiny bit repetitive.