A Fair Trade
Laylah Abrams
Western Historical
Raised by his fur trapper father and uncles, Jack Briggs makes do with little more than a knife and flask. Alone now, he searches for a place to call home. And refined and beautiful Penelope Findley may be the person who can help him find it as he leads the Findleys’ wagon to Oregon.
Honor-bound by her marriage vows, Penelope snubs the handsome wagon leader whenever he shows an interest in her. When she is widowed following a river crossing accident, Jack tempts her with the means to remain independent: protection in a temporary marriage and payment in exchange for helping him obtain the free acreage allotted to married settlers in Oregon.
What Penelope doesn’t realize is that Jack wants more than the land. He wants her. But can he overlook her disreputable past? And will she be able to give up the freedom he promised?
Uncaged Review: For a debut novel, the author does a great job with this book that sets up on the Oregon Trail. The characters are easy to like, with a bit of suspense and humor. When Penelope’s husband dies in an accident, Jack offers her safety with a marriage telling her about the free land available to married couples. Both of them have hurdles to jump to get to a HEA, and Penelope’s is a bit tedious at times and a bit too drawn out. But all in all, this is a really good debut novel and I’m looking forward to what this author brings out in the future. Reviewed by Cyrene
