A Cheyenne Christmas

A Cheyenne Christmas is my 22nd Christmas book of the season.<br /><br />I wrote a scathing review, but felt bad about it, so I decided to rewrite it and not be so mean.<br /><br />There are errors in this book that need addressing, and the author needs to be careful with simple things that were glaring to me. Like someone who spent any time on a farm would know you can't leave a ranch for a day or two without having someone to milk their cows or feed their chickens.<br /><br />At one point Molly was eyeing a beautiful doll and said, "I wonder if Annie ever had anything that beautiful." She was talking about her little sister....someone she lived with every day since Annie was born. It was a time filler or something that needs rewording and should have been caught by an editor.<br /><br />The writing style was lacking, simple, but some of the subject content would not have been appropriate for a young age level...like explanation of love making. ?<br /><br />Well now, that sounds much less critical, but I get my point across..sort of.<br /><br /><br />.

Sweet, undemanding historical escapism but lacking in tension or drama. And when I say it’s lacking I mean totally lacking, there was none. Kind of sweet but meh. Complete story, part of a series of recurring characters.

Molly is desperate to find a respectable job so that she can support her younger sisters and heads out to the unfamiliar west to seek that fortune. When she first sees Nate, she is taken aback as he clearly has Indian heritage and she has only read penny dreadful depictions. He stops her falling and she recognises that he is no threat. When she then sees a large man with a thunderous expression heading for Nate, she decides that she can’t just stand by and rushes to intervene – meeting Ash, Nate’s brother. <br />Fate brings Molly into Ash’s life at the perfect time and he treasures everything about her. Molly is equally drawn and equally reticent to believe that the object of her affections could feel the same way.<br />A delightful, uncomplicated short read (about 124 pages) – a sweet romance with well-rounded characters. The addition of Molly’s sisters sets the scene for a wonderful feel-good Christmas tale. <br />

A gentle sweet read, with a predictable plot. Not much really happens though. I would have liked some tension, some drama. Instead we had Molly worrying about whether Ash loved her. Ad this was the man she had mad, passionate sex with every night, and she still thinks he doesn't love her?? And then we find out that Ash is also wondering if Molly loves him??? <br /><br />It didn't make much sense to me. It was as if the author suddenly realised that the story needed some drama (which it did)<br /><br />The writing was okay, but I felt distanced from the characters, although Nathan was wonderful. There were some editing errors - Ash arriving in town with 'one arm tucked tightly against his side' but later we read that he is wearing a sling, and then later on, the arm is in a heavy plaster cast.

Our heroine Molly lands in Cheyenne, straight from Chicago where the infamous fire has destroyed her dreams of opening a bakery. Desperate to find work so she can support her two younger sisters, who does she meet fresh off the train than Nate Barker, the adopted half-breed indian brother of our hero, Ash Barker. A mountain of a man, Ash appears frightening and intimidating as he comes to town to reign in his rebellious brother. Ash has a long mend from a badly broken arm and needs temporary help on his ranch while Molly desperately needs a place for herself and her sisters. So as to protect Molly's virtue out on the ranch, Ash weds Molly and the relationship begins as a marriage-in-name-only. Will Molly's dream of continuing out west to begin her bakery happen? Will Ash's growing fondness for Molly keep her at his ranch? This is a quiet story full of relational tension between these two. The arrival of Molly's sisters heightens this to another level. There is some love-making involved (well, they ARE married!) but the author spares the reader any graphic details so it remains a sweet, clean romance. Will these two be able to finally express their confused feelings openly? This reviewer enjoyed this story so much that the rest of the "Cheyenne Quartet" is now firmly on his to-read list.

A sweet romance set in the old West of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Nothing complicated about this little story but if you like heartwarming reads, this fits the bill nicely.

Thoughts: There are some inconsistencies that the editor should have caught, as other reviewers have noted. This is a story without much tension, just sweet and simple. Nice characters.

Ash Barker and his adopted brother, Nate, have worked hard and built a successful ranch in Wyoming. Just before winter, Ash broke his arm so he couldn't do all the work needed. <br /><br />Molly Murray had been looking for a job to support her younger sisters for years when she decided to go to Cheyenne, Wyoming and look for work. She doesn't have any better luck there until she meets Ash who needs any help on his ranch he can get so hires Molly as his housekeeper. Molly was pleasantly surprised when Ash said her sisters could live at the ranch with her.<br /><br />This is a wonderfully accurate historical romance. It's well written with likable characters. Molly is a strong woman who wants to care for her sisters and will take almost any kind of job to do that. Ash is a big, gruff man who's bark is worse than his bite. He's a hard worker but very kind to his brother, Molly and her sisters. The secondary characters, Wendy, Annie and Nate added to the story, especially with their thoughts of what was proper behavior in those times.<br /><br />The romance that developed between Molly and Ash was enjoyable to see. Ash was behaving in ways totally foreign to him, which was a bit funny. Molly hid her feelings toward Ash - being the lady she was. <br /><br />This is a wonderful frontier Christmas romance.<br />

I haven't read a lot of short stories where the author is able to write well developed characters, have a decent plot and have it not end abruptly or lose out on a lot of details. This author was able to do all of this and have an entertaining story, as well.<br /><br />I think the part I liked the best were that the characters were not perfect. There were no silly misunderstandings due to communication problems nor any unbelievable problems. The whole story was very realistic and had good descriptions of the people and where they lived. I really loved how Molly showed Nate the joy of decorating for Christmas. Overall, a warm story of family.

This was just a beautiful story, made very special by the characters. Attention to detail, the setting, and character depth are all present. Final result: a very touching, romantic, and family-focused story that kept me engaged throughout. The pace was perfect. This is a story of hardship, struggle, prejudice, respect, overcoming difficulties, loving, and finding out what's most important. A great read for Christmastime or anytime. A stand-alone story, absolutely. But, a sequel to be published before Christmas 2014.