American Tapestries Blog Tour Part 1

Welcome to the blog tour for Summerside's American Tapestries series! There are two posts today, and this first one is all about Where the Trail Ends by Melanie Dobson!

A young woman traveling the Oregon Trail in 1842 must rely on a stranger to bring her to safety. But whom can she trust with her heart?

For two thousand miles along the trail to Oregon Country, Samantha Waldron and her family must overcome tremendous challenges to reach the Willamette Valley before winter. Together they weather autumn storms, hunger and thirst, and the dangers of a wild and unfamiliar country. But when their canoe capsizes on the Columbia River, they must rely on handsome British exporter Alexander Clarke to rescue them from the icy water.

Alex escorts Samantha and her young brother, Micah, to Fort Vancouver. There Samantha is overwhelmed with men vying for her affections, but the only one who intrigues her-Alex-is the one she cannot have. When his betrothed arrives unexpectedly from England to escort him home, Samantha becomes determined to create a home for herself and Micah in the fertile valley far away from the fort. But how will an unmarried woman support herself and her brother in the wilderness alone? 

Then Micah disappears into the wilderness one rainy night, and Samantha must rely on the man she loves-the man she’s trying desperately to forget-to rescue her brother before it’s too late.

About the Author:

Melanie Dobson has written ten contemporary and historical novels including five releases in Summerside’s Love Finds You series. In 2011, two of her releases won Carol Awards: Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa (for historical romance) and The Silent Order (for romantic suspense).

Prior to her writing career, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family and a publicist for The Family Channel. She later launched her own public relations company and worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for more than fifteen years.

Melanie and her family enjoy their home in the Pacific Northwest. The entire Dobson family loves to travel and hike in both the mountains and along the cliffs above the Pacific.

When Melanie isn’t writing or playing with her family, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, line dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.

Find out more about Melanie at http://www.melaniedobson.com.

Review:

Samantha Waldron is entering the final stages of her trip across the country. Joining others looking for the fertile Willamette Valley, Samantha, her father, and her brother have been traveling the Oregon Trail. They have given up everything in hope for a new life, but it appears they may have to give up even more before they can get to Oregon. Meanwhile, Alex Clarke is an important person in the fur business. Being a proper British man, he's tired of helping all these Americans arriving with nothing but dreams and immense hunger. When Alex ends up helping Samantha though, they both begin to rethink what it takes to live out west.

I love historical novels, and this book had a lot of interesting details in it. The harsh conditions of traveling across the Oregon Trail were very apparent. It really made me appreciate what strength and spirit it took to be able to complete the journey. I don't think I would have blamed anyone for wanting to turn back. There was also an element of luck involved, as evidenced by some of the bad things that happened to Samantha and her company. I really knew next to nothing about the fur and trapping business, so the book allowed me to learn some about that as well. I appreciate how much the governor really went out of his way to help all the struggling Americans. They were under no obligation to help, and yet they did. I could appreciate Alex's reticence to help, but he had a good heart no matter what and did what must be done. 


More than anything I really admired Samantha. Her tenacity was amazing. She knew what her end goal was, and she was going to accomplish this no matter what. I also loved her open-mindedness about all the peoples she came across. I really enjoyed this book. It made me feel very lucky to be sitting in my air conditioned house on the couch just reading about it though. I think that to survive the trip west people really had to have a sense of purpose, and Samantha definitely had that. The further I got in the book, the less I wanted to put it down. There was a lot of action and adventure, so that also helped to keep my interest. I loved this book, and I think fans of history will also appreciate the human touch brought in this book.

Book provided for review.

Celebrate with Melanie by entering to win a Kindle Fire!

 

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Where the Trail Ends by Melanie Dobson
• Queen of the Waves by Janice Thompson

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 17th. Winner will be announced at the American Tapestries Author Chat Facebook Party on 10/18. Connect with authors Melanie Dobson and Janice Thompson for an evening of book chat, trivia and fun! There will also be gift certificates, books, and a Book Club Prize Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group)!

So grab your copy of Where the Trail Ends and  Queen of the Waves and join Melanie Dobson and Janice Thompson on the evening of the October 18th for a chance to connect with the authors and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the books - don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 18th!

Be sure to check out all the blogs on this tour. And check out part 2 of this blog hop!