Book Review: Waiting for Spring

Author: Amanda Cabot

Publication Date: January 1, 2013

Publisher: Revell

Series: Westward Winds # 2

After the loss of her husband and the birth of her baby, Charlotte has had a long, hard year. But when a notorious robber believes she knows the location of a long-lost treasure, she flees to Cheyenne and opens a dressmaker's shop to lie low and make a living. When wealthy cattle baron and political hopeful Barrett Landry enters the shop to visit her best customer, Charlotte feels drawn to him.

If Barrett is to be a senator of the soon-to-be state of Wyoming, he must make a sensible match, and Miriam has all the right connections. Yet he can't shake the feeling that Charlotte holds the key to his heart and his future.

Soon the past comes to call, and Barrett's plans crumble around him. Will Charlotte and Barrett find the courage to look love in the face? Or will their fears blot out any chance for happiness?

“Pampered, coddled Charlotte Crowley was gone, replaced by Charlotte Harding, a woman who learned that while life could be more difficult than she had thought possible, it had many rewards. Though this year had been far different from her dreams, Charlotte could not regret what it had brought. She had new friends and a new life in a new city. She had learned that she could be self-sufficient. Best of all, she had kept her son safe. It was worth the lies.” – Paperback Copy pg. 11

“His smile was engaging, and Charlotte did not doubt that he was accustomed to charming women with it. She would not succumb to that charm.” – Paperback Copy pg. 24

“Charlotte closed her eyes and tried not to shudder. Both Papa and Mama had taught her the importance of truth. What would they think if they knew what she had done? More importantly, what did God think? She knew the answer.” – Paperback Copy pg. 87

“Barrett shook his head. ‘I didn’t think you were violent, but I’ve learned that mother cows can be unpredictable when their young are threatened.’” – Paperback Copy pg. 121

At the beginning of this novel we meet a woman who is running from something, or rather someone, and it is easy to pick up on her sense of dread and worry at the idea of ever being found. Charlotte and her young son have just lost their husband and father and are trying their best to stay under the radar and away from a cruel man known as the Barron, or better yet Barrett Landry. After Charlotte Harding learns that her husband was caught up in some rather odious affairs, she wants nothing more than to start over with a new life and half a fighting chance for her son, David. This novel is about learning to live and love again, and it takes a bit of time and a lot of learning to regain control of what once was, just ask Charlotte Harding!

 

When I think about Spring I think about rebirth and new beginnings. I can see why the title is what it is and it makes perfect sense. Following alongside Charlotte Harding, readers will feel as if Spring is rolling around the bend and may even begin to wish for its arrival. I felt such sympathy for Charlotte and her son, David that I begin to hope the next page would reveal a clearer horizon for them. At the beginning of the novel we are faced with a woman so distraught and scattered that I wondered if she would make it off the page, but after awhile I saw Ms. Charlotte Harding start to come alive and I was able to feel the changes that were welcoming themselves into her life. Even though I read this book in the cold month of January, I could easily feel the rush of Springtime air as I followed Charlotte on her journey of rebirth.

 

Amanda Cabot paints wonderful worlds, if you have ever had the chance to read any of her previous works. She wrote such a beautiful landscape in this wild 1880’s Wyoming setting that she had me wanting to vacation there. Again the theme of Spring renewal arises and the setting was the perfect backdrop for this. The air was fresh and the Cheyenne territory in which Charlotte and David called home was just majestic in its every description. Cabot does a phenomenal job of picking readers up and placing them directly in center stage.

 

This book had a perfect combination of romance, danger, suspense, and growth to keep me intrigued for hours. I would highly recommend this to anyone, especially lovers of Wild West settings and heroines learning to love again!

 

“Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”