This book is not my usual fare. The west reminds me of Clint Eastwood, guns, saloons, and such. Nothing that remotely interests me. Yet somehow I thought to myself I need to broaden my horizon, and I am so glad I did!
Book
A fall and crash
A violent journey through the doorways of time
A villain or hero in the making
Rosemary Mayfield teeters on the brink of ruin. With the murder of her parents she is left the sole guardian of her younger brother and sister. Once a wealthy socialite in New York City, she now finds herself stranded in the untamed wilderness of the American West. When a wounded man comes crashing through her roof, as rough as the savage land, it is against her better judgment to bring him into her home and her heart. But she soon discovers he holds a secret that shatters everything, and she must make a choice, unaware that often destiny hinges on a single moment.
Fresh from an unsavory past and a violent fall, Nicolas Ekkridon awakens to find himself cared for by three orphans ignorant of the role he played in their parents’ untimely death. They accept and embrace him, and a lifetime of hardened barriers begin to crumble. On the precipice between good and evil, only Rosemary and her spirited defiance stands between him and villainy. But time and space are against them. As its weaving tentacles envelop them in an indifferent grasp, they are swept into a shattering series of circumstances that threaten the very makeup of their lives. But when time can be bent, nothing is written in stone.
Review
This book tells the story of Rosemary, a young nineteen year old sister who is left alone to take care of her somewhat rebellious younger brother and sister who can’t seem to keep reality and fantasy clearly separated. Their parents were shot on the way to the west, while they were travelling from their luxury life in New York to settle in Montana to start a cattle ranch.
Then one night Nicholas literally drops into their home, wounded, and full of secrets. The siblings decide to nurse him to health, and due to a series of events, Rosemary and Nicholas end married to each other.
This story is all about growing up and forgiveness. Rosemary and her siblings have to grow up in the true sense of the word. They have to let go of the silly rules of society and learn to survive in the rough country out West. They have to learn to trust each other, and let each other grow up. Both not easy things to do when you have lived lives of wealth and protection all those years.
Then they have to let Nicholas in, and they soon learn that even though he clearly has a dark and tainted past, he is wants to take care of them all, and provide for them. Rosemary soon finds her heart opening up to him, and senses the marriage to not be one of mere convenience.
Nicholas is scarred, on the outside, but most definitely on the inside. His secrets lie deep, and he fears that once all is revealed he might lose this sense of family he has finally found. The willingness of all of these three to let him into their home, and into their hearts, softens his hard exterior and lets the true Nicholas out that has always been lurking beneath the surface.
This story is a fun read. It had me turning the pages at lightning speed to find out where this all would go. There are some very colorful characters in this book, and some very surprising elements. The time element (I will say no more about this) was an element in the book, but not such an overpowering one, that the essence of the story, Rosemary and Nicholas, was lost in all of it.
I loved the surprising greatness of this book. It is one of those geodes that you crack open to reveal a beautiful amethyst inside. Definitely worth taking a look, it will not disappoint!
About the Author (s)
Caroline Gregory and Shawnette Nielson are a sister writing team who, despite the incongruity of their very different characters, always seem to be on the same page when it comes to their passion for reading and writing. The difference in their personalities create a well rounded vision of what life should be; stable yet chaotic. College, construction, motherhood, wrestling, management experience, or traveling the world as a nanny, all fall under the experiences of this pair.