Review: Interesting take on the California Gold Rush
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 19, 2013
California during the 1850's Gold Rush was no place for a woman and Owen Carlton knew that only too well. He and Sam had been looking for gold like all the other hopefuls but between the two of them, Sam was better at finding the nuggets. Unfortunately, Owen was better at spending the money at the local saloon.After finding a rather large nugget, Owen sat drunk and bragging at the local watering hole. He was proud of his Sam finding the biggest nuggets, and as he told the story, two men overheard him. Sam had been a bit of trouble in town attempting to drag Owen out of the saloon and had been thrown out of the front door into the mud for her efforts. Then there was the beehive incident, but the men decided to kidnap Sam for the boy's gold finding skills.Sheriff Trace Wallace overheard the two green outlaws and hoped they were the claim jumpers he'd been looking for. He was working undercover and decided to fall in with the unlawful pair to protect the kid.Hardheaded Sam was a handful and Trace quickly found out Sam wasn't a boy but a beautiful young woman hidden away in men's clothing which included a large hat which she never took off. As Trace watched her, studying her delicate features he caught a glimpse of her long, flowing tresses; his heart was swept away.Trace liked his life as a loner and Sam had long played the role of a boy and knew nothing of love but he was changing and she was learning. With the arrival of another group of outlaws, things changed and it didn't look good for the pair.Terri Crews writes wonderful tales of the old west. I have enjoyed both of her books and got so wrapped up in the characters, I couldn't put the books down. I'm a California native and know exactly where the story took place. Ms Crews' paints lovely pictures that sweep the reader back to Gold Rush days.