Review: An adventurous historical romance
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 25, 2013
History wasn't my favorite subject in school, but it might have been if  Becky Lower had been teaching it. This author has a gift for picking a time and place in American history and bringing it to life. The time is 1856 and the place is St. Louis - Gateway to the West.Samuel Jones, a circuit preacher from rural Pennsylvania, has uprooted his large family and brought them to St. Louis with the dream of joining a wagon train to Oregon. He fears that Civil War will soon break out and wishes to get his young sons out of harm's way. But Samuel's spirit is stronger than his flesh. He has been ill for most of the journey and collapses in St. Louis.The Jones family is in dire straits. The last wagon train of the season departed months earlier and they are stranded with a dying father and no financial resources. Enter Basil Fitzpatrick - the first person they meet in St. Louis. Basil helps them find a doctor for Samuel, shelter for the family and employment for the oldest daughter, 18 year old Temperance Jones. However, the position he would really like to offer the lovely Temperance is that of his mistress. Temperance is a proud and determined young woman. Although she is strongly attracted to the handsome banker, this preacher's daughter has no intention of becoming any man's mistress. Temperance is committed to fulfilling her father's dream and will do whatever it takes to get the family to Oregon.This book is more than a historical romance. It's an adventurous story with danger and disaster looming around every corner. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I read it twice. For a good time, pick up Banking on Temperance and travel back to 1856 St. Louis.