Westward Hearts

Title: WESTWARD HEARTS

Author: Melody Carlson

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

September 2012

ISBN: 978-0-7369-4871-5

Genre: Historical

Elizabeth Martin has lost her husband, leaving her a young widow with two young children. When her brother, Matthew, is dumped by his fiancé, the two talk about long dead plans to travel west to the Oregon Territory. Plans that first fell into place when Elizabeth’s husband was alive.

The South is in unrest, with talk of secession, and the possibility of war, it seems like it’d be a good time to go.  Especially when Elizabeth’s mother starts having warning dreams about an upcoming war and what it might mean to the family. She’s had dreams like this before which, when left alone had come true, so she is especially worried.

But with Elizabeth a widow, will she and her family even be allowed to travel west with a train? And if she does go, how will she handle the unexpected challenges?

WESTWARD HEARTS is book one in Ms. Carlson’s new series, Homeward on the Oregon Trail.  The book is relatively slow moving, easily put down, but Elizabeth is engaging, and having a son the same age as Matthew in the story, I really felt for him. Written in Elizabeth’s point of view, readers will experience pioneer life in the face of war from a different perspective.

I enjoyed reading WESTWARD HEARTS and would recommend this to anyone who loves historical books as well as stories on the Oregon Trail. I’m looking forward to the other books in this series. $13.99. 304 pages.