I love history almost as much as I love Cowboys. And my most favorite period in history to study, read about and learn about is the American Civil War.  Well you can believe I was totally doing the ‘Teacher Oooh Oooh Me!‘ when it came down to signing up for the opportunity to read and review this book and thankfully I was given the opportunity.  I’d never read any of Diane’s work before but as the subject matter really appealed, I was sure I would get on fine with the author.  That was a major understatement!

Diane is part historian, part Literary artist and part storyteller.  She gathers these multi-hued threads and weaves them together in a wonderful and fascinating way, one that keeps the readers rapt attention on both the threads and yet wondering what the end product will turn out to be.  Tom is her hero who, after returning a changed man from the war, was ready to settle down and love Addie for the rest of his days.  Now not only a new husband but an instant Pa to her young children, he wants and needs to become the amazing man and Pa his dad was.  It is 1866, the  year after the end of the war. He has determination, a fair amount of money he earned by re-upping and the abundant love of a very good woman by his side.  Hoping and praying, Tom steps into an uncertain future.  I love these characters.  I felt like I was in the story with them and they were my friends, maybe even my relatives.  Diane had an incredible gift to be able to create that feeling.

I truly cannot put into words in an adequate manner how this story affected me. It was broad and sweeping like the American landscape yet intimate enough to feel like home and family.  Diane’s wording is what does it.  It takes the mundane and makes it almost reverent.  And the lovemaking – for in this book it truly is – goes from the tender and loving to almost sublime and spiritual.  Truly a magnificent book, one I would recommend to all who love a good historical western romance!

Visit Country n’ Cowboys for a giveaway of this book.