Feb 27, 2023

Epic Wagon Train Enemies to Friends Opposites Attract Romance

A Trail so Lonesome (Wagon Train Matches Book 1) by Lacy Williams

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Genre: Christian Historical Romance, Clean Historical Romance, Wagon Train Romance

Location: Wagon Train Trail from Independence, Missouri to Oregon

Time Period: estimated 1860s / 1870s

Romance: Very clean. Light kissing.

Faith: Light. Talk about church and hymns.

About the Book

Spending five months eating trail dust wasn’t Leo Spencer’s first choice. Or his second. He’s not one to run away, but some situations can’t be fixed and his family—two brothers and a sister—needs to start over. Which is how he finds himself on a westbound wagon train.

Evangeline has a secret, one that has sent her on a journey across the plains on the Oregon Trail. When her father is badly hurt and she needs help, Leo is there. A deal is struck and the two unlikely friends form an alliance… that leads to more.

But Evangeline’s secret looms over her… and Leo’s family troubles are far from over.

My Review

Lacy Williams captured my interest immediately with the plight of both the hero and heroine as they leave with their families. Evangeline travels with her little sister and her father. She comes from a wealthy background in Boston but convinced her father starting over in Oregon would resolve her issues with being shunned by society.

Leo Mason is the oldest of a hodgepodge set of siblings. He sacrificed his dreams and desires to raise his siblings after his stepfather and his mother died. When his youngest half brother does something (we never found out what it was) which forced the family to start over by heading west.

The tension between the wealthy, bookish Evangeline and the poor, hardworking Leo starts from their first interaction. As they get to know each other and as Leo’s siblings help Evangeline learn the skills she needs to survive on the wagon train, the romance develops.

I love the way Williams slowly revealed Evangeline’s secret throughout the book, although I guessed it early on. The downside was that Williams never revealed exactly what happened that caused Leo and his siblings to leave. She danced around the topic and gave some hints, but I’m assuming she intends to reveal this later in the series. Despite not knowing, it did not detract from the overall storyline.

Williams also introduced a third point of view, one of Leo’s younger brothers about a third of the way through the book. While his point of view did not advance the story between Evangeline and Leo, it does clearly set up for the second book in the series, especially with the cliffhanger final chapter. I found his point of view blended well with the overall theme of the wagon train setting.

In the end, the romance and satisfying conclusion delighted me. I think fans of clean historical romance will love this enemies-to-friends opposites-attract romance.

Disclaimer: I requested and received an advanced copy of this book courtesy of the publisher. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

About the Author

Lacy Williams wishes her writing career was more like what you see in Hallmark movies: dreamy brainstorming from a French chateau or a few minutes at the computer in a million-dollar New York City penthouse. In reality, she’s up before the sun, putting words on the page before her kids wake up for the day. Those early-morning and late-night writing sessions add up, and Lacy has published sixty books in a decade, first with a big five publisher and then as an indie author. When she needs to refill the well, you can find Lacy birdwatching, gardening, biking with the kiddos, or walking the dog. Find tons of bonus scenes and reader extras by becoming a VIP reader at www.lacywilliams.net/vip

More from Lacy

Leaving Home

Do you remember what it was like when you left home? Was it a specific event that sticks out in your mind? Or was it gradual?

I moved into the dorms at my university when I was eighteen. After that, I felt sort of… in transition. I went home for winter break and during the summer, but I didn’t feel like my parents’ house was home anymore. I married my sweet hubby when we were both twenty and that’s when I felt like I had a true home again. (Even though it was a tiny one-bedroom apartment!)

My new series, Wagon Train Matches, is all about travelers on a journey across the country in their Conestoga wagons. In the 1850s, people would leave home, leave everything and everyone behind and travel across the plains and mountains mostly on foot. It was difficult and dangerous. And when they arrived, they didn’t have houses ready and waiting for them!

It’s been a lot of fun researching for this series. Understanding why people would risk everything for a new start. I think it would be both exciting and terrifying!

In A TRAIL SO LONESOME, heroine Evangeline wants to leave home for a new start. She’s carrying a secret with her (a bigger secret than the library of books she’s packed in the wagon!) and believes that starting over in Oregon will change everything.

Only it doesn’t take long on the trail for someone to discover her secret. Hero Leo has secrets of his own. He can’t afford Evangeline to look too closely at his family. But he also can’t seem to stay away from her.

Eek! I’m really excited to kick off this new series with A TRAIL SO LONESOME. I hope you love these characters as much as I have while writing them.

-Lacy