Review: Rocky Mountain Dreams

Rocky Mountain Dreams
By Danica Favorite
Love Inspired Historical, 2014


Summary

The last thing Joseph Stone expects to discover upon arriving in Leadville, Colorado, is a newfound little sister. Hoping to find his late father's silver mine and hopefully keep his siblings back home out of an orphanage, Joseph needs an ally. The preacher's lovely daughter agrees to care for the little girl. She's just not as willing to trust the prospector….

Annabelle Lassiter has seen what men do in pursuit of riches. Yet for all the hardship he's known, Joseph still shows tenderness and warmth. Annabelle's plan has long been to leave Leadville far behind. But Joseph's quest for silver could cost them a more precious dream—one of family, love and new beginnings….


My thoughts

Danica Favorite's debut story, Rocky Mountain Dreams, is an enjoyable story, just the type that hits the spot when you want something heartwarming and upbeat. Romance, Wild West adventure, an interesting cast of characters, and a vivid setting all combine to entertain fans of historical romance like me.

Danica did a great job conveying a sense of place in the 1881 mining town of Leadville, Colorado, evocative of one of my very favorite musicals, The Unsinkable Molly Brown. And we see several contrasting themes - greed/generosity, betrayal/loyalty, prejudice/acceptance, judgment/forgiveness, broken relationships/reconciliation. Love and commitment to family are also strong themes, which I especially appreciated.

Joseph and Annabelle make a good couple and, as might be expected, it's a long time before things run smoothly for them. Annabelle's compassionate father runs a mission for the miners, and I enjoyed journeying with Annabelle as her faith strengthens and she discovers her own compassion and calling. Joseph is a caring and responsible hero, whose main mistake is in deciding for himself how Annabelle feels. But it's Joseph's six-year-old sister, Nugget, who captures hearts and steals the show.

Danica's descriptions of life in the mining camp are excellent and there's also a good bit of danger and suspense. I'm not a big fan of suspense, so this wasn't my favorite element, but it was a key part of the overall story and worked well as such. Spiritual themes were skillfully woven into the story - such as prejudice, judgmental attitudes, and forgiveness.

Rocky Mountain Dreams was a very good read overall and I look forward to more from Danica Favorite. Recommended to fans of historical romance.

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A self-professed crazy chicken lady, Danica Favorite loves the adventure of living a creative life. She and her family make their home in Denver, Colorado, where they enjoy the mountain lifestyle with the comforts of the city. Danica loves to explore the depths of human nature and follow people on the journey to happily ever after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps are what refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for. Oops, that just spoiled the ending of all of Danica's stories. Then again, getting there is all the fun.

Connect with Danica online at danicafavorite.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.