Where the Trail Ends

About the Book:

A young woman traveling the Oregon Trail in 1842 must rely on a stranger to bring her to safety. But whom can she trust with her heart?

For two thousand miles along the trail to Oregon Country, Samantha Waldron and her family must overcome tremendous challenges to reach the Willamette Valley before winter. Together they weather autumn storms, hunger and thirst, and the dangers of a wild and unfamiliar country. But when their canoe capsizes on the Columbia River, they must rely on handsome British exporter Alexander Clarke to rescue them from the icy water.

Alex escorts Samantha and her young brother, Micah, to Fort Vancouver. There Samantha is overwhelmed with men vying for her affections, but the only one who intrigues her-Alex-is the one she cannot have. When his betrothed arrives unexpectedly from England to escort him home, Samantha becomes determined to create a home for herself and Micah in the fertile valley far away from the fort. But how will an unmarried woman support herself and her brother in the wilderness alone? Then Micah disappears into the wilderness one rainy night, and Samantha must rely on the man she loves-the man she’s trying desperately to forget-to rescue her brother before it’s too late.

About the Author:

Melanie Dobson has written ten contemporary and historical novels including five releases in Summerside's Love Finds You series. In 2011, two of her releases won Carol Awards: Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa (for historical romance) and The Silent Order (for romantic suspense). Prior to her writing career, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family and a publicist for The Family Channel. She later launched her own public relations company and worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for more than fifteen years. Melanie and her family enjoy their home in the Pacific Northwest. The entire Dobson family loves to travel and hike in both the mountains and along the cliffs above the Pacific. When Melanie isn't writing or playing with her family, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, line dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.

 My thoughts:

This book was my idea of the perfect book.  It had some history, struggles, faith, and of course love.  I homeschool my kiddos and this year we are studying US History and of course part of that is the Oregon Trail.  Guess what?  This book takes on the struggles of traveling the Oregon Trail, obstacles they come across and even death. 

As I was reading Where the Trail Ends I wondered what my family had struggled with in the Pioneer days, had they killed a bear or lost a family member while they were traveling?  I remembered my great-grandmother telling us about being lowered down some really steep areas by ropes and I cringed when Melanie described a wagon breaking as it was lowered over a cliff.  I LOVED this book and passed it on to my 12 year old daughter and told her that she needs to read it and we'll discuss it when she's finished.  I can't wait to hear what she thinks, she was of course born in the digital computer age and never knew any of these types of struggles (I thank God she hasn't had to struggle like Samantha, the young lady in this book.)

I've never read the American Tapstries series but I was intrigued by this book and can't wait to read more!

I give Where the Trail Ends 4.5 stars for all of the tenacity that Samantha shows, her struggles for a new life for her and her brother and for the fantastic historic fiction, it was intense!

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Thanks for reading,