Synopsis

In the wild mountains of the Montana Territory, the Coulter ranch is a place of family, loyalty…and a hidden fortune.

Two Stones has lived most of his life as an outsider, shifting between two different worlds—the orderly village of his Salish family and wild mining towns. Though he’s not fully accepted anywhere, he’s made a name for himself trading between the tribes and the miners, even making a trusted friend or two along the way.

When he arrives in Virginia City a week before Christmas, the last thing he expects is to be summoned to the bedside of one such friend, whose dying request is that Two Stones marry his daughter. Two Stones knows she’ll never accept him as a true husband, but she needs his protection. At least she’ll be safe in the Salish village with his parents while he continues doing the one thing he’s good at, locating specialty trade items. Staying always on the trail—alone.

After escaping the controlling clutches of her deceased husband’s family, all Heidi wants is to rebuild her life her way. Yet when she reaches the Montana Territory to reunite with her father, she doesn’t know what’s worse—arriving mere days before his death or hearing his dying wish that she marry a Salish brave he trusts. Two Stones may be a good man…but to marry him? Yet when she barely escapes an assault, it’s clear her father was right. She’s not safe alone in Virginia City. She’ll have to make the best of things as the wife of a native.

The journey to Two Stones’s village proves far more perilous than he anticipates, yet Heidi’s resilience reveals a depth of character he didn’t expect. As they near the end of their trail, Two Stones begins to realize this inconvenient marriage might really be a Christmas gift he’ll always treasure.

(via Amazon)

Review

This sequel takes place only a few months after the first book except it begins in Virginia City with Two Stone’s perspective. He was one of my favorite characters in the previous book, so I was glad to get the chance to see the 1860’s Montana Territory through his eyes particularly since he is a Native American.

Heidi is the main female love interest in this story. She has a past littered with father issues and marriage issues, having been in a relationship for several years with her abusive husband. These rough experiences shaped her into the stoic and emotionally distant woman she embodies throughout the story. These traits end up being a blessing in disguise when a couple of traumatizing events occur to her. She is able to keep her cool and not lose her cool, like most people would have. She is clearly struggling with her faith at the beginning, particularly after her father passes away, questioning why God has allowed these things to happen. As her relationship with Two Stones grows, she becomes aware of his deep faith in God, and this allows her to put more and more trust in Him herself, leading up to the eventual final event in the book. She started out not wanting anything to do with Two Stones and resenting her father’s final wish of their marrying, to becoming more welcoming and even thankful for those turn of events.

Two Stones is just as strong and secure as he seemed in the first book. His loyalty is apparent right off the bat when he blindly answers the call to his good friend (Heidi’s father). He remains loyal to Callum not just until he dies but makes a vow to follow his wishes that would affect Two Stones for the rest of his own life. Being warry of marriage himself, he chooses to bury those feelings for Heidi’s sake and even tries to compromise with her to allow them to still have their own lives while being married. Overtime, those feelings begin to evolve into a need to be a good husband to Heidi. Due in part to God softening his heart, and to the events that force him to protect her as his own. Heidi begins to lower her own walls around him, allowing him to know the true person underneath the beautiful exterior. He never loses his faith and trust in God’s will and mercy and allows Jesus to take the wheel on multiple occasions throughout the book. You also get more of Two Stone’s own backstory which connects the dots as to why he is so distant from his tribe and so attune to the ways of the white people.

This installment is about a quarter of the length of its predecessor so you could easily knock this out within a day. That being said, I was a bit disappointed in how short it was. There was quite a bit of set up and anticipation for future events, especially when it comes to Two Stones and Heidi making it back to the Salish tribe. While I was glad all the Coulter family made an appearance once again, this book felt more like a novella then an official sequel. The romance was fast paced compared to the first which could be seen as either a positive or negative depending on each reader’s own patience with romancey plots. Like the first book, the choices that are made fall in line with the personalities of the characters, so I was never irritated by the actions of anybody.

All in all, if you enjoyed the style of the first book and want a quick and enjoyable read, I advise to give this a chance. Afterall, there are still six more books in the series that may make up for the abrupt pacing of this one.