Book 1 of 3

Clara was raised by her loving aunt and cruel uncle. Now that uncle is dead Clara tries to take her aunt to Oregon the start a new life. Life is still hard and the are left behind by their wagon train. Now stranded in Buttonwood, Clara makes a Barton with a storekeeper. Clara will play matchmaker to the storekeeper’s son and she will be granted a lovely home in town.

Saul is finally a doctor. His big heart always goes the extra mile for any distressed person. He has become the guardian of an abused 13 year old girl. He has travel west to look after his father’s store while his father is away on business. His father has some secret plans for Saul: marry a local girl and settle in Buttonwood. ( )

The story line and plot is good, not too predictable. The writing is well done. ...break...Not much Christian content except attending church and a few times of portraying a sense of trusting in God during circumstances. ...break...(Author used my pet peeve: "harping" on the same concept/ same thoughts...third verse...same as the first. It was only a few times, yet it really bothers and bores me for a paragraph or so when its the _exact_ same thoughts rehashed.)

It has been a long time since I read a frontier romance, but this one seemed fresh. This is a wonderful story, and while we knew how it was likely to end, the path from A to Z was not straight and predictable. It was full of the flavor of the 1850s Nebraska Territory setting without ever overdoing it (threshing, taffy pulling, the difficulties of the Oregon Trail).

This storytelling was rich. It was not a comedy, but it definitely had its light side. Neither was it a tragedy, though it had dark threads running through it.

This book may have two missed opportunities. In the first, our protagonists have a disagreement about whether anyone does anything from disinterested motives. This question is left hanging unresolved. ...Maybe there is no answer to that one. Finally, the tidying up that occurs in the last couple of pages may be a little too neat.

I recommend the book to someone looking for a well-written, entertaining frontier love story that offers strong, appealing female leads; strong, good men; and lots of period flavor. ( )

I have read other historical books by Kelly Hake, but I must say that this one was a favorite! Kelly has the talent to mix history with romance and faith, making a wonderful story! Her story line is tender and loving.

When I sat down to read this book, the first couple of pages took a bit to really capture me, but once I got past those pages, I was totally into the book, the characters, the plot and I didn't want to put the book down!

Kelly Hake is a young writer, but somehow she captures the life, fashion, faith and work of history. All these things together make a highly enjoyable read, and I totally look forward to book 2 in this wonderful historical series, because I am so not ready to say goodbye to these characters!!

This book is a 5 star, two thumbs up all the way! If your looking for a good, clean, Christian book that will capture your heart, I recommend Kelly's book to you!!!

*This book was provided for review by Babour Books* ( )

My review is from reading an ARC version thanks to Angie of Barbour Books. An enjoyable read by an author new to me. In the same way that I enjoy, but do not absolutely love the work of Cathy Marie Hake I earnestly enjoy the writing of Kelly Eileen Hake as well. Being the same age as the author also gives me another reason to awe and praise her work. In the future I definitely look forward to reading many more stories from Kelly Eileen Hake to come. First let me start with the only real downside I see to this book or rather to the Prairie Promises Series, I just do not like the covers on bit. Not sure what it is, but in comparison to other covers out there, these just do not do it for me. As for the story, this is a good plot of matchmaking that backfires on the maker as it often will. The witty humor is fun and the characters are enjoyable. After reading the first sections I felt that I knew what was going to happen, but that is okay. Every once in a while you need a story like that. The best part of the descriptions of prairie life for me were the detailed recipe instructions of the food made by various characters through out. for my preference, these are no Mary Connealy (which I absolutely love!), but never the less enjoyable prairie promises of romance and I look forward to the rest of the series. ( )