# Recommendations for great frontier Western romance author or novel?



## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

I'm doing my research right now, but having a hard time finding what I want. I'm hoping some of you can help as I keep searching (searching GoodReads lists, online lists, etc.)

I'm looking specifically for a frontier (1800s to circa 1910) Western novel with at least a touch of quality romance. I'm not at all interested in contemporary western or poorly written "steamy" romance. I'm not expecting literary fiction, but the quality of writing has to be solid. For example, I read Linda Lael Miller's A Creed Country Christmas a couple weeks ago, but I'm not finding any of her other book summaries appealing as yet ... and some are definitely not frontier Western. As an alternative, Victorian era (American) historical romance is also interesting to me. 

Picky, I know, but I've been stuck on this since I read A Creed Country Christmas, and I'm now looking for other authors and novels in the same genre. 

Thanks in advance for any recommendations!


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## lmroth12 (Nov 15, 2012)

I can recommend the *Janette Oake "Love"* series. The first one is *Love Comes Softly * and is about a pregnant widow and a widowed father of a 2 year old girl who make a marriage of convenience. It's Christian but not blatant, i.e., mention is made of their daily Bible reading and church attendance but nothing preachy. It's a series of 8 books and spans a couple of generations, and is sweet, romantic, funny and moving. If you liked Little House on the Prairie that is the closest comparison I can think of for it. Lots of humor and family drama as well as romance that is clean yet makes your heart beat a little faster as you watch characters fall in love. And definitely set in the West: the heroine, who is from the East, discovers that if she wants to make a fried chicken dinner, she is first going to have to kill the chicken herself.


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## TWErvin2 (Aug 7, 2010)

You might take a look at Ghost of Lost Eagle and Maker of Angels by Dean Sault.

The first has a minor paranormal element (a ghost) and the second has a stronger romance element.

Maker of Angles has a book trailer that might give you a quick idea if it's of interest. (I think it's also very well done for a book trailer these days).

Link:


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Thanks for the recommendations along with your great descriptions. I'm off to go download samples right now. I appreciate the help!


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Jenna Kernan writes some very good western romances for Harlequin's historical line. I was very fond of _Outlaw Bride_, in which a woman whose pioneer family is stuck on a mountain pass in winter with dwindling supplies breaks the only man who can get help to them from prison and sets off to rescue her family. Lots of gritty descriptions about crossing the mountains in deep snow and surviving in that hostile environment.

Carla Kelly is another good historical romance author and a trained historian, so all her books are well researched. She mostly writes regencies, but she also writes western historicals on occasion. Some of her western romances have religious, specifically Mormon content, which may bother some people, but _Her Hesitant Heart_ is a non-religious western romance.

Finally, KBer Ellen O'Connell writes excellent western romances. Try _Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold_, _Sing My Name_, _Dancing on Coals_ or _Beautiful Bad Man_.


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Thanks Cora! All wonderful recommendations...and I really appreciate the extra detail. I'm going to check into them now.

BTW, since I last posted, I've become familiar with award-winning historical romance author Kaki Warner. I've downloaded Heartbreak Creek, but have yet to read it -- my usual book backlog! Kaki Warner's Goodreads page is below. Have you heard of her?

Kaki Warner: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3180713.Kaki_Warner

Thanks again for your interesting reply ... exactly what I'm looking for!


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Thanks TK ! Another author to check out. I majored in English and History and find I'm extremely picky about most fiction/authors. Usually stick to literary fiction or nonfiction. Not said to sound arrogant because I'm a picky person overall.  

Lately, however, I've been using these novels as a type of break or escape, but I don't like "steamy" novels, inaccurate historical detail or poorly written fiction, so there's a fine line with so many romance novels. I just want to escape to the frontier West for a moment in time!

I appreciate your recommendation. Have a great weekend.


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

libro said:


> Thanks Cora! All wonderful recommendations...and I really appreciate the extra detail. I'm going to check into them now.
> 
> BTW, since I last posted, I've become familiar with award-winning historical romance author Kaki Warner. I've downloaded Heartbreak Creek, but have yet to read it -- my usual book backlog! Kaki Warner's Goodreads page is below. Have you heard of her?
> 
> ...


I've heard of Kaki Werner, but I haven't personally read her yet. However, her books got a lot of positive buzz among discerning romance readers.

Another author of western romances you might enjoy is Maggie Osborne. Most of her books are older, written in the 1990s, but still available.

For American set non-western historicals, Kate Rothwell has written several historical romances set in New York during the gilded age. The titles are _Somebody Wonderful_, _Somebody to Love_ and _Someone to Cherish_.


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Cora ... Thanks for the additional suggestions. In addition to western romance author Maggie Osborne, I'm excited to look into Kate Rothwell. One of my very favorite classic authors is Edith Wharton. I'm fascinated by the Gilded Age and New York society and culture during that period in time. You read my mind!


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## lmroth12 (Nov 15, 2012)

libro said:


> Cora ... Thanks for the additional suggestions. In addition to western romance author Maggie Osborne, I'm excited to look into Kate Rothwell. One of my very favorite classic authors is Edith Wharton. I'm fascinated by the Gilded Age and New York society and culture during that period in time. You read my mind!


I also love Edith Wharton, not just for the glimpse into New York society and the Gilded Age but for her vivid character depictions, haunting word imagery, and her sense of humor. I thought of another author you might like to check out: Lucy Walker. She wrote primarily in the 70s and is an Australian author who places all of her stories in the Outback. They are contemporary and not historical but if you want to escape to a rugged land where life can still be somewhat primitive then I highly recommend her. I would suggest starting off with one called *The Gone Away Man * as it fully captures the spell she weaves when writing about this country where time seems to stand still. If you have ever been to South Dakota on any of the reservations (as I myself was a few years ago) you will get a sense of what she writes about as the landscape there is pretty much unchanged from frontier days and you can travel for miles and miles without seeing another human being. Amazon carries most of her titles so it won't be difficult to obtain them. I bought a few myself last winter just to see if her books were as good as I remembered and I once again was whisked away and enchanted.


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