Blog Tour/Review: Willow Springs by Carolyn Steele

Tour Schedule

Willow Springs, by Carolyn Steele
2014, 240p, Historical Romance
My Rating=4 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the publisher for an honest review



Discover true love on the Utah frontier! Crissa Engleson is searching for a new life in the town of Willow Springs when she attracts the unwanted attention of a miner—and falls in love with a handsome Express rider. Laugh and cry with Crissa as she escapes her past to find love and helps the townspeople along the way.

Crissa is trying to start a new life in Willow Springs. She's working at Henders Inn and has caught the attention of Garth Wight, a miner she's not interested in and views as harmless. A Pony Express rider, Drake Adams, comes to town and catches her eye. His father, Warren Adams, pretty much owns the town. Drake has decided to retire and is settling down about an hour away from Willow Springs. They are attracted to each other, but things get complicated when Crissa's past starts to catch up with her and Drake appears to be interested in someone else.

This book started out kind of slow to me and took a while for me to become invested in the characters and their lives. However, once it got going, it became hard to put down and the ending moved very quickly. The mystery unfolded slowly, which I love since it makes me keep reading. I also felt like I got enough information for it not to become frustrating. 

Crissa is likable and learning about her past made me sad for all she'd gone through. She was trying to start over and has good reason to want to. She and Drake liked each other from the first time they met but there was plenty to keep them apart. I liked Drake but he did seem to send Crissa mixed signals so I understood her confusion. There were quite a few twists and turns and revelations and I wasn't sure what the ending would look like.

There are also some great side characters. There's one that I disliked in the beginning but as I learned more about him, I changed my mind and wished things had turned out differently for him. There were plenty of character flaws in all of them and they seemed realistic to me. I had to wait until the end to determine how I felt about some of them. Willow Springs was full of lots of secrets! If you enjoy historical romance with some mystery included, this is a book for you!

Amazon  * Barnes & Noble * Books & Things

About the author: 

Born and raised in Utah, Carolyn Steele was introduced to western novels at a very young age by her grandfather, the son of a gold miner. She has been writing technical and marketing communications for most of her adult life. Her nonfiction articles have appeared in numerous national magazines. She earned her undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of Utah. Married and living in Salt Lake City, Utah, Carolyn loves researching obscure history then weaving it into stories. She also enjoys family dinners with her children and grandchildren, photography, travel, golf, reading, and all forms of needlework.