Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Dreams in Deadwood by Kari Trumbo

Posted April 5, 2017 by meezcarrie in Christian, giveaway, historical, Kari Trumbo, romance / 9 Comments

He has a vice as bad as her father.

Jennie Arnsby wants nothing more than to turn around and go home.

Her family is on their way to Deadwood, SD, when Aiden finds his way to their small wagon train. His teasing and banter leave her wanting to toss him out the back and in the dust. When they are separated outside the city, she is left wondering if she’ll ever see him again.

Aiden Bradly wants to find his gold and return home. Nothing more.

He can’t afford to get tangled with a woman. He’s doing just that until he meets the feisty Jennie. She gets him thinking about his past and forgiveness, but what’s more important, his past or his new future?

Aiden will either redeem his past or claim a treasure greater than he could ever imagine, but he must choose one.

SERIES: Seven Brides of South Dakota #1
GENRE: Inspirational Wild West Romance
RELEASE DATE: February 28, 2017
PAGES: 298

Other Books In This Series

Dreams in Deadwood by Kari Trumbo is a sweet western romance. The series itself follows characters first introduced in A Ruby Glows (part of the Cutter’s Creek series) – a family of sisters relocating to Deadwood, South Dakota. It can be definitely read as a stand alone but there were times, especially early on, when I felt like everyone knew each other but me 😉

The romance between Aiden and Jennie is full of flirting (mostly from Aiden) and emotion (mostly from Jennie) and some great kisses! Aiden in particular is flawed but solid, keeping him relatable as well as swoony. His backstory is intriguing and layered.

While I loved Aiden as a character, more than once Jennie’s character seemed flat to me. Her decisions, her dialogue, her actions … sometimes she just didn’t make sense to me. Along those lines, a new element of her character/backstory is introduced nearly at the end of the book, a time when I was expecting storylines to wrap up not get started.

Bottom Line: Overall, Dreams in Deadwood is a great way to spend an evening (or a weekend, depending on reading speed). Readers will find both the history and the hero engaging, the heroine sweet if a little shallow. Jennie’s sisters set up a nice foundation for the rest of the series, too, particularly Hattie and her decisions. If you’re a fan of western romance, you’ll want to try these books!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 3.5 stars / Pleasant read

KissingBook Level: 3 / May forget to breathe on occasion

Kari Trumbo is an inspirational romance author, blogger and proud home schooling mother to four great kids. She interacts often on reader groups on Facebook and volunteers at the local library when needed. When she isn’t writing, she is obsessively reading and expanding her skills as a wordsmith. Kari lives in her great-grandfather’s remodeled 1890-built home in central Minnesota with her husband, children, cats, and one hungry wood stove.

Other Books by Kari Trumbo