Since this book is part of a series and I already have all the books to read, I decide to start with this one from the fall list.
Like I said, this is the first
book of a series of four called Dakotah Treasures, each book is named after a
gem found in the area (How cool right?!), anyway our story starts with our
heroine, Ruby Torvald, living in New York with her little sister, Opal, and
working as a governess for the Brandon family. After five years of working and
living there she gets a letter from her dying father telling her to come to
Little Missouri, better known as Little Misery, in the Dakotah Territory. She’s to bring her little sister, who never
met her father, and collect her inheritance, but she’s to come as soon as
possible because her father had been sick for a long time and could die any
day. The letter mentioned that she had to go to “Dove House” to find him once she
reached town, but as soon as they do they realize that their new home is actually
a brothel…
Obviously our heroine was horrified
and more than a little upset with her dad for saddling her with such a place and
telling her to bring her young and impressionable little sister with her. To
top it all her dad dies the same night they arrive, but not before getting to
know little Opal and making Ruby promise to take care of “the girls”. Since
Ruby is a good christian woman she makes extreme changes to the establishment
that cause some negative reactions from the men in the town.
Of course the story doesn’t end there
but I won’t spoil it for you. I will say that the story is complex because of
the many lives that you live through it. There are many complex characters and
many little plots within main one, so it is a good read. I must also say that
our heroine is an admirable young woman, she never gives up and fights hard to
protect and provide for her little sister and the “girls”; she is one
smart-fire-spitting-witty lady. The story provided incredibly fun times in the hands
of ten year old and also very serious ones, while still managing to be incredibly
inspiring. It showed that there is no need to have a lot of experience to do what
you need to; all you need is God, faith and a little effort on your part.
The only thing I really have to call
the author on was that huge cliff-hanger at the end of the book, of course I
know the story continues in the next book but those incomplete endings are the
bane of my existence. Hopefully all the loose ends will be tied in the next
books.
Overall excellent story, there’s a
little mystery thrown in there for good measure, and more than one challenge
for them to overcome together; from
economic issues, to overcoming prejudices, to facing things that no woman
should ever have to face.
Something that really got to me personally
was Ruby’s strength and drive to fulfill her promise. I also really liked that
she was able to ask for forgiveness whenever she messed up, albeit grudgingly
but she still did it.
If you’re interested in the book, here's the ISBN number: 9781441203236.
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