A River To Cross by Yvonne Harris ~ review

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House; Original edition (August 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764208055
• Review copy provided by the publisher
• Want to purchase a copy? Click here.

About the book:

Texas Ranger Jake Nelson patrols the U.S.-Mexico border, protecting the settlers from cattle rustlers, outlaws, and bandits. Sparks fly when Manuel Diego stirs up a revolt against the government, which leads to the murder of a newspaperman, who is the son of a U.S. senator, and the kidnapping of his sister, Elizabeth Madison, a journalist in the making.

With Elizabeth's photograph in hand--a dark-haired beauty with smiling eyes--Jake rides over the border to find her. After the Rangers defeat the marauders and rescue Elizabeth, Jake is surprised to learn she's not the spoiled daughter of a senator that he was expecting. In fact, he finds himself taken by her. And she by him.

But the Mexicans won't give up that easily, as Elizabeth becomes the target of an all-out hunt. Leaving Elizabeth back at Fort Williams, Jake and his men set off again, this time to go after Diego himself--to apprehend him and his renegades and bring them all to justice.
Meanwhile, Jake knows what's begun between him and Elizabeth is undeniable. Amid all the turmoil, Jake finally admits how much he loves her. She tells him the same. Until now, they've lived in different worlds, yet it is those differences that drew them together.


My take on this book:
I love historical novels, and if they are set in the west then that's just an added bonus.In this one Yvonne Harris transports us back in time to August 1886 in El Paso Texas. Elizabeth Evans moves to Texas from Washington to look after her brother Lloyd and his daughter Ruthie after the death of his wife and newborn son, and in return he will teach her the newspaper business,but instead her brother is shot dead and Elizabeth is kidnapped by Mexican outlaws. When Jake Nelson, a Texas Ranger learns of the shooting and kidnapping he sets out to rescue Elizabeth.When he finds her there is an immediate attraction,but could a relationship ever work between the two?


With plenty of page turning action from the beginning, this book is certainly a quick read.I enjoyed learning  a bit about the Texas Rangers,and the time period in general, while reading a sweet romance. I liked main characters in this book. Both were dealing with issues from their past that caused them to guard their hearts. Jake's heart was broken by his fiance, and the death of Elizabeth's husband Carl, who was killed in the line of duty in the Army, caused her to fear getting involved with someone who might put their job first. 


I think anyone who enjoys a good historical fiction western,with romance and plenty of action will certainly enjoy this fast paced read, I know I did.


rating 4/5