Susanna's Choice by Sara Luck ~ review

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books; Original edition (December 27, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451650426
• ISBN-13: 978-1451650426

About the book from Goodreads:

Set in the tumultuous frontier days of the American West, this thrillingly authentic debut novel illuminates the passionate choices of one woman’s heart.

A chance encounter . . .

Wealthy entrepreneur Rab Trudeau is seething mad. A Nevada newspaper is printing fraudulent stock prices that could force his silver mine to close. Posing as an investigator from San Francisco’s Great Western Detective Agency, which he happens to own, Rab travels to Nevada to uncover who’s behind the false claims. Soon after stepping off the train, he rescues a beautiful woman from an oncoming carriage—and in one blinding moment, both are consumed by the powerful strength and seduction of their embrace.

An uncertain destiny . . .

An aspiring writer for The Pioneer, Susanna agrees to interview the stranger whom everyone is talking about, and is shocked to discover he’s Rab Trudeau—the gentleman who saved her life. Promised in marriage to the wayward son of the couple who raised her after her parents died on a westward-bound wagon train, Susanna fights her overwhelming desire for Rab. But as the mine scandal heats up and turns violent, Susanna must make an impossible choice—one that could bind her to Rab forever or destroy any hope of their future happiness.

My take on this book:

Susanna Ward was only five years old traveling west with her family in 1859 when they were struck with cholera, all died but Susanna. While the members of the wagon train contemplated what to do with the youngster, because everyone was afraid Susanna had Cholera and would infect their family. When one man speaks up offering to take her for 1000 dollars everyone on the wagon train chips in and comes up with the money. The family that took Susanna in was the Kirklands, and while they raised her and treated her well, they always reminded her that she wasn't a part of the family. Fast forward to 1878 , the Kirkland's run one of the biggest emporiums in Virginia City, Nevada, and it was sort of expected that Susanna would work for the store but she had other ideas and went to work for The Pioneer the local newspaper. When the paper starts running stories about Rab Trudeau's silver mine saying that it is going out of business the stock prices plummet, and the problem is the stories aren't true. So Rab decides to travel from his home to Virginia City to go undercover as a Great Western Detective Agent  to try and figure out where the rumors started. When a chance encounter has Rab saving Susanna's life they can't forget about each other, but there are several obstacles in their way. How will things work out between Susanna and Rab?

Well this book captured me from the first pages, the prologue opens  with a little girl (Susanna) standing in the middle of the Oregon trail looking at the graves of her family. Wondering what fate had in store for little Susanna I anxiously started reading the story, but for me the book really didn't take off for at least 100 pages.  Once the story took off though I was anxious to see how it would end.

I really enjoyed the historical setting and reading about the issues with the paper, and how Susanna was discriminated against, with her editor wanting her to write the important stories under her co-workers byline. There were  plenty of secondary characters to round out the story. While I enjoyed the characters and the setting there were a couple of things that bugged me, one was the fact that some scenes just felt unrealistic, and I also often felt bogged down with descriptions.

This book was just a middle of the road read for me, but it wouldn't keep me from reading more from this new to me author.

rating 3/5