Review: The Accidental Guardian

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When Trace Riley finds the smoldering ruins of a small wagon train, he recognizes the hand behind the attack as the same group who left him as sole survivor years ago. Living off the wilderness since then, he'd finally carved out a home and started a herd--while serving as a self-appointed guardian of the trail, driving off dangerous men. He'd hoped those days were over, but the latest attack shows he was wrong.

Deborah Harkness saved her younger sister and two toddlers during the attack, and now finds herself at the mercy of her rescuer. Trace offers the only shelter for miles around, and agrees to take them in until she can safely continue. His simple bachelor existence never anticipated kids and women in the picture and their arrival is unsettling--yet enticing.

Working to survive the winter and finally bring justice to the trail, Trace and Deborah find themselves drawn together--yet every day approaches the moment she'll leave forever.

Genre: historical romance

Publication date: April 2018

Mature content: no

Review: I loved reading The Accidental Guardian. I think the story is very well crafted and historically well portrayed. 

I'm rating it with just four stars instead of five because in some places the plot is very slow moving and because, towards the end of the book, I had the feeling the romance between Trace and Deborah was being a bit too rushed. It's clear from the start they are attracted to each other, but I always had the feeling she was settling in with the easiest alternative available and not truly in love. At that time and in her place, most people would have gone with the easiest alternative, which was staying with Trace in the house he had built for her, so I failed to see any romance there until almost the very end of the book.

 

Also, with the appearance of new characters in the final pages, a lot was left unsaid, though I expect it will be duly clarified in the next two books in this High Sierra Sweethearts series. 

Happy readings!

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