Eva Edward’s live changed the moment her husband drank from the gopher poison jug.  Alcohol was a substance Elmer Edwards could not resist.  That fateful day in May 1935 he had one whisky too many that led to his death.  Yet Eva was glad he was no more, theirs was an arranged marriage devoid of love.  The only jewel she had to call her own from that unhappy union was Maggie her stepdaughter. 

The rural district of Qu’Appelle in Saskatchewan was a harsh place to live.  It did not show any favours to fools who refused to read the tell tale signs of its moods.  Elmer Edwards was a lazy man leaving most of the work on the farm he ran to Eva.  The loves of his life centred on alcohol, gambling and himself.  His daughter and young wife only got in the way of his pleasure.  If they did not do as he required his wrath became another danger that needed facing when living on a farm in the valley.

As fate would have it on Elmer Edwards last day above the ground before his coffin became part of it, a dust storm swept the valley.  It was a fitting farewell to a man known for his foulness and unsociable nature.  The dust storm did more than disrupt the funeral service, it brought with it hope for the future of Eva Edwards and Maggie.   

Tate Prescott Brown found himself sheltering from the raging wind and blinding dust in the company of a young woman and a child.  The woman was defensive, even rude and very stubborn, quite the opposite to the child.  Tate’s refined manners got tested to the limit, yet he felt an attraction to the woman he could not explain.  It was an attraction that would get him into an entanglement he had no preparation for.

Author Ryshia Kennie has penned an interesting tale of the conflict between a man and woman.  Her writing style is simple yet powerful in its effect.  For within a few pages of reading, empathy has grown between the reader and the characters.  They transform from just words on the page into real people with feelings of love, hurt and betrayal.

I found the book a joy to read and I feel lovers of the romance genre will get a great deal of pleasure from the book.