Sunday, August 9, 2015

{Kregel Blog Tour} Heartbreak Trail, Andrea Carter Book by Susan K. Marlow

Book Description:  Andrea Carter can ride, rope, and cut out cattle with the best of her brothers’ ranch hands. Yet, her mother has always held the family’s youngest daughter back from fully participating in ranch activities.

With the approach of her fifteenth birthday, even the ranch boss, big brother Chad, can’t deny that his baby sister is better at ranch skills than some of his cowhands. When Andi announces that her quinceañera birthday wish is to join the upcoming cattle drive, her family is stunned. But after further discussion and multiple newspaper clippings about spirited women who balked at society’s expectations, even Mother agrees that the only way to get this cattle-drive notion out of Andi’s head is by letting her and her cousin Levi go along as Cook’s helpers. Andi is elated. What can go wrong on a two-week drive to Los Angeles?
Andi quickly discovers that a cattle drive is a dirty, dangerous business with little sleep and the same food day after day. Between late nights, dust, mosquitos, and an abrasive cowhand trying to win Andi’s attention, it is definitely not a holiday. Andi grimly determines she will stick it out. When a river crossing goes wrong and Chad is shot in a gunfight with suspicious men who have been shadowing the herd, Mitch the trail boss finds himself dangerously shorthanded. Andi and Levi can no longer just give Cook a hand. It’s time to pitch in and help Mitch get their cattle to market―any way they can.

My Thoughts:  Susan Marlow is a new author to me.  I chose this book because I wanted something a little different to read this summer.  A change of "page," so to speak.  However, when I chose this book I didn't realize it was the second in the Circle C Milestones series.  
I delved right in and was pleasantly surprised at the story....
Andrea Carter is fourteen years old and quite the ranch hand.  She can ride, rope and help with the cattle.  Rather fearless too.
Living in Texas I know important a quinceañera or 15th birthday celebration for a girl can be.  
So when Andi decides she wants to join the cattle drive for her special birthday...she gets her wish and her parents let her go on the cattle drive as a cook's helper. And Andi learns something about herself in the process.
Most girls want to dress up and be fancy for their 15th birthday celebration but not Andi...hand her a cowboy hat, boots and off she goes.
This is quite a fun read.  Each chapter begins with a short journal entry from Andi and then the chapter is the story.
This is a great read for preteen-young teen (8-14) girls.  I'm an adult and enjoyed learning about cattle drives, cooking on the range and sweet friendships.  And a sweet surprise for Andi at the end of the story.
A delightful story!

*This book was provided for review by Kregel Publications*

Series: Circle C Milestones (Book 2)
  • Paperback: 168 pages
  • Publisher: Kregel Publications (July 27, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0825443687
  • ISBN-13: 978-0825443688

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