Jessica Nelson

It's rare I read a book where I just want to linger (because of the author's beautiful language/writing) and can't stop myself from burning through it. I was 100% immersed.

This is a CLEAN regency romance with all the fun of a historical setting and all the joy of suppressed attraction, societal expectations, and a need to be proper. I hate to say it, but I'm disgruntled. Thoroughly. WHY DID THE BOOK HAVE TO END?! The characters are engaging. Their struggles are solid. The developing romance show more is so sweet, and the external conflicts make for a compelling plot. I've read far too many romances where the plot is the romance. *snore* How about some depth, people? Life is never about merely falling love. It's about the people who surround us and the external pull each one holds over our hearts, energy, and focus. I adored the emphasis on family and the values the story embraces.

About the actual writing... Having penned a few things in the past, I was in absolute awe at how many different ways the author showed the characters responses/emotions. Every single reaction was unique. Do you have any idea how much effort/attention/time it takes to make EACH sigh, look, or touch completely unique for an ENTIRE NOVEL? Yeah. Blown away. I have to applaud Ms. Nelson for a job VERY well done.

And did I mention I wanted to stay with the characters a bit longer? --Not because the plot didn't tie up nicely, but because I loved the book. Loved. I was ready for another regency from this author as soon as I closed the cover. (Come on, Jessica. Give me another, eh?)

If you love regency romance, read this book.

Content warning: NOTHING. Absolutely nothing. Hand this story to your five year old and you won't have a single reason to blush. ...Not saying a five year old would appreciate the story... show less

I find myself very polarised about this book. On the one hand, I enjoyed the gist of the story, the characters and the narrative voice. On the other hand, I often found myself incredibly insulted by the religious messages that it was pushing. I’m going to start with these.

Gracie, the heroine, is a devout Christian who sees God’s hand in everything. That’s fine, especially considering that this is set in the early 1900’s. But as soon as she discovers that the three male characters on show more the ranch do not share her beliefs she is shocked and tries to sway their opinion with some God babble. This clearly shows that Gracie has no respect for their beliefs – or lack thereof as the case may be. Even more frustratingly, the story goes down the path of “atheists don’t really not believe in God – they do believe in Him, they just hate Him”. That’s Gracie’s epiphany about Trevor, the hero. This stance annoys me to no end. If you don’t believe in God then you can’t hate Him because you don’t believe He exists. I’d really like to read a story where the religious and irreligious learn to see eye to eye without either giving up on their core beliefs, but I have yet to find one where both characters don’t end up Christian.

There’s a question at the end of the book:

7. Uncle Lou doesn’t talk about God or seem interested in Him. Do you know people like that? What makes someone uninterested in God? Is there a sensitive way to share faith with a person like Lou?

Yes I do – in fact, I know more people who aren’t interested in God than who are. I’m uninterested in Him because I’ve read enough of the Bible to know that I do not believe it to be divinely inspired. There are sensitive ways to share faith with people like Lou, like me, but this author does not manage to get anywhere close. Instead, she – through Gracie - is condescending and does not even try to look at things from the atheist’s point of view. She just pities them for not having her God in their life, not being able to turn to Him in their times of need. This annoyed me so much. I find it incredibly insulting. This is such a shame because when the story actually focused on the plot – Gracie’s desire to meet her hero, Striker, and Trevor’s determination to keep his alter ego from her all while exploring their budding attraction – I really enjoyed it all. But God always came back when you least expected Him. It got to the point where I was seriously tempted to skip whole portions of the story because of this. Instead I just allowed myself to get irritated.

The story itself was fairly transparent. As soon as Mendez, Striker’s enemy, and his means of crime are mentioned, it’s obvious how things will pan out at the climax. Most of the story focuses on Gracie discovering life in the Oregon desert – very different to the busy socialite existence that she was leading in Boston.

I enjoyed her evolution from shallow, annoying Gracie to a much more rounded, better grounded Gracie. The location was also perfect and very vividly drawn. Setting it all against the backdrop of the deadly Spanish flu allowed the author to keep the small number of characters very isolated, which worked in the story's favour. Even how Gracie was trapped in an existence she didn’t want by her over-bearing but well-meaning and old-fashioned parents lent an interesting side to the story as they prevented Gracie from really finding her own two feet. She would practically become another character around them: very quiet, demure and submitting to their wishes, however unwillingly.

Trevor was my favourite character. I liked how he had to battle the horrors of his past in order to be able to get to the point where he could accept the happiness offered to him in his present.

In all, I ended up with two conflicting feelings about the book. I suspect that it will really appeal to Christian readers, but as an atheist, I ended up feeling insulted by its religious message and its treatment of the topic. I wish the author had kept religion out of it all: then it could have been a lovely romance that I would display with some pride on my shelves! It’s a shame that the religious message ruined it for me. show less

Gracelyn Riley's parents send her off to her uncle's ranch in Oregon when influenza hits Boston hard. Being an independent thinker and wanting to make her own way, she sees this as an opportunity to track down the illusive "Striker", get an interview and make a name for herself as a journalist. What she doesn't count on is falling for Trevor Cruz and the Oregon territory. Trevor works closely with her uncle and causes feelings to stir in her as never before. Trevor thinks Gracelyn needs to show more be a little less chatty, especially about God and "Striker". Despite that, Gracelyn tugs at his heart like no one else ever has. Keeping his identity a secret is paramount so a future with her cannot be. But Gracelyn is loaded with determination and won't stop until she's found "Striker".

This was a very good and interesting read. The setting is in 1918 so you have a story with a mix of horses and cars along with telephones and indoor plumbing which I found quite interesting. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters. I especially liked Trevor. He was rough and rugged but had a tenderness to him. Gracie was a full-of-life lady who came from high society but loved the freedom that Oregon brought. She was definitely a non-conformist but also tried to stay true to what the Lord required of her. It was her faith that made a difference in Trevor's life. One thing that stood out was that we can't blame God for the things people do. A very good point. Unfortunately people do. Love on the Range has some action, some suspense and a thoroughly enjoyable ending. You also learn a little about the origin of the FBI. A thank you goes to Harlequin who provided me with this complimentary copy through Netgalley for my review.
File Size: 480 KB
ISBN-10: 0373829140
ISBN-13: 978-0373829149
Print Length: 286 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Historicals (April 1, 2012) show less

Love on the Range by Jessica Nelson
ISBN: 9780373829149
Gracie has arrived by wagon and will stay with Uncle Lou. He has a ranch in Oregon and his housekeeper is Mary. Trevor who picked her up at the station is also watching Maryto be sure none kidnap her or do worse.
Gracie has escaped the disease in the East and hopes to meet the notorious Mr. Striker as she's written some articles for publication.
She can't believe they don't really pray at meals or go to church so she will tag along with show more Mary when she meets up with friends on Sunday. Gracie did get in the back of the
wagon and hitched a ride to town to find out if anybody knew where Striker was. The Government is also looking for him.
She is beside herself when her parents show up with a guest before Christmas. She is still trying to find out more about Striker but she has also done some other investigating nto business matters.
Gracie is very opinionated and likes to have her freedon of speech and dress and it's sometimes getting her into trouble by voicing her opinions and doing things not normal for woman of her station.
Trevor talks to her of God and thinks she can understand the way he feels about that.
Now there is another mystery to solve, it just never ends...
Love tale of the government and talk of how the FBI first started out.
Really enjoyed the ranch live and hidden secrets and other mysteries. show less