Ella: Prairie Roses Collection – Book 12

When the town learns Peter Winslow is a liar, cheat, and murderer, they won’t leave his widow, Ella and her children alone. They look at her with pity, but they share nasty gossip behind her back. Things in the schoolyard are horrible for her children. Her brother, Conner, assures her it will blow over, but she doubts him. She has inherited land and a house in Washington from her father, and she is determined to join a wagon train and move there from Missouri. Tucker McAlister is a deputy marshal in Missouri who has just lost his job. His new job is to ride security with the next wagon train to Washington where he will be sworn in as a marshal in Tacoma. It is during his time with the wagon train that he takes a liking to Ella and her children, but Ella has vowed never to depend upon men again.

“Ella” is a sweet romance between an endearing marshal and a determined woman set on starting over on her own. The journey feels realistic, encompassing real obstacles. Most of the description in this story is about Ella’s incredible Conestoga wagon, Miller’s Folly.  There is no description of the characters and little of the journey they are taking. All of the secondary characters are one-dimensional. Ella and Tucker need some fleshing out as the main characters. Although they end up together, there is no real chemistry between them. An enjoyable story, it is a stand-alone novel in the Prairie Roses collection. This is a story which will delight those passionate about American historicals.

Belinda Wilson