Pretty Pride

Families who settled in the frontier of America had grit or died. Some died anyway, often from reasons undiscovered for years. Zola Pretty and her younger brother Forest find their family homestead up for auction, and themselves included in the property sale as ranch hands, just to keep a roof over their heads. Ms. Bell deftly illustrates the deep-rooted strengths of honor, pride, and tenacity, highlighted in the endearing Lola, Forest, and the man who wins the Pretty property and buildings, Leif Kenyon. The despicable Amos Emory shows his insatiable greed in the extremes he goes to in order to secure the property. Is it because he is infatuated with Lola or something more sinister?

The Pacific Northwest in the late 1800s is an ideal setting for this exciting Wild West tale of the life and times of small towns with interdependent associations and blatant gossip. Readers get to walk through the evolving town, travel in comfort on steam trains through the majestic Rockies, watch entrepreneurs develop new commerce to grow the thriving region. They will also experience the work necessary to grow homesteads into family empires. Zola and Leif begin their unplanned relationship from opposing sides, built on their convictions. Still, they strive to find common ground and realize mutual respect is critical to success. Unexpected events threatening the Pretty Homestead feed the action and adventure of the story while bringing good versus evil into the forefront. Each problem unites the couple as the reasons for the ongoing threats get uncovered. Fans of Westerns will enjoy the historical elements and romantic undercurrents as they race through the pages to discover the truth.

Simone Dober