Four Stars

I’m going to be honest, I was a little hesitant with this book. I love historical western romances, but I worry when an author bases their book off an actual historical event or group of people, they will be more concerned about historical accuracy and details rather than the plot. Luckily, Anna Schmidt put my fears to rest. Trailblazer is about a young woman, Grace, who takes a job as one of Mr. Harvey’s famous Harvey Girls. Harvey Girls are waitresses who make a good wage but have strict rules, including that they are prohibited to get married.

On the train to her new post in New Mexico, Grace meets ranch foreman Nick. The romance between Nick and Grace was intriguing. It was almost insta-love. Nick realizes he has a great affinity for Grace immediately and while they do court, their romance blossoms quickly. The romance was expertly interwoven with several subplots that kept me turning the pages. I had no idea where the book was going to go, especially after the young couple runs into what seems like insurmountable obstacles, more than once.

I have to say, the villain in this novel made me feel physically ill. He was truly awful and Ms. Schmidt did a great job portraying how difficult it was for single women when confronted with men in power. While the bad guy was terrible, there were many wonderful and caring characters to balance out the story. I found myself enjoying the little tidbits about New Mexico in 1889.

The only real sticking points that kept this from being a five star read were a slow beginning and a lack of time between Nick and Grace. The reader knows that they love each other, but a little too much of their time connecting happened off screen.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. I didn’t expect to be excited for the next book in the series, but I am! Lily is going to tie that sweet sheriff up in knots, I can’t wait!

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

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