Sunday, October 12, 2014

Dreaming On Daisies-MiraLee Ferrell

Dreaming On Daisies
MiraLee Ferrell
David C. Cook, Oct 1 2014, $14.99
ISBN: 9780781408103

In 1861 at the family ranch just outside Baker City, Oregon, irate Leah Carson cannot believe her widower stepfather Charlie Pape fell off the wagon again.  She and their aging help (Buddy and Millie) struggle to keep the spread afloat, but Leah knows they are in trouble.  When a stranger arrives in a wagon with her dad, Leah sarcastically thanks him for buying him drinks.  Banker Steven Harding wants to correct her misconception as he met her Pa when he may have ran him over, but instead leaves to escort his mom and sister Beth to the latter’s wedding ceremony (see Wishing on Buttercups).  At her nuptials, Beth introduces her friend Leah to her brother Steven.

Leah comes to town to obtain a loan from the bank, but Steven rejects her application.  Still he wants to help the troubled damsel in distress so he volunteers to work on her ranch as he once owned a spread.  As the couple works together, they fall in love.  When Leah’s past materializes, she could lose everything.  She needs to trust in God, herself and her beloved Steven, but has doubts about all three.

The third Love Blossoms in Oregon western romance (see Forget Me Not) is an engaging historical due to the respective personal issues the lead couple confront.  Steven struggles with no longer being the sole caretaker of his mom since his sister came home as he feels himself drifting due to lacking a purpose as he had for years; while Leah deals with an alcoholic parent and the surfacing of her past including her runaway younger brother.  Although at times the storyline gets too melodramatic, Dreaming On Daisies is a delightful Americana.


Harriet Klausner

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