Review ~ Where the Four Winds Collide ~ Hildie McQueen #ShelfLove

Where the Four Winds Collide by Hildie McQueen
Six Pack Ranch #1
Release Date: January 1, 2013
Genre: Adult, Historical Romance, Western
Source: Contest Win 
Rating: 3.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #ShelfLove
Goodreads

Synopsis
Adeline Buckley escapes her abusive father only to find herself in a brothel, on a stagecoach to the untamed west and married to a stranger, all in that order. Plotting another escape becomes harder, the more she gets to know her new husband.

Jackson Pruitt didn't expect a secretive mail order bride to show up the same week cattle wrestlers absconded with a large part of his herd. The bigger surprise was the loveliness of the woman. Why would a beauty like her need to travel so far to marry?

Jackson and Adeline learn that secrets and marriage do not go hand-in-hand when both of their pasts comes knocking and both have to come to grips with the reality, that sometimes trust comes only after you lose it all.

I was drawn to this book for its historical element and that it's set in West Texas - for the most part - where I'm originally from. This served as my introduction to McQueen and I'm not a fan. I'll certainly seek out more from her.

What Worked:

• Character development. I quite enjoyed the characters. Adeline was well drawn as this young woman who's been mistreated by the men in her life - one who's been seen as property and insignificant. I liked watching her blossom under Jackson's treatment. Jackson is a good man. He's fair, hard-working, loyal, and he shows all these attributes once Adeline comes into his life. Secondary characters were well-drawn too, overall. There were a few that seemed more one-dimensional but they weren't all that important to the plot.
• Mail-order bride trope. I liked McQueen using this element. There was definitely a lack of women in the territories as the U.S. expanded west and this theme was well used in the story.
• The drama. The elements of the story used to create drama and tension felt genuine and realistic.
• The detail of daily life. I liked seeing Jackson work the cattle and Adeline go about daily chores.

What Could Have Worked Better:

• The detail of daily life. While I liked seeing Jackson work the cattle and Adeline go about daily chores, a bit more detail would have been welcomed.
• Speech. This story is set in West Texas where there is a definite pattern of speech and an accent. This is nit-picky of me but being from the area, I'd have liked to have had the accent conveyed.
• The resolutions. There were 3-4 plot points where the resolutions were a bit too easily come by.

Despite my "issues" with Where the Four Winds Collide, this story was inherently readable. I looked forward to picking it up and finished it rather quickly. My introduction to McQueen was pleasurable and I'll be reading more from her.