About the Book: Sadie
Wagner has always been devoted to her family. So when her stepfather is
injured and can't work, she decides to leave home and accept a position
as a clerk at the mercantile in Goldtree, Kansas. Goldtree also offers
the opportunity to use her God-given singing talent--though the promised
opera house is far different from what she imagined. With her family
needing every cent she can provide, Sadie will do anything to keep her
job.
McKane comes to Goldtree at the request of
the town council. The town has been plagued by bootlegging operations,
and Thad believes he can find the culprit.
After he earns enough money doing sheriff work, he wants to use it to pay for his training to become a minister.
Thad
is immediately attracted to the beautiful singer who performs in Asa
Baxter's unusual opera house, but when he hears her practicing bawdy
tunes, he begins to wonder if she's far less innocent than she seems.
And when Sadie appears to be part of the very crimes he's come to
investigate, is there any hope the love blossoming between them will
survive?
My Thoughts: I'd say the biggest strength of this novel was the colourful and engaging characters. The Baxter twins were likely my favourite and were a great source of humour. Asa was great as a villain. Sadie was the perfect heroine - likable and wholesome, yet multi-dimensional. Thad was interesting both as a love interest for Sadie but also as he struggled to determine if his calling to be a minister was truly of God or simply induced by guilt.
I also appreciated the morals or lessons that the story taught. Some themes explored include how right motives do not necessarily equate right decisions, how seemingly small concessions can quickly spiral out of control, and that telling the truth is better late than never.
Thank you to Stephanie and Amy from Litfuse Publicity for organizing this tour and providing me with my complimentary review copy.
