It's no secret that I have always enjoyed Sandra Dallas' historical fiction stories and TOUGH LUCK is exactly why. Two orphans, a brother and a sister escape the orphanage, where Haidie's older brother who is a gambler puts them. She has to find their father who is trying to strike it rich in Colorado in the 1800's. Haidie disguises herself as a boy so she and her brother Boots can get jobs on a wagon train headed west. Hang on tight my reading friends. This story is so intense you will be constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. TOUGH LUCK will stay with you long after you finish reading it.
Along the way, they run into so many colorful characters and have to deal with a lot of tough situations. I’m not going to give away much more of TOUGH LUCK, you just have to take my word for it so that you will not be disappointed. So much more happens on these pages that your heart will be in your throat at the same time as you are holding your breath! Overall, TOUGH LUCK is a book I can say nothing but fantastic things about. There is so much heart in Sandra’s writing that I was left with a huge smile on my face and my heart was very happy.
Sandra Dallas sure did her research for TOUGH LUCK and it really shows while you are reading. You will feel as if you are right in the middle of a very long trip to Colorado. I loved traveling along with Haidie as she was determined to find her father. Sandra Dallas really knows how to write about love, heartbreak, and forgiveness. I can’t wait to read more by this wonderful author. Spend the afternoon on your couch under a blanket with a hot drink, devouring this beautiful story. You will love every minute of it!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Fresh Fiction. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
In this homage to True Grit, a young woman makes a perilous journey west in 1863 in search of her gold-mining father.
After their mother dies, Haidie Richards and her younger brother, Boots, are put to work in an orphanage. Their father left four years earlier to find a gold mine in Colorado Territory, and since then he’s sent only three letters. Still, Haidie is certain that he is alive, has struck gold, and will soon send for them.
But patience is not one of Haidie’s virtues, and soon she and her brother make a break for it. Boots and Haidie, disguised as a boy, embark on a dangerous journey deep into Western territory. Along the way, Haidie learns fast not only how to handle mules, oxen, and greedy men, but also that you are better off in a community. Hers includes a card shark, independent “spinster” sisters, and a very fierce dog. Once she arrives in Colorado and finds out the truth about her father, Haidie will need all her new friends for a get-even plot worthy of The Sting.
Filled with vivid period detail, colorful characters, and the irreverent voice of our scrappy heroine, Tough Luck celebrates both the tenacity of youth and the persistence of the heart in the great American West.
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