Ever Faithful

GIVEAWAY

BARNETT, KAREN
EVER FAITHFUL

Yellowstone's iconic geyser is fairly predictable. Elsie's future is anything but.

It's 1933 and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal shines like a light against the dark despair of the Great Depression. The government gives unemployed young men an opportunity of a lifetime, but it will mean leaving his family by signing up for the untamed West.

Nate Webber takes a chance to help his family by signing up for the new Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Although he hides a shameful secret, Nate exchanges the harsh Brooklyn streets for the wilds of Yellowstone National Park, curious to see if the Eden-like wonderland can transform him as well.

Elsie Brookes was proud to have grown up as a ranger's daughter but longs for a future of her own. After four years serving as a maid in the park's hotels, she still hasn't saved enough for her college tuition. A second job, teaching a crowd of rowdy men in the CCC camp, might be the answer. Elsie is drawn to the beautiful spark within Nate, but she knows the scars she carries are for too ugly for any man to love.

When tragedy strikes the park, threatening to undo all she's done to leave her past behind, can Nate and Elsie uncover the truth before all their dreams go up in smoke?

My Review:

"When you hold yourself separate from the world, you cheat others of the light God has placed inside you." (p 156)

Love the park setting, the depression era history and the shadow of mystery! Ever Faithful is another wonderful addition to Barnett's Vintage National Parks series -- and I'm praying it's not the last though it is the dreaded third book in the series which likely means it is. :-(

The author brings both setting and characters to life and I've enjoyed the glimpse into the desperate realities of the 1930s. Not only do I feel like I've actually visited Yellowstone Park but I feel like I have a better understanding of the hardships of the time. Particularly through Nate's eyes as he's plucked off the crowded Brooklyn streets and deposited in the wilds of a national park.

Loved this city slicker's learning curve and how his new situation brings his innate leadership skills to the forefront. In just a sentence or two, Barnett manages to point out poignant contrasts between the bleakness of city life and the relative bounty Nate experiences in the Civilian Conservation Corps. Talk about making an emotional impact on a reader! And when he meets Elsie -- well, let's just say the course of true love never did run smooth!

Then there's the mystery. Starts off quietly unsettling and grows into something so much more. This 'professional' armchair sleuth did not see that end coming. At all! Score one for the author who stumped me. :-)

Ever Faithful is the kind of page-turner that held my rapt attention right to the very last word.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Ever Faithful, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 12 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!