For fans of A Knight of Silence and Read My Lips comes a YA historical western full of grit and heart...
In 1874, Ivy Steele's deafness is more than a handicap. It's a disease. Surrounded by a family that doesn't understand her, she's learned to cope and find solace where she can. Then, the unexpected happens. Her aunt dies, and her uncle sends her away to rejoin her father's family in Montana.Left to fend for herself, after the companion hired to escort her abandons her, sixteen-year-old Ivy faces continual hardship and danger. Several men see an unaccompanied Ivy as a flower ripe for the picking, and things only get worse when masked men hold up their stagecoach.
Barely scraping through, Ivy makes it to Montana with her nerves shaken and what little money she has in her boot. Expecting a peaceful if not affectionate welcome, Ivy finds herself in greater hardship than she's ever known.
Surrounded by a stepfamily that hates her, and flung into a life where hearing is vital, Ivy finds solace in a handsome cowboy named Remy. But things with her new family are not what they seem. And Ivy is about to find out that the danger she faced on the journey west, has followed her to Montana...
Bethany Swafford dazzles with her stunning young adult debut, introducing a strong heroine, the hardships of frontier life, shocking twists, and a slow-burning romance that will leave you wanting more.
Third place winner of the 2018 Rosemary Award
I really enjoyed this story, probably more than I thought I would. I was hesitant at first because I was a little nervous of the dangers a deaf girl might face in the west and the men trying to take advantage of her. Thankfully the book did not go in the very dark direction it could have gone, but that doesn't mean she didn't have hard trials. Bethany did a great job of getting me into the characters head, feeling with and for her, wanting to protect her and desperately wanting justice to be done. I loved getting to know the character, loved hating her enemies, love loving those she loved, and loved seeing the changes in everyone as the story progressed. I admit that the end came too soon. I feel like there was just that glimmer of hope and then it was over, so I hope that there is more to learn about her and her story as she goes forward, perhaps a second story of her future. But overall I enjoyed it, I would and have already recommended it, and it's a great read. It held my attention and wouldn't let it go.
For as long as she can remember, Bethany Swafford has loved reading books. That love of words extended to writing as she grew older and when it became more difficult to find a ‘clean’ book, she determined to write her own. Among her favorite authors is Jane Austen, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Georgette Heyer.
When she doesn’t have pen to paper (or fingertips to laptop keyboard), she can generally be found with a book in hand. In her spare time, Bethany reviews books for a book site called More Than A Review.
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