"Out of the Embers" by Amanda Cabot

Out of the Embers (Mar. 3, 2020) by Amanda Cabot.*

Now a 23-year-old woman in 1856, Evelyn Radcliffe is homeless once again. The orphanage that became her refuge 10 years before and later on her workplace has been burned. Arson is apparent. Only she and a young orphan girl named Polly have escaped (she won’t share her last name). Evelyn’s certain that the fire is related to her parents’ murder a decade earlier, so she flees with Polly to Texas Hill Country and, specifically, Mesquite Springs. She finds shelter in the home Wyatt Clark lives in with his mom, Isolde, and younger sister, Dorothy. Wyatt is a horse rancher who became one out of obligation when his dad was killed, but his greatest desire is to make the ranch successful so he can get out of Texas. Evelyn just wants to feel safe and keep herself and Polly (whom she’s referring to as her sister) safe. A skilled cook, she opens up the one restaurant in town and quickly becomes known for her oatmeal pecan pie. She’s captured the attention of two men who seem to be in competition with each other: Sam Plaut, the town’s handsome lawyer, and Caleb Smith, considered the town’s handsomest bachelor who’s the son of the town’s blacksmith and who also works at Circle C Stables for Wyatt. But it’s Wyatt that makes Evelyn feel safe and who Polly has declared she wants for a daddy. It’s Wyatt that she finds easy to talk to. And now when Wyatt thinks of leaving, he realizes how much he’d miss Evelyn. With someone likely looking for Evelyn (or Polly), can she and Wyatt build a relationship amidst fear, stress and turmoil?

            Although this inspirational prairie romance was at times sickly sweet, a modicum of suspense and a clearly wicked antagonist kept the first in the Mesquite Springs series pretty lively. The romance did get to me, though. I’m not an eye-roller, but more than once did I want to roll my eyes. If I read one more line along the lines of, “He couldn’t stop thinking about kissing her lips,” I was going to go with a resounding no to any interest in the remainder of the series. And that would’ve been unfair, as this is the first I’ve read from Cabot. Sappy sweet aside, I did root for the main characters and supporting characters like Isolde, Dorothy and Caleb. I appreciate the strength of the women and how the tension and suspense of the plot kept the story moving forward.

            Thought: With such an emphasis on Evelyn’s oatmeal pecan pie, I was expecting there to be a recipe at the end of the story and felt let down when there wasn’t.

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”