Book Review: Journey of Honor by Jaclyn M. Hawkes

Disowned, she came to America anyway. Attacked and left pregnant by a vicious mob, she still pressed on. Finally in spite of being accused of theft by the vilest of her attackers, Giselle tries to remain as upbeat and uncomplaining as a prairie wildflower as she travels on to Zion.

Thoroughly disillusioned with the ugliness and cruelty of slavery in the South. Trace Grayson leaves his young medical career to go west, hoping to leave bigotry and hatred behind. He begins taking goods by teamster train to sell in the territories. However, this fourth time across in July 1848, he's stuck in St. Joseph, Missouri, waiting for enough wagons to join the train so that they can leave.

Knowing that if they don't start west soon, they ll be caught by snow in the mountains. Trace is thrilled when the final wagon signs on. Then, when the beautiful young Dutch girl traveling with the last wagon is falsely accused of stealing and is detained, the whole trip is jeopardized. Thrown together by circumstances, Trace and Giselle team up to begin to figure out just how to make this epic journey across a continent a success.

With a deep sense of honor and an equally strong sense of humor, together they learn to deal with everything except the one trial that neither of them can overcome.

This is a journey through the refiner's fire.

My Review:

Journey of Honor takes some of the most popular elements of fiction and weaves them together in one - history, romance, adventure.  We learn to respect Trace for his dedication to doing what was right, Mose for being a stable influence, and Giselle for bearing her burdens cheerfully.  We get a taste of daily life on the trail and what it must have been like for the pioneers as they made their way across the plains, facing things we've never contemplated.

I did have a few small issues with the book - I would have liked to see more showing, rather than telling.  I also felt that the editing was a little loose - the story deserved to be gone over and made to shine.  I didn't find it believable that Trace, who was a doctor, didn't know Giselle was pregnant.  Each of these things pulled me out of the story, but I delved back in to see what was going to happen next.

Regardless of the issues I had with the book, I did find it an enjoyable read and think that it will appeal to anyone who wants a good romance.

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of this novel for review purposes, but this did not influence my review.