A Western Heart

The Heart of the West #2

by Liz Harris

Wyoming, 1880: Childhood sweethearts Rose McKinley and Will Hyde have always been destined to marry; and with their parents just as keen on the match, there is nothing to stop them. Except perhaps Cora, Rose's younger sister. Lovesick and hung up on Will, she is fed up with the happy couple. So when the handsome Mr Galloway comes to town and turns Rose's head, Cora sees an opportunity to get what she wants: Will...

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2014

About the author

Born in London, Liz Harris graduated from university with a Law degree, and then moved to California, where she led a varied life, from waitressing on Sunset Strip to working as secretary to the CEO of a large Japanese trading company.

Six years later, she returned to London and completed a degree in English, after which she taught secondary school pupils, first in Berkshire, then Cheshire, and then in Oxfordshire.

In addition to the eighteen novels she’s had published, she’s had several short stories in anthologies and magazines.

Liz now lives in Windsor, Berkshire. An active member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Historical Novel Society, her interests are travel, the theatre, reading and cryptic crosswords.

To find out more about Liz, visit her website at: www.lizharrisauthor.com. You can sign up to her monthly newsletter from her website, and as a thank-you gift, you’ll receive a free book, Word Perfect, a romance set in California.

Reviews

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rose and Will have been friends since childhood. They're both living on large farms owned by their parents. There's a lot of pressure because a marriage between the two of them would unite the farms. Rose knows it's only a matter of time before Will will ask her to marry her. The only person who doesn't want to see the two of them together is her sister Cora. She wants to marry Will herself and she will do everything she can to have a chance with the man of her dreams. When the sophisticated Nate Galloway visits the farm it's the ideal moment for Cora to strike.

A Western Heart is a wonderful novella. I liked it straight away. I fell in love with the atmosphere and the setting. Life at the farms is very active and there's always something happening. It's the end of the ninetieth century and so many changes still have to take place, that made this story quite interesting. This novella is sweet and very well written. Cora's planning and plotting are giving the story a great edge. I loved the ending! A Western Heart is a terrific, romantic summer read.

[Beverley Eikli · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful, sweet and thoroughly heart-warming romance! I really liked the fact that the characters were all decent and, for the most part, well-meaning, but that the plot wasn't predictable at all. I felt like I was living the characters' story, surrounded by good people, yet their trials and tribulations were so intense and realistic.

If you like your romance sweet and wholesome, and having your heartstrings pulled by a very worthy heroine and a super gorgeous and deserving hero - and to shed some happy tears after some anxious moments towards the end (I did!) - then you'll like A Western Heart.

[Robyn Koshel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Western Heart is comfort food in a book; it is like watching a John Wayne film on a lazy afternoon.

Rose and Cora are sisters, but Cora has eyes on Rosie's soon to be betrothed. Adding in a fourth party in the form of Mr. Galloway, and you have a square dance.

A Western Heart is an adorable novella that will make you long for calico dresses and a time when life was simpler. This gentle story is about sibling rivalry and finding ones hearts desires.

The gentility of the romance unfolds with the laid back charm of country life and is the perfect length for a quick enjoyable read

[Helen J Rolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved escaping into this entirely new world. The characters were realistic from the way they dressed to the way they spoke. It was a sweet love story in a very different time.

[Helena · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first read of the year was A Western Heart by Liz Harris. It was a delightful story which transported me back to 1880s Wyoming. It gripped me from the start and I would love a sequel to see what happened next in the lives of the characters who were both likeable and believable.

[Shruti Bhandari-Kothari · Rating 4 out of 5]

A warm and bitter sweet tale of romance, sibling rivalry and the love for unknown

[ReadingWench · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice and short. Good book.