Solitude Gorge

Redemption Mountain #10

by Shirleen Davies

Bringing her to the ranch was a very bad idea.
Now all he wants is to convince her to stay.


Blaine’s Wager, Book Seven, MacLarens of Boundary Mountain Historical Western Romance Series


Blaine MacLaren yearns to be a man his family considers a strong leader. After a lifetime living in his older brother’s shadow, his uncles finally give him the chance he craves—running their new properties near Settlers Valley. Embracing the challenge, he rides away from Circle M with only one regret—leaving the woman he desires more than he cares to admit.


Lia Jacobs has been running for four years, staying a few towns ahead of the family who plans to drag her home. Landing in Conviction, she believes herself safe, until a wildly handsome man turns her dreams upside down.


Beginning to trust him and forging a friendship, she starts to think a future, maybe even love, is possible. Then he rides away, leaving her alone with shattered dreams and a bruised heart.


The days are long, the nights longer as Blaine works to keep the woman he’d left behind from his thoughts. Nothing helps, until a series of threatening events forces him to focus on the ranch and not the throbbing pain in his chest.


Lia buries herself in her work, forgetting the danger of staying in one place too long. The arrival of those who search for her forces Lia to make a tough decision—one taking her away from a known danger and into the path of another.


She may have outsmarted those who chase her. But is exchanging one type of threat for another, one endangering her heart, any better?


Blaine’s Wager, book seven in the MacLarens of Boundary Mountain Historical Western Romance Series, is a stand-alone, full-length novel with an HEA and no cliffhanger.


Book 1: Colin’s Quest
Book 2: Brodie’s Gamble
Book 3: Quinn’s Honor
Book 4: Sam’s Legacy
Book 5: Heather’s Choice
Book 6: Nate’s Destiny
Book 7: Blaine’s Wager

Genres: Romance

329 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 29, 2018

About the author

Shirleen Davies grew up in Southern California. She attended Oregon State University, and has degrees from San Diego State University and the University of Maryland. During the day she provides consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses. But her real passion is writing emotionally charged stories of flawed people who find redemption through love and acceptance. She now lives with her husband in a beautiful town in northern Arizona.

Shirleen loves to hear from her readers.

Write to her at shirleen@shirleendavies.com
Visit her at https://www.shirleendavies.com
Comment at her blog https://www.shirleendavies.com/blog.html
Facebook Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/ShirleenDavi...
Twitter her at http://twitter.com/shirleendavies

Reviews

[Paula]

Solitude Gorge is a historical western romance by Shirleen Davies. It is book 10 of the Redemption Mountain. Since this series has been around for a while now it would be easy to think that is would have lost momentum. I can honestly say that Solitude Gorge is just as refreshing and astonishing read as the first book in the series. I love the lack of cultural restrictions and while it is a far cry from today, the settlers have an open mindedness that the eastern cities did not have. That is a realistic approach to the books that I liked, especially since history shows that some of the west was more open to women rights being than some of their counterparts in the east. I also like that there are women of means in these stories, none more so than Isabella Boucher.

Isabella is not an 1869 Cinderella waiting for her prince, she is a gracious, independent, thinking woman. Just the kind of woman, I believed made the west great. It would have been Travis Dixon’s great loss if he had lost her and he had lost enough. Still Travis more than drags his feet in his romancing of Isabella which with his past is somewhat understandable. However, I did want to knock some sense into him a time or two. That just shows how Ms. Davies’s writing causes the reader to become totally invested in the lives of the characters.

Which brings me to what I really love about her books, Solitude Gorge included. More than just a romance, these are stories of community life. How people were able to go west and form new bonds and new relationships after the Civil War. It is a glimpse into the struggles, the past heartaches and the rebuilding of their lives as well as of our country. It is hope and success, one family at a time. I highly recommend this book to western historical fans but also to all romance readers.

The publisher/author gave me a complimentary ARC of the book which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Gloria]

Trevor and Isabelle's story

Trevor was attracted to Isabelle for the time she got off the stage with Lena's son, Jack. She took care of him since he was a baby. To keep his evil father away from him.
She was a widow, and her husband had passed away. He was older than her and died from complications from a virus.
She fit in with the people of Splendor and became friends with the families.
Trevor fell on love with her
but felt like he wasn't worthy. He didn't own a house or had money. He was a widower. His wife and daughter died of an epidemic that went through their town while he was away fighting in the Civil War. When he got home, he found out how she helped so many people in town, and then she came down with the disease and gave it to her daughter.
Trevor couldn't get over the loss. But there was something about Isabelle that made him want to start living again. He loved her but didn't know how to tell her his feelings.
So many things happen to them, but their lives and love keep them together.
David Pooler comes to town telling her that her late husband had given him a letter on his death bed. Arnott wanted Isabelle to marry David. She didn't remember David being there that night. He was there to talk her into marrying him. She didn't have feelings for him. Her heart belongs to Trevor.
Trevor was determined to try to get Isabelle to marry him.
These two both knew the loss of a loved one and wanted to take care of their hearts.
Trevor knew he had to come up with a plan to ask her to marry him.
Another great story by Shirleen Davies.

[Curly Bibliophagist]

Travis trains horses for the Pellitiers. He fought for the confederacy during the Civil War. When he returned home, he found that his wife and daughter had died from an outbreak. He feels a lit of guilt over this and doesn't feel that he can ever love again.

Isabella is a widow. She was married to a much older man. They had a good relationship, mostly based on love and friendship. Her husband was wealthy so she is a woman of means. She came to Redemption Mountain because of a friend. She happily works as a nanny for a family and is happy with her life. She has good friends and a special interest in Travis. She loves him. He seems to care about her too. She hopes it can become more. She is shocked one day when Travis tells her he isnt the man for her. Heartbroken, she decides to stay seeing other men with the hopes of finding one she can share her life with.

Travis has soon realizes that his feelings for Isabella run deeper than he thought. Can he win her back? Can he love her despite the love he had for his wife and daughter? Can he protect her from dangers that come to Redemption Mountain?

I love this series. This book can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series because it is so good! There is a HEA.

[Linda]

Shirleen Davies brings us the 10th story in her Redemption Mountain Series with the story of Travis and Isabella. Shirleen has a gift for description of the setting in Montana for this series and I can almost smell the pines trees and feel the fresh clean air on my face. I am challenged with Shirleen's series by not having kept up with reading every single book in this series so I am not familiar with all the characters but that doesn't detract too much from the story, in my opinion. I like that Shirleen recognizes the fact that most pioneer women were very strong, smart, hardworking and contributed as equally as the men. The author makes her characters very real dealing with issues of loss, pain, happiness, romance, and of course, love.
I do not like reviews that retell the story and give it away so I refuse to do that in my reviews. I believe it spoils it for other readers and if you want a synopsis of the story those are available without my input.
I would recommend this book.
I received this ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Dianne V. Weems]

Travis's Healed Heart

Travis is another Civil War veteran who found a place in Splendor, Montana where the memories of the awful war and the worse loss of his wife and daughter who died of fever while he was away could be put behind him. He found the beautiful wealthy widow Isabella;
someone he needed in his life, but the pain of his loss caused such fear of more loss he couldn't commit to a life with her despite his love for her. Isabella traveled to Splendor to bring her best friends son to her and stay there with her friend. Isabella had married an older man and been widowed and now had no one else in her life. She was instantly attracted to Travis, but knew he still grieved the loss of his wife and daughter so she was patiently waiting for him to move on and realize what they felt was more than friendship.
This being the untamed West there are the outlaws to be dealt with. This is another Western Novel I enjoyed and I love the interconnections of family and friends that make up the town of Splendor, Montana and it's surrounding territory.

[Pamela Mitchell]

I love virtually traveling back to the old west via the Redemption Mountain series and feel like I am visiting with dear friends while meeting a few new ones. Solitude Gorge is a wonderful historical romantic adventure with danger, bank robbers shooting up Splendor, humorous moments, a close-knit community atmosphere, heartwarming romance and so much more. The story centers around Travis Dixon, a talented horse trainer who lost his wife and daughter to illness while serving in the Confederate Army, and Isabella Boucher, a beautiful and wealthy East Coast widow and nanny to a prominent ranching family

This is a must-read for fans of well-crafted historical western romance and will put you right in the middle of the action while glued to the book from the first page to the last.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the author and this is my unbiased review. I liked the book so much, I purchased a copy to read again later.

[Marlene]

This book is filled with action, thrills and the expectations of second chance romance. I absolutely loved it! I can’t recommend this series enough; the characters are endearing; the stories exciting; and, the depth of each book is excellent. The books can stand on their own but it is so much better if you start from the beginning and keep on reading. There are endless times where I sit smiling as I read the conversations and “carrying-on” of the people in the storylines. Imagine cowboys, Indians, robberies, children laughing and the lawmen who govern the town of Splendor, Montana Territory. It’s all in this book and great. I had to laugh when a couple men try to teach a group of women to learn self-defense. Again, I laughed when one of the women got so mad she kicked a thief and he begged her to stop. Thanks to this author for sharing this wonderful book in her Redemption Mountain Series.

[Sharon]

A great clean, well written historical romance set in the old west, with plenty of action and adventure! Shirleen Davies has done another outstanding job setting the stage in words for a great historical Western romance! She describes the area so well that you can actually picture yourself there! This book was just about impossible to put down once I started reading it. Travis is a well known horse trainer working for one of the biggest ranches in the area training wild horses. He has met and truly cares for Isabella who is a wealthy widow that is currently being a Nanny for a neighbor. Travis, doesn't think he is worthy to love again as he lost his wife and child to a disease while he was serving in the Civil War. Isabella is attracted to Travis as well and the adventures that they go through are amazing. This book has a great story and is very well written and even though it is part of a series, it is a great stand alone story!

[Judy]

Solitude Gorge by Shirleen Davies
Redemption Mountain Series Book Ten
Travis Dixon fought for the South and lost plenty. Returning to his Tennessee home to find his wife and daughter had died. Now, he works on a Montana ranch taming mustangs. He's enjoyed the friendship of a widow in town, but realizes he just can't chance love again...and lets her go.

Isabella Boucher won't marry for any reason but love next time around. And she could easily love Travis...but he doesn't return her feelings. She realizes it's time to move forward once again. To start living her life without depending on others. To move on without Travis.

The book continues giving glimpses into the lives of characters that have had their stories and more. Many other little stories are happening along with the thread of romance. Excellent story.
http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/...

[Margaret]

Awesome western historical romance. Each book I've had the privilege to read in this series has been entertaining, and so well done that you forget you're reading about fictitious characters. Ms. Davies brings in the main characters and tells us throughout the story of Travis and Isabella's joys and hardships in life to make them who they are. All the secondary characters are a mix of former soldiers, lawmen, and ranchers to make up the town's in which they all live. There is intrigue, suspense, good old fashioned shoot ours as this is the wild West. If you enjoy the old West this is an excellent romance to read. I received a complementary copy of this book and chose to write a review. I look forward to reading future books by this author. Thank you for sharing your talent.

[Juliana Ignácio]

In this book we have the story of Isabella and Travis.
Travis works training horses, tormented by the death of his wife and daughter, blaming himself for not being around them to try to save them.
Isabella is a widow and sometimes works as a nanny for prominet ranch family.
Feelings between Travis and Isabella are visible, but Travis feels guilty about moving forward with his life, choosing to stay away from Isabella, which leaves her completely heartbroken.
When a threat comes into town, Travis will do anything to keep Isabella safe.
Will this new approchement between them be sufficient to show them that they can have a future together and be happy?
I loved the story and to be able to see the other characters again.

[Donna]

Excellent. Love westerns where men are men and protect their women. Set in 1869. Travis's wife and daughter died while he was away fighting for the South during the Civil War. He didn't think he could ever commit to loving again until he met Isabella. Lots of misadventures before they find their HEA. Well written, strong women and men, realistic for the time frame, and very interesting. The men were chivalrous, protective, honest, hardworking, strong, and the women were soft yet strong as steel. What is there not to love? Give this one a try, I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.

[Rita]

The story of Travis and Isabella. Both widowed and finding love again with some complications along the way. Travis frightened to love again after the loss of his wife and daughter and feeling unworthy of Isabella who had inherited money from her late husband. Love prevailing in the end. Read an ARC for an honest review.

[Heather Paulsen]

For me Travis and Isabella's story is differnt from the rest of the Redemption Mountain Series. I enjoyed reading Solitude Gorge but kept waiting for the rise in action, which is typical of this series.

[John Boles]

Solitude Gorge

Each book by Shirleen Davies that I have read has been very good. I enjoyed this book as much if not more. If you like intrigue and suspense then this book has plenty. I would recommend it to anyone.

[Norma Gorrill]

Solitude Gourge

This is the story of a young man who falls in love with a young woman who is a widow with money. The town bank is robbed again by the same gang. This is my review and mine alone. Norma Gorrill

[Mary Jane McLeod]

Love this series

I'm so enjoying this series and all the characters of Redemption Mountain and Splendor. I was looking forward to Travis and Isabella's story and it didn't disappoint. These two went through a lot to get their HEA and it all makes for a captivating read.

[Patricia]

loved the book I have read most of the books in the series , if you like cowboys and strong women you will likethe story,

[Margie]

Shirleen Davies can be depended on to give us an action-packed story with strong well-developed characters, romance, humor, danger, and a few twists and surprises. I’m sure there were times Isabella wanted to strangle Travis, in fact, there were times when I would have helped her. I look forward to visiting Redemption Mountain again.

[Donna Rutledge]

I loved this book and this series. This book is about a man who needs a second chance at happiness but he's afraid to try again after his first family ended in tragedy

Isabella is a wealthy woman who has traveled west to meet up with one of her best friends. Landing a job as nanny to a wealthy woman's family. Isabella loves children but as a widow she has none of her own. She is wanting a chance at happiness with Travis but he maybe too broken to try again.

There are also ruthless men in the area wanting revenge on the North for winning the war. They want nothing more than to cause trouble and make the North pay. Traveling from state to state so far they are not on wanted posters but should be.

Travis is a man who was broken by the death of his wife and child. He just wants to work with the Horses on the Pelletier ranch and get through life. He has been successful at avoiding females until he meets Isabella. Is she enough to make him change his mind is the question. When she ends up a prisoner can he raise to the occasion and help her, he hopes so it's just been so hard these last few years of his life. He has to choose between keeping to himself or going after a woman he could love.