Book Review: The Strong One (Cutter's Creek, Book 2) - Vivi Holt
Synopsis:
Sarah Songan is a woman on the run.
In an attempt to find peace with their neighbors, the Apsáalooke chief has promised her hand to a soldier at Fort Smith, and Sarah’s determined not to be traded or bartered like an ornament. She strikes out on her own, leaving behind everyone and everything she has ever known. However, a woman travelling alone in 1866 Montana territory can fall prey to unscrupulous men. Sarah must confront her fears and draw on an inner strength she didn’t know she had, as well as a new-found hope in God, if she is to survive.
Bill Hanover is a tired and lonely cowboy. After four long years fighting in the War Between the States, he returns to his family ranch in Montana only to discover it’s no longer his home. He heads south to Cutter’s Creek, where he encounters a beautiful woman whose feisty spirit takes his breath away. But she’s hiding a secret, and her past is about to catch up with her. Bill turns to God for help and guidance, and encounters a new kind of love.
Set in beautiful, wild, and untamed nineteenth century Montana, this novella will take you on a journey back in time to the perilous life of a pioneer on the western frontier.
My Thoughts:
After the passing of her mother, Sarah’s tribe decides that it is best for her to marry a white man (same as her father) and move away so that trouble does not find them. Sarah does not want to marry someone that she doesn’t know and feels that the elders are wrong in wanting to force her away. She comes up with her own plan and runs away leaving behind her only friend Ky.
On the run, Sarah finds employment which ultimately leads to her finding trouble. A terrible patron of the bar she works at has set his eyes on her and wants to have her as his own. Sarah is having none of it and slips away on the run again. Little did she know this time, she would be running right into Cutter’s Creek where she will find people that care about her.
With all the hardships Sarah has faced, Sarah has a hard time believing that love can exist for her even if she longs for it. When Bill, a lonely cowboy, meets her for the first time he is knocked off his feet with her beauty and wants to get to know Sarah better. Even when Sarah fights the growing attraction she has for him, Bill falls for her more and is determined to break through her barriers that she puts up.
This was such a sweet beautiful story with characters that are real and likeable. You get a true feeling of their emotions, heartaches and struggles that they have to face. I liked that the biblical references that were throughout the book were not overpowering to the story but helped to create a loving Christian home. It gives you some pause to stop and think and realize that people now days go through the same thing as Sarah in her belief of God. I am so glad that I read this book as it captivated me from beginning to end while unknowingly gave me some answers that I have wondered about for a long time.
I have read other books by Vivi Holt and this book is as good as the other books. It will not disappoint you at all. I recommend this book and other books by Vivi Holt, if you haven’t read any before pick up a copy.