Sarah's Secret : A Western Tale of Betrayal and Forgiveness by Beverly Scott Blog Tour with Personal Review :)

Sarah's Secret: A Western Tale of Betrayal and Forgiveness by Beverly Scott

Publication Date: January 31, 2017 eBook & Paperback; 306 Pages Word Project Press Genre: Fiction/Historical/Western     Follow the paths of Sarah and Will (or Sam) as they tell their stories of trust, secrets, and betrayal on the frontier in the old West. Their pioneer spirit helped to fuel the expansion into the Western territories of the United States. The two are historically on their separate journeys, yet they remain intimately connected. Through the fictionalized Western frontier tale of Sam and Sarah, the author, Beverly Scott, was inspired to reveal rumored secrets from her family history. In 1878, Will is on the run after killing a man in a barroom gunfight. He escapes the Texas Rangers by joining a cattle drive as a cook headed to Dodge City. He struggles with the dilemma of saving his life or attempting to return to his pregnant wife and five children. Just when he thinks he might be able to return home, he is confronted by a bounty hunter who captures him and plans to return him to Fort Worth, Texas to be hanged. Although Will changes his name to Sam, he remains an irresponsible, lonely and untrustworthy man on the dodge from the law who abandons the women he loves. He ultimately seeks redemption and marries Sarah. In 1911, Sarah, a pioneer woman and widow with five children struggles to find the inner strength to overcome betrayal, loneliness, fears, and self-doubt. Her husband, Sam, thirty years her senior, died with a mysterious and defiant declaration, “I won’t answer!”. Despite poverty and a crippling illness, she draws on her pioneer spirit to hold her family together and return to Nebraska to be near her parents and siblings. When Sarah returns to Nebraska she receives staggering news which complicates her efforts to support her children. She is shocked, angry and emotionally devastated. Since she is attempting to establish herself in the community as a teacher, she believes she must keep her secret even from her own family. Will Sarah find forgiveness in her heart and the resolve to accept her new life alone?

Praise for Sarah's Secret

“In the flash of one moment, the trajectory of a man’s life and of those who loved and depended on him changes forever. The developing plot draws the reader in as we wait to see how this one action reaches into and impacts the lives of future generations. Set against the backdrop of a post-Civil War nation, when thousands headed west to escape their past, disappear into the horizon, and remake themselves, this biography is a rich study of pioneer ethos and the risks faced every day. The women touched by this man, who kept his secrets close, are heroines of courage, steadfastness and goodness. Beverly Scott is an author who has a way of painting word pictures that make you feel like you are a part of the story as it unfolds towards the discovery of his devastating secrets.” -Patricia and Craig Neal, co-founders, Heartland Inc. “Using the plain spoken language of the women and men who scratched out life on the hard scrabble plains in the early days of this young country Bev Scott crafts a sharp picture of the violence and the love that shaped the middle of this nation. Every river crossing, each spring planting reveals the conflicts inside the characters and their struggle to survive in contested territories.” -Jewell Gomez, Author, The Gilda Stories

Amazon | IndieBound

***My Personal Review***

I love anything that is set in the wild west or the plains, and this book definitely had that.  The stories of the settlers and their journeys has always fascinated me.  Their struggles and hardships were huge but they never gave up.  And that's what I love about this book - Sarah loses her husband Sam and has to decide what to do with 5 children and how she will raise them.  So they begin a journey across the country to find a better life.  But Sam had a secret and uttered something about it to Sarah on his deathbed, something she has yet to figure out.  Sarah is lucky she has a few older boys who are able to take charge of a lot of things and help protect the family on their journey - but they are still just boys and she knows that she needs to make sure they have what they need to succeed in this wild world.  And without a father figure that is difficult, but even more so when you are facing not only starvation but thieves, wild animals, desperation and other threats.

Okay so enough about all that - as I read this book it completely captivated me. I felt totally immersed in the life and times of Sarah Martin, and throughout the entire book all I could do was wonder what the secret was that her late husband Sam had been keeping from her.  How would it affect her and their children?  And was it something that was SO bad that she would not be able to forgive him?  If you read a lot of literature set in that time period they were very religious, so being able to forgive was something that they were supposed to do. But I still had to wonder if it was bad enough that it would ruin her life.  I won't give away the plot but I honestly loved this book - and of course when I did find out what the secret was I was astonished.  Of course the book began with Sam being sick so we really didn't get to know much about him or his background - something we come to find out in the later chapters of the book.  As it all comes together, Sarah's immense inner and outer strength shines through and she watches her children grow up and continues to do everything she can to take care of them. 

In all honesty I have to give this book 5 stars out of 5 - it was amazing and one of the best historical fiction books set in the West that I have read.  I highly recommend it for anyone from young adult and up because there is no bad language in the book at all that I noticed.  I am definitely going to look for more from Beverly Scott after reading this :)  FIVE STAR READ!

***I received a complimentary book in order to read and review***

About the Author

Bev specialized in serving executives and managers as a leadership coach and organizational consultant for over thirty-five years. She taught organization psychology and founded The 3rd Act, a program whose mission supports positive aging. As she grew into her own third act, she started a genealogical journey to uncover the details of her grandparents’ lives. She concluded that the story needed to be told as fiction using the known facts as her framework. “Sarah’s Secret: A Western Tale of Betrayal and Forgiveness,” Bev’s debut novel, is the culmination of her long-held desire tell the family story and confirm the whispered story about her grandfather. Bev previously focused on publishing non-fiction work, including the second edition of “Consulting on the Inside,” which she co-authored with Kim Barnes, published in 2011. She has written numerous professional articles and contributed to “70 Things to Do When You Turn 70,” edited by Ronnie Sellers and Mark Chimsky. Bev blogs on several sites, including her own, “The Writing Life” on www.bevscott.com. Bev enjoys traveling, visiting with friends, reading and spending time with her grandsons. She lives with her spouse in San Francisco. You can connect with Bev on Facebook, Pinterest, Amazon, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, August 14 Kick Off at Passages to the Past Tuesday, August 15 Guest Post at History From a Woman's Perspective Excerpt at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots Wednesday, August 16 Review at Pursuing Stacie Thursday, August 17 Review at WS Momma Readers Nook Friday, August 18 Excerpt at What Is That Book About Interview at Dianne Ascroft's Blog Monday, August 21 Feature at So Many Books, So Little Time Tuesday, August 22 Review at A Holland Reads Thursday, August 24 Review & Interview at T's Stuff Review & Interview at Books and Benches Monday, August 28 Feature at A Literary Vacation Tuesday, August 29 Review at Book Nerd Feature at Mello & June, It's a Book Thang! Wednesday, August 30 Review at Linda's Book Obsession Friday, September 1 Review at Creating Herstory Monday, September 4 Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away a paperback copy of Sarah's Secret! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below. Giveaway Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on September 4th. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open to US residents only. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. Sarah's Secret by Beverly Scott