Love in Cripple Creek Cripple Creek Series
Book 4
Blurb/Back Cover Copy
A woman burned by love. A man who has lost his way. Betsy Callaway hasn’t been the most upstanding person in Cripple Creek. Her first love married, leaving her jaded…and she has now passed the acceptable age for marriage. Sent to be a governess in Denver, her plans are derailed when the stagecoach is met with bandits.
In the midst of the chaos, she is reunited with a man she knew as a boy. And the barbs come out. Nikolai "Nick" Hammond left Cripple Creek to pursue his own dreams, but something about Betsy calls to his heart and draws him back home. The antics that ensue between the pair and the obstacles they face--including their own stubbornness and becoming entangled in a bank robbery--threaten to keep them on separate paths, but their draw to each other pushes them together.
Will the prodigal find home welcoming? Can Betsy hope for real redemption?
Other books in the Cripple Creek Series:
Hope in Cripple Creek
Christmas in Cripple Creek
Faith in Cripple Creek
Love in Cripple Creek
Prequels:
Leaving Waverly
Leaving Stonybrook
MY REVIEW
Love in Cripple Creek is a wonderful story of second chances, unknown danger, and God's mercy and forgiveness. The characters are well-developed; at first, I did not care much for Betsy. Her behavior was not what I expected. But I grew to like her; she was in a tough position.
Overall, it is a well-rounded story with everything you could want: suspense, mystery, and small-town romance.
There are some unexpected twists to the story and a budding romance, but everything is sorted out in the end. I enjoyed this installment of the Cripple Creek series and highly recommend it.
ABOUT SARA
Social media/website links
Website:
X:
@SaraRTurnquist
Facebook Author Page:
@AuthorSaraRTurnquist
Instagram:
@SaraRTurnquist
Pinterest:
@SareRTurnquist
YouTube:
@SaraRTurnquist
Sara is a coffee lovin’, word slinging, clean Historical Romance author whose superpower is converting caffeine into novels. She loves those odd tidbits of history that are stranger than fiction. That’s what inspires her. Well, that and a good love story. But of all the love stories she’s read, hers is her favorite.
She lives happily with my own Prince Charming and our gaggle of minions. Three to be exact. They sure know how to distract a writer! But, alas, the stories must be written, even if it must happen in the wee hours of the morning.
Sara is an avid reader and enjoys traveling. Her books range from the Czech lands to the American Wild West and from ancient Egypt to the early 1900s. Some of her titles include Trail of Fears, The General's Wife, and series such as her Cripple Creek Series and her Convenient Risk Series.
You can discover more at https://saraturnquist.com/
Interview •
Tell us a little about your novel.
This is the fourth and last book in my Cripple Creek Series. We meet Betsy in the first book, Hope in Cripple Creek, and she is not a very likable character. More someone you love to hate. But I wanted to see her redeemed. And when I wondered who to pair her with, I imagined a man with strength of character and the ire to put up with her shenanigans. Enter Nick. But how was he to be connected, if connected at all? I went back to the first book and thought…what if he is a prodigal-type story as the banker’s oldest son? Then it clicked!
• Where do you find inspiration for your books?
For this book? Anywhere…it could be a scene in a movie, a character in a book, or an antique I see. Most often the seed of the story comes from real history. I love the little pieces that aren’t widely known, like the Czech religious civil wars…or the Sanitary Commission in the American Civil War. Such fascinating stuff!
• Do you have a favorite time period to write about?
I am generally writing where I am inspired to write. But I seem to be homing in on the late 1800s in the American West. So much history there! I never cease to find those odd tidbits that I love to utilize to lay the foundation of a story. • Did you always want to be a writer? If not, what did you want to be when you grew up? o I've always been a strong writer and I've always written short stories and fan fiction, but when I was a child, I wanted to be a doctor, a vet…or an actress. I know, I know…those are very similar goals.
• When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
When I started playing with a fan fiction challenge that blossomed into the idea for my first completed book, I became more serious. I continued to work on that book for years (I was pursuing a Pre-Med degree at the time, so time was limited) and finally completed it. Then I was inspired to write another. And my interest in writing grew from there. I was super nervous about letting anyone read it. I eventually let my husband (who, sweet as he is would have told me it was good no matter what) and let my closest friend have a peek (now she was one honest lady and said she enjoyed it). Still, I had completed four novels before I began sending anything off to get published.
• Is there a favorite place you like to write? A favorite time of day?
I write whenever I can. I have three school-aged children, so most of the time it’s during school hours. Summer is a free for all most days. o A favorite place? I have a fabulous office that I write at most of the time. But I am known to frequent the local coffee shops and to write from my bedroom at times. It all depends on the mood!
• How long does it take you to write a book?
It depends on how much time I have to write, the number of distractions, and how fast the words come out of me. My first novel took years from inspiration and first word on page to completion. My third novel was completed in just under a month. That novel just seemed to pour out of me! Most novels these days are right at 3 months to plot, write, and edit.
• What current projects are you working on?
I am working on the last book in the Lady of Bohemia Series and the second book in the Railway Romance Series. I don’t generally work on multiple projects at a time, but I am delaying more work on the Railway book until I can make my research trip out West this next month. But the characters are already “talking” to me…oh, how to put them aside?
Excerpt
Ma’s eyes darkened just slightly, and her voice softened as she patted his hand. “You don’t need a reason to come home. You are always welcome.”
He wanted to kick himself. Everything had come out wrong. “That’s not what I meant.” Even to him, his words sounded timid.
Ma took a deep breath and let it out. “It is no matter. You are home and that is what matters.”
“How long will you stay?” Anya’s voice wavered almost imperceptibly. Ma might be ready to put his tripped-up words to the side, but they had pained his sister’s tender heart. He rubbed his hands together and licked his lips. As if those things could delay his answer. They did little to put his sister off. Her wide eyes pled with him to give her a better answer than the one he had.
“Two days.”
Anya leaned back, her shoulders steady as her torso caved slightly. She was not happy. And he had known she wouldn’t be. Still her reaction wounded him. Yet he refused to sugarcoat the truth. Even as much as he wanted to.
In the thick silence of the moment, footfalls outside the door were audible. Nick looked at the case clock. That would be Pa.
There was little time to prepare himself—as if any preparation would ward off his fears— before the door opened.
Pa’s tall, bulky frame filled the doorway, his silhouette illuminated in the setting sun.
Nick held his breath. But the awareness that he did so didn’t cause him to draw breath.
Pa stepped within, his gaze taking in the scene. Landing on Nick. His mouth stiffened and his eyes clouded. Then, without taking his regard from Nick, he said, “Tatiana, what is this?”
Nick rose, wishing he could make his words come.
Ma also stood, moving around the table to intercept Pa. She took his arm and waved with her other. “Our son is home.”
Pa glanced at Ma before moving farther into the house. And though he came closer to the table, he did not look in Nick’s direction. “My son is closing up the bank. I have no other.”
Ma gasped.
Anya grabbed for Nick’s hand, which now hung at his side. But he only barely noticed her touch.
Pa stepped around the dining table toward the back of the house. “And I will not abide a stranger in my house.”
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Julie Grace