This book kept me hooked. I couldn’t wait to sit down and continue reading!

I really enjoyed this book and reading about what life was like when the Dakota territory was created. The main character, Anna, is fiercely independent and I enjoyed how brave she was in many different aspects. I had a hard time putting down this book toward the end as it wasn’t predictable like some romance books are. Anna is a very likable character and you can’t help to want her to succeed.

A great example of a woman who was brave enough to settle in the West all alone. Descriptive of the time just after the civil war and how some white people learned to coexist with Native Americans.

I enjoyed this book for many reasons, not the least of which is that it was written from a woman’s perspective. I found CK VanDam’s novel to be an insightful look into a little-known factor of “How the West Was Won.” Women worked hard, alone or along-side their men, and the fact that they were more successful at sticking to their claims (as a percentage to men) is not to be overlooked. They plowed fields, prayed for rain, cooked over a fire, lived in sod houses, harvested natural bounty, bore and raised children, milked the cows, practiced healing arts, and learned how to get along with others, including Native Americans. It wasn’t all gunfights….fighting nature, and fighting human nature were just as powerful opponents as the marauding gangs that robbed banks and ran roughshod over the law at that time. There’s a little bit of everything in this lovely look at a woman alone on the Dakota Prairie, proving her claim, and proving to herself that she could be independent and choose her own way of life. If you liked “Sweet Land” I think you’ll enjoy this book as well.

I loved this book. I was born and raised in South Dakota and have great-grandparents who proved their claim there so I found it fascinating. The characters were well developed and the story’s events seemed very believable. The description of the wide open spaces of South Dakota and the snow and cold of SD winters are obviously written by a native of the state.

This book is so wonderful. It kept my interest and I did have a sleepless night after I started reading it. I highly recommend this book! You will love it!

A well researched and written story that is based on fact even tho it is fiction! The author paints the scenes so you feel you are there. A nice relaxing story line. Kindle Reader