Paranormal/Futuristic
Unspoken Promises
By Anita
Aug 5, 2007 - 3:49:11 AM

Mourning the death of both her husband and her daughter, Mollie Anderson decides to move to California. At an isolated rest stop she finds herself magically transported back in time to the year 1847. She is found by a wagon train traveling through the harsh Nevada desert on its way to California.

A widower with two little girls, Ford Hurter prevents Mollie from being left alone in the desert when the rest of the wagon train believes she may be mentally ill. As time goes on, Ford finds himself growing more and more attracted to Mollie, and Mollie is finding that taking care of his two little girls helps her deal with the loss of her own daughter.  

As with the main character in this exciting tale, I found myself transported back in time to experience the harsh realities of traveling in a wagon train. From the way of dress, and cooking to the moral code of the time, the era is colorfully brought to life. UNSPOKEN PROMISES by Bonnie Hamre is a very emotional tale about a woman that is still experiencing the grief of losing her family and a man who has lost the wife and the mother of his two daughters. Together they fill in the missing pieces of their lives and begin the process of healing, discovering love along the way.

Mollie is a very modern woman and it is fun to watch as she deals with the changes from one era to another. She is a very strong woman that amazed me with her courage. Her vulnerability comes from her sense of loss. She has lost her family and now she finds herself in a time where everything is different from what she knows. She begins to feel she is losing herself and needs to finds an anchor to give her strength. Hopefully, she finds that Ford will be that anchor to help her adjust to this new time. Her story is heartbreaking at times. Her anger is justified. She deals with all the steps of grief, finding guilt the most difficult. Here again Ford is needed to help her face the truth.

Ford is the type of rough and tough character you expect to find in this era. He is at times short on patience and has difficulty understanding what Mollie is experiencing. He finds himself struggling with the desire he feels for this woman and the hardships of the journey. He has little time for anything but seeing that they survive. It takes a while for him to truly see Mollie and to begin to understand her feelings. Through all that they experience, he protects her and remains loyal to her and for this reason he won my heart.

UNSPOKEN PROMISES is filled with the excitement and many perils of traveling on a wagon train. Incredible heart-stopping action captivates from the very beginning. The strong emotions touch the heart, as the characters draw you into bringing their story to life. I only wished that the story had progressed a little further. Bonnie Hamre has written a beautiful romance and emotionally stirring adventure making UNSPOKEN PROMISES a definite keeper.