(Image from Barnes & Noble)

For her proper New York family, Kate Donahue's insistence on pursuing a medical degree is confounding.  She's a well-bred woman for heaven's sake, one with plenty of money and a handsome fianceé to manage it for her.  What more does she need?  For 24-year-old Kate, becoming a doctor is about helping people.  Her parents and intended might think her dream frivolous, but she's determined to pursue a career in medicine no matter the cost.  

When Kate sees an advertisement from Craig, Colorado, seeking a town doctor, she hesitates.  But only for a moment.  Knowing the move will mean disinheritance, she sets out for the Wild West anyway.  Not surprisingly, a female doctor is not quite what Craig expected.  From the moment she steps onto its dusty streets, she meets resistance.  It only worsens when Kate finds herself entangled with a handsome Irish sheep rancher with plenty of his own problems, including an estranged wife in Boston.  Can Kate really create a life for herself, pursuing her passion—for medicine and for Lucas McCurdy—out in the lawless west?  Or will she be forced to return to her parents with her tail between her legs?

Heart of the West, a historical romance by Carolyn Twede Frank, is a clean, compelling story with plenty of conflict to keep it exciting.  It's an uplifting girl power novel that explores women's roles in America at the end of the 19th Century.  Kate represents a new kind of woman, one who bucks tradition by pursuing both a career and a family.  While I appreciated our heroine's confidence and determination, I also found her to be a condescending, know-it-all busybody.  Although she does learn some lessons throughout the novel, I felt like she didn't grow enough as a character.  A little humility would have made her more likable—at least for me.  Overall, though, I enjoyed this book.  It made for light, entertaining reading even if it was pretty predictable and tell-y. 

(Readalikes:  Honestly, the only "readalike" that comes to mind is Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.)   

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence, mild innuendo, and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Heart of the West from the generous folks at Covenant.  Thank you!

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