Turner’s Woman by Jenna Kernan is an almost perfect story. It’s exactly how I love frontier adventure, filled with danger and resiliency.
This book is so good that it would have received 5 stars, if not for the need of a final line editor. The storytelling is excellent, engaging my senses, and encouraging me to read faster. It has a good romance, even though it’s a bit more sensual than I prefer.
There are large sections of this novel that are perfect, so I know editing was done. In addition, there are areas that contained misspelled words and verb tense issues, enough to pull me out of the story. I can ignore grammar issues here and there, but consistent sections that need attention make me stop and think, when I’d rather be ensconced in this exceptional storyline.
I found this author through Wendy the Super Librarian’s Unusual Historical Top Picks for May 2020 post. After looking at the series as a whole, and reading some blurbs and reviews, I felt inclined to buy eight of them. I’m so glad I did because I’m hoping they’ll all fall into my favorite theme of wilderness survival in historical romance.
Emma is a resourceful heroine who comes off as needy in the very beginning when she survives a massacre, but soon proves her worth. Jake takes her with him on his journey, even though it goes against his better judgment. Emma surprises Jake with her shooting accuracy that keeps them well fed, plus saves Jake’s life more than once.
Great first line…
“The odor of coffee and chewing tobacco reached Jake Turner seconds before the jangle of metal bits in the mouths of nervous horses.”
I knew right away I could look forward to a wilderness man’s point of view, which is definitely on my list of preferences.
WHY WAS THIS BOOK ON DORINE’S TBR? I’ve spent most of my summer (2020) outdoors camping and gardening, so the thought of winter gives me a sense of loss. Which is why grabbing books with wilderness themes to get me through winter is pretty common right now. So yes, this was on my TBR, but not for very long. Thanks Wendy! It suited our challenge theme of danger perfectly.
This was read in October 2020 for our TBR Challenge, but once again I was out in the wilderness camping and never uploaded this review. I found it when I was writing the review for the next book in 2021, so I thought I’d finally get this up on my blog so there’s consistency in the series. Besides the fact that it’s so good that I’d like to remember why I enjoyed it.
TURNER’S WOMAN is a good frontier adventure that held my attention from the beginning. Both characters were interesting and I enjoyed their interaction. I love wilderness travel stories like this.
If you love frontier adventure as much as I do, grab the series and we’ll explore our thoughts as we read. I’d love to discuss these books with other like-minded wilderness story lovers. WINTER WOMAN is next. How appropriate for when the snow flies. Or when we’re roasting in the summer in 90 degree weather and need to dream of the cold.
Review by Dorine, courtesy of TheZestQuest.com. A digital copy was purchased. Thanks in advance for following links and sharing this review on social media. #TBRChallenge #RomBkBlog
Turner’s Woman by Jenna Kernan
Category: Western Historical Romance
Series: Trail Blazers, Book 1 of 8
ASIN: B07KDGXPF5
Publisher : Snow Raven Publishing; 2nd edition (January 21, 2019)
Rated 4 out of 5 Stars
