I have been in a Western historical romance kind of mood! I’m not familiar with many authors in this genre but Kaki Warner is currently my favorite. Her book, Pieces of Sky, popped up on one of the Goodread’s “best of” lists. It sounded really good so I bought it and the other two books that follow it in the Blood Rose trilogy. I’m so glad I did because this was a five star read for me and I don’t have those often. There are quite a few twists in this book and I don’t want to ruin them so this review will be spoiler free.

Synopsis:

On a stagecoach traveling through New Mexico Territory, Jessica Thornton is a long way from the cool mists and lush gardens of her native England. An authoress and milliner, she carries the weight of a scandalous secret-a horrible shame that has brought her to the West on a desperate search for the only family she can trust: her brother.

Fall in love with the first book in the Blood Rose trilogy-a romance of the Old West by a phenomenal new talent.

My Thoughts:

This book had literally everything I wanted in a Western romance. It was set in New Mexico in 1869. The barren landscape, fiery sunsets and scorching heat couldn’t have been better described. Life in that time period was gritty and brutal and Warner captured that in this story. The setting was perfect but it takes second place to the characters.

Jessica Thornton is one of my new favorite female characters. She was forced to endure something horrific but managed to stay strong and brave; despite being a pampered English woman. She does suffer with PTSD and I think Warner did an absolutely fantastic job of describing that. I did get a little frustrated because Jessica could be stubborn to the point of stupidity and overlook obvious things BUT while annoying, those aspects made her seem more real. I didn’t just love Jessica, however…

Brady Wilkins is what I picture when I think of a Wild West cowboy. He’s the strong, silent type who would do anything for his loved ones and his ranch. Him and Jessica are the definition of opposites attract but that’s what makes their love story SO good. The build up of their relationship was definitely a slow burn with a ton of ups and downs. This book was more main story line focused rather than romance focused but I prefer that. All of the other characters were great as well. I especially loved Brady’s brothers, Hank and Jack. Luckily, the next two books in this trilogy are all about them.

As you can probably tell, I loved everything about this book. The setting, characters, trials and triumphs were just fantastic. I also thought this book was really funny. At the risk of sounding like I don’t have a sense of humor, I usually don’t find books funny, even when they’re trying to be but I laughed out loud multiple times while reading this. I literally can’t praise Pieces of Sky enough.

Final Thoughts:

I highly recommend that you read this book if you’re at all interested in Westerns, romance or historical fiction. I’d love to know if this sounds like one you’d enjoy! Thanks for reading and have a great day!