Reviews

To the Wild Horizon by Imogen Martin

books_glorious_books_'s review

5.0

This book y’all!!

If I was a pioneer woman I would want to be like the FMC Grace Sinclair! She was selfless, courageous, smart, with a fiery personality & strength in her convictions. She was practical, but giving. Strong but tender hearted. She was so much more than what was expected of women at that time & had no qualms standing up for herself and the “weaker sex”.

James Randolph, the guarded, regimented Captain, was responsible for those making the journey west, this included the travellers themselves as well as the military who accompanied them. He was known for being a strong leader but aloof & firm. He had no idea how meeting “Mrs.” Sinclair would enrage & exasperate him, nor how much she would change him.

This story was about so much more than the hardships people faced when they decided to homestead in the west. It was about sacrifice for the greater good, finding your voice, compassion, perseverance, community, as well as opening oneself up to humanity & love, and being changed by it all.

This book was an easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me. Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy. And to Imogene Martin, well done & thank you for sharing your gift of writing with us.

amanduh_reads's review against another edition

3.0

I think I would have liked this more if I had read it instead of listening to the audiobook. The narrator's voice came off as very juvenile which in turn made the whole story seem that way. I enjoyed the overall premise and setting though.

jmonfared's review

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

lindasreadingcorner's review

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

erin887's review

adventurous hopeful inspiring relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Loved the story since it reminded me of playing Oregon trail as a kid. So glad I got to read this early! I did find the way Native Americans were represented to be problematic. 

susan_loves_stories's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

samjowerts's review

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is a book that I already know I’ll be thinking about for a long time. It is the perfect blend of adventure, romance, and a woman’s strength. I fell in love with Grace and her compassionate heart. She is a character that you root for at every turn, especially when the odds are stacked against her. The enemies to lovers through line perfectly balanced the story of survival and grit. I couldn’t put this down. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for  this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

aishareadsnrambles's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

BOOK: TO THE WILD HORIZON 
AUTHOR: IMOGEN MARTIN
PUB DATE: FEBRUARY 2024
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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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Everyone who's ever had the courage to travel through  a wagon train is just admirable. It's uncomfortable, long(this went on for 6 months) and dangerous, and you might even die. I can not imagine taking such a huge risk, I'd have been so scared. 
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Our FMC, Grace Sinclair was nothing short of amazing. Trying to survive in a patriarchal world and a wagon train when it's just two of them on the wagon. I admire the chances she took to protect herself and her little brother, Tom. I also liked how brave she was on the trail. I'm so happy she got the HEA she deserved. Through her, I saw how badly women were treated just for being women. I saw so many instances of such misogyny 
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Randolph, our MMC started as someone who saw females as frivolous people who are not capable of thinking of something else except fashion, yeah right. I was annoyed at his character just because he had been burnt once. But, I liked that his character had developed by the end of the book.
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I also liked the side characters on the wagon train. They were very nice and brave when push came to shove, especially the women.
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The book was very good, fast paced and amazing
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manorclassics's review

adventurous inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

A sweet and exciting story about one woman's journey out west.

I thoroughly enjoyed this historical fiction set in 1840s America. Believing she has killed a man in self-defence, Grace Sinclair flees on a wagon train heading to Oregon. The rest of the book deals with the hardships of the journey and her relationship with stern Captain Randolph, head of the army accompanying the travellers.

I really liked reading about the day to day life in a wagon train, and the hopes and fears of people heading west. There were some major events as well as a romance for Grace, and altogether I was glued to the pages. The story was realistic and believable. I'll definitely seek out more books from this author in the future. If you enjoyed Amy Harmon's Where the Lost Wander then you must try this.

I'd like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.