Book Review-Shadow Trail by Rosanne Bittner

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

About The Book

Scarred inside and out from a tortured childhood and an outlaw past, Jake Harkner never dreamed he could find true love or know the joy of family. Then, in 1865, a chance encounter with widowed Miranda Hayes struck his heart like lightening and struck hers like thunder. Thus began the OUTLAW HEARTS saga.

SHADOW TRAIL brings readers to the year 1902, when the dark cloud of a woman from Jake’s past appears on the horizon, creating an emotional twister that Jake fears will destroy Miranda’s love for him. Jake is forced to reveal a deep dark secret to his wife and family, and to break a promise he made to Miranda of never strapping on his .44’s again. But this time, Miranda vows she will not be left behind to wait and worry while Jake rides into danger yet again. Come hell or high water, she intends to ride beside her husband into outlaw country.

Told through realistic history and events that settled the American West, SHADOW TRAIL brings readers an enduring love story about a man and a woman who over the years have been tested beyond what most can handle. Jake Harkner is the classic bad man with a good heart. You can’t help rooting for this man and the woman who loves him as they journey from their sprawling ranch in Colorado to northern Wyoming’s Outlaw Trail, searching for answers that might finally clear the storm clouds of Jake’s past.

“We are all gettin’ older, Jake,” Cole teased. “How do you keep up with a wife who is ten years younger than you?”

Jake paused, glancing at Miranda. “You just have to love her so much that it hurts,” he answered. “The rest is easy.”

Randy smiled as she handed out her home-made bread. She was always surprised at how a man who could be so ruthless often spoke more like a poet than an outlaw.

My Review

First Impressions

The Outlaw Hearts has always been a personal favorite of mine. I haven’t been able to find a couple that can even come close to compare to Jake and Miranda. The way that we have seen their relationship grow over the decades is beautiful and simply majestic. Rosanne Bittner has crafted a masterpiece with this series. And when she announced that she would be doing another Jake and Randy novel, I was more than thrilled. Don’t get me wrong, I want some Lloyd and grandson Jake and get their books, but I don’t think I will be ever ready to say goodbye to this couple. They will live on rent free in my mind forever. If you are a fan of the series, than Shadow Trail is going to be a delight to read. We see more happening with the Harkner family. A woman from Jake’s past comes and throw a hurdle in the way of our couple but we see how Jake and Randy come together in such unity along with their children and their families and seeing the ways in which they overcome the conflicts ahead of them and come out stronger in the end.

Summary

Jake and Randy Harkner have been settling into their ranch life in the lovely mountains in Colorado. They are surrounded by their children and grandchildren, and learning to adjust to the changes of the turn of the century. Its now 1902, and life is very different from when they were first married. Their son Lloyd is struggling with his marriage as they lost a child and his wife is struggling with post partum depression. Then we have a woman that comes from Jake’s past, a past that he never revealed to his wife, Randy. A woman who betrayed him in the worst way but she comes bearing secrets that Jake never imagined. But his greatest fear, is losing Randy to these secrets that he never revealed. But as Jake and Randy take on this conflict with courage and strength, they along with their family are tested in ways that will only bring them closer than ever before….but will the danger that is looming ahead be one that they can survive and conquer in the end?

What I Loved

I wish that I could say just EVERYTHING and just leave it at that. haha but I definitely want to get a more in depth look at this story for you all. I know this series can be intimidating. But trust me when I say that its completely worth the reading of. From the first moment I first read this couple in “Do Not Forsake Me” I knew that I would be hooked forever. And with each book, this author has delivered on so much complexity and depths to their relationship and seeing them grow so dearly together is such a wonderful thing to witness as a reader. What I really respect about how this author has written this couple is that their connection is so intimate and deeply intrenched and also seeing how their relationship reflects so positively on their family. And seeing their family grow is a beautiful sight to see. This series also testifies about the beauty of “FAMILY” and how important it is and seeing it portrayed so well in a historical romance is reflective in such a relative way.

Shadow Trail will deliver in so much depth, adventure, and intimacy. We have the secrets from Jake past and I thought Miranda had known everything by now, but….apparently not. And there are scenes in this book where we see Jake at the edge of a cliff, emotionally and mentally. This secret is a burden that he has been carrying for decades, and the way in which it connects to Miranda, BRILLLIANTLY WRITTEN! I was so easily swept away in their story and their vibrant connection to each other. And I just want to do a beautiful shout out to Miranda in this book. She never ceases to amaze me and truly inspire me. Her character, is a heroine that makes me want to be a better human being. These special moments where she is able to dig deep with Jake and make him see hope and love when he is so lost in despair is a miracle to see. The strength and fortitude she has to stand by his side and really showcases unconditional love. I also think if you want a relationship that you can relate to in real life, this is the couple you need to read and devour.

Shadow Trail takes a story of dark hidden secrets and brings together romantic love with family love in the best of combinations. The way this family comes together for Jake will humble every reader that reads these books. Seeing another adventure happen with danger and intense emotions that are played out through the story was such a poignant experience. I absolutely loved how Jake and Miranda go on their adventure together to bring back a member of their family and get justice for wrongs done. The plot of this story kept me on edge all the way through and I had such a blast with these characters and seeing the conflict that they overcome. It was everything that I could have hoped for and more. I definitely took my time reading this one because I didn’t want it to end but I am also eager to see what the author plans next for this couple and their family. Bring on Lloyd and Grandson Jake!!

What I Struggled With

The only aspect I wish could have been a bit more spread out is the ending. It felt a bit rushed. It definitely had a satisfying HEA feel to it. But I kinda wish it had been stretched out a bit more. But that’s just me wanting more of this family. I swear this book could have been 1000 pages and it wouldn’t have been enough.

Overall View

Shadow Trail is a tale of devotion, strength and unconditional love that will capture hearts and souls with rich emotion, vibrant storytelling and endearing characters and I guarantee you will fall deeply in love with Jake and Randy just as I have!

Title: Shadow Trail

Author: Rosanne Bittner

Genre: Historical Romance

Format: Kindle Book

Source: Self Purchased

Length: 662 Pages

Book Links

Amazon| Goodreads| LibraryThing| StoryGraph| Literal Club

Series Order

Outlaw Hearts

Outlaw Hearts-Pub 1993 #1 in the Series

Do Not Forsake Me-Pub 2015 #2 in the Series

Love’s Sweet Revenge—Pub 2016 #3 in the Series

The Last Outlaw—Pub 2017 #4 in the Series

Blaze of Glory—Pub 2022 #5 in the Series

Shadow Trail—Pub 2023 #6 in the Series

About Rosanne

I am a USA-TODAY best-selling author with 40 years, 75 books, and numerous writing awards behind me. I have always written for standard publishers but am now writing strictly for Amazon so I have more freedom to write real history. My most recent publication is JOURNEY TO HIGH LONESOME. It’s the third book in my “Men of the Outlaw Trail” series (each book is an independent story). RIDE THE HIGH LONESOME and LAWMAN IN THE HIGH LONESOME are the first two, and more books are planned. My best sellers are my SAVAGE DESTINY series (7 books) and my OUTLAW HEARTS series (now working on #6 – BLAZE OF GLORY – coming November 2021). See my website (www.rosannebittner.com) for details on all my books – most available for Kindle and in print. I am known for great love stories filled with real history and high emotion. I have also written many Native American stories, all based on real history.

I love American history. For those of you who have not yet read my books, my stories are generally set in the American West of the 1800s and feature vividly described, historically accurate settings that span the US from Missouri to California, from Canada to Mexico. Many of my books portray the poignant history of our Native Americans, and though the characters are my own, I use real historical locations and events in all my novels. I have also written about the Civil War, the American Revolution, the war with Mexico (the Alamo), and the war of 1812.

National magazine ROMANTIC TIMES has called me the “Queen of Western Romance” and an “emotional powerhouse.” My husband and I have traveled the west for nearly 40 years and I have visited just about every location mentioned in my books.

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