I love unusal setting in Romance. What could be more intersting than a love story that takes place around a Wild West Show? Or a character that was a part of such a show?

 

1. Wild West Shows were traveling performances in the United States and Europe. The first and most famous, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, was founded in 1883 and traveled around the world until 1913.

    

 

Here are some great Romance Novels that start Wild West Shows and Performers. 

 

My lists are never in any particular order. 

 

1. Drew by Leigh Greenwood

 

Drew Townsend wants to buy a ranch close to Jake and Isabelle. In order to earn the money to pay for it, she goes to work for Earl Odom's Wild West Show as the sharpshooter.

Cole Benton, an undercover agent for the United States government, has been given the job of arresting the leader of a gang that has been robbing banks all over the Midwest. He has just three solid clues. The leader is a woman, she's a top-notch marksman, and the robberies always take place in the vicinity of the Wild West Show's performances. His top suspect is Drew Townsend. Pretending to be an amiable drifter, Cole gets a job in the Wild West Show.

Drew does everything she can to keep Cole out of her act . . . and out of her heart. But Cole's smile and unwavering attention batter down Drew's defenses. Drew is hurt and furious when she discovers Cole is trying to collect evidence to prove she's a thief. She leaves the Wild West Show determined never to see him again. Despite accumulating circumstantial evidence, Cole believes Drew is innocent. He convinces her that rejoining the show is the only way to capture the real thieves. He intends to capture her heart as well.

 

2. The Last Warrior by Karen Kay

 

Black Lion was sent into the real world to break the curse that dooms his clan to a half life in the mists. Yet no matter how many times he has shown an enemy mercy, the Thunderer’s spell remains intact.

 

In his beseeching prayers, he hears a song that leads him to join Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show on its travels to London. There he encounters the daughter of two opera singers—the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. A woman already engaged to another man.

Months later, Suzette Joselyn travels to America, a woman changed. Friendless, abandoned by her former fiancé—and pregnant—she finds it impossible to refuse the gentle Lakota Sioux’s proposal to save her child from being born a bastard. Even if it means flashing a pistol to force a reluctant parson to marry them.

 

Yet her brave new husband is consumed with a mission that may force him to choose between his people and the woman he loves. For the Thunderer is waiting, watching for the perfect time to work his evil deed.

 

3. Always in My Heart by Donna Valentino

 

Transported a century into the past only to find himself wounded and getting married to a strange woman, Matt struggles to return to his own time despite his feelings for Kate, who dreams of joining Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

 

4. Ticket to Tomorrow by Carol Cox

 

Annie Trenton and her late husband's partner, Silas Crockett, step off the train at the great world's fair in Chicago and walk smack into political intrigue. When a stranger accidentally collides with Silas, more than a satchel is unintentionally exchanged, drawing Annie, Silas, and a handsome rodeo rider into a world of deceptions and conspiracies. When Annie's keen powers of observation threaten to expose devious plots, more than her exhibition plans hang in the balance. Will Annie lose her life before she has a chance to surrender her heart?

 

5. Weston's Lady by Bobbi Smith

 

There were Cowboys and Indians, trick riding, thrills and excitement for everyone. And if Liberty Jones had anything to say about it, she would be a part of the show, too. She had demonstrated her expertise with a gun by shooting a playing card out of Reed Weston's hand at thirty paces, but the arrogant owner of the stampede wouldn't even give her a chance.

 

Disguising herself as a boy, Libby wangled herself a job with the show, and before she knew it Reed was firing at her—in front of an audience. It seemed an emotional showdown was inevitable whenever they came together, but Libby had set her sights on Reed's heart and she vowed she would prove her love was every bit as true as her aim.

 

6. Fortune's June Bride by Allison Leigh

 

COULD A WEDDING FOR A WEEK…  

For weeks now, sexy-as-heck Galen Fortune Jones has been playing the ardent groom in the Wild West Wedding show at Cowboy Country USA. The bride? His sweet, redheaded neighbor Aurora McElroy. Of course, Aurora has had a hidden crush on the rancher for years, but she's been careful to keep that secret close to the vest! 

…LEAD TO MARRIAGE FOR A LIFETIME? 

Things get a little out of hand, however, when Galen agrees to pretend he and Aurora are real life husband and wife. It's only temporary, of course, and it's for a good cause. But being Aurora's hubby "off stage" is starting to mess with the confirmed bachelor's head. He's having far from friendly feelings for his in-name-only spouse, and it's freaking him out! Has love finally found Horseback Hollow's last unfettered Fortune? 

 

7. Unbridled Dreams by Stephanie Grace Whitson

 

An unpredictable tale of an independent young woman who disappears from her trip to finishing school to hook up with Wild Buffalo Bill's show.

 

8. Coming Up Roses by Alice Duncan

 

Rose Ellen Gilhooley didn't get to be a star in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show for nothing. Bareback riding and shooting, along with some pretty sharp instincts, have taken her worlds away from the sleepy Kansas town she grew up in. So if Mr. H.L. may thinks a lack of book learning makes her an easy mark, he's in for the shock of his life. Any girl can see the handsome newsman is only interested in one thing. Trouble is, the more he squires her about Chicago and the grand Columbian Exposition, the more Rose yearns for the same! But when H.L. swears he's not the marrying kind, Rose thinks it's high time she taught him a lesson -- about listening to his heart . . . and trusting a future with the woman he loves.

 

9. Valley of Dreams by Lauraine Snelling

 

When Cassie Lockwood's mother died, Cassie began travelling with her father's Wild West Show. Along the way, she became an amazingly skillful trick rider and sharpshooter, likened by some to the famous Annie Oakley. When her father passed away, she continued to work with the show, having nowhere else to go. 

Now Cassie has discovered that "Uncle" Jason, the show's manager, has driven the show into debt, and he's absconded with what little money was left. Devastated, Cassie decides to try to find the hidden valley in the Black Hills of South Dakota where her father had dreamed of setting down roots. She has only one clue. She needs to find three huge stones that look like fingers on a giant hand. With Chief, a Sioux Indian who's been with the act for twenty years, and Micah, the head wrangler, she leaves the show and a bundle of heartache behind and begins a wild and daring adventure.

Will they find the valley before winter closes in on them?

 

10. Gabriel's Lady by Charlotte Hubbard

 

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

 

Those were the words spoken at his beautiful young bride's graveside, but Gabriel Getty found they held little comfort for him. At twenty-seven, his life was over: his wife and unborn child gone, his career as a lawyer ruined, his hopes dashed. Then, in his darkest hour, he found Solace.

 

I will fear no evil, for You are with me.

 

She was full of life, energy and daring. Solace Monroe was a writer of dime novels, a horse trainer, a rider in a Wild West show, and she didn't seem to be afraid of anything. Not until a rival was murdered, she was accused and all society shunned her for the very individuality Gabe loved. This time he had the strength and knowhow to protect his woman; this time he would have faith that...

 

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

 

Did I miss one? Let me know!  Vote for the best of the  best on my Goodreads list: Wild West Shows in Romance Novels.

I can imagine that in a world much more gender segregated than we are today in the West that female friendships must have been central to women's lives as well as those of family.

 

There are many wonderful Historical Romance Novels that reflect this truth.

 

Here are some of the very best Strong Female Friendships in Historical Romance for your reading pleasure!

 

My list are never in any particular order. I can't pick favorites. :) 

 

1.  Secrets of a Summer Night (The Wallflowers, Book 1) by Lisa Kleypas 

2. A Study in Scandal  (Ladies' Amateur Sleuth Society, #1) by Robyn DeHart 

3. In the Thrill of the Night (The Merry Widows Book 1) by Candice Hern 

4. Your Scandalous Ways  (Fallen Women, #1) by Loretta Chase 

5. The Secret (Highlands' Lairds #1) by Julie Garwood 

6. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn 

7. Romancing Olive by Holly Bush 

8. Miss Ware's Refusal by Marjorie Farrell

9. Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson 

10. Educating Caroline by Patricia Cabot

 

I would love to read more Historical Romances with best friends at the center. Let me know your recommendations!

 

To vote for the best of the best, go to my Goodreads list: Historical Romance with Strong Female Friendships. 

I really liked this one. Lots of different romances. 

I like to explore all the sub genres romance has to offer. The twining of faith, spirituality and romantic love engages me but it is hard to find love stories that deal with these issues in a way I find respectful and thoughtful.

 

I, personally, come from a family of many faiths. Many of my relatives beliefs conflict with each other. Almost all the religious traditions in my genetic line have provided great succor in times of sorrow. Persecution is also abundant.

 

So, I require tenderness, reflection, and goodwill around issues of faith and non faith in my reading. 

 

Conflicts arising from questions of spirit (inner or outer) make excellent soil for fiction and romance. 

 

I have yet to read any Amish Romances that were all the rage a few years ago but they are on my TBR for certain. 

 

I wish there were more Romance Novels outside the Christian spectrum where spiritual or religious beliefs are explored. Oh writers, are you listening? 

 

Here are some of my favorite romances categorized as faith-based and also those love stories that simply engage in these issues in a way that is accessible and engaging to the non devout. 

 

I would love to know what Romance you might recommend and why in this catagory.  

 

These books have romantic elements... 

 

 

The Swiss Family Robinson (Signet Classics) by Johann D. Wyss

 

Swept off course by a raging storm, a Swiss pastor, his wife, and their four young sons are shipwrecked on an uncharted tropical island. Thus begins the classic story of survival and adventure that has fired the imaginations of readers since it first appeared in 1812. With optimism and boundless enthusiasm, the Robinson family undertakes the extraordinary task of constructing a home for themselves and exploring the primitive island filled with strange and beautiful creatures and exotic fruits and plants. Rich in action and suspense, this exhilarating novel takes us to a faraway place of danger and beauty, where the courageous Robinson family embarks on a thrilling new life of adventure and discovery.

____________________________________________________________________________

 

Shelved as Romance

 

 

Love Comes Softly introduces the characters of Marty and Clark Davis, whose tragic circumstances brought them to a "marriage of convenience" on the frontier prairies during the mid 1800s. 

 

Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale 

 

The Duke of Jervaulx was brilliant and dangerous. Considered dissolute, reckless, and extravagant, he was transparently referred to as the ′D of J′ in scandal sheets, where he and his various exploits featured with frequency. But sometimes the most womanising rake can be irresistible, and even his most casual attentions fascinated the sheltered Maddy Timms, quiet daughter of a simple mathematician.

 

Romancing Olive by Holly Bush 

 

In 1891, spinster librarian, Olive Wilkins, is shocked to learn of her brother’s violent death at a saloon gaming table and her sister-in-law’s subsequent murder, traveling far from her staid life to rescue her niece and nephew, now orphans. She arrives to find the circumstances of her brother’s life deplorable and her long held beliefs of family and tradition, shaken. 

Accustomed to the sophistication of Philadelphia, Olive arrives in Spencer, Ohio, a rough and tumble world she is not familiar with, facing two traumatized children. Her niece and nephew, Mary and John, have been living with a neighboring farmer, widower Jacob Butler, the father of three young children of his own and a man still in pain from the recent loss of his wife. 

Real danger threatens Olive and Mary and John while Jacob and his own brood battle the day-to-day struggles for survival. Will Olive and Jacob find the strength to fight their battles alone or together? Will love conquer the bitterness of loss and broken dreams?

 

If you would like to vote for the best of the best, go to the Goodreads list: Best Inspirations Romance for the Non Religious.  

 

If you would like to view a Pinterest board that features these books and images of faith, go to the Religion and Romance Board. 

 

 

 

Emilie Rhodes is eighteen, the daughter of a newspaper owner, and wants to be a journalist against the wishes of her parents. She plans a series of articles around the annual Chautauqua in her home town of Beatrice, Nebraska—when she is not accompanying her three cousins, the singing Spring Sisters (a Chautauqua is a musical, cultural and educational festival). http://humanitiesnebraska.org/program/chautauqua/ Noah Shaw was orphaned at thirteen, but despite his disadvantaged childhood has managed to create a successful career as an actor, performing at events around the country. He meets and is immediately attracted to Emilie, but a chance discovery about his parents might mean the end of the relationship.There are a variety of supporting characters to add depth and interest to the plot, but not so many as to become confusing, and I liked all the characters. The plot was interesting and it was evident that the Chautauqua and the emerging women’s rights movement had been well-researched, but not so much that this intruded on the story. I like my historical fiction to be historically accurate, so this was a big plus.I also liked the way the characters interacted, particularly Emilie and Noah. Their attraction was immediate, and believable. It is a whirlwind romance, but it rang true as they both had a shared Christian faith and common interests in the arts, with Emilie’s journalism and piano-playing, and Noah’s acting and reciting. Most importantly, I could feel the attraction in the writing, which is no small achievement. I have enjoyed all the books in this series, but I think this was my favourite, partly because I could relate to Emilie trying to find her way to use her God-given talents in a male-dominated field. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, and they can be read in any order, as the common theme is a quilt, not characters or specific location. Recommended. Thanks to Barbour and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.