Jake Owens is in trouble. Framed for murder, he doesn’t have a whole lot of options, and when a stranger in the guise of his new lawyer offers him a chance to do things over, he leaps at it. The catch? He has to escort a wagon train over the Oregon trail in 1848.
Rachel Parker is a product of her time. After a family tragedy, she gathers what’s left of her family and sets out for the new Oregon Territory. It’s hard. Tiring. And she never expected to have feelings for the reticent scout leading their party.
Both Rachel and Jake have secrets. Both can’t hide their attraction. Both can’t dare give in.
To say that having the guy be the time traveler is rare is underselling that trope. It happens. Most famously in Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Devereaux and some of the later Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon. But in both of those books the woman was the primary time traveler as well as the primary POV character. Come Home to Me was different, and I liked it. It also isn’t your typical location. The Oregon Trail is a great old school video game, but an underutilized location/time period. It’s nice to get out of the Regency Ballrooms and Antebellum South.
All joking aside, the historical and survival details were great. The treatment of the life of the times was well done. The author took care to make sure the Native American culture was represented well, but also historically accurate. I loved that the author acknowledged the liberties and changes made for the sake of the story. This shows care and research. Something often sorely lacking and the author didn’t resort to infodump to explain her changes. Here’s a tip to Historical writers… there’s nothing wrong with having a Historical Notes section or a bibliography. Showing that you did the research does go a long way. I also liked the characters. They were easily relatable and fun to follow around. The side characters were well-rounded but didn’t overtake the plot. And I didn’t feel the need for their story, if that makes sense. The conflicts were realistic as well. The story is full and complete and ends happily. What more can you ask for?
Five Stars.
