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Backwards To Oregon (2007)

by Jae(Favorite Author)

4.37 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Ylva Publishing

series

The Oregon Series

review 1: I loved this from about 5% to 80%. The first few chapters introduce Luke Hamilton, an army lieutenant during the Mexican American War. Luke visits a brothel every few years and has a relationship with Tess, the owner. Tess is the only one who knows that Luke is female.I had trouble believing Luke could keep this secret in the army, but let's just go with it.Luke meets Nora, a prostitute, and offers to marry her. She wants to go to Oregon and a man traveling with a wife is a good cover. Nora is beautiful and has a young daughter. Luke can give them a chance at a better life. She doesn't reveal her secret to Nora or anyone else as they travel the Oregon Trail.Luke and Nora are very sympathetic characters. Luke is noble and kind but aloof, not sharing any personal information... more with Nora. Luke becomes attached to Nora and Amy, her daughter, despite her best intentions. She plans to annul the marriage, telling Nora she'll have her pick of men in Oregon.Nora was raised in a wealthy home and struggles to keep up with the grueling work along the trail. She doesn't know how to cook or handle oxen. I really enjoyed the descriptions of pioneer life. The secondary characters add a lot of flavor.Nora knows one thing, how to please men in the bedroom, so she tries to seduce Luke often. She's perplexed by his resistance but determined to keep him. She won't find a better man. He helps cook and clean, treats her with respect, and loves her daughter.A bad man joins the group and recognizes Nora. He follows her around and makes advances. She eventually sticks up for herself and tells Luke what is going on. Luke isn't a fighter, but she ends up shooting the man and getting shot. Nora and another woman, Bernice, discover Luke's secret while tending to his wound.Did I mention that Nora is pregnant? She finds this out about halfway through the trip.Okay, so the story went downhill for me from here. Nora is realistically upset. Her marriage is a sham. She's heavily pregnant. She warms up to the idea of staying with Luke in a transformation I wasn't convinced by. They make love the night before she gives birth, which struck me as awkward and unrealistic. Luke has never touched her own body sexually, but she allows Nora to. Nora is about to pop and has never been with a woman. Nora claims that she can relax with Luke because she's female. Being with men was "work." I don't believe that bad experiences make you gay, so I wanted another explanation, or maybe some evidence that Nora liked women before Luke. Nora also uses the word "orgasm" and mentions that it helped induce labor. Not sure if that is realistic for time period. Bernice, who has supported Nora and Luke all along, becomes the tiresome anti-gay crusader. Nora insists that she loves Luke. After a difficult journey with many trials and tribulations, they arrive in Oregon and live happily ever after.I liked the characters, the setting details (most sounded very authentic) and the romance before the reveal. The writing is flawed, with quiet moments of greatness. Overall, a quality story about two good people.
review 2: I am a late comer to Jae books and this is the first I have read and it was a wonderful story. I had been advised to read this book many times and finally I have found a copy... I will read this book many times it is really very special. It truly is an amazing feeling when an author takes you on a journey with their story telling. Particularly when you can feel live and breathe every mile throughout their travels. Lots of interesting facts in this book too and if you love horses this book is a winner. less

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