Saturday, August 10, 2024

About the Book

Book: Covering Grace (The Cañon City Chronicles Book Six)

Author: Davalynn Spencer

Genre: Historical/Western Romance

Release date: July 11, 2024

Grace Hutton defied the shadow of her ranching brothers, Cale and Hugh. Always the tagalong little sister who tried to best them at everything, she signed on with the Buffalo Bill Cody Wild West Show to prove herself. After three years of trick-riding and roping, she returns home to Cañon City, Colorado, with a world of experience, Harley the Wonder Horse, and a broken heart. It’s 1912, and the first thing she needs is work and a place to live. The last thing she needs is romance.

Dan Waite is caring for his invalid father and trying to keep their hat business in the black. Showing up in the wake of an assault at the boarding house, he helps Grace Hutton rescue the elderly owner. But he doesn’t have time for the two women, especially when Grace asks him to spend a day with the widow. Grace turns out to be more than he bargained for, and when her trick-riding ways put her in danger, he risks more than his time intervening. He risks his heart.

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About the Author

Author of the beloved, award-winning series, The Cañon City Chronicles, internationally acclaimed novelist and Will Rogers Gold Medallion winner, Davalynn Spencer writes historical Western romance set along the Front Range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. She is a Publisher’s Weekly and ECPA bestselling author, an award-winning rodeo journalist and former crime-beat reporter. As a member of the Colorado Humanities CBA Speakers Bureau, she also teaches writing workshops, plays on her church worship team, and loves bacon and chocolate. But not together.

More from Davalynn

Harley the Wonder Horse

He was a beautiful, chocolate-colored gelding with an easy gait, and my friend called him Harley.

“Harley the Wonder Horse,” she said, bona fide Rocky Mountain breed. “Everybody loves him.”

I sure did after a day of riding up around Brush Hollow in the hills not far from my home.

It’s a very short trip via horseback to the fictional world of my characters in the Cañon City Chronicles. I knew Harley had to be in the next and final book in the series, Covering Grace.

Grace Hutton had been hanging around in my head for three years—ever since I wrote about the younger of her twin brothers, Cale (Book 4, A Change of Scenery). He talked about his sister who could out-ride any of the cast in the Selig-Polyscope flickers being filmed in and around Cañon City.

When the older (by a minute) twin, Hugh, got his own story (Book 5, Hope is Built), he also mentioned their little sister, Grace. How could they not, with her never-say-die approach to life, and stick-like-flypaper perseverance. When they were all growing up, she was never far behind the boys, showing she was just as good as they were.

Trouble was, she was better, and her skills earned her a place in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. That’s where she met Harley, and when she came home, he came with her.

And there you have it, the story-behind-the-story of Harley the Wonder Horse. Now understand that real-life Harley is not a trick-riding horse, but I have a long-time friend, Linda Scholtz, who is a real-life trick rider. I’ve watched her do some mighty fine stunts, so fine that she instructs would-be trick riders how to be real trick riders.

A few other things from my life play into this book, like the setting. Is there anywhere more beautiful than the Rocky Mountains as a storm blows in quicker than your breath? Or the aspens that shiver in the slightest breeze and pour gold down the gullies and ravines in autumn? And what of sitting before a crackling fire in the woodstove or fireplace as fall runs in ahead of winter?

Join me for a ride in the final book of The Cañon City Chronicles, Covering Grace. It may just be more than you expected.

MY REVIEW

This is a sweet, clean book that shares the relationship between people who are lonely, hurt and learning to trust God. I love the time period and how it illustrates the hard times people went through. It was difficult to make a good living but I liked how they never gave up.

Grace is a wonderful character who finds herself staying in a small town to help an elderly lady out. It wasn’t her plan but God sure stepped in to change her direction in life. As Grace gets to know Dorrie , a special bond develops between them. Has Grace found purpose in life? Will she give up her desire to do trick riding?

Dan meets Grace while trying to help her fend off the man who is hurting the widow Dorrie . Their paths start to cross more often and before you know it, Dan and his father are spending time at the widow’s house with Grace. They have dinner several times a week and Dan’s father starts to improve health wise. What I liked about Dan was his caring heart and how he never once complained about watching out for his father.

The story is easy to read and gives readers a look at two different relationships and how they bring healing to broken, lonely hearts. Dan didn’t like Grace doing her trick riding which does cause conflict. It was very interesting to read about Grace doing her tricks in a film that was in her area. I remember seeing those old western movies where the trick riding was the best part of the movie. Those were brave people who risked their lives to make a film exciting.

The ending is filled with a bit of danger which had me trying to read faster. I really loved this story and how the author not only illustrates the Wild West but how God is in control. As long as you have faith and trust, he will turn what the enemy meant for harm to good.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.