Regina (virgosun) reviewed on 10/16/2015 + 888 more book reviews

The Drifter is my first book by Anna Schmidt, but I still had high expectations since it is set in one of my favorite backdrops--ranching in the late 1800s. I never tire of the lone wanderer looking for work on a spread who unwittingly, sometimes reluctantly, saves the day--and the ranch--from the greedy clutches of the neighboring landowners. I have an affinity for the earthiness of ranch life as well as the tough strength of the people who thrive on the land.

Schmidt spun a solid tale of the challenges that faced the ranch owners, detailing their problems with cattle rustlers, water rights, sabotage, and even the weather. Moreover, what does a young woman do when her father dies and her mother retreats into denial, her older brother abandons the homestead, her younger siblings need guidance, and she has a ranch to run? She hangs on with sheer determination and thanks her lucky stars the day a whip-yielding, handsome drifter comes looking for work. Yeah, what can I say? I'm sold.

Well, almost...

...since I was left looking for a meatier romance. The setting was perfect for all kinds of heated romantic action. Instead, I hardly saw enough to believe ranch girl and cowboy had the hots for each other let alone fall in love. They were too busy surviving and skirting around their attraction. It perilously leaned towards being a western first, romance second. What a bummer. From a daily living aspect, Schmidt nailed it, but the love department was lacking, relegating a potentially great story into a sweet one, and leaving it oddly unbalanced for this romance reader. Three stars it is, folks.

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