u/Aware-Sea-8593

I was so inspired by {Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins} that I wanted to recreate the cover dress for my Addy Walker doll! The story is set in 1870, however the patterns I chose to make the convertible gown are closer to mid 1860s, however I do want to recreate some of the outfits described to be closer to contemporary 1870 as Eddy makes friends with a seamstress who would be more up to date with the fashion plates!

Patterns:
Amy 1860s Ballgown
Meg 1860s Daydress
Meg Sleeve Variations
Boater Style Late Victorian Hat

Accessories:
Chatelaine
Cameo brooch
Pink lily hat pin

I bought this on a recommendation from The Ripped Bodice, but I was worried it was gonna be too spicy for my taste due to the cover alone lol. However, I was pleasantly surprised that this is the slow burn western romance I’ve been looking for!

Set in 1870, Eddy Carmichael is a black woman from Denver, Colorado who strikes out to find a better life for herself in San Francisco, but due to some bad luck she nearly dies penniless in the 40 mile desert. She’s rescued by Rhine Fontaine, a saloon owner and prominent member of Virginia City. He’s also half-black and was born enslaved, but passes for white and took advantage of that to build his wealth while also giving back to the black community in Virginia city.

I just love love love Eddy and Rhine individually but also together! Eddy has a touch of sass but it’s never unkind, and I love the friendships she makes with Sylvia and Vera and Rhine’s friendship with Jim. I also love how full the community felt that I almost felt like a neighbor! It makes for a good cozy read. When Eddy and Rhine do get together, it’s so sensual and sweet and hits all the right buttons for me!

I do want to give a trigger warning that near the end, the n-word is used multiple times, but it’s used really effectively to make one of its thematic points.

Anywho if you’re looking to get into western romances, I can’t recommend this enough!

I understand why {To The Wild Horizon by Imogen Martin} has a good rating on good reads and was recommended when I asked for Oregon Trail book recommendations. It had a really strong start when Grace shoots her landlord and flees with her 10 year old brother Tom on the first wagon train to Oregon to meet their older brother who’s settled out west. I really loved the stakes of her having to lie to Captain Randolph, our MMC, and later the bet they make to allow her to continue to travel with them past Fort Laramie. I liked how we were getting to know some of the wagon train and how the POV shifts helped with that ensemble feeling. Part 1 was fantastic, the stakes had me on edge, and there was a nice competitive chemistry going because of the bargain between the main characters.

And then part two happened and the wheels started to fall off.

TW: Rape >!A seventeen year old who’s trying to meet a soldier escorting the train that she’s sweet on is brutally raped by another soldier. To find the culprit, Grace offers herself up as “bait” in a plot that almost gets her raped too, and this is after the catalyst of the novel when her landlord tried to rape her and she shoots him to get away. I think the author did a good job being sensitive and compassionate to the rape victim when she’s completely distraught and doesn’t want to tell anyone what happened, but I was disappointed that the rapist was practically a cartoon character and the goal of this plot is to get Randolph and Grace to realize that they love each other which. Ugh.!<

And despite the characters saying “oh no, Native American attacks and raids are rare,” our wagon train is still attacked 😩 It was a mote better than Where The Lost Wander where at least the wagon train knew they were headed into territory where they wouldn’t be welcome and that the FMC isn’t captured but is shot? I am so tired of this trope.

Spoiler for the end: >!The main plot gets as far as Fort Boise and then jump cut to Oregon but not quite Willamette Valley. I want to see the whole trail!!!<

😩 It’s such a let down from the last book too. The romance just didn’t work for me because it went from slow burn to “omg I need to marry you, you’re the one for me” in a day. I feel like I have a certain vision for the Oregon Trail romance I want to read and I may have to just write it myself, or maybe it’ll just be my white whale lol.

Anyway that’s my vent. Please give it a try if it interests you, I think I’m just being very picky with very high expectations lol.

So while I was picking up my Oregon Trail romance rec pick by you fine people (To The Wild Horizon by Imogen Martin is my next read), I stumbled upon this recommendation upon the shelves of The Ripped Bodice. Now I wasn’t looking for a regency romance but I was immediately lured in with the prospect of cozy feels and caretaking.

The plot: The year is 1819 when Will Sedgwick finds his bff Martin Easterbrook slowly dying of tuberculosis in an attic and essentially kidnaps him to nurse him back to health in a wee cottage in Sussex. It’s such a beautiful read of friendship and romance and being “murdered by casual affection.” Martin is a prickly pear afraid to allow himself to love Will because of how awful his father was and his insecurities with feeling useless as a chronically ill aristocratic and Will, a disgraced former naval officer, doesn’t feel like he’s enough for Martin due to his class and not being able to afford the finer things in life that Martin’s accustomed to. Ugh but it’s all so sweet and I was reading it slowly so it would never end! Definitely will be a reread for when I’m feeling blue.

I’m unfamiliar with tags but I let me see if this works:
{Two Rogues Make A Right by Cat Sebastian}

I thought we’d gotten rid of all my Barbies when I was a teen but twenty years later, surprise! My cat had a penchant for eating their feet. Any suggestions for restoration? Thanks!

I recently made the switch to seasonal spreads and I’ve been using my journal so much more! This is for summer, starting on June 21st!

It’s not New Mexico, but Old Town San Diego certainly feels like home!