Maggie Osborne has written some of my favorite historical romances and I love her tough & crusty heroine's but this book was a bit of a letdown. It features a heroine who I found very unoriginal and very un-Osborne-like. Still, a mediocre Maggie Osborne is still better than most of the stuff on the shelves . . .

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Grade: C+

Della Ward has lived an isolated existence since her husband was killed in the Civil War. Living in a remote western farm she spends her days regretting the last letter she wrote to her husband. James Cameron is haunted by his past as well. He has spent the last ten years struggling with the decision to go to Della Ward and give her a letter and photo that her husband had on his position when he died. James struggles with the death of Della's husband, but he will have to tell her the truth if he is ever going to move on with his life. He owes Della that much, at least.

Prairie Moon is a very tender and sad love story. Della and James both have an incredible amount of baggage. I like that Ms. Osborne doesn't reveal everything at once to the reader but rather dished it out a little at a time to keep the reader interested in what is going on. Once the reader does discover what both of these characters have gone through, especially Della, their heart will break for them.

There were a few things about the book that kept me from giving it a higher grade. James keeps a very big secret from Della for most of the book and the reader knows that eventually Della is going to find out James motivation for coming to her. James allows Della to make untrue assumptions about how her husband died and he doesn't correct her. When the truth does finally come to light Della reacts just the way James had feared. That bothered me about her. After everything she had learned about James and all the time she spent with him she should have handled it better. Eventually these two do get their happy ending, but boy did they have a long journey of heartbreak to get there.

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I loved this author and am immediately going to order more from her. She was pretty clean which is rare.

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This book was much better than I was expecting. The characters are very interesting and the author gives the story an surprising twist.

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5 stars! One of the best books I've ever read. Maggie Osborne is an amazing writer.

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Really love this book. If you haven't read any books by her try them you will like them !!

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James Cameron has traveled to a small rundown farm in Texas to find Mrs. Della Ward. He explains to Della that he was with her husband when he was killed during the civil war. He gives Della the unfinished letter that her husband was writing to her when he died. Della has mourned her husband for nearly ten years, carrying guilt because of the things she said to him in her last letter. She lives a nearly penniless existence on a monthly stipend that her in-laws send her. James sees the condition of the farm and decides to help fix it up before he leaves...and before he tells her the real reason he came to see her.

Author Maggie Osborne always gives the reader well developed and interesting characters. Della and James are no exception. Not only does Della live with the guilt about her last words to her husband, but she also has given up her baby daughter to her in-laws because she couldn't support her. James Cameron worked as a lawman and bounty hunter after the war. He was made famous by a penny novel written about him and his gun. Strangers trying to outdraw a gunslinger in the streets have put a target on his back.

It wasn't too hard to guess James' HUGE SECRET. The reader was told early in the book, but James kept putting off telling Della until nearly the end of the novel. The pacing of this book was rather slow. I usually love this author's books, but I found the unexpected twist in the story to be unsatisfactory. My rating: 3.5 Stars.

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When I finished this book, my thought was, Is that all there is? This was an unsatisfying book; it seemed to be much ado about nothing. I cannot believe Im saying this about any of Maggie Osbornes books, however, thats how I feel.

Della and James are two guilt-ridden souls. The Civil War ended years ago but Della lives in the past. She sent her husband a letter telling him she hated him, during a particularly difficult time. It was her last communication to him before he died.

James Cameron has done a bit of everything since the war; hes been a bounty hunter, lawman and gunslinger. Since a dime novel was written about him, he has to watch for those eager to get a reputation for killing him --- now a famous man. He has a secret that he needs to share with Della but cant make himself speak of it.

The story moves slowly and Della talks constantly about the past. One of the most insightful things said was when James worried that Della would get lost in the dark and rain. His friend, Luke Apple stated, Shes been lost for a long time, son.

Della and James embark on a trip to Atlanta to get her daughter, Claire. Her daughter is living with her grandparents (Dellas parents-in-law). Della has an incredible amount of angst about seeing her child again after all these years.

I just felt the entire book was depressing; they talked only of the past and the wrongs that took place then.

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Della Ward, widow, living on a run-down farm at the edge of a small Texas town, with guilty memories for company A rugged stranger riding across the prairie toward her house will forever change her life. Lawman James Cameron believes in settling debts and living by honor. It took him ten years to arrive at Della's door, but he is finally here and is determined to tell her the truth about the day her husband died - the truth that may detroy them both.

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