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Book Review of Cora's Pride: Wilderness Brides, Book 1 (Volume 1)

Cora's Pride: Wilderness Brides, Book 1 (Volume 1)
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There were many prejudices against unmarried women traveling across the West during earlier times. Cora is responsible for her two sisters, a younger brother, and her best friend, Annie. Because no wagon master would take an unmarried woman on the trip west, Cora married Ted Miller in Independence (the jumping-off spot for westward travel). Unfortunately, by Fort Laramie, Ted decided he'd run off with drinking buddies and go the hunt gold. His decision left Cora and her family in a spot, and the wagon train summarily dumped them. As a parting shot, Ted informed Cora that the 'minister' who married them was no such thing.

Thus, Cora was distrustful of men. Her father had run off with the town's saloon girl years before, and the betrayal eventually led to his wife's early death. So when Cora meets Nathaniel Wilder, she is underwhelmed. Before long, Cora and her family had a broken wheel and were lost. This novella is an exciting portrayal of the many difficulties of moving West in the early 1800s. Some parts were redundant, but this is an entertaining story that moves quickly.