Nothing Short of Wondrous

August 31, 2020
Scott continues her American Wonders Collection (after A Distance Too Grand) with this entertaining inspirational romance set in the vastness of 1886 Yellowstone National Park. Kate Tremaine, a widow whose husband was killed by a bear the year before, has a short-term lease on the Geyser Gateway Inn. She, her cook Alberta, and her seven-year old son, Danny, live year-round in the park and are surprised when Lt. Will Prescott leads a unit of the U.S. Cavalry into the land, having been sent to protect the park from poachers and vandals. With Kate needing an ally in her bid for a 10-year lease on the Inn and Prescott looking for a guide through the uncharted local terrain, their mutually beneficial pact, based on a shared faith, soon becomes mutual attraction. But Prescott has a secret he is sure will change Kate’s mind about him as a suitable wooer, and as others try to get a foothold in the lucrative park concession business, the pair end up battling more than just poachers. Though astute readers will recognize the main vandalism culprit early on, Scott still manages to plack in plenty of suspense, faith, and adventure.

Starred review from September 1, 2020
Recently widowed and left with the Geyser Gateway Inn inside Yellowstone National Park, Kate Tremaine has a business to run, a son to raise, and no time for suitors. Lieutenant Will Prescott agrees to help Kate earn one of the park's few available lease renewals in exchange for her guidance through Yellowstone with his men. Missing supplies, false rumors, and evidence of poachers jeopardize her family's future and the park. When Will does not hesitate to fight by her side for the things she loves, her heart realizes that there may be a second chance at love for them both. With grandeur and finesse, Scott continues her American Wonders collection, following A Distance Too Grand (2019) with a brilliant, awe-inspiring installment. Set in Yellowstone in 1886, this is a story of duty, character, and trust in love set within the ethos of early American conservation pioneers. Vivid descriptions of the park's natural features, including geysers, paint pots, hot pools, and wildlife bring the beauty of Yellowstone to life. Kate's quiet strength is a resolute force to be reckoned with as she fiercely defends the people and land she loves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)