Name: Wildest Dreams
Rating: 5 (2 reviews)
ISBN: 9780553564723

Rosanne Bittner

Struggling to escape devastating memories of the past and hoping to begin a new life, Lettie McBride joins a wagon train headed west, but her plans are forever changed by Luke Fontaine, a courageous, determined pioneer. Original.

Wildest Dreams

"A sweeping saga of passion, excitement, and danger...as a beautiful young woman and a rugged ex-soldier struggle against all odds to carve out an empire-and to forge a magnificent love." Lettie McBride knows that joining a wagon train heading West is her chance to begin anew, far from the devastating memories of the night that changed her forever. She doesn't believe she can escape the pain of innocence lost, or feel desire for any man...until she meets Luke Fontaine. Haunted by his own secrets, Luke would never blame Lettie for what happened in the past. One glance at the pretty redhead is enough to fill the handsome, hard-driving pioneer with a savage hunger. Against relentless snows, murderous desperadoes, and raiding Sioux, Luke and Lettie will face a heartrending choice: abandon a lawless land before it destroys them, or fight for their Wildest Dreams. An emotional saga from the "QUEEN OF WESTERN HISTORICAL ROMANCE" that will captivate fans of Debra Holland, Jodi Thomas, Diana Palmer, and Linda Lael Miller. What readers are saying about Wildest Dreams: "I laughed and cried and mourned the end of this wonderful adventure!" "This is my idea of what love, marriage and family should be like." "This book kept me thinking long after I had read the last page." "I have not read a historical romance in years, and years. But, this one sucked me right in." "If I were stranded on an island and could only take 5 books with me, this would be one." What reviewers are saying about Wildest Dreams: "It's a rip-roaring soap opera that lets the reader follow a couple's life together over the course of 25 years." "Anyone seeking an emotional, sweeping Western saga need look no further..." "I was swept away into Luke and Lettie's story and loved every re-reading minute of it, and they and their story has stayed with me again long after I have finished." "Books like this aren't being published in the romance genre anymore — and it's a damn cryin' shame." "In my opinion this book was everything a good western romance should be." What everyone is saying about RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award winning and USA Today bestselling Author Rosanne Bittner: "Power, passion, tragedy, and triumph are Rosanne Bittner's hallmarks. Again and again, she brings readers to tears." "The strong flavor of the Wild West combines with a beautiful love story, creating a true saga of the era." "Ms. Bittner has a way of bringing the pages and characters to life which pulled me right in from page one and I hated having to put it down for even one second." "If you like authentic American West romances with in depth characterizations Rosanne Bittner is your author." "Rosanne Bittner has a way of weaving a story into your heart so that you can't help but love the characters and feel like you truly know them!" "We are very lucky to be living during a time when the TRUEE QUEEN OF HISTORICAL ROMANCE...keeps delivering epic novels that are forever engraved in our hearts."

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
  


In Wildest Dreams, Originally Published 1994, we have a story that through Sourcebook Casablanca comes back alive with a republishing. We are taken to an era that was full of discovery, danger, and finding one's full potential through the test of trials, grief, suffering but also love, devotion and passion for life. The story takes us back to the era of the civil war and after the war and reconstruction. This period of America's history was full of strife and Rosanne Bittner makes these challenges come alive within these 600 pages. I know that amount of numbere of pages sounds daunting, however I savored each moment of this story.

We are taken back to a story that begins with our two main characters....Lettie Mcbride and Luke Fontaine. Lettie along with her parents and siblings are traveling west on a wagon train in search of a new hope. Lettie has suffered from the raids on their home, when in an effort to protect and save her horse, she herself was attacked and raped. She had a son from that horrific night, Nathan. When Lettie meets Luke, Nathan is only a few years old. Luke Fontaine, has recently learned that he is a bastard, and his father favors his brother over Luke. So Luke leaves the only home he has ever known, and is driven to succeed. When he meets Lettie, and they start spending time together while traveling west, they fall in love. Lettie's family heads to Colorado but when she agrees to marry Luke, she knows that life is going to be full of troubles and trials. Luke and Lettie head to the Montana Territory. A territory that has plenty of land, but is rugged, dangerous and untamed. Luke wants to make an empire and even though Luke and Lettie start in a shack, they make a home together. The first few years wear on Lettie and Luke with battles with indians, rustlers and more. They make friends of neighbors, but one fateful night will test them. They lose their son Nathan to indians, not knowing if he is alive or dead. Luke and Lettie only become stronger, they build up their ranch and the land, they begin building a family with three sons and two daughters. Even though they build up a wondrous dream, they also have their griefs and losses and battles.

What is most wonderful about Rosanne Bittner, is how she handles these love family saga's. I have never read a author that handles them so well. There were many moments in this story where I want to break down in tears. The emotion that Bittner conveys in this story is truly heart wrenching at times. It really brings home, what trials these men and women----true pioneers suffered. Luke and Lottie are one of my favorite couples to read, because the one thing that keeps them strong and vibrant is the love they have for each other. We see them grow from newlyweds in their twenties to their forties, with grown children having families of their own. This is not your average romance that we see, and quite frankly sage romances are so rare that its also so delightful to immerse myself into one and boy this one had everything I needed to be a full satisfying romance that I couldn't get enough of.

There are some trajedies but there are also many great triumphs for Luke and Lettie. We see the joy they find in each other and in each of their children. It was so charming to see the growth of their relationship over the years. And they really get challenged at a certain point that almost tears them apart. But what was most endearing about this pair, was their strength and devotion to each other. Both Luke and Lettie have such courage and stay together no matter what comes their way. The literally learn to fight for one another both physically and emotionally. They learn how important it is to rely on each other; especially in the most challenging times of their marriage because that is when they need each other most. We see the trials their children have to go through, and boy my heart ached for all of them. And those that have read this story already, know which ones I am talking about. But we also see how they overcome the trials they each have been dealt and overcome them to claim a life of love and fulfillment just like their own parents.

Wildest Hearts is a love story that will endear you forever to Luke and Lettie, will take you back through the time of the reconstruction era of America's history, introduce you to the beauty of the Montana land and this poignant love story to remember forever!!! SIMPLY MAJESTIC!!
Just as a seed can sprout new life after being tossed aside, forgotten and left to die; So can love buried by pride and guilt come to bloom again...Stronger, Healthier and even more beautiful.
 
  
    Books N'Tunes Challenge

"A sweeping saga of passion, excitement, and danger...as a beautiful young woman and a rugged ex-soldier struggle against all odds to carve out an empire-and to forge a magnificent love." Lettie McBride knows that joining a wagon train heading West is her chance to begin anew, far from the devastating memories of the night that changed her forever. She doesn't believe she can escape the pain of innocence lost, or feel desire for any man...until she meets Luke Fontaine. Haunted by his own secrets, Luke would never blame Lettie for what happened in the past. One glance at the pretty redhead is enough to fill the handsome, hard-driving pioneer with a savage hunger. Against relentless snows, murderous desperadoes, and raiding Sioux, Luke and Lettie will face a heartrending choice: abandon a lawless land before it destroys them, or fight for their Wildest Dreams. An emotional saga from the "QUEEN OF WESTERN HISTORICAL ROMANCE" that will captivate fans of Debra Holland, Jodi Thomas, Diana Palmer, and Linda Lael Miller. What readers are saying about Wildest Dreams: "I laughed and cried and mourned the end of this wonderful adventure!" "This is my idea of what love, marriage and family should be like." "This book kept me thinking long after I had read the last page." "I have not read a historical romance in years, and years. But, this one sucked me right in." "If I were stranded on an island and could only take 5 books with me, this would be one." What reviewers are saying about Wildest Dreams: "It's a rip-roaring soap opera that lets the reader follow a couple's life together over the course of 25 years." "Anyone seeking an emotional, sweeping Western saga need look no further..." "I was swept away into Luke and Lettie's story and loved every re-reading minute of it, and they and their story has stayed with me again long after I have finished." "Books like this aren't being published in the romance genre anymore — and it's a damn cryin' shame." "In my opinion this book was everything a good western romance should be." What everyone is saying about RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award-winning and USA Today bestselling Author Rosanne Bittner: "Power, passion, tragedy, and triumph are Rosanne Bittner's hallmarks. Again and again, she brings readers to tears." "The strong flavor of the Wild West combines with a beautiful love story, creating a true saga of the era." "Ms. Bittner has a way of bringing the pages and characters to life which pulled me right in from page one and I hated having to put it down for even one second." "If you like authentic American West romances with in depth characterizations Rosanne Bittner is your author." "Rosanne Bittner has a way of weaving a story into your heart so that you can't help but love the characters and feel like you truly know them!" "We are very lucky to be living during a time when the TRUEE QUEEN OF HISTORICAL ROMANCE...keeps delivering epic novels that are forever engraved in our hearts."

Wildest Dreams

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