3.25 Stars. This is the first book I have read by Hoppen. I thought it was a decent story, but it fell a bit short of the expectations I had going into this read. While the story is interesting at times, it also felt predictable. Overall not a bad read, but only a little bit better than okay.

After the death of her husband, and a bad season on the farm, Evelyn decides to dress as a man, and take her husband’s place at a logging camp for the winter. The logging camp is known for hard work, rough conditions and rougher men. The one bright spot is her friendship with the camp cook’s helper Sarah. Sarah is in a similar position, after losing her partner Abigail to sickness. Sarah just wants to survive the winter to get money to start her life over. Can these two women work together to get through the toughest winter of their lives?

I find historical fiction to be a little up and down for me. Some of the horrors women had to put up with in the past, is not fun to read about. I do tend to like books better when the women pose as men, since they can take things on under their own power. So when I read the blurb to this book, I thought I would really enjoy this. But as I said above I really found the story predictable. I’m not sure if anything really happened, that I didn’t see coming. Also, while I thought the first half of the book flowed well, I thought when the book was back at the farm, the pace slowed way down. It was a lot about day to day chores. Some days were interesting; others just got a tad too repetitive.

I also struggled a bit with the main characters. While I liked both women, especially Evelyn, I found both characters could be wooden at times. I need a bit more depth into their feelings, or something so I could connect to them more. The romance is very slow burn, and when it heats up, it doesn’t really get past a simmer. I don’t mind that, not every book is poised for a steamy romance, but I could have used more chemistry.

I do want to make clear this is a decent read. There is nothing bad about it and it did provide a night or reading entertainment for me, it just wasn’t what I hoped for.

So, while I enjoyed the unusual and historical setting of a lumberjack camp, the romance was lacking. 
The main characters did not spend enough time building an emotional relationship before the "I think I love her" stuff started happening.  While I have no problem suspending reality and sometimes tend to think most people fall on the LGBTQ spectrum, there were a lot of lesbians running around out in the country.  I just found it a little unbelievable.  

So a decent read, especially if you enjoy historical fiction.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What to do when the person you intend to spend the rest of your life with suddenly passes away? For one, Sarah Bell, you do the unfamiliar. For the other, Evelyn Bauer, you do what is necessary. Both women are strong in their own way which makes them interesting and awesome. The farm description as well as the description of the logging camp was so well done that I could visualize the setting. I like the historical aspect and people doing what they need to do to survive. What was unexpected was the even handed discussion or reference to same sex couples.  Which is was that smooth and easy.

When Evelyn's husband dies in the fall 0f 1853, she knows the only way to survive the winter and support her family of three children, is to disguise herself, take her husbands place at a loggers camp, and bring home much needed funds. It's there that she meets Sarah, a young woman who has also recently lost her lover, and who is working at the camp in the kitchen. They're inexplicably drawn to each other and a tentative friendship blooms. Both women are mourning the loss of their loved ones and the conditions are trying and rough at the camp. On top of everything, Evelyn must maintain her disguise or all will be lost. Will the two women, and their friendship, survive the winter? 

It really, really, enjoyed this book. I will likely be buying the paperback to read it again when I need my fix of historical fiction. This book was so real and vivd. I could smell the loggers camp, the wet socks and the body oder, and feel the cold. It was so well done. There were only a few instances where some of the dialogue felt very present day, but for the most part it was really nicely done historical fiction. 

Evelyn and Sarah, where do I  even start... Evelyn is awesome - she's so strong and fierce and inspiring. And Sarah's dedicated and precious and strong in her own way too. Together, they were gorgeous.  The way the two women's friendship grew was just lovely, and  progression to love felt so natural. They went through so much, I feel for them, and I am so happy that they got a chance at a happy ending.

I really loved all the characters too- they were good people and unique/well-rounded characters.  There were a lot of really cool guys at the lumber camp and some great people back home at the farm too, and it brought a nice warmth to the story even with frigid temperatures outside. There were also the characters you love to hate, brilliantly done as well.

All in all, this was an excellent historical fiction and a feel good story all around, even when our ladies are dealing with impossible situations. Totally romantic and totally inspiring. I loved it! 

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Northwoods immediately piqued my interest because it's set in Wisconsin, a neighboring state to me, and during the late 19th century. We are immersed in the hardships of the upper Midwest during this time period which are made even more difficult when both Sarah and Evelyn's partners unexpectedly die and leave them clamoring for income to support themselves, and in Evelyn's case, support her 3 children. It was interesting following them along in their survival in a primitive logging camp and while they forge a friendship that blossoms into attraction the romance never quite seems to really sizzle or sparkle. Considering their harsh circumstances and the enormously bigoted time period it makes sense they have to keep their romance private, nor should we expect unicorns and rainbows blazing a trail for them. What it turns out to be is a solid friendship based on mutual attraction that blossoms into love and a strong family.

This is interesting in a Little House on the Prairie sort of way, but it didn't work so well and a romance for me- it was strangely emotionless and wooden

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

I find myself in two minds on how I feel about this novel. On the one side, it was an easy read with a fairly even pace and nice linear narrative. On the other side, I felt as if it shouldn’t have been any of these things. When Evelyn’s husband dies unexpectedly she finds herself in a position that the only way to support her three children and keep the farm they live on is to go north into the mountains to a logging camp and pretend to be him.

Sarah, a young woman from another town, finds herself in a similar predicament. Her lover Abigail has also just died and Abigail’s brother offers her a position and cook at the logging camp. Set in 1853, this has the makings of a tension-filled, angst-ridden period drama. And I think that at the same time as dreading it, it was what I was hoping for too.

Situations seem get resolved with relative ease and there is a surprising acceptance of lesbians considering the time period. Evelyn and Sarah are both nice characters but they almost talk with one voice. In fact, all the dialogue is very similar irrespective of the speaker. I got a good sense of the environment like the snow and the hard work of farm life but I didn’t get a sense of the 1800s. 

In essence, it’s not a bad read but I had hoped for more from it.

The Northwoods was about survival after the loss of a spouse/loved one and what constitutes a family. The two main characters, as well as the secondary characters, were all intriguing and the interactions were engaging. I really enjoyed the vivid descriptions throughout the story that effectively placed the reader directly into each setting such as the logging campsite and the layout of the farm. I also liked how the author allowed Evelyn and Sarah to develop a trusting and loving relationship over time since each had recently loss a partner. Additionally, it was interesting to see how other characters reacted to Helen and Jess’ relationship, especially in 1853. It would be nice if people were actually so accepting of differences. I think the best part of this story was showing how women were able to perform their jobs, some male related, as effectively as the men in very harsh conditions.