Really cute historical fiction romance set in a small miner's town and set in 19th century America.
What a lovely book. It was sometimes complex, other times easy but all the time enjoyable. So many issues in this one: tragedy, romance, roles of women and men...
It was the third book in the Sawtooth Range series but honestly I didn't even notice until the end because it read well as a standalone.
I never got bored and would recommend.

Interesting story with strong characters facing struggles to survive difficult winters in the mountains. Lots of problems they faced. Finding their way to love.. You'll find yourself feeling the dispare and cold facts of life. You'll read yp the end to see how they come together.

Naive former governess, Lena comes to Sawtooth with plans to get married and run a boarding house. Three years after Evan lost his brother, Evan warns Lena that she isn’t prepared for the winter in the mountains. Lena is a strong woman, who creates a family at the rooming house. As people start leaving Sawtooth, Lena clings to her dreams. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgallery. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. This is a wonderful story about the challenges of an old mining town and finding out what you want in life. The characters are well developed and the story is excellent. I really enjoy this read, I recommend this book and the series.

Lena is set to marry a man in the mountains and run a boarding house, this is not a relationship of love but of business. Along the way she meets Jesse who is also a mail order bride. Once they get there Lena finds out that her husband to be has been killed in an accident. Lena decides to stick it out and try to buy the property from his sister and still run it. Evan is the man's brother and tries to warn Lena about the dangers of living in this area due to the snow and horrible weather. They both have demons they have to face. It was a good book, a little slow and ragged a little, but I liked it and I can't wait to read more books by this author.

A great story that amplifies the title. Plans like seasons change. Some changes are good and some are not. Like the characters, when you follow God, change is good. This is the 3rd book in the series, but a great stand alone.

A while back I decided to make an effort to read more historical romances. It hasn’t been a genre I was previously interested in, but there’s just something about how the men treat the women in those books that I find to be inherently romantic. Unfortunately, this one didn’t do much to encourage me in my historical romance reading efforts.

Alena Sommer is in her early 30s, which practically makes her a spinster in 1886. Having spent the past eight years as a governess in Chicago, she’s now embarking on a new adventure: as wife and co-owner of a boarding house in the mountains of Idaho. Upon arrival in the boomtown of Sawtooth City, after a grueling trek, she learns the man she is supposed to marry died two weeks earlier. Also, the boomtown has boomed, and is no longer the thriving place she was led to believe it is.

Not to be deterred, she decides to go along with her plan. With the help of a mail order bride she met during her travel to Sawtooth, Jessie, she decides to stay and run the boarding house - which is currently inhabited by five men who work at the nearby mine. The men are happy to have her there. She cooks, and brings about a sense of family that they didn’t previously have. But she’s not encouraged to stay. Evan Hartmann, one of the boarders, is particularly emphatic in his encouraging her to leave before the hard winter sets in.

It’s those discouraging words that have Lena and Evan feeling at odds with each other. Yet the more time they spend together, feelings of affection begin to develop.

And that’s where this book fell short for me. I was anticipating looks of longing, stolen smiles across the table, quiet conversations on the porch, the thrill of holding hands! There was barely any of that. I was anticipating reading about the struggles they went through to survive the winter. Maybe one of them getting deathly ill and the other staying by their side to nurse them back to health. Them almost starving to death, but the hero saving the day by shooting a dear and dragging it home during a blizzard. But there was none of that.

Well, there was at least a snow storm. But just one.

There really wasn’t actually a whole lot of interaction between the hero and the heroine that developed a romantic relationship. I liked them as individuals - Lena is spunky and determined, Evan is broody and quiet, but also kind and giving. And I liked the side characters. The characters were all well developed. The writing was good, even if the pacing was frequently slow. But the romance part left me wanting more. I don’t know why I was thinking there would be hard times surviving Lena’s first winter. My feelings about this book are probably a case of mismanaged expectations. Also, I should have paid better attention to the title: COMES the Winter. Not Through the Winter, or Surviving the Winter. Comes the Winter, as in “with this first snow storm, here comes the winter.” It’s now too late to leave the mountain, we are all stuck here, it’s gonna get hard. Then they finally decide they love each other, and the story ends.

And so will this review. 😬

*thank you to NetGalley and River’s End Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Want to see what else is feeding my addiction?! Visit my blog: www.ereaderaddict.wordpress.com

Comes The Winter, a novel by Samantha St. Claire, opens in a boom town in Idaho Territory in 1886. Lena Sommer has traveled west to become the mail order bride of a man who owns a boarding house. Upon arrival she learns the man she was to marry has died. Facing an unknown future, she decides to stay and offers to run the boarding house until a permanent decision about the property can be made. Amongst the residents of the boarding house is the perplexing Evan Hartmann, who is far from welcoming and advises her to leave before winter sets in. Both Lena and Evan have experienced losses. Now, by chance or perhaps fate, their lives intersect at a time when each is trying to make decisions about the future. Skillfully, their true characters are revealed. Perhaps they are not as different as they first seemed.

There is much in this novel that makes it an engrossing tale. By using detailed imagery and meaningful dialogue, the author brings to readers a special and varied group of characters who, for a time, become a family. Special bonds are formed. The relationship between the characters and their environment is especially intriguing. The setting takes on a life of its own.

Comes The Winter is a beautifully written and memorable story. Highly recommended

I received a ARC of this book from NetGalley/Publisher for an honest review.
I loved this book! It was very well written and painted a beautiful picture of the Boomtown and the Idaho wilderness. The love between Evan and Lena is beautiful. Historical Fiction is my favorite and this book did not disappoint.

Lena Sommer leaves the city and moves to Sawtooth Range in Idaho with plans to marry and live a bountiful life. When she arrives her fiancé is dead and she has nowhere to turn. What’s she to do? Go back east to the city? Or, can she live in this stark wilderness setting and manage the man’s lodging house? There is one who thinks not and tries his best to convince her to leave. But, could there be more to his turning her away than just concern for her safety and wellbeing?

This is a story of a courageous woman although some would say foolish. She’s bent on carving out a new life alone. Can she make it through the icy cold winters on her own? Read and enjoy this tale of a woman and her raw and blind ambition to overcome obstacles for living life on her own terms.

I really enjoyed this historical romance set in 19th century America. Blame it all on Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman and Little House on the Prairie, because I love a good "heading west" story.When Lena finds her governess job in Chicago ended unexpectedly, she strikes up a deal with a boardinghouse owner in Sawtooth, they will marry, and run the business together. However, the best laid plans run awry and Lena finds herself determined to make a life for herself in this harsh mining town. Enter Evan Hartmann, who is dealing with the death of his brother and who doesn't feel Sawtooth is quite the place for a lady from back East. With the help of friends, Lena and Evan will begin to see each other in a new light, but their equal stubbornness might just end their romance before it has a chance to begin.

At times, a bit sugary sweet, Comes the Winter was just the light read I needed. Although I am not familiar with the series, I felt this book could almost be a stand alone. Definitely will keep an eye out for this author in the future.

A sweet story about the hardships of settling the American west. The particular emphasis on the plight of women and the darker side of the gold rush yield a satisfying historical picture.

Vanilla, sweet, clean, almost old West romance. Not quite an HEA. There should have been an epilogue. A mail-order bride goes west to meet her intended, and then marry him. In the weeks prior to her arrival, her intended dies in an accident... She is seeming left out in the cold literally. She must decide what she will do before the winter closes in around her. She takes possession of the boarding house, they would have operated as the boom town closes down around her. She and one of her boarders have a growing relationship. She has a running conversation with herself and through introspection is able to get her head straight so she cannot only come to terms with herself but those around her.

Comes the Winter is a great historical romance. I enjoyed the plot, characters and the setting. I look forward to reading more of this author’s books. I recommend this book to fans of historical romance.. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for My ARC. This is my unbiased review.

I needed it to be winter, like, yesterday. And since we're still slowly trekking our way to Autumn I was incredibly pleased to be able to read St. Claire's newest Sawtooth Range novel.

A twist on the Mail Order Bride romance, what happens when the bride travels to the destination only to find her intended husband has died? St Claire explores this possibility with the likable, spunky Lena.

Focusing on a dying gold boom town, we watch as Lena learns to love the people there and say goodbye while she stubbornly looks to wait out the winter in the ghost town.

Evan will be your next historical cowboy book boyfriend. Beautiful green eyes, perfect build, and a compassionate heart tie this adorable cinnamon roll together.

I appreciated that while this novel hinted at the romance, it also took on the prejudice of prostitutes and how outright destain and loft do-gooding are on the same nasty, privileged level. And it was unapologetic with its importance of female and male friendship alike.

Basically, as the leaves start to turn and it becomes Pumpkin spice everything, you'll want this one to cozy with under your favorite blanket.

Thank you to NetGalley, Samantha St. Claire, and River's End Books for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Great historical read! Lena heads to Idaho territory to marry a man she has never met, when she arrives she learned that he was killed. With Winter coming should she go back to Chicago or stay. This is a fast-paced read with lots of suspense and drama and great characters. The romance is sweet and the story entertaining.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book via Netgalley

I really enjoyed this story. It looked like those books by Thomas Mayne Reid, old fashioned ones.

It's slow burn, clean romance.
I hated that the heroine was thinking low about herself. But, I think, on those times and in her family dinamics it was the usual

Thank You Net Galley for the free ARC.
Nice little story about perseverance and that sometimes life goes into a different direction than you expect, but it may be for the better.

This is the second book that I have read by this author. It is the story of Evan and Lena. In this book you will find a stoy about a journey not only across the land but, of the heart. Sometimes it takes mishaps, disapointments and losing everything you wanted to find what you really need. This is a heartfelt story with wonderful characters and an intriguing storyline. I would definitely recommend this book.