Where Coyotes Howl was an amazing book, I honestly didn’t want to put it down. I was drawn in from the very beginning. The characters were relatable and real. The love that was felt by the main characters was endearing and made me love this book even more. This book isn’t without sadness however, after all what life isn’t? The way the author wrote it made you feel like you were right there, life back then wasn’t easy and living on the land was tough; but throughout the book you see the love, courage, will power and endurance to continue despite the major challenges faced by people. A heartbreaking story of what it was like to live in Wyoming in the early 1900’s.

I found a few small typos and grammatical errors here and there within the book.

Thank you to Net Gallery and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Where The Coyotes Howl

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advance readers copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

I have read a couple of Sandra Dallas’s books and enjoyed them immensely, she really is a great story teller. Her newest book is no different, in “Where Coyotes Howl” We follow Ellen who has decided somewhat on a whim to accept a teaching job in a very small town in Wyoming in 1916, not long after arriving Ellen meets Charlie- a cowboy who has had a lifetime of hurt in his short life. They fall in love, and what follows has to be one of the most gripping and heartbreaking love stories that I have ever read. Dallas does a great job depicting life on a ranch on the plains for women and the struggles they faced as well as showing how couples really do need to work as a team. The character development was amazing, I so wanted a happy ending for every single one of them, however I think this book had more tragedies than triumphs, which is why I knocked it down to a 4 star book. I highly recommend this book for fans of historical fiction-especially if you are wanting a time period that isn’t as popular. This book will be published on April 18th 2023

This is just a sweet story. Ordinary people living and working in a hearse environment. It shows how difficult life was in that age. And you really like the characters b

Sandra Dallas did it again with an excellent account of the hardships endured on the plains. Ever since Little House on the Prairie, I have been an fan of historical fiction novels and this is one of my favorites.
Ellen moves to start a new life as a school teacher where she meets Charlie, a good-looking cowboy. They're soon married and start their life together building their own ranch. This books brings you through the things this little family must go through to survive. There is love, loss, anger, crazy weather, and more. #NetGalley #SandraDallas #Wherethecoyoteshowl #historicalfiction

There is something about Sandra Dallas’s writing that draws me in every single time!
Sandra Dallas has a remarkable way of crafting a picture of a place and time in history with rich engaging characters leading you through a remarkable story. In this case, the story tells the tale of Ellen & Charlie whose love takes them through incredible joys and losses, while they attempt to settle into the harsh, often punishing life on a ranch farm in Wyoming. Not knowing anything about ranch farming or Wyoming, I, the reader had the amazing treat of being taken on a journey with this couple through all the hardships, strengths and deep love that got them through it. The reader feels like she is walking alongside the strong female lead character, routing for her, crying for her and cheering her as she navigates through life’s joys and challenges. Sandra Dallas does not ever promise a happy ending, but merely tells a tale, exactly as it should be. This story, this couple will stay with me a long time after I’ve closed the last page of this little gem of a book. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for an honest review! This may be my favorite read this year (so far) and I will certainly recommend it to others.

Wyoming, 1916. Twenty-three-year-old Ellen Webster accepts a teaching job in the small town of Wallace, Wyoming. She quickly catches the eye of Charlie Bacon, a cowboy ten years her senior. After a whirlwind courtship, they marry at the end of the school year after Charlie buys some land and builds a house for his bride.

Although the life of a ranch wife isn't easy, Ellen enjoys it. She gets to know the women who live on the neighboring ranches, each of whom has her own story and struggles. Ranch women support each other no matter what, and through this support, friendships blossom. Charlie and Ellen experience their own triumphs and tragedies, and love each other through it all. Their devotion to each other is noticed by all who know them.

Sandra Dallas offers readers just the right combination of romance and female friendship against the backdrop of early 20th century Wyoming ranching.

Life in Wyoming in the 1920s is hardscrabble. There's neither electricity, washing machines, nor any of the "modern" conveniences people in the big cities have. There are a few who brave to scratch out a life dry-farming and ranching in this frontier. This is the life depicted by Sandra Dallas in Where Coyotes Howl.

Ellen moves to Wyoming to teach and falls in love with the cowboy, Charlie Bacon. Their's in a true love match. After they marry, they start their own little ranch and have big dreams for their home and family. But drought and death make life hard in this vast land. Follow their story as they struggle to find their way, to help friends and neighbors, to keep their love fresh and alive.

The setting is 1916 on the Wyoming prairie. It's the story of Ellen Webster, a spinster who moves to this harsh land to accept a temporary teaching position at a one room school. Her pupils love her and so do the townspeople. Then a local cowboy entered her life, she fell in love and got married. This is the story of their struggles and sorrows as they build a house, befriend their neighbors and ultimately face the decision whether to stay or move back east. .

I have read other books by Sandra Dallas and enjoyed them, so I was excited to read her newest book. This was a HARD book to read. I loved the characters, I loved the town. But not one happy thing happens in this book. The story was powerful and kept me turning pages, but as one horrible thing after another happened, I got more and more depressed. I can't remember the last time I've cried so much in a book. I wish there had been a glimmer of hope somewhere in the book. It was just so heartbreaking. I know that was the reality of life back then, but it was just a bit too much sadness for me to handle. I know a lot of people will love this book, but it just was too much for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Sandra Dallas, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC of this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully written work. I read it in less than a day! It flowed well and I could imagine each scene. The writing was so descriptive! Such a great read.

I received a widget for this book as I had read, enjoyed and reviewed another book by this author.

I have to say … I couldn’t put this down but damn it was depressing. There were very few joyous moments and plenty of heartache.

Would I recommend this? Yes. As sad as it was, it was still a good read.

3.5/5

Where Coyotes Howl is quite possibly the most depressing book I’ve read. I kept hoping for some light at the end of the tunnel, but it was doom and gloom until the end. The writing was done well, but this isn’t a book I’d recommend. I’m left sad and hopeless after finishing the book. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of the book.

I loved this story! I’m from the South and am working a travel healthcare contract in Jackson WY. We’ve driven all over WY while here. It’s such a beautiful state and it’s full of history. I loved reading about the early settling of the towns, getting a history lesson while falling in love with Charlie and Ellen. This was as much a history lesson as it was a love story. Ellen is a school teacher who decides to teach in a small Wyoming prairie town where life is hard, especially for women. Charlie Bacon is a cowboy quelling on a local ranch. He falls for Ellen and they marry and stay their lives together. Their life is wonderful and hard and sweet and heartbreaking. They face trials and hardships throughout their marriage. Ellen makes friends and loses them.

This book was so well written. I identified with Ellen. I felt for her and for the other women on the frontier. It was super interesting to see how they survived, how they lived, how they died. Definitely recommend!

This was one of the best books I have read in quite a while. I have not written professional reviews in quite a while, as life has gotten in the way, but I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read.

When the new teacher comes to the small community the towns people were quite taken with her and proud to welcome her to the school. Everyone wanted to get a look at her so they made excuses to meet her. She was signed up for only a year and the last teacher had left right after her year because she couldn't handle the rough terrain and cold weather. The school house was small and she lived at the local boarding house. The owner of the house was a sweet lady with a very odd husband who was much less friendly. Cowboys were always around and helpful to her chores of taking wood into the school for warmth. This was a hard land and she missed her family but loved the children.
When you read Sandra Dallas you totally feel you're in the story and have the same feelings as the character. It's a wonderful book and I highly recommend it and all her books.

Author Sandra Dallas shines once again as readers of Where Coyotes Howl follow the life-changing steps of Ellen Webster Bacon in a setting not for the faint-of-heart. What began as a wild idea to leave teaching in Iowa to fill a teaching position in a remote Wyoming town will show Ellen what she is really made of. Her relationships with the townspeople, especially those in poverty, give her the courage to carry on and flourish regardless of bad weather, bad crops, illness or death of a loved one.

Cowboy Charlie Bacon appears as Ellen's love interest, and together they will develop their own homestead, even as they lose two infants of their own. Their inner strengths and the support of the small community will see them through.

Also important to the story are the women who suffered not only the hardships of never-ending toil on the frontier, but the physical abuse of husbands who saw these women as little more than work horses, having a baby every year, suffering belittlement and never having anything to call their own. Ellen and Charlie will do what they can to ease the suffering of these women who have little or no recourse to stop the abuse.

Another strength of the novel is the Gurley family, who might be considered the "wealthy" family of the town. They may have more land and cattle than anyone, but they are just as hardworking and down-to-earth as those they employ on their ranch.. Their support of the townspeople is demonstrated in a myriad of ways without fuss or drama.

Sandra Dallas will, hopefully, continue on for many years to share this kind of story, and readers will continue to appreciate her sharp eye for life in the West.

Where Coyotes Howl
by Sandra Dallas
Pub Date 18 Apr 2023
St. Martin's Press
Thank you to NG and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. I love Sandra Dallas's writing. She puts a lot of thought and research into her stories. This one is no different. I was so happy when I was approved to read this story. I'm glad I did. Talk about the hardships, sadness and pain so many went through to make a life at dry farming back in the early 1900's. This story has it all. Follows Ellen with her dream of being a teacher out on the prairie. Then she meets and falls in love with Charlie Bacon aka Fatback. Their love is true and inspirational that withstood so much as a newly married couple. Sadly (and I mean very Sadly need a box of tissues or two or maybe three as you read their story and the story of all their friends) the story does not end as a typical happily ever after. That's what makes this story so real. It's not sugar coated, it is bare bones true grit prairie living. There are times where the reader will smile (I did) and will definitely cry (my eyes were stinging). A very emotional moving story of love and loss. Highly recommend! I do have to add at first this book left me thinking What the!? But then I read the Acknowledgements and it fits perfectly.

Where Coyotes Howl painted a beautiful image of life in the West. The love story between Ellen and Charlie was full of emotion and events, highs and lows. Every character was relatable and the story was full of constant reminders that the “simple life” isn’t always so simple.

Thank you NatGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this beautiful story.

I’m so grateful to NetGallery for the opportunity to read this book. I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d like it when I started it because it was about cowboys and their lives in Wyoming, but I couldn’t put the book down. I laughed, I cried and then cried more. It was such a good book. I loved hearing their stories. I felt like I could feel the extreme cold during the winter months and dreaded the cold along with them. It was survival of the fittest for sure. I had no idea how hard life was for them and women going crazy doesn’t seem that far fetched because I may have gone crazy too. Between the harsh land, the extreme cold and loneliness, the terrible men it sounds like it was not a place for most women. It was a sad book but it had so much raw emotion which drew me into it more.

I received an ARC of Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas thanks to Netgalley.

I enjoyed this look at life in the west - in the early 1900s this was certainly a desolate barren place which could easily break someone. Ellen Webster certainly did not expect to find love when she took a teaching job in rural Wallace, Wyoming. The book easily moves through the years as Ellen and Charlie face many hardships. Ellen gets to know her neighbors and their families, she suffers a miscarriage, mourns the loss of frends and generally makes a life for herself and Charlie in the hardscrabble country.