The Trouble We Keep

I saw this book on Netgalley and I was suddenly JUST in the mood for it. It had been a long time since I read something set in the West and right now, with the world being ...well, the world... I felt a strong sense of nostalgia for all the Christian historicals I read growing up set in this arena: like Tamera Alexander, Francine Rivers and Tracie Peterson, etc., And while this is certainly NOT a Christian historical by any means, I feel that there are strong redemptive themes that will appeal to inspirational readers but also those who just want a bit of faith, hope and human kindness.


Emma Leigh has been abandoned by her brother in DC and is waiting to be sent for. The longer she waits, the less she hears from him and is finally driven to prostitution to survive. Pregnant, and unwilling to accept the abortion the Madam of the house arranges for her, she steals money from a violent brute and sets out to find what happens to her brother. She ends up in Grant's Pass: a saloon in Williams, Arizona which gives a strong sense of flourished setting as a town enjoying bustles of tourism. And let me say this is a great example of the right book meeting me at the right moment because I was precisely in the mood for saloon proprietor Dean Morelli who is very much brooding and tortured and steely but with heartbreak in his past and a heart of gold. Their meet cute takes place just as a gambling cheater is shot beside her, the lone woman nursing a whiskey sour in a sphere of men.


I really thought that the romance was natural: especially because they were fireworks and flint from their first meeting. Emma Leigh is a strong character belying the usual handling of the fallen woman, docile and in need of rescue. She's a spitfire on hard times whose been dealt too many bad hands. You can see, from the first, that Dean appreciates a woman who will stand up to him.


The setting of Williams and the neighbouring landscapes exhibited as Emma Leigh and Dean pursue Jimmy (Emma Leigh's completely useless brother) were so lovingly painted: I could smell and taste and feel and sigh over rugged beauty intercepted by sin and vice-- a true portrait of the contradictions of the still largely unsettled west at the time.


I mentioned earlier that I noted notes recalling inspirational fiction here and one such is lovingly played when Emma Leigh and Dean are offered the kindness of strangers en route to a Canyon: Bible believing people who extend grace without condemnation... the usual "come to Jesus" moment in a more overt faith story.

But, again, this just strikes some of faith fiction's chords, it is certainly NOT a preachy story, rather it exhumes the goodness in all and shows marvellous little sacrifices that prove that most people--even rough around the edges-- have kind hearts and a commitment to community. It doesn't offer vice up as black or white and all of the character's choices are lovingly revealed and understandable: even to a snake charmer of a banker and Jimmy the deadbeat brother.


Just a great example of right book at the right time when I should have been working but instead gobbled it down guilty--- like ice cream--- no, it's richer than that -- and VERY well written--- like good cheese.

Yes, I'll stick with cheese. Rich and satisfactory making me full but still wanting a little more.


Excellent writing here and tip top research and just a nice exploration of the human spirit and tenacity... also, interesting incorporation of the theme of deliverance.


note: there is a fair bit of cursing in this book for those inspirational readers who might want to try this out. But it is never gratuitous, reflects the historical authenticity of the time period, and I would hate for that one thing to put you off.


For romance fans, there be some GOOD kissing scenes here... the build up is fantastic and the emotional investment is wonderful. Also, Dean's love declaration is one of the best I've read in awhile.


thanks, Netgalley! Saving the pandemic, one book at a time!


(also sharing on twitter, fb and insta)

The Trouble We Keep is the most gorgeous romance I've read so far this year. I loved every second of it and although Devlin is a totally new author to me, this won't be the last one I read from her.

Pregnant, alone and on the run, Emma Leigh heads West in search of her brother to find a better life, but naturally nothing is ever that simple.

I have never read anything remotely 'Western' before and I am now all in, this was such a fun world and I never knew how much I would appreciate a book set in a world with swinging saloon doors. The characters are fantastic, the setting is unique and the romance is *chef's kiss*.

The Trouble We Keep is a well written and great story that I greatly enjoyed. Emma Leigh is a young woman that has lost touch with her brother, who is her only known relative. She finds herself in a desperate situation, and steals money to buy a train ticket to where her brother was last heard from. She gets there and meets two men, one, Dean, becomes her boss. The other, Adam, becomes her friend. Fun reading and it will keep you interested until the end. My only complaint was there is quite a lot of bad language through the whole book, but the story is great!

I loved reading this book for it's been a while since I read some romance set in the West and the author doesn't disappoint.
Emma's left behind in D.C. to fend for herself, and after a while she stops waiting for her brother to come for her like he'd promised and goes in search of him. It's a tale of second chances, of never losing hope and of all the things that went down in the West.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

X I’d like to thank NetGalley for this copy in exchange for a completely honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. X

After a desperate act of survival, Emma Wheat is forced to board a train heading West. She’s pregnant, alone, and eager to find her brother who was meant to send for her as soon as he acquired the money in Williams, Arizona. Instead of her brother, Emma finds Dean, a broody saloon owner who has a bone to pick after Emma’s brother robbed him and made a run for it. Can Emma escape her past and build a new life? Is her brother even worth finding?

I am incredibly fortunate to have stumbled upon this book. I cannot even begin to fathom why this book hasn’t yet received the attention it truly deserves. The Trouble We Keep is by far, one of the best written historical romances I have read in my lifetime. And I read a ton of historical fiction.

I don’t generally gravitate toward a Western-19th century type of book simply because I tend to find this genre a little cheesy and poorly executed. It is all too easy to lose your character to a cowboy stereotype or neglect to escape the bustle of saloon life. Cara Devlin could not have created a more perfect setting, completely changing my opinion of the Western side of historical fiction. Her work has class and integrity, immersing readers into a fully developed “Old West” world you’ll want to escape to.

The slow burn romance was so tastefully done. The tension was absolutely palpable in every encounter, well done Devlin. I’m in love with a broody saloon guy in 19th century Arizona… so thanks for that :). Every character is so well developed with secrecy and troubled pasts, you’ll race through the pages just to get to know them better.

The redemption theme of this book was subtle yet powerful. I admire the way Emma tackled the guilt she felt about her past and yearned to forge a new life for herself without leaning on a man. I know I would have lost it if the brother I was depending on didn’t follow through with his promise. Emma didn’t even skip a beat and managed to fend for herself in an entirely foreign town. She possesses such strength and resilience!

The only note I would make is that at times, Emma came off slightly hypocritical. She had these judgmental notions in her head, particularly about Dean’s girls and Adam’s choices in recreation, when she had no place to judge. I understand that it is human nature to pass judgment but she acted too self-righteous to get away with that. However, this minor complaint did not hinder my love for this book in any way, I just felt that it needed a comment.

What surprised me the most was how beautifully written the entire book was. With the scant amount of reviews circulating and the book’s ready availability, I was quite skeptical of the quality (sorry, but books have too often disappointed me). Devlin is a talented writer and deserves more publicity! My goal is now to get the bookstagram community on board with this gripping tale. I’m now dying to get my hands on a physical copy because this one will definitely be a serial re-read.

I look forward to reading more from this author! I hope that this work receives a broader audience because it was incredibly well done.

When I read the description of this book, I was instantly interested. The book held my attention from the very beginning. Emma Leigh is a woman who did what she had to do to survive, but wasn't proud of the things she did. I felt the portrayal of her character was extremely realistic. She was naive, but had tremendous growth throughout the story.

Redemption story with romance. Set both in DC and Arizona in the early 1900s this story was not what I expected from the cover. Emma escapes a life she lived as a prostitute but at another moral cost. Dean is also in need of redemption and I struggled to like him. The Trouble We Keep was a quick read, Cara Devlin handled the prostitution and violence while not giving any graphic descriptions.

I received a complimentary copy of The Trouble We Keep from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

An amazingly detailed account of one woman's place in the old west, this novel kept me on the edge of my seat for some time. A very well written, with just the right amount of action, romance, and suspense, this book held my attention. I will DEFINITELY read from this author again.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This story was emotionally charged, layered in gruesome, realistic fiction.
The main characters are struggling to find meaning, purpose and new beginnings.
I can’t imagine living in these difficult times as a women. I thought the author did a good job. She shares a story of poverty and lawlessness. Showing the struggle of women and the few choices they had to survive.
I wouldn’t say this was a mystery or romance, but maybe historical fiction.
It did have a HEA.

This was a NETGALLEY gift from the publisher and all opinions are my own.

Jimmy headed west and Emma, his sister, is left waiting for him to send for her. Money runs out and tough decisions are made. Thus begins this story of Emma's choices and the results. She does make some unwise decisions but she does go looking for Jimmy. Along the way she meets Dean. The story is a different kind of western romance. There is a small town with some interesting characters. A good book that kept my interest. I liked the ending.

When Emma finally decides she has had enough of Washington D.C. she makes a life changing decision to get out of the town and follow her brother to Kansas. She meets Adam, moves into a boarding house and saloon run by Dean and begins to do sewing for a local dress maker and mid-wife. As Emma faces the challenges of an unexpected pregnancy she finds support in people that she had previously deemed untrustworthy.
I had not read a romance novel in a long time when I opened up "The Trouble We Keep". I was unexpectedly entertained by the quaint heroine, beautiful descriptions of Kansas in the time period and unexpected friendships that developed in this entertaining novel. The fact that the climax is based on a real historical event made it not just entertaining but an educational read as well. If you are looking for a fun book to read with a positive romantic outcome for a likeable heroine and unlikely hero add this book to your reading list for the summer. Thank #NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This was very good. I really enjoyed it.

Emma Leigh Wheat has been abandoned by her brother, who has gone out West, and she is desperately waiting to be sent for. He has been gone such a long time, that she had been reduced to sleeping rough and scavenging for food, in desperation she has had to sell herself, and when she falls pregnant, she decides to run, as she doesn’t want her baby forcibly aborted. She steals some money off a violent customer, and then makes a run for it.

When she gets to her brothers last know location, the town of Williams, she is unable to find a room, until she ends up at Grants Pass, a saloon, owned by the grumpy but secretly kind Dean Morelli, he instantly rubs Emma up the wrong way, but he offers her a job and a place to sleep, and Emma decides to accept.

As Emma becomes part of the town, and starts to find her feet, she spends time with the feisty Josephine, local dressmaker and midwife, gets to know the handsome but amoral bank manager, and spends more time with Dean. When Dean tells he that her brother is a their who has skipped town, abandoning his girl, Emma doesn’t believe him, when she gets a lead on Jimmy’s whereabouts, it is Dean who insists he will go with her.

As they go on their adventure, will Emma realise that her brother is not the person she thought he was, and will she realise that Dean is the right man for her.

This was a proper mood of a read. I was just in the right place for a western romance with inspirational twists, where things were not prettied up for some sort of fantasy, and the initially sniping relationship developing into one of true love and support was lovely. The hero and heroine were lovingly drawn, and had realistic characters, with human flaws and foibles. Emma was feisty, and also quick to anger. She definitely had her feathers ruffled by Dean. Dean was the surly, grumpy hero who hides his soft heart away. Which is just my sort of fictional man.

All in all a real treat.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

The book was well written and featured complex characters and situations. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and the setting for the story made the book that much more intriguing. Abandoned by her brother and getting by on her own in a brothel in D.C., Emma is pregnant and after doing what is necessary to survive, she feels she must leave and go West to find her brother. Stealing some money from one of her patrons, she runs from the brothel and takes a train out to Williams, Arizona only to find that her brother isn't there. As trouble catches up with her, Emma has to rely on herself with the help of Dean Morelli, the owner of the town's saloon and the place where she is currently staying. Set up in the Old West, this story was a good read and one I quite enjoyed. My thanks to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Now this is one of the best western romance books I've read all year. The characters were grand and I had to keep reading. Fantastic book which I intend to tell others about.

Nice discovery one seat red till 1.30 am and then I am here with sleep deprivation
Emma lee is a strong woman determined and focused and this helps here to exit from a very bad situation she leaves in
Dean is a grumpy hero wrong and caring and sweet but super introverted
Nice deployment
Well written
No Ow or Om drama
No cheating
I rape scene
Too long denscriptive parts between one action and another
Overall very nice and clean
3.5 stars

4 stars

The writing was involving and the story gripping. I'm usually not that keen on stories that involve jeopardy but this one kept my interest. The characters were very natural: bad temper, jealousy, doubt, disapointment especially with her brother.
It isn't my usual read but learning about the areas around Arizona and the mining rush was something new and refreshing. Cara is a new author to me so I'll look out for her books in future. Emma's back story is fairly traumatic but once she gets to Dean's pub, I think, it's a clean read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is an adorable book!! The story takes place at the beginning of the XXth century in the old West. The main character, Emma Wheat is a young woman who's experimenting with very difficult situations. For one, she is pregnant, and a fugitive from the law. She needs to locate her brother so he can help her. One day, she arrived at Williams, Arizona all by herself. After failing to find a place to stay Emma enters the small town's saloon, owned by Dean Morelli. They start a conversation and Dean offers her a room upstairs and a job. Emma does not have a choice so she accepts, she later learns that her brother stole from Dean. It is up to Emma to prove her brother's innocence and escape her past. I loved the book, it has the Old West scenario, saloon, bank, card games, and a slight romance. I like Emma´s personality, she is smart, kind and has her priorities very clear to her. It is the first book I read by this author, it certainly won't be my last. I had a good time reading this book in one sitting! I thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a great story! Exactly what I was looking for in a strong historical fiction novel with a strong romance plot. I found the setting to be extremely realistic for the time period. You can tell the author did her research. Nothing felt forced, and it was such a joy to read!

This was certainly an original book, completely different to the plethora of thrillers we see by the dozen at the moment. Set in earlier times, the book centres on Emma whose only living relative is her brother. She manages to raise enough money to buy a train ticket to where he was last seen but once she arrives in Williams all is not as she had hoped. I don't usually like historical novels, although this isn't truly one of those, but nevertheless it was easy to follow and heartwrenching in places as it strived to give Emma the happiness she deserved.

This book is not my usual genre, but I really enjoyed it. It combined history, romance and drama. Jimmy, who is Emma’s only family, heads west and promises to send for her as soon as he can. The story begins when he doesn’t send for her before she runs out of money. Emma is a very enjoyable and believable character, I wanted to find out what happened to her.

CW/TW – prostitution, murder, assault, abortion.

Set in the wild west, The Trouble We Keep is a slow burner enemies-to-lovers (ish) romance that is done to perfection. We follow Emma Wheat, whose both newly pregnant and on the run having stolen money from a very powerful man in the hopes that she will be able to find her lost brother. After heading to his last known location, Emma finds out that she isn’t the only Wheat that is on the run. As Emma carefully balances her budding new life in this strange town, with hiding not only her own secrets but also her identity from her new friends – will she get caught out?

It took me a good few chapters to fully get into this one but when I did, I couldn’t put it down. With so many secrets and revelations to balance and litter perfectly throughout the story, Devlin did an amazing job and I felt like each grand reveal came at the perfect time. The scene building was incredible, the ‘wild west’ setting is not one I have read a lot of, but the dusty, dirty cobbled streets and lack of creature comforts were very realistic and translated well.

Emma’s characterisation was great, I really liked her and rooted for her throughout. I will say at points you do rather forget that she’s pregnant but that’s really a non-issue. And the residents of the town, including: Josephine, Adam, Brianna and the rest of the girls, all had well fleshed out stories and not one of them felt like a filler or plot device.

If you are looking for a historical fiction with a difference, definitely check this one out.

I loved reading this book it's been a while since I read some romance set in the West and this one does not disappoint.
Emma's left behind in D.C. to fend for herself, and after a while she stops waiting for her brother to come for her like he'd promised and goes in search of him. It's a tale of second chances, of never losing hope and of all the things that went down in the West.
I am so glad I decided to read The Trouble We Keep, I love romance, this was a unique blend of historical fiction, romantic suspense, and drama. I loved it.


Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.