Today I'm welcoming Michael L Ross and his book - The Search (Across the Great Divide Book 2) - to my blog as part of the blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club (founded by Mary Anne Yarde)
Across the Great Divide
The Search
Where do you go when home is no longer an option?
The guns of the Civil War have ceased firing, and the shots are but an echo... yet the war rages on, deep inside Will Crump's soul. His "soldier's heart" is searching for peace, and in that quest Will joins the westward movement, setting his path on a collision course with adventure, loss, and love.
The Westward Expansion floods the sacred, untouched lands with immigrants, bringing conflict to the Shoshone, Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho. Amidst the chaos Will finds safety in the shadow of the US Army, but the army brings battle-hardened troops into Red Cloud's War, pulling Will into a tornado of conflict. Broken treaties and promises leave both sides searching for answers. Will's search leads him to a battle for survival, and there he finds a love that could change him forever.
Dove, a young Shoshone woman, is a survivor of the Bear Creek Massacre. After being kidnapped and escaping from the Cheyenne, she joins Will's search, seeking where she belongs. Dove longs for more than the restricted role placed on women in her tribe. If she can learn to trust a white man, he just might help her find home... and hope.
Together, Will and Dove must search for understanding, and reach Across the Great Divide.
Publication Date: December 15, 2020
Publisher: HistoricalNovelsRUS
Page Length: 217 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, Historical Romance
You can purchase a copy via -
Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU • Barnes and Noble • Kobo
You can buy an audio version via -
Now for the review.
With all the majestic beauty of Michael Blake’s Dances with Wolves comes a new book in Michael Ross’ acclaimed series—Across The Great Divide.
I had heard some wonderful things about this series, so when I was offered the chance to review the audiobook of Ross’ new release, I jumped at the chance.
The Search (Across The Great Divide, Book 2) is the story of William Crump (1844 -1940) as he tries to find an escape from the horrors that have haunted him since the Civil War and his appalling treatment at Camp Douglas. Will firmly believes that the peace his soul craves will be found far away from home. Once he has recovered, Will hopes that he can return to his family, pick up his life, and maybe have a family of his own one day. My heart broke for Will. He has no idea what is happening to him, and he fears that he could accidentally hurt someone he loved when the terrors engulfed him. Having no notion of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and mental health conditions brought on by trauma, it must have been absolutely terrifying for the soldiers coming home from war. Will bravely struggles through the endless nightmares and is determined to find himself in the wilderness somehow. Unfortunately, fate is not finished with him yet, and he is reluctantly drawn back into a war where the enemy does not even understand, let adhere to, the rules of war.
Will was a character that certainly captured my attention. The struggles that he faces, the vivid flashback and the fear that he is losing his mind came across very realistically. I could emphasize with his suffering, and he commanded my respect because of his dogged determination not to give in and not to give up. When he saves Dove, a young woman from the Shoshone tribe, from a bear (and, unknowingly from a now dead Cheyenne brave), Will unconsciously begins a journey towards his own recovery.
Will and Dove’s relationship undoubtedly drove the narrative of this novel. Dove’s determination to return to her people is tempered only by her desperate desire to stay by Will’s side. This moving romance reduced me to tears. Their innocence, their hope, and their dreams that somehow, amongst the madness happening around them, that they could build a future together was heartrendingly beautiful.
The historical backdrop of this story is staggering in its accuracy. Ross has captured not only the history but also the wildness of the frontier. Reading this book was a little like watching the movie adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans. It is an exceptionally drawn backdrop.
As I listened to the audio version, I think it is important to say something about the narration. I do not think Ross could have chosen a better narrator for this story than Joshua Young. The narrator really did bring this novel to life.
The Search is a must-read for anyone who enjoys American historical fiction. Dear Reader, even if you are not a fan of American historical fiction, I urge you to add this book to your collection. I promise that you will not be disappointed. If I could give this book higher than a five-star rating, I would.
Michael L Ross
Best-selling
author Michael Ross is a lover of history and great stories. He's a
retired software engineer turned author, with three children and five
grandchildren, living in Newton, Kansas with his wife of forty years.
He was born in Lubbock, Texas, and still loves Texas. The main
character of "Across the Great Divide", William Dorsey
Crump, is one of the founders of Lubbock and Shallowater, Texas.
Michael knew Will's granddaughter when he was a child. He has written
a scholarly article on Will Crump for the Texas Historical Society,
published in the Handbook of Texas Online, and has sold short stories
in the past. This is his first novel and the first in the Across the
Great Divide series, now an Amazon bestseller.
Michael attended
Rice University as an undergraduate, and Portland State University
for his graduate degree. He has degrees in computer science, software
engineering, and German. In his spare time, Michael loves to go
fishing, riding horses, and play with his grandchildren, who are
currently all under six years old.
He sees many parallels
between the time of the Civil War and our divided nation of today.
Sanctuary cities, immigration, arguments around the holiday table,
threats of secession - all are nothing new. Sometimes, to understand
the present, you have to look at the past- and reach Across the Great
Divide.
You can connect with the author via -
Website: https://historicalnovelsrus.com
Blog: https://historicalnovelsrus.com/blog
Newsletter sign up: http://www.historicalnovelsrus.com/contact
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michaellross7
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historicalnovelsrus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historicalnovelsrus
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-ross-87505026
You can learn more about the book and the author by visiting the other blogs on the tour.
That's it for now.
Till the next time.
Take care Zoe
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Thank you so much for popping in and having a look at my blog. Take care Zo x
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