Eclipsed by Love, Books 1-3
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Zina Abbott
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www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTXSV3Y3(0 visits)
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Enjoy reading these first three romances inspired by the 1878 total solar eclipse. Although the books were originally published in several multiple author projects, for the first time I have put them in order of occurrence.
MAIL ORDER BLYTHE – the book that started it all. Blythe is forced out of her job as a maid after her employer discovers she is with child due to the lecherous behavior of the adult son. To remove the problem from her household, the employer gives Blythe the ticket money to join the soldier at Fort Fred Steele in Wyoming Territory who agreed to marry her, even though the man wrote telling her to wait until he decided the time was right.
Eli Morgan, a science and math instructor at the University of Iowa, refuses to respond immediately to the two letters from prospective brides pressed upon him by his mother. With two professor friends, he will soon travel by railroad to remote Rawlins, Wyoming Territory—inaccessible except by wagon train, stagecoach, or horse only ten years earlier—to view the 1878 total solar eclipse. As he transfers trains in Omaha, he meets a young widow traveling to meet a new husband. Sensing she needs help, he takes her under his wing. In addition to the romance and details of the eclipse, you might enjoy the fictionalized scenes of actual historical events that involved Thomas Edison and famous Old West performer, Texas Jack—both in Rawlins at that time.
A BRIDE FOR DEVLIN – Set mostly in Rawlins and the Little Snake River Valley, Wyoming Territory, Devlin is hired as a local sheriff by his ranching neighbors who are tired of the pervasive cattle rustling. Friend Jesse encourages him to join in seeking a wife through correspondence. There is a reason Devlin is not about to write letters—one he carefully hides. He is less than happy to learn Jesse wrote the first letter on his behalf. Even worse, the woman writes back and expects a reply.
At first, Cassie likes the idea of her and younger sister, Dolly, marrying neighboring ranchers. When the man she wrote to does not respond, she decides against the pair. However, after exchanging several letters with Jesse, Dolly falls in love. When he sends tickets for both her Cassie to join him and Devlin, and Cassie refuses, Dolly sneaks away to join Jesse. She leaves Carrie’s tickets behind, hoping her sister will follow. Cassie follows, all right, because she must prevent her sister from making a terrible mistake.
Most of the Little Snake River Valley was within the 1878 eclipse’s path of totality.
LAUREN – Jeb Carter, a special agent for the Union Pacific Railroad, is the hero first planned for Mail Order Blythe. However, adding his law enforcement activities and chasing train robbers to the scenes already in Blythe’s story made the book too long. I took him out and added Eli—a great swap. Jeb ended up being the perfect hero for Lauren.
After years of investigating railroad crime in Nebraska, Jeb is assigned to search out and arrest the outlaws involved in a string of railroad robberies in Wyoming Territory.
Like Blythe, for her own safety, Lauren must leave Chicago. She arrives in Omaha and while transferring trains, her reticule containing her tickets and spending money is stolen. After checking in his luggage, Jeb finds her. Before she knows it, Jeb’s boss lines her up as a confidential informant working at Rock Creek Station, a known crossroads for drifters and outlaws. In exchange for a ticket to Rawlins and the pay she will receive from the restaurant, she must not tell anyone—including her intended—where she is or when she can continue to Rawlins. She falls for Jeb, but knows she must honor her commitment to marry another.
Several scenes fictionalize the actual attempted train robbery, how an alert section foreman thwarted the plot, and the grisly aftermath. Although Lauren was not where she could see the eclipse in totality, Jeb joins later-renowned Wyoming surveyor, Billy Owen, and his crew on Medicine Bow Mountain to view the spectacle.
Be sure to look for the companion boxset, Eclipsed by Love, Books 4-6.
