Reviews for Song of the prairie
Library Journal
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Starred Review. Putting aside her opera singing dreams, Janie Dunn, at the request of her dying cousin, takes the relative's newborn son and flees Boston to protect the boy from his maniacal and abusive father. But life for Janie is very different on the Kansas prairie, and when her brother Phil, who is posing as her husband, is bitten by a rabid coyote and shoots himself, Janie faces a difficult future as a woman alone with a young child. Neighbor Aaron Harper helps Janie run the farm while she pulls her life back together. And while she has always been attracted to the widower, as a "married woman" she tried to suppress it. When a romance sparks between the two, Janie has reservations. Could this God-fearing man love her and the child he believes is her son if he knew the truth about them? VERDICT McDonough's well-rounded, sympathetically drawn characters feel like old friends, and the strong love Janie has for her adopted child is palpable and will work its way into readers' hearts. This latest installment in McDonough's historical series (following Call of the Prairie) will be enjoyed by fans of poignant stories about love, blended families, answered prayers, and second chances. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publishers Weekly
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In the third and final installment of her Pioneer Promises series, McDonough (Long Trail Home) continues the saga of the Harper family and introduces a new female protagonist, Janie Dunn. After the death of her cousin Carolyn, Janie escapes Boston and heads to Kansas with her cousin's child. Janie lives in constant fear of Carolyn's abusive husband, so her brother hatches a plan for her to pose as his wife. The masquerade proves extremely trying for Janie, especially with handsome widower Aaron Harper living just one farm over. Aaron has his own struggles raising two children by himself. Through some heartbreaking events, McDonough portrays the brutal hardships of 1870s prairie life. At its core, this is a love story, deeper than a simple romance and reflective of the strength produced by true compassion. McDonough accurately grounds her characters in the mores of the era, but many contemporary readers will be able to relate to the timeless struggles of faith amid distress. Agency: MacGregor Literary Agency. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
