The Journey of Josephine Cain {review + giveaway}

Synopsis:

A pampered socialite embarks on a journey to the Wild West where her life is changed forever.

A setting populated by hundreds of laborers, outlaws, and Indians is hardly the place for a wealthy general's daughter from the nation's capital. But Josephine Cain is determined to visit her father, who supervises the day-to-day work involved in the grandest ambition of post-Civil War America: the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Life with the railroad is far from the proper life Josephine is used to, and she faces deadly gunfights, harsh weather, and vigilante uprisings. She is torn between the West and the East; between her privileged upbringing and the challenges of a new frontier; between the pull of the suitable beau her parents approve of and an attraction to a rough but charming Irish railroad worker. But if Josephine is willing, and courageous, she just might find a new life, a unique purpose . . . and true love.

{summary from here, image via LitFuse}

My Thoughts:

I had read two of Nancy Moser's books before (Mozart's Sister and Just Jane) and thoroughly enjoyed both of them, so much so that I have been on the lookout for more of her work since then. So, I was excited to discover this book, The Journey of Josephine Cain. I read it over this past weekend, and I ended up really liking it. Ever since I was a little girl and absolutely obsessed with Little House on the Prairie, I've loved reading about the time of the Wild West (as evidenced by the stacks of books still sitting on one of my many bookshelves), and I think the vivid descriptions of the West from both Josephine and Hudson's point of view, really helped to bring the period to life in my mind's eye. It was harshly juxtaposed with Josephine's upper-class home in Washington DC, and that made Josephine's journey, as a privileged socialite, all the more impressive. It was a journey in more ways than one--over the course of the book, you could see Josephine grow up from the spoiled, naive, and immature (though likeable!) girl to a mature young woman. That made me like her even more by the end of the book. And as someone who loves the history of the time period, I was excited by all the historical tidbits--there's so much history in the book, and it just makes me want to dig deeper into the period. I've been fascinated by the history of the early railroad for some time, and then there were all the real-life historical characters that Josephine met throughout the book, which is something that I always love.

Anyway, I really, really liked this book. The more I think about it, the more I realize I liked it. It was well-written, though still a fairly quick and easy read, with a great cast of characters, and lots of history, along with a sweet romance and a touch of mystery surrounding Lewis. It did drag a bit at times, but I would say that's probably the only issue I had with it. And, though I won't spoil it for you, it had a very satisfactory ending, at least in my opinion. I would definitely recommend it, and I'm fairly positive I will reread it in the future. 

4.5/5 stars. 

{this book was sent to me by LitFuse in exchange for my honest review}

The Journey of Josephine Cain by Nancy Moser follows the adventures of a D.C. socialite as she gets involved with the building of the Transcontinental Railroad right after the Civil War. Be sure to check out Nancy's fun Pinterest board for the book!


Enter to win 1 of 5 copies of the book!

Five winners will receive:

• The Journey of Josephine Cain by Nancy Moser

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 26th. All winners will be announced October 28th at the Litfuse blog.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to visit the Litfuse blog on the 28th to see if you won one of the books!

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