Rocky Mountain Oasis turned out to be slightly different from what I expected. The prospect of a book set in the Wild West lured me. And the historical setting was an added bonus. Rocky Mountain Oasis is the story of Brooke Baker, who finds herself on a wagon to Idaho in the 1880s. She has no choice because she has been sold as a mail order bride. Her future is filled with dread and gloom.
Brooke Baker arrives in the town of Lewistown, Idaho on a wagon and dreads marrying a disheveled, tobacco spitting, abusive man. She perks up a bit when she is told her husband awaits her in the next town. Sky Jordan has a small farm and is doing well for himself. His cousin Jason though has lost his way. He is addicted to drink and opium and is always unkempt and mean. When Sky learns Jason has ordered a mail bride, he gives him five hundred dollars to stay away from her. He turns up to pick up Brooke instead and marries her. Brooke is totally shy and comes from an abusive past. But Sky is dazzled by her beauty and vows to give her as much time as she wants to come to terms with her marriage.
As Sky and Brooke live their day to day life in their cabin, there are other undercurrents afoot. There are a lot of Chinese people in the town and there is always resistance among Chinese people and white people. The owner of the local mercantile is murdered brutally. This leads to a lot of unrest and Sky is in the middle of it all. Unknown to him, Brooke is threatened by the killer and is in danger.
A lot of the book is given to Brooke and her insecurities and guilt. She has renounced her faith and Sky wishes that she will find it again. At least 30-40% of the book contains prayer or Scripture, and I suppose it will be a book for lovers of religious fiction. The story is good enough but it could have been shorter. Some of the characters like Sky’s parents, siblings and friends don’t really contribute to the plot and seem to be dragged in only to be introduced and will perhaps be main characters of other books by the author. From a romantic angle, the book is quite chaste, and you might be hard pressed to come across a simple kiss.
Rocky Mountain Oasis is the story of a young battered woman and how she finds new hope and life in the Western region of Idaho. Above all, she finds Lord.
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