I was captivated from the very beginning. The first sentence is a humdinger. The characters are — well … charming, engaging, and a couple, aggravating. The plot is different — not your typical “go west young wo/man” story. And you’ll keep reading because you can’t wait to see what will happen next. The year is 1863, just before the Civil War.
I am honored the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and author Sandra Dallas asked me to review Tough Luck via NetGalley early in the process before making this story available to all; the publish date is not until April 2025. A positive review was not requested and the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Haitie, Boots, and Cheet have a father who has been gone for years — off to Colorado prospecting for gold. It’s been three years since he wrote a letter to his family. Their mother has died but has been ill since her husband left. Haitie, now 14 years old, has shouldered the responsibility of the family. Cheet, the oldest at 19, is well-named. He has no problem cheating in card games — in fact, their father taught Cheet and Haitie how to do the same. Haitie is better than Cheet though he would never believe it. Boots is only 10 years old so he hasn’t been corrupted … yet. If it involves money, Cheet has no problem keeping it — even if it means his brother and sister end up with nothing.
Cheet dumps Haitie and Boots in an orphanage and takes off for gambling dens. But Haitie is one tough cookie for her age and what today we’d call “street smart”. Determined. Impatient. Sure that her pa has found gold and is living a good life in Denver. No orphanage is going to keep Haitie and her little brother “imprisoned”. They escape and their trip to Denver involves some wonderful scenes and great characters. The path isn’t easy. It is quite dangerous at times and Haitie proves to have enormous courage. And the actions were believable.
The book swirls around Haitie with a wonderful introduction of characters, plot twists, and great sub-plots. And yes, there were moments when I chuckled if not laughed out loud at a scene. When this book comes up for pre-order, click the button.
Frankly, I had a ball reading this story and if you love the historical Western genre, you gonna love this one. It’s a great book. and well written. I loved it.
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Western
Cover: Loved it. Eye-catching.
Publish date: 29 April 2025
Pages: Unknown, I estimate 250.
#TouchLuckNovel #NetGalley #SandraDallas
