Bound for Eden/ Tess Lesue/ 350 pgs

This is a new-to-me author. Someone recommended a book of Lesue's, but it was the second book in a series. I decided to read the first book in the series, this one, so I wouldn't be lost. It's a rollicking adventure with lots of action and those parts I loved. For reasons, Alexandra, along with her sister and brother, are on the run from a violent gang of brothers. They head for Independence, MO, hoping to head out on the Oregon Trail and go to their other brother who lives out west. To disguise herself from the gang who is out to get her, Alex dresses as a boy. In the beginning of the story, this makes sense. Later on, it does not make sense at all, and yet she and her siblings keep the truth from the hero. The hero is Luke, a horse breeder and wagon trail leader. I did not care for Luke and wasn't invested with the romance between him and Alex, which was mostly based on lust. As an Oregon Trail saga with lots of action, this is a great book. The characters were just not for me. Now to decide if I really want to read that recommended second book...

Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie the Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell / Kristiana Gregory 163 p.

13-year-old Hattie Campbell tells the story of her family's wagon trip from Missouri to Oregon in the 1847. She describes the hazards, losses, and joys on this 6 month long race to their new home.  A work in the Dear America series.