The Seeds of Change (Leah's Garden #1) by Laruraine Snelling

 Larkspur Nielsen is ready for a change. Her parents have passed on, and her older brother is successfully running the family business. She bristles at the small-mindedness that permeates life in her small Ohio community, and she sees little chance of a satisfying future there. She has a little money saved, and after turning the tables on a crooked gambler who had fleeced several locals, including her younger brother, she can stake a new start for herself and her three sisters.

As the gambler's threats of revenge echo in her ears, she and her sisters head to
Independence, Missouri, to join a wagon train bound for Oregon. Knowing that four women traveling together will draw unwanted attention, Larkspur dons a disguise, passing herself off as "Clark" Nielsen, accompanying his three sisters. But maintaining the ruse is more difficult than Larkspur imagined, as is protecting her headstrong, starry-eyed sisters from difficult circumstances and eligible young men. Will reaching their goal prove too much for them?

My thoughts:

As a longtime fan of this author, I knew this historical novel would be excellent, it clearly is.  The research that went into writing The Seeds of Change must have been painstaking, but it was well worth the efforts in this readers mind.

Larkspur Neilson took a big gamble both literally and figuratively the Sunday she went to church, angered the pastor, and then went to a saloon to gamble.  Quite unexpected for a young lady however the gambling was due to her younger, immature brother who needed her help in proving there was cheating going on at the poker table.   After Larkspur wins a sizeable amount of money, angering yet another man in her small town, its decided that she and her three younger sisters must leave town immediately

. So, off they go to try to join a wagon train, after deciding that Larkspur would disguise herself as the brother of the family named Clark.  There are so many hardships they face in their journey, illness, death, orphans that need mothering, but they also meet some good and honest people along the way. They are a family filled with faith, grace, decency, music, and love.

I loved the perfectly paced storyline, the characters, and the adventure I took with the Neilson sisters.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.  Opinions are my own.