Oregon Dreams

Trails of the Heart #2

by Rachel Wesson

Johanna Thompson and her family are traveling on the infamous Oregon Trail with high hopes of a better life waiting for them on the other side of the mountains. Johanna wants to become a school teacher but her Pa has a different idea of an appropriate future for his daughter.
Rick Hughes has inherited two small children, a wagon and a dream to go to Oregon. Problem is, it wasn’t his dream.
Johanna and Rick need to work together to save their families from disaster but doing so could comprise both their dreams. Can they find a way to overcome the difficulties on the trail and find a new life together?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Westerns, Romance, Adventure

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 4, 2017

About the author

Rachel Wesson was born in Kilkenny, Ireland but considers herself to be from the capital, Dublin as that's where she spent most of her life. Her dad brought Rachel and her two sisters out every Saturday to give their mother a break. He took them to the library and for ice-cream after. It took a long time for her sisters to forgive her for the hours she spent choosing her books!
She grew up driving everyone nuts asking them questions about what they did during the War or what side they were on in the 1916 rising etc. Finally her Granny told her to write her stories down so people would get the pleasure of reading them. In fact what Granny meant was everyone would get some peace while Rachel was busy writing!
When not writing, or annoying relatives, Rachel was reading. Her report cards from school commented on her love of reading especially when she should have been learning. Seems you can't read Great Expectations in Maths. After a doomed love affair and an unpleasant bank raid during which she defended herself with a tea tray, she headed to London for a couple of years. (There is a reason she doesn't write romance!). She never intended staying but a chance meeting with the man of her dreams put paid to any return to Ireland. Having spent most of her career in the City, she decided something was missing. Working in the City is great but it's a young person's dream. Having three children you never see isn't good for anyone. So she packed in the job and started writing. Thanks to her amazing readers, that writing turned into a career far more exciting and rewarding than any other.
Rachel lives in Surrey with her husband and three children, two boys and a girl. When not reading, writing or watching films for "research" purposes, Rachel likes to hang out with her family. She also travels regularly back home - in fact she should have shares in BA and Aerlingus.

Reviews

[Beth]

Like its predecessor, the book has some small errors, missing words, punctuation errors, but nothing big enough to stop my reading.
This story focuses on Johanna, Becky's twin and Eva's younger sister, though there is a secondary focus on Becky as well .
Rick Hughes is a single young man who agreed to go west with his sister and her children to try and find her husband, who had gone ahead to settle on land and begin farming. The only 2 members.of his sister's family who survived are 2 little girls, Rick's nieces. His sister and her baby boy and her older boy all succumbed to illness. Rick had had it in his mind to start a chain of schools in the West, something he can't do with 2 little girls in tow. At 23, he is overwhelmed by the prospects of being a single father. He and Johanna have started to develop feelings for one another, and as she has always wanted to be a teacher, it would likely suit her fine to help him with his dreams - if she knew about them.
Then Johanna's ma gets sick and it spreads through many in the wagon train from the several who are also sick. Johanna isolates everyone who is ill from those unaffected. It takes a while, and Johanna organizes everything. Two people die. The wagon train split at this juncture, with the Indian hating man leading a group away. They come across Almonzo, the 10 year old son of the Indian hater. He is all bruised and has a very high fever. The boy has no idea where the wagons have gone, and what signs they find prove inconclusive but don't look good.
Johanna has learned to drive the oxen. They have several rivers to cross and are able to bathe in hot springs. At one of the forts, Capt. Jones is faced by a man he thought was condemned to the gallows, but is very much alive and doing as he pleases. He makes allegatioms that Capt. Jones has more than one Indian wife. This upsets Becky and makes her wonder if she can think of him as husband material any more.
As the remaining wagon trains under Capt. Jones wend their way West, dodging hazard after hazard, the twins each find themselves both closer to, and yet somehow also further away from, the men they love.

[Sarah B White]

I am enjoying my covered wagon ride on the Oregon Trail. So much has happened. There was a cholera outbreak and some people died. Some people were afraid to stay with group and left only to come down with the illness without knowing what to do to help the sick too survive. They did not have with them the know-how to get fevers down and to prepare nutritious broth for the sick and there many more died. The few who could have helped left the sick to die without even leaving them food and water. A father who had taken his son with him from the original wagon train left him to die when he fled the illness a second time. The boy managed to survive and then walked miles back to where the original wagon train was still camped. The women on the wagon train nursed him back to health and then continued the trip.

The unmarried young people on the wagon train managed to find love on the train and made plans to marry. I hope they all make it to Oregon in part 3 of this story. I an really enjoying these books.

[Connie White]

Wonderful! Worth the Read for All who Love Oregon Trail Stories!

I love both books in this series and cannot wait to read the third. The author is a great writer who brings us into the lives of her characters and the drama of crossing the country by wagon train. She added many true historical elements that made it seem very real, and I actually learned things I did not know. The characters are well-written, each with their own personalities. The stories in book 1 and 2 kept me turning the pages and brought out lots of emotions. I highly recommend this book for everyone.

[Kathy]

Johanna is a twin to Becky and on her way to Oregon with her family. She is a loving girl and spends her time with the children on the wagon train. She wants to be a teacher. She meets a man Rick who also wants to be a teacher. The two fall in love. Rick has been taking his history and her children to Oregon to find her husband. However his sister and two sons died of illness shortly after joining the train. Rick is now in charge of his two nieces. Good thing Johanna lives children.

[Cindy]

I loved this book and I'm eagerly awaiting book 3 in this new series! This one continues where Book 1 left off! Still on the trail, the three sisters are moving forward in their new relationships! Lots of trials to overcome and fears turn to hope for a better tomorrow! Rachel just gets better with every book!

[Debbie]

Trials and sadness with a lot of happiness

So many different events with so many turns. Forgetting the fact life has many ways of changing right before your eyes is hard to do on a wagon train. It is a thrilling story with twists you don't expect. Enjoyed the continued adventures of the Thompson's.

[Nancy Wilkinson]

Really, my only problem with this book is that it really is only half a book. The other half is the sequel. And to leave the ending with a huge unanswered question... Or several... Is just trickery. Write a good enough book... Which Ms. Wesson does in spades... And I'll be sure to read the sequel. You don't have to trick me. I really hate that!

[Maryk Adams]

AMAZING STORY

Amazing Story, the Thompson Family along with many other families are on trek to Oregon, following the Oregon trail, this story portrays an amazing family who helps others and how they make it through the trials & tribulations, the relationships that come up with the young people. This is a must read from a fantastic Author.

[Peri Gray]

This book was great. The characters were perfect. I hope that other people read

d this book. So far I have this one and the first one and I have enjoyed them both. The author knew how to put these books together. I will be reading the last book in this series.

[Velvet Harris]

LIVING YOUR SERIES

I have found enjoyable reading series by Rachel Wesson. Love the continuation of characters from previous books and keeping up with their lives after the first initial introduction. Please keep the series of all your books in mind for the future!

[Karen & Gerard]

I enjoyed this book as much as the first of this series. The relationship between Rebecca and the Captain is quite humorous and entertaining. Johanna and Rick’s relationship is sweet. The suspense during the river crossing and through the mountains kept me glued to the book. (Karen's review)

[Dorothey Thompson]

Oregon Dreams

Wow! Another great story . The wagon train is continuing to Oregon. Joanna is one of the twins. She has been helping take care of Rick’s nieces. Many things has happened on this trip, but Joanna and Rick have grown closer to each other. . You will enjoy this story.

[Loretta Gabriel]

A great story of the early settlers.

The author has written an excellent story of the continuing journey of the wagon train to Oregano and all the adventures and challenges they face. Full of action and and adventure.

[susan sarver]

A good book about travels on the Oregon trail.

I enjoy following the trials of crossing the trail. It allows one to look at the heartbreaking problems they each find, along the way.

[Janie Elmore]

Trouble by the bushels.

I likes this book as it showed how much good can be done if everyone pulls together. They all faced heart ache and loss, but most of all they helped wher they could as it should be. I recommend this book for all teens and adults alike.

[c m bolton]

Train drive

I've enjoyed all of Rachel's stories. It's great to find out how hard the drives are and how hard it is on the people and animals.
Thank you Rachel for something different 💕💕

[kathi Driskell]

Rachel Writes the Best

This series is a family on the trail to settle the West. It’s very interesting to read how the trials and troubles were overcome. Plus the families are meeting new people and new friends and adding to their clans. My fave part

[Erin Krol]

Loved it

Love the characters, the story moves along quickly with no lags. Can't wait for the next one to come out!

[Tonya VanWinkle]

Oh.... 😆

I cannot wait for the next book! You've hooked me for sure! Thank you for writing and sharing this story with me.

[Crystal]

I love this series!

This is such a terrific Series! I get so immersed in the story and the characters it is like I am living the book myself. I cannot wait for the next one.

[Elizabeth West]

Oregon Dreams

I enjoy books about wagon trains. The hardships of travelling to the promise of a better life. This series has been very enjoyable.

[Sydnee Walsh]

This was a great story. I wish it didn’t end the way it did but I’m most certainly going to read book three to find out more!!

[S Sanders]

Liked it even better than the first. Told more of the true hardships of the journey. This was the story of the second sister and a fellow traveler with 2 nieces.

[Babs Wenk]

Johanna and Rick

Heartwarming, funny and tragic all of those things in more on the Oregon Trail. Johanna and Rick fall in love during it all but will her father approve? - Babs

[Debra]

The second book was more realistic in that there was more difficulties that occurred during their travels on the Oregon Trail. I am anxiously awaiting what will happen in book 3!

[ann betts]

Oregon dreams

A continuation of the Trek to Oregon by wagon train, It has been a journey of trials and tribulations that always seems to end well.

[karenblystone]

Enjoyed

This is an historical clean romance story, well written and very enjoyable light read. Describes life on covered wagon, going to Oregon.

[Teresa Doughtie]

Great

Everyone who loves historical fiction should read this book.It is the fist in the series, looking forward to the other adventures of the family and wagon train.

[Jerri Gennaro]

I

Enjoyed this story so much. I have the rest of the series and I know I will love them as much as I did this one.

[Rhonda Myers]

Good book

I really enjoyed this book. I like the continuation on the trail with all the charter interacting. I recommend this book to anyone that likes a historical roamance.