A High Sierra Christmas

True confession: When I chose to review this book, I thought it was a romance. So imagine my surprise when High Sierra Christmas arrived, and it was a western!

Although the genre is not my first choice, this novel was well told, focusing on the journey of Smoke Jensen and his two children, Denise Nicole (Denny) and Louise. They were supposed to travel back home to Sugar Loaf, Colorado, from San Francisco; but unforeseen events have them traveling to Reno, Nevada, over snowy, dangerous passes in a stagecoach instead. Accompanied by a host of characters, some unsavory, the situation is ripe for gun-slinging.

The story was suspenseful and descriptive. As with many Christmas novels, several of the characters have their own individual books. I appreciated that the author did not spend a lot of time trying to give a huge back story on each Jensen family member, as I find that results in confusion.

The story did contain too much shooting, blood-spilling, and brain-busting for my taste, but I am glad I gave it a chance. I learned a lot about the Old West, and it reminded me of my grandfather who loved Westerns.