West from the Cradle by Brigid Amos

Gold fever is a disease.  When men hear of a discovery, their imaginations run wild and they will pick up and leave where they are to go make their fortune.  The fact that many die on the way and not everyone is lucky enough to find gold doesn't slow them down.  Neither does the fact that men will kill you to get your gold.  When a boy signs on as a helper with the local shop owner, he doesn't realize what he's getting into...

The author and Goddess Fish Blog Tours gave me the opportunity to read and review this book (thank you).  You can buy a copy now.

The first unfortunate thing that happened was that their wagon master got killed at one of the ferry crossings.  The man he is traveling with is elected the new wagon master.  However, it's not a smooth transition.  One man in the group doesn't like him and makes their life difficult.

This is a very realistic tale of how difficult the travel was and how many ways you can die.  Due to lack of food and unsafe water, people got ill and didn't make it as far as California.  They had Indians to contend with (most were peaceful) and the cowboys were deadly.  There was gambling, alcohol, and a lack of womenfolk. A lot of lawbreaking was done because most cities had no sheriff.

When the man he's traveling with dies from an illness, Travis manages to survive.  But now he's on his own and he's quite young.  His life gets even more exciting before the end of the book.  This isn't the end of the story, though.  Watch for another story to come on how Travis does in the next stage of his life.

Brigid Amos will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.  Enter HERE.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found HERE.

Happy reading and good luck!