REVIEW: The Drifter by Anna Schmidt

The Drifter (Where the Trail Ends) by Anna Schmidt: Set in the Old West, after her father’s death, Maria is struggling to keep her farm together. With the unwelcomed flirtations and anger from her foreman, the wealthy corporate farm next door intent on buying her off, and the lack of respect from the men around her because of her gender, Maria is barely holding it together. But then comes the stranger Chet Hunter.

“She’d spent some time thinking about him while she and Trey had milked the dairy cows, waiting for the men to return and report the damage. She’d thought about the way he’d spoken to her and Eduardo when he’d first arrived and about how he’d been credited with making a difference when it came to the stampede…and mostly about how Amanda ad described his eyes. They sparkle.

Ready to stay for only a short while as he makes money to move on to his real dream, Chet doesn’t want to get too involved with anyone, let alone the lovely, and obviously frustrated, Maria. But as he’s pulled deeper into her dream to keep her father’s farm going, going away won’t be so easy.

The Drifter was okay, just not for me. I definitely like Maria’s strength of character, but it feels like a repeated story. There are so many, woman has to take care of family, but isn’t respected because her gender. If a new message were being said about those gender roles, I would be more interested. But as it is, I just feel frustration at going through this same issue.

While there is attraction between the two, it is extremely slow. Too much of the story they weren’t together or working together. He was generally ignoring her because he couldn’t become too attached. And instead of helping out when he really should’ve he stayed silent because he felt it wasn’t his business.

Aside from her extremely annoying foreman, I do like the other characters. They provided the most entertainment for me in the story, but the focus really should’ve been more on the romance rather than the farm.

Book Info:

Publication: September 1, 2015 | Sourcebooks Casablanca | Last Chance Cowboys | (Where the Trail Ends #1)

From acclaimed author Anna Schmidt comes a sweeping historical Western romance about the unbreakable bonds of family, second chances, and a whole lot of heart in the Wild West.

“I barely know you, and yet there’s something about you that I trust. But why?”
“You know me, Maria. I’m the guy trouble follows. Best if you keep your distance.”
She ran the backs of her fingers along the line of his jaw. “And what if I don’t want to keep my distance?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Fair warning,” he murmured, and pulled her close.

Caught between a greedy corporation and a desperate love of the land, Maria Porterfield barely has time to mourn her father’s death. If her family is to survive, it’ll be up to her to take charge-but she can’t do it alone. When a mysterious drifter rides into town, the handsome cowboy seems like an answer to her prayers. But Chet isn’t interested in settling down, no matter how tempting the offer…

Chet made his way West looking for a fresh start-the last thing he wants is to get involved in someone else’s fight. But something about Maria awakens a powerful need to protect the fierce beauty at all costs. He never thought he’d find love, but as danger presses in, he may find there’s more beyond the next horizon than just another long and dusty trail.