It wasn't what I was expecting for a "sweet" romance. Don't get me wrong there wasn't any sexual content but there was a lot of bad language.

If you're looking for a western romance I would definitely recommend it to you (and if you don't mind 1 POV narrative) but I don't think this book is for the "clean-romance readers". There was a misuse of Jesus's name and as I said before lots of bad language.

In the end THE SECRETS WE KEEP is a story about a woman overcoming obstacles and fighting for her future and I'm sure a lot of readers will empathize with Emma's struggles.

The Trouble We Keep by Cara Devlin was a nice read. However, there was little character development and little background on the characters. The love story between the two main characters appears to happen quickly and with no real development of the romance. But with all that said, it was a good book to spend the afternoon escaping from the everyday worries.

Redemption story with romance. Set both in DC and Arizona in the early 1900s this story was not what I expected from the cover. Emma escapes a life she lived as a prostitute but at another moral cost. Dean is also in need of redemption and I struggled to like him. The Trouble We Keep was a quick read, Cara Devlin handled the prostitution and violence while not giving any graphic descriptions.

Cara Devlin's The Trouble We Keep was a brilliant read. The book was written from an entirely new angle. I loved it. The characters were well-thought out and to say the plot is interesting would be putting it mildly.

When I read the description of this book, I was instantly interested. The book held my attention from the very beginning. Emma Leigh is a woman who did what she had to do to survive, but wasn't proud of the things she did. I felt the portrayal of her character was extremely realistic. She was naive, but had tremendous growth throughout the story.

This is an adorable book!! The story takes place at the beginning of the XXth century in the old West. The main character, Emma Wheat is a young woman who's experimenting with very difficult situations. For one, she is pregnant, and a fugitive from the law. She needs to locate her brother so he can help her. One day, she arrived at Williams, Arizona all by herself. After failing to find a place to stay Emma enters the small town's saloon, owned by Dean Morelli. They start a conversation and Dean offers her a room upstairs and a job. Emma does not have a choice so she accepts, she later learns that her brother stole from Dean. It is up to Emma to prove her brother's innocence and escape her past. I loved the book, it has the Old West scenario, saloon, bank, card games, and a slight romance. I like Emma´s personality, she is smart, kind and has her priorities very clear to her. It is the first book I read by this author, it certainly won't be my last. I had a good time reading this book in one sitting! I thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Found this book on Netgalley and was excited for something different. Although I don't normally read romance set in the wild-ish west, I was pleasantly surprised by this. Set in the town of Williams, Arizona at the turn of the century, the story follows a pregnant Emma Leigh on her search to find her brother.

The story kept me intrigued til the end. The characters were compelling, and underwent believable development throughout the story. A sweet romance and a fun read. Will definitely keep my eyes out for more by Cara Devlin in the future!

Young and desperate, Emma escapes a Washington brothel. In this historical romance we see the harsh reality of life for a young girl at the turn of the century. She travels west by train looking for her brother, the only family she has. Alone and homeless she faces hardships with courage and finds love where she least expected……

Such an achingly beautiful story!

This book will transport you back to the Old West and make you forget the modern world for a while. It's beautifully written, with engaging characters, plenty of action, and a deeply emotional romance.

I instantly fell in love with Emma Leigh. She finds her inner strength and makes the most of the hand she's been dealt. Dean is perfectly gruff and grumpy, until love melts his heart. I was totally lost in this world and loved every bit of it! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I loved reading this book for it's been a while since I read some romance set in the West and the author doesn't disappoint.
Emma's left behind in D.C. to fend for herself, and after a while she stops waiting for her brother to come for her like he'd promised and goes in search of him. It's a tale of second chances, of never losing hope and of all the things that went down in the West.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

The Trouble We Keep is a well written and great story that I greatly enjoyed. Emma Leigh is a young woman that has lost touch with her brother, who is her only known relative. She finds herself in a desperate situation, and steals money to buy a train ticket to where her brother was last heard from. She gets there and meets two men, one, Dean, becomes her boss. The other, Adam, becomes her friend. Fun reading and it will keep you interested until the end. My only complaint was there is quite a lot of bad language through the whole book, but the story is great!

The Trouble We Keep is the most gorgeous romance I've read so far this year. I loved every second of it and although Devlin is a totally new author to me, this won't be the last one I read from her.

Pregnant, alone and on the run, Emma Leigh heads West in search of her brother to find a better life, but naturally nothing is ever that simple.

I have never read anything remotely 'Western' before and I am now all in, this was such a fun world and I never knew how much I would appreciate a book set in a world with swinging saloon doors. The characters are fantastic, the setting is unique and the romance is *chef's kiss*.

I’m a sucker for historical westerns, but I’ve been on a Regency kick for quite some time, so it’s been a while since I’ve read one. I devoured this one in one night. Kudos to the author for keeping this reader up well past her bedtime.

Emma Leigh has been down on her luck, waiting for years for her brother to send for her, and has turned to the world’s oldest profession in order to survive. When a client assaults her, she makes a split second decision to flee Washington for the desert in search of her wayward brother. The rough and tumble Arizona mining town becomes her new refuge—the barkeep Dean and midwife Jo, her only support system.

The Trouble We Keep has bar fights, gunslinging, and of course outlaws and a flood, everything one expects in a good western. While there are some anachronisms (a zipper in a ladies’ dress in 1901), I still enjoyed this rather sweet romance. What can I say? I love a gruff hero who turns out to have a heart of gold. I think I need to read a western marriage of convenience story next! It’s been too long since I’ve gone to the prairie with my favorite trope and now I want everything to be cowboys and barmaids.

I thought this was quite a good book. I actually enjoyed it.
Let's talk about character developments and their arcs throughout the book. Dean's character is one that changes over the entire course of the novel. That said, the only change that Emma undergoes is here attitude towards her brother. She has always been resilient so I didn't find much of a change in that aspect but 0nly her independence which emerged slowly in regards to her search for the brother.
Apart from that the romance was okay but could have been better - more specifically, the interactions and encounters between Deana and Emma were not deep or convincing enough for the romance to blossom.
The historical aspect was actually quite good and may have been perhaps the only redeemable feature worthy of the 3 stars.

I saw this book on Netgalley and I was suddenly JUST in the mood for it. It had been a long time since I read something set in the West and right now, with the world being ...well, the world... I felt a strong sense of nostalgia for all the Christian historicals I read growing up set in this arena: like Tamera Alexander, Francine Rivers and Tracie Peterson, etc., And while this is certainly NOT a Christian historical by any means, I feel that there are strong redemptive themes that will appeal to inspirational readers but also those who just want a bit of faith, hope and human kindness.


Emma Leigh has been abandoned by her brother in DC and is waiting to be sent for. The longer she waits, the less she hears from him and is finally driven to prostitution to survive. Pregnant, and unwilling to accept the abortion the Madam of the house arranges for her, she steals money from a violent brute and sets out to find what happens to her brother. She ends up in Grant's Pass: a saloon in Williams, Arizona which gives a strong sense of flourished setting as a town enjoying bustles of tourism. And let me say this is a great example of the right book meeting me at the right moment because I was precisely in the mood for saloon proprietor Dean Morelli who is very much brooding and tortured and steely but with heartbreak in his past and a heart of gold. Their meet cute takes place just as a gambling cheater is shot beside her, the lone woman nursing a whiskey sour in a sphere of men.


I really thought that the romance was natural: especially because they were fireworks and flint from their first meeting. Emma Leigh is a strong character belying the usual handling of the fallen woman, docile and in need of rescue. She's a spitfire on hard times whose been dealt too many bad hands. You can see, from the first, that Dean appreciates a woman who will stand up to him.


The setting of Williams and the neighbouring landscapes exhibited as Emma Leigh and Dean pursue Jimmy (Emma Leigh's completely useless brother) were so lovingly painted: I could smell and taste and feel and sigh over rugged beauty intercepted by sin and vice-- a true portrait of the contradictions of the still largely unsettled west at the time.


I mentioned earlier that I noted notes recalling inspirational fiction here and one such is lovingly played when Emma Leigh and Dean are offered the kindness of strangers en route to a Canyon: Bible believing people who extend grace without condemnation... the usual "come to Jesus" moment in a more overt faith story.

But, again, this just strikes some of faith fiction's chords, it is certainly NOT a preachy story, rather it exhumes the goodness in all and shows marvellous little sacrifices that prove that most people--even rough around the edges-- have kind hearts and a commitment to community. It doesn't offer vice up as black or white and all of the character's choices are lovingly revealed and understandable: even to a snake charmer of a banker and Jimmy the deadbeat brother.


Just a great example of right book at the right time when I should have been working but instead gobbled it down guilty--- like ice cream--- no, it's richer than that -- and VERY well written--- like good cheese.

Yes, I'll stick with cheese. Rich and satisfactory making me full but still wanting a little more.


Excellent writing here and tip top research and just a nice exploration of the human spirit and tenacity... also, interesting incorporation of the theme of deliverance.


note: there is a fair bit of cursing in this book for those inspirational readers who might want to try this out. But it is never gratuitous, reflects the historical authenticity of the time period, and I would hate for that one thing to put you off.


For romance fans, there be some GOOD kissing scenes here... the build up is fantastic and the emotional investment is wonderful. Also, Dean's love declaration is one of the best I've read in awhile.


thanks, Netgalley! Saving the pandemic, one book at a time!


(also sharing on twitter, fb and insta)