I enjoyed this historical fiction and thought it was interesting as well as well written. The book is quite engaging and the main characters as well as the secondary characters are likeable and relatable. Jessie always makes me smile.


Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books.

A very powerful story about what those in the trans community have to deal with daily and how scary it can be for them. Though also shows how there are people out there who are willing to stop and listen or open their eyes to see the real person.

Historical fiction romance done right. I thoroughly enjoyed both of the main character Emma the young widow with her son Ollie just trying to fulfill her deceased husbands dream of running a successful horse ranch after he passed will trying to protect his land from being taken over. Then you have Jack who having fought on the opposite side from Emma's husband, and Jack does a wonderful job as passing for a man. It becomes clear later on why Jack deemed it necessary to pass as a man due to things that happened outside of their own control. Jack gets hired as a ranch hand manager despite Emma's thoughts on the war because men really won't stay on because they don't want to have a woman boss on top of Jack knowing what their doing when it comes farm work. Then the romance between the two was very thought after everything laid out and an understanding of one another they make things work as a family with the help of very understanding support character who breaks things down for both Jack and Emma by getting them to see things from each other prospective. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Heart Divided.

Thanks to NetGalley, Angie Williams and Bold Stroke Books for the ARC

An enjoyable read that delivers exactly what you would expect from a western.

Emma is still grieving the loss of her husband who was killed by confederate soldiers during the war. Now, she’s left struggling to manage the ranch alone while raising her son. She needs help but there are few people willing to work for a woman. When former confederate soldier, Jack, comes into town looking for work he just might be what she needs to turn things around on the ranch. Not only will she have to get past the fact that he fought on the side that killed her husband but also Jack’s secret that he’s not the man everyone assumes he is.

I enjoyed reading this but it does have fairly predictable plot points for this type of story (e.g. the barn catching fire, the river flooding). The external conflict seemed to resolve easily and I don’t think it was even discussed what happened to the neighbor who wanted the land.

There was also a familiar found family aspect to the story but I found Jesse’s character to be refreshing. She made a great confidant to both Emma and Jack and I loved the way she nudged them along. In contrast, there wasn’t much character depth or development to Wiley.

Overall, this is a good read if you’re looking for a sapphic western but not something that stands out from the crowd.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed the romance story between Jack and Emma that initially seems to be impossible. Former soldier Jack being a woman but feel and live like a man and the widow Emma that is interested in the man Jack. Jack does not dare to start something since he feels he would never be accepted and Emma does not understand the hesitance. After Emma finds out that Jack is actually a woman she is in shock and cannot really get a grip on whether she can live with that fact and still love Jack as the man she feels she is even if not having the male anatomy.

Of course all is resolved with time and they get their happily ever after.

It’s worth your time if you’re looking for a romance to read. If you’re more interested in historical fiction this book might not be the best pick for you.
Was it a believable read? Absolutely not. But it was sweet and filled me with hope. Both for the future, that we might become more understanding, and for the past, that maybe there were people that were able to find peace and happiness when everything was against them.
I liked the characters, the setting, it’s a solid story. I read it in one sitting.
Thinking back I see a little issue with the fact that after a significant issue has been resolved we were never told about any punishment for the bad guy, but I didn’t even care when I read the book. I actually only noticed when another person mentioned it in their review. The whole situation was dismissed, but I didn’t care. Still don’t. The romance was the main thing about the whole story for me, and I’m quite used to most contemporary writers using storylines they drop unresolved after they served their purpose.
It’s a love story set at a time when that love story could almost guaranteed never happen. But in this book it did. And it’s a wonderful read. If I were more analytical, the book has issues that should’ve been better handled and details better researched, but emotionally I’m a happy reader.
For me it was a well deserved 5 star book, no hesitation about it.

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Historical fiction romance set in 1868, New Mexico Territory. Emma Stevens is a young widow with a nine year old son trying to make a go of a horse ranch. It was her husband's dream till he died in a battle during the civil war. A friend recommends Jack Logan to manage the ranch even though he previously was a confederate soldier from Texas. Emma has conflicting feelings about needing help from the enemy but the reality is men in town won't work for a woman. Jack proves his abilities and Emma feels her attraction growing towards him.

I thought the book was engaging. I didn’t realize that there was a CW battle as far west as New Mexico. (I did look it up and it happened.) Jack dresses and works as a man and the author does a good job of explaining how he sees himself without using modern day terms. Emma’s confusion in her attraction is also handled well.

I’ve glanced at a couple reviews that couldn’t make sense of the timeline and I didn’t see any problems with it. Emma was widowed in 1862 (when the battle occurred), and went through various managers at the ranch till hiring Jack in 1868. The majority of the story is told over several months of that year and concludes with an epilogue in 1873.

Living in the west we celebrate the pioneers who settled and built roots in the area. The ranch life described seems realistic and I can allow for the extra drama of having a villain in the storyline. I enjoyed the book and the characters.

Wanda grew up with an abusive father and had no choice but to kill him. She steals a soldier’s uniform and falls in with a battalion of Confederate soldiers and establish herself as Jack Logan. He realize this is who he meant to be not being a soldier but being a man. Jack gets work at a horse ranch own by a widow and her son after the war. Emma is struggling to keep her ranch up that her late husband left for her and her son she needs to help but men don’t want to work for a woman but when she meets Jack she not thrill to hire him because he vet from the Confederate Army that killed her husband but she knows she can’t look help in the mouth. They grow closer Jack fears she won’t accept him if she learns the truth as he pulls away she vow to learn what’s he hiding as he begin to be more to her and her son. Overall good historic romance about loss love trust friendships.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Wanda Baker’s life was never the same after killing her abusive stepfather. With nowhere to hide, she steals a soldier’s uniform and falls in with a battalion of Confederate soldiers, redefining herself as Jack Logan. Even though done out of necessity, he soon realizes living as a man reflects his true self in more ways than just the clothes he wears. The world finally sees him as the man he knows he is. After the war, Jack finds work on a horse ranch owned by the widow of a Union soldier, Emma Stevens.

She’s the most beautiful woman Jack has ever seen, but being a veteran of the Confederate army that killed her husband isn’t the only thing keeping them apart. Emma hates that she needs the enemy’s help to manage her husband’s beloved ranch, but with fewer qualified men left after the war, she’s forced to accept she has no choice. She and her young son must place their trust somewhere, and Jack is her best hope of keeping the ranch and her husband’s legacy intact.

There were things I enjoyed about this, but I felt like the timeline was wishy washy and incorrect in places. (Normally I'm flexible with that kind of stuff - it is fiction, after all, but talking about the Civil War - it seems like a big mistake.

Overall, it was an interesting story, but the timeline inconsistencies pulled me out of it too much for me to enjoy it. I look forward to seeing more from this author in the future though!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

An insight into the LGBTQ+ in the late 19th century. In the present day people deemed to be outwith the generally accepted norm do not seem to have the same difficulties as then. I say seem as there is still not overall acceptance of gender fluidity etc. Jack is a man in a woman's body and is afraid to trust anyone with his secret. He is convinced he cannot have a love who will accept him nor a family to call his own. He meets Emma and her son and begins to hope even though he keeps pulling away. This is their story.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

this one has the taste of north and south where a reb ex soldier is looking for work

jackson logan is that ex soldier and finds work at the ranch run by emma and her son, not many men would work for a woman and that is why emma is struggling but she needs this ranch to work as its the legacy left to her son by her husband charlie who went away to fight to confederate army and was killed in battle

its not easy for emma to accept jacks help but as time goes on jack becomes more invaluable not only to the ranch but to her son as he starts to train him on how to be around horses

but jacks life is hard.... more so than even emma could ever know because jack has a secret and its one that could be the end of him if it gets out....

have to say i thoroughly enjoyed this book... must be because of the horses in it that always gets to me and draws me in....but its also the way the author wrote this storyline that drew you in and invested in all the characters...

looking forward to reading more from this author

Set during the pioneering 19th century America, this historical romance captures the trials of a woman, Emma, recently widowed by the war, struggling to raise a son and manage her ranch, who hires newly arrived Jack as her ranch manager. Jack, having fought on the opposite side of the civil war that took Emma’s husband from her, is a woman passing successfully as a man.

The plot is very strong. Our author has managed to create a realistic environment using clear and honest writing that reproduces the factors that were so influential during the era. It is clear that a great deal of research was carried out and called on to create an authentic basis for the book. As a result the reader is drawn in and fully engaged.

The characters of Jack and Emma are both striking. Unlike other characters in similar situations, Jack is portrayed with much depth. Although initially cross dressing was necessary for his survival, it becomes clear that it is also necessary for his being. In an era before gender dysmorphia was ever identified, our author has managed to capture Jack’s struggle with his gender in a manner that befits the era and has managed it with complete respect. This is writing at its best.

I found this book to be enjoyable on so many levels. The story, the developing romance, the supporting characters and the cohesiveness of both MC’s all combined seamlessly.

Jack Logan arrives at the ranch of Emma Stevens looking for a job after the war had ended. Emma’s husband was killed during the war and she’s not very trusting with her ranch or young son.
There’s something about Jack that she can’t she likes but why is he so stubborn, what is he hiding.
These two are going to play a cat and mouse game with their feelings until someone gets caught but what will happen when Emma finds out the truth about Jack.
This is a very well written story that pulls you in from the first page.
Don’t miss this.

Thank you #NetGalley #BoldStrokesBooks #AHeartDivided for this ARC

Historical fictions are tricky for me and I hate to say this one missed the mark. I usually enjoy Williams writing, but this one was all over the place.

Jack Logan is a trans man who was in the confederate army and is now looking for work. Its mentioned the horrible thing he did, but that's all, it's never mentioned again. He meets Emma and Ollie to work on their farm and it's like a very long courtship, but I couldn't tell you the timeline because it was never specific. It was confusing and jarring sometimes not knowing.

Emma is a widow and is focused on her son Oliver while trying to keep her husbands farm working. It's vague on when her husband passed as its reference to several years to a couple to a few. There's a bad guy and he messes things up as predicted, but it was so hard to get into this story. I just couldn't.

Also, the language back in the 1800's wouldn't have said some of the things they did in this story. I had a very hard time finishing this book and I was disappointed as I enjoyed William's previous books. This won't stop be from checking out her next book though.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was pretty good overall. It seemed like it moved a bit fast at times and I just couldn't get into the romance between the two leads, but I like how everyone was a tight-knit family on the ranch. I also think the description was a bit misleading. I was expecting Jack to be more of a character like Jesse - a woman in disguise as a man - rather than someone who was born in the wrong body. It was still an enjoyable book, but not what I was expecting. On that note, though, I think everyone was so sweet and accepting of Jack and I loved how the story turned out in the end.

When I saw A Heart Divided listed on BSB's NetGalley offerings, I passed it up. Twice. And then went back and grabbed it because I love a historical romance where one woman passes as a man. One of my top five romances of all time is Backwards to Oregon and this seemed to have some very basic similarities.

I was initially swept up in the story and ready to be sucked in to the drama and romance. We meet our protagonists, the widow's son, and our two new ranch hands. We have the makings of a lovely chosen-family. We get the love rival and an evil bad guy. Feelings are developing, secrets are being revealed, the bad guy does a bad thing and then - it all falls apart for me. Let's discuss some of these things without giving any spoilers.

The book kicks off in 1868. I'm not up on my civil war dates but I just googled and it ended in 1865. So Emma's husband has been dead for at least three years. Which you wouldn't know because there are no timelines given. He died in a battle at some point. The battle is mentioned but I don't know if it was a real one or not but I don't want to stop to look that sort of thing up while I'm trying to stay in a story.

I bring this up because there are no specific timelines given while reading. Once Jack shows up on the ranch, we get passages of times as "a few months." Repeatedly. Mentions of Emma being a widow for a few years or several years. I couldn't tell you how long Jack worked on the ranch and that came up again during the final chapter - which is the second place a year is given. The whole of the story takes place between 1868 and 1873 - five years - but what's described as a whirlwind courtship and becoming a family (not really a spoiler because, hello, this is a romance novel) two years previously. So, as I'm typing this out and doing math, Jack must have worked the ranch for THREE YEARS before the courtship?? What? Maybe I've not had enough caffeine yet this morning and I'm not thinking about this correctly. Because the scenes that I read seemed to be only the span of several "a few months" periods which, I suppose, could absolutely equal three years but it felt like a small fraction of that time.

Okay, I hope that if I'm not figuring this out correctly, someone will post a comment to help me understand.

But that wasn't the only thing that was problematic for me. I have no idea how old Jack was or how old Emma was. The only person I'm solid on the age of is Ollie, the son. That bothered me. It hindered my ability to let my imagination see these characters as real. And Ollie, who started out at 9 years old, didn't seem to mature to anything like a 12 year old - if my math is right - during Jack's pre-courtship time on the ranch. There were no birthdays celebrated, which might have helped the reader with the passing of time. Sorry, I'm thinking these things as I'm typing them out so, yeah, this has turned into a ramble for sure.

Another big issue was that there was absolutely no mention of the bad guy or any consequences coming from the bad thing he did. It was never mentioned again. After the next morning, and the mention of some basic repairs to a structure, it was like it never happened. Another issue that threw me was that during intimate scenes, it was like the characters were completely different people and moved to a modern time with the language they used. We have the use of "clit" and "cock" coming from the POV of a presumably sexually naive widow who uses the language of sometime in the late 1860s. It was jarring to read. I'm no prude but the language should match the time and character and this didn't. And I'm not even going to go into the event at the very end of the book had me saying out loud, "WHAT?!"

Oh, and before I forget again, this isn't a story about a lesbian passing. Jack is a transman. I had no problem with Jack being trans, but it wasn't what I was expecting. It actually made me feel for Jack even more than I had initially. It was the one part of the story that felt genuine in its portrayal. That and how Emma related to her son.

So, all in all, A Heart Divided wasn't a hit for me. I have no doubt that it will bring joy to other readers because we all look for different things in a romance novel. But if the things I've mentioned are problematic for you, you might want to give this one a miss.