Melinda and the Wild West

A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho, Book 1

By: Linda Weaver Clarke

Narrated by: Joanna Riley

This revised edition of Melinda and the Wild West is especially for young adults, ages 11 to 16.

In 1896, Melinda Gamble, a very elegant, very naive young woman from Boston, decides to give up her life of monotonous comfort for the turbulent uncertainty of the still untamed Wild West. Driven by her intense desire to make a difference in the world, Melinda takes a job as a schoolteacher in the small town of Paris, Idaho, where she comes face-to-face with a frightening bank robber, a vicious grizzly bear, and an intense blizzard that leaves her clinging to her life. But it is a ruggedly handsome and very mysterious stranger who challenges Melinda with the one thing for which she was least prepared: love.

©2012 Linda Weaver Clarke (P)2016 Linda Weaver Clarke

Melinda and The Wild West

I reviewed the book version of this back in 2012! Wow doesn't seem that long ago.
I gave the book 5 stars. I actually liked the book better than the audio.
It was the same real sweet story with a clean heartfelt message.

I loved the historical content, the attention to detail Linda puts in any of her stories as well as the great character development!

What I didn't care for was... once again - the reader! UGH I hate doing this, but I am so darn picky about audios. The reader will really make it or break it for me. And this one just broke it for me.
It was only the fact that I felt like I was overhearing a kindergarten teacher reading to her class. She over emphasized EVERYTHING! I am sorry but it really got annoying if I listened to it for a while.

So all that being said - This is a GREAT book - but I would recommend you read it, not listen to it!

I voluntarily posted this review after receiving a Audible copy of this book from the author - Linda Weaver Clarke - Thank You!

Boston girl meets Idaho

Good clean story. I enjoyed the setting (Paris, Idaho in the last 1800's) since I am an Idaho girl. I would recommend this as a YA read with a strong female role model. Melinda gets an education in a time when that was not common for young women and then she becomes a devoted school teacher with the courage to leave the familiar east and travel into the wild west. There she witnesses an armed robbery by Butch Cassidy, is the victim of a grizzly bear attack, survives an Idaho blizzard, and falls in love with a rugged rancher. Since I am not usually a romance reader, I did have to overlook a lot of descriptions of rippling muscles, longing eyes, and tender kisses but the book has some substance too - this school teacher changes lives through her dedication and love.

A fun, light read for the whole family.

What did you love best about Melinda and the Wild West?

I love history and the wild west appeals greatly to me. The author was able to weave in some interesting historical facts about the area and the people which I found very interesting. I particularly enjoyed learning how the people of the time dealt with medical emergencies e.g. Melinda's hypothermia.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the first half of the book immensely as it related the events of Melinda's move to the Wild West and her adaption to the place and people. She had many exciting and dangerous encounters and I also loved reading about her teaching experiences and her relationship with her pupils.
The second half of the book was a little bit slower as the romance moved at a sedate pace.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Joanna Riley?

Joanna Riley made the story sound very dramatic and exciting. There was some slight pausing here and there in her reading and some over emphasis in her expression which I would have preferred toned down a bit but overall the narration was good.

Any additional comments?

This is exactly the kind of book my 13 year old self would have loved to have on her shelf.
The romance and adventure certainly appeals and it is a safe, clean read to gift or for the whole family to enjoy.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Enjoyable clean romance

I enjoyed this charming and clean romance audiobook. I really appreciate "clean" stories. Not having to worry about my young kids hearing while I'm listening is a load off. The story is well-written and entertaining. I love the main character, Melinda's, fiery personality - how she speaks her mind and is independent. Her love and understanding for others is inspirational. I also loved all the historical facts interwoven with the story, like the Butch Cassidy incident. I listened to the Audible audio version of this book, but I wasn't "wowed" by the narration by Joanna Riley. While not a bad narration, it wasn't particularly memorable - it was just okay. I think my rating would have been one star higher with either a different narrator or the Kindle version. Granted, narration is a very personal taste, so even though I wasn't wowed, others will love it, and my opinion on the narration should not discourage anyone to listen. If you like clean romance or are interested in the old west, I highly recommend this book.

Great historical romance!

I just finished listening to this very interesting book by Linda Weaver Clarke. It was certainly my favorite of all the books from this author. I guess this could be because it deals with times and places that I could really relate to, especially living in Utah and being familiar with Idaho and Bear Lake. I really enjoyed her narrator, Joanna Riley who did a wonderful job interpreting the various characters. I enjoyed the fact that I had this Audible book on my cell phone and could stick my phone in my pocket with my ear buds and listen while I worked, rested, and "multi-tasked". It was really enjoyable.

As easterner Melinda heads west to Idaho to teach school, she finds a most exciting beginning to her new life, a bank robbery. This book has many events that were of actual history of the places that she writes about. I love how she wove fiction and history together to keep the reader involved with the characters, times and places. This book was written about some of the events and places in the lives of her ancestors. This also has a special appeal to me as a genealogist. And there is always something special about bringing real events out in your reading. Much more believable!

This is a very family friendly romance set in a difficult but fascinating time in history, as the doors to the west were opened to those seeking a better life for themselves.

I really enjoyed the book and hope to be able to read the remaining books of this series. I recommend it!

Enjoyable Historical Western Romance

Any additional comments?

Melinda and The Wild West is a very good old fashioned western romance set in Bear Lake, Idaho in 1896. It begins when Melinda Gamble accepts a job as a schoolteacher in the small town of Paris, Idaho after declining a marriage proposal from the comforts of her parents’ home in Boston. She has an intense desire to make a difference in the world and she doesn’t let anything stand in her way – not even a bank robbery by Butch Cassidy, or an attack by a vicious grizzly bear.

My favorite part of the story is the positive impact that Melinda has on her students. In particular, she takes an unruly young motherless student under her wing who blossoms under her tutelage. But it is in meeting this students’ father that we discover how smart Melinda really is. For example, she talks the busy rancher into accompanying her on a field trip with her students and she learns a thing or two about prejudging people unfairly. The slow developing romance between the pair is truly enjoyable.

I listened to the Audible version of this audiobook written by Linda Weaver Clarke and narrated by Joanna Riley. Joanna’s narration was average with varying voices and tempo. I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

In summary, I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook and look forward to other audiobooks in the Bear Lake, Idaho Family saga.

Great story

I really enjoyed this story. Melinda was a great story of love, growth and development. I really loved seeing her develop her relationship with her beau and fall in love! I feel like it was well written and had depth to it that you don’t always get.

The narrator was not my favorite- but I pressed through and wanted to finish. I made the speed 1.25x and that helped.

Overall I’d recommend this story and recommend the rest of the series, too!

Adventure and Romance in the Wild, Wild West!

Any additional comments?

Linda Weaver Clarke really has a gift for captivating your emotions and touching your heart. "Melinda and the Wild West" is beautiful and clean story of love and determination. It is a romance set in the Wild West and the first book in the author's Bear Lake Series. And I loved it!

Let's talk about the author's talent for recreating a setting, first. I felt transported! The details are so realistic and it is clear that the author researched her topic really thoroughly. Not only that, though -- she really feels what it must have been like to live at that time and she has a knack for placing the reader smack in the middle of her setting of Bear Lake, Idaho.

Now, her characters are very well developed and likable. The heroine, Melinda, has lots of spunk and lots of smarts, too, moving out of her comfort zone in Boston to face the challenges of a teaching position in the wild, wild West! The male characters - her former fiance for one, Gilbert, the father of one of her students for two and Henry, the school's superintendent, Henry, for three, are well-drawn and believable individuals. Melinda's interactions with her students are also very engaging and well-written.

Besides romantic ups and downs, the plot includes a bear attack, a monster blizzard and a fantastic sequence where she's held at gunpoint by Butch Cassidy and his gang, the "Wild Bunch". Wow!

I listened to the audio version of this book, narrated well by Joanna Riley. I received it in return for an honest review.

cute & fun story

Linda Weaver Clarke begins a new series that is set in Idaho. In this story we meet Melinda who moves from the East out West to become a school teacher. As soon as she arrives she is introduced to the Indian legend of the Bear Lake Monster. Melinda also gets a first hand experience of the wild west via a bank robbery, an encounter with a grizzly bear and getting stuck in a snow storm! This book is packed with lots of history and facts.

I do have to say that I don't think this narrator was suited for this genre.

Sweet and Simple Western

I enjoyed this sweet and simple Western romance. Melinda is a well educated lady from Boston who moves to Bear Lake, Idaho to be a schoolteacher. She's an independent woman, spunky and spirited, and longs to make a difference in the world. Once she arrives she gets into a heap of trouble, including a bank robbery, a grizzly bear attack, a blizzard, and a certain attractive rancher who happens to be the father of one of her students.

I really enjoyed Melinda's personality, she was a strong female lead. I loved that she made a lot of the first moves with Gilbert, she was no shrinking violet! The classroom scenes and the way she drew the students out was sweet to read.

I found the historical tidbits scattered throughout the book educational and interesting, they weren't overwhelming or out of place. I grew up in Bear Lake, and I think half the fun reading this book was revisiting the places I miss. The Paris Tabernacle, Bear Lake, I even participated in the reenactments of the very same bank robbery depicted.

I would strongly recommend listening to the audio sample before purchasing. The narrator speaks with a smile in her voice, and her tone is pleasant, but she exaggerates her words. I sped the narration up to 1.15x and didn't have a problem with it. I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.