Once Upon A Romance's Review Of...
A Dream Fulfilled by Cynthia Hickey

onceuponaromance.net

Reviewer: Lori Graham
Title: A Dream Fulfilled
Author: Cynthia Hickey
Publisher: Publish America
ISBN: 1-4137-4775-2
Release Date: January 2005
Genre/Sub-genre: Inspirational Historical Romance
Year/Setting: 1853
Overall rating: 4.5
Sexual content rating: None/Subtle
Cynthia's Website: www.cynthiahickey.com

Lizzie’s parents had come to the "New World" with the dream to head west and make a life for their family. They had to stop in New York to raise the funds to continue with their dream as the trip over took everything they had. Together they found jobs and had their dream on track. However, during a rain storm one night, they were taken by a run away carriage and left three children to quickly become adults. Zeke, at 12, took over as the man of the family and did odd jobs to bring in money. Lizzie, being the eldest, got a job as a maid and Abby, at 8, took over the care of the household.

After losing her job, however, Lizzie approached her siblings with the idea of continuing their parent’s dream. After selling everything they possibly had and the help of a kind neighbor woman, their adventure began. The train ride from NY to Independence, MO was not the excitement they had thought it would be but they arrived intact and began to make friends while getting set up with a wagon train.

The path across America led them through many trials and tests of their faith in God. However, they hung true and even enjoyed a few triumphs. Lizzie found herself falling in love with the wagon master along the way which proved to be a good thing because she was quickly earning the nickname "Calamity".

Their trek took them through some of the most beautiful country they had ever seen along with the depths of land that was aptly called "hell on earth". They experienced the loss of dear friends along with the birth of new hope. They met friendly Indians along with the unfriendly and even an unscrupulous gambler to stir up some excitement.

It’s funny to think about the history classes that I took during my years of schooling and how bored I was by facts, figures and dates. However, if you take history, such as these pioneers, and create a story, I can read about it for hours.

Cynthia Hickey did a fine job of illustrating the strengths and the faith of the pioneers, which made way for the life we enjoy today. As a woman, we often take for granted the strength of the men on these westerly journeys. In A Dream Fulfilled, however, Cynthia illustrates their gentleness which fortified the strength of the woman. She was able to put into words the effectiveness of teamwork both within a family structure and a hodge podge crew of individuals. I would love to see Cynthia do a sequel of the first years after reaching the "dream" and how it was turned into reality.

Lori

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