Imperfect Promise

 Author Susana Lane's debut novel “Imperfect Promise” has garnered the prestigious 2022 Spur Award for her historical fiction romance.

I found this book to be an engaging story of lives set on the plains of Nebraska in  1876. Those were turbulent times for ranching facing the lawlessness and hardships of the land.  

Lane does an excellent job of developing likable and relatable characters. Their compassion, resilience, and sense of obligation are much to be admired as they face a variety of adversities with hopefulness.

Former gunfighter Cortland Enders is about to go to prison when the woman he works for invents a scheme to save him. Sienna Harris, the widowed owner of Circle H, makes a deal with the judge that Cort will serve his three-year sentence running the ranch, bound to it as her new husband. The marriage of convenience is a purely business arrangement enabling Sienna to leave the ranch to Cort after she dies of cancer.

Lark Garrin is on the run from a vicious outlaw, Will Cardin. She fears for her life from this abusive man who claims he “owns” her. When Lark and Cort happen to meet in Ogallala, Nebraska, both lives are changed forever when she agrees to move to the ranch to be Sienna's companion.  As the story unfolds they both find themselves having made foolish promises, imperfect promises, despite their good intentions.

Lane's style of writing is easy to follow with clear, crisp sentences and realistic dialogue. The highs and lows of emotion displayed by the characters keep the reader engaged in the storyline. I particularly liked that the female characters portrayed were strong, shrewd, fierce, and smart. Since I found myself so engrossed in the story it was easy to finish the book in one afternoon. My interest was piqued needing to know how the story ended. Fans of “Imperfect Promise” will rejoice to know it's the first book in a series of three. Lark and Cort's story continues but may take a backseat with the introduction of new characters. 

Janice Hurff, writing as Susanna Lane, grew up in southern New Jersey without a mountain in sight. In fact, she spent many years cutting bait and dropping a line into the Delaware Bay from her father’s fishing boat. Once retired from her teaching career, she moved with her husband to coastal Delaware.

She’s often been asked why she writes novels about the wild West . . . coming from the east coast. Her husband attended Colorado State University and fought wildfires in Wyoming during his youth. About thirty years ago, he introduced her to the Rocky Mountains and the rest, as they say, is history! Two cattle drives and many ranch and horseback riding trips later, she is a Westerner in spirit. She’d dabbled in writing all of her life. But it wasn’t until the last ten years that she became entrenched in honing her craft.

Susanna Lane began her career teaching materials science and chemistry, which in and of itself require attention to detail. She adapted her experience to her writing.

Until she published her first book, "Imperfect Promise", her greatest honor was in being a part of a national program through ExxonMobil that encouraged girls into careers in engineering. Ironically, as a member of both the Women Writing the West and Western Writers of America, she has found another path to spotlight women’s fortitude as they played major roles in settling the West. And “Imperfect Promise” is certainly that kind of story. It has been selected as the Western Writers of America 2022 Spur Award Winner for Historical Fiction Romance with the sequel to follow. No one could have prepared Susanna Lane (pen name) or Janice Hurff for the wildest ride of her life and the grandest moment in her career.