Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada,  April 1, 2025

Format: paperback

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary (From Goodreads):

A rollicking historical novel set in turn-of-the-century Alberta about a young woman on the run from her abusive husband who uses a legal loophole to claim a homestead in the Wild West—perfect for fans of Outlawed and Giver of Stars.

In 1905, Scottish newcomer Flora Craigie jumps from a moving train to escape her abusive husband. Desperate to disappear, she claims a homestead near Alix, Alberta, determined to start a new life for herself. She finds that her nearest neighbours are also a Welsh widow with three children; two American women raising chickens; and a Métis woman who makes a living by breaking in wild horses.

While battling the harsh environment (and draconian local attitudes toward female farmers), the five women grapple with the differences of their backgrounds and the secrets each struggles to keep. When their homes are threatened with expropriation by the hostile federal Minister of the Interior, the women join forces to “fire the heather,” a Scottish term meaning raising a ruckus. And as the competition for land along the new Canadian Pacific railway line heats up, Flora’s violent husband closes in, and an unscrupulous land agent threatens the lives and livelihoods of the women just as they’re coming into their own.

My Review:

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: strong female characters, pioneering stories
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Flora makes her way from Scotland to Alberta hoping to earn a homestead the same year the province joins the Dominion of Canada. Flora must persevere through learning to survive and farm on the prairies, and I loved reading about the strong women who defied all the odds and the choices of those who said they couldn’t do it! Overall, I loved this story! I was hoping for a little more development in the love story, but it was still a great story!