A gem that I found through the author’s videos on TikTok!
Bloom Town: Genesis is a tale of found family and love set in the Wild West. Abby was born a preacher’s daughter in a small town in Iowa. She was married off to a leader in the church after a small scandal. Her husband went on ahead of her to California to build a new town around his church, and after two years, he sent for Abby to join him in his established mission. She’s excited to finally be escaping the confines of her father’s town in Iowa and wants to make a life for herself in California, even if it is with a man she doesn’t know if she truly loves. Then, she is kidnapped off the train to California by two children and a strange man. Now, she is a captive in Bloom Town with Olive, Jack, Lewis, and the female outlaw, Joey, who organized her kidnapping. At first, she wants to fight her way back to her new life in California, but Bloom Town has a way of growing on people.
Abby’s story, albeit historical fiction, feels so real. She’s a preacher’s daughter, a teacher, and most importantly, a sheltered girl who has been controlled by the strict rules of her religious town and wants to know more about the world. Existing in a place that isn’t bound by strict rules from hypocritical religious leaders is a foreign concept to her. Every minute that she spends outside of the small town in Iowa is a minute where she questions the basis of her whole life. This isn’t a book about a character losing her faith necessarily, but rather a book about a character learning that faith doesn’t have to be so controlling.
The slow-burning romance between Abby and Joey does indeed feel slow at times, but the wait is worth it. Every new bit of information that you unlock about the past of the characters throughout the story feels like a reward for reading more. As they are forced into more situations together and have to rely on one another, they are forced to face their growing feelings for each other. When their romance finally takes off, you’ll be speeding through the chapters. This doesn’t even factor in the familial bonds that Abby begins to form with Olive, Jack, and Lewis as she spends more time with them. The found family storyline of this novel is truly heartfelt.
This book addresses important historical topics such as queer relationships throughout history, interracial relationships, religious control and trauma, disabilities, the true cost of Westward expansion for indigenous communities, and more. Ally North clearly did her research, and it shows through every page of this novel.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a lesbian romance historical fiction story, and I cannot wait to read Bloom Town: Exodus.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 books.
