Book Review for The Room to the West by Lauren Biel

Title: The Room to the West

Author: Lauren Biel

Genre: Dark Time Travel Romance/Dark Western Romance

Release Date: January 26, 2022

Cover Design: Pretty in Ink Creations

Sometimes to go forward, you must go back.

So what if I’m jaded? No one ever asks me how I feel, anyway. They just use me.

My clients call me Hannah. I’m an escort, but I refuse to work in a brothel. I always followed the law until I strolled alongside the lawless. I never wanted to be with a man until I met this one. What business do I have with someone over a century my senior? What could we possibly have in common? Everything and nothing at all.

Weston’s dark and brewing eyes make me forget we’re from two different eras. His past bites at our heels, and he will kill again for me.

The rugged and desolate Old West is no place for me. For either of us.

How can I choose between him and my old life? How much am I willing to give up for the only man who’s ever seen my soul?

The Room to the West is the second novel from Lauren Biel, author of Shoot Down the Stars.

"Dark romance meets Louis L'Amour. A unique time travel romance that had you walking through the wild west with all your senses aflame." - Ann-Marie Davis, author of the Moreno Mafia series

Content Warning: This book depicts strong sexual content, sexual assault, substance use, and violence toward women. This story also has themes of suicide.

We actually enjoyed the story, it had me so engrossed that we read it in one sitting. We loved Wes, he was pretty much a straight shooter for the most part, didn't shy away from the truth. Not only that, but we loved the interest he took in Hannah and saw beyond what the time period considered a soiled dove. Once Wes got to know Hannah, we loved the fact the Wes opened up about his past and that he felt strongly enough in whatever they had going on to trust her with some hard truths. We would not say that Wes did not feel possessive or protective of her because his actions spoke volumes.

In Hannah, we saw a strong and independent woman and a woman who owned up to the past and present of her life. Thought she was a spitfire for the most part. We can honestly say had Hannah not experienced and survived in the future like she did, we honestly never survived her time travel to the past long term, she was strong but, from the life we saw her living in briefly would be enough for the sane to go insane at some point. 

Overall the story carries hard truths both past and present and the story didn't shy away from how the Old West could be harsh and unforgiving and back then there weren't a lot of choices for women back then. The story will have triggers, so pay attention to the plot. We loved Wes and Hannah aka Mariah as a couple and that somehow they found one another when each of them when each of them needed something more to move on from the past and heal. Belle, we are glad that Hannah had a champion in you during her trying time, and we believe for the first time ever Hannah had her first true friendship with you...

First time author for us, and we have a good feeling we will be reading her books again.

Favorite quote

"I can only take care of you and protect you now. I can't make up for the past, but I can try to replace what others have stolen from you. Just give me the chance to do it. Let me make you whole again."

“Out of curiosity, what day is it?”

He looks at me with a raised eyebrow. He tilts his head and stops wiping the counter with the cloth. “It’s the ninth of August, ma’am.”

“But what year?” I look him in the eyes, my lips taut in frustration.

“Are you unwell, li’l lady? It’s 1885.”

"Where light meets dark"

I’m a dark romance author with two published novels and several titles in the works. When I’m not working, I’m writing. When I’m not writing, I’m spending time with my husband, my friends, or my pets. You might also find me on a horseback trail ride or sitting beside a waterfall in Upstate New York. I have a pretty normal life, yet my stories are anything but.

Expect the unexpected with my stories. I write various sub genres of romance and all my stories are a bit ‘different’ compared to others in the same trope, so leave your expectations at the door!