All Gabe Coulter ever wanted was to live a comfortable life as a successful gambler, but a confrontation with a disgruntled cowboy who’d just lost to Gabe leads to a family man dying in his arms. Even though it was self-defense, the only way Gabe knows to get rid of his guilt is to return the money he won to the man’s wife. Lara Talbot sees Gabe as a derelict like her husband and wants nothing to do with him. But as she struggles to provide for her family and makes plans to claim property in the upcoming Oklahoma land rush, she wonders if God might have sent the meddling gambler to help. Vicki McDonough is a new author for me. I thought this was a well-written story from beginning to end. Faith, love, forgiveness, hope... all tied up in the characters, the story and the end of the book. I also appreciated the history. I hadn't thought about the land rush and the shortage of horses or the fact that women were allowed to run for land. I loved how the author brought this historical time to life! (Jenilee Goodwin Our Goodwin Journey 2014-10-18) With superb characterization and well-written action, the first book in the Land Rush Dreams series will have readers feeling as if they are riding head-long into the middle of the Oklahoma Land Rush. Additionally, the romance between a gambler wanting to atone for a wrong and a young widow trying to survive is both tender and sweet. A poignant tale, McDonough's new series is off to a promising start and looks to be quite entertaining. (Susannah Balch RT Book Reviews 2015-01-01) Gambler Gabe Coulter’s self-defense gunshot leads to a family man dying in his arms. The man’s widow, Lara Talbot, sees Gabe as a derelict just like her husband and wants nothing to do with him. But as she makes plans to claim property in the upcoming Oklahoma land rush, she wonders if God might have sent the meddling gambler to help. Vickie McDonough is an award-winning author of nearly 50 published books and novellas, with over 1.5 million copies sold. A bestselling author, Vickie grew up wanting to marry a rancher, but instead, she married a computer geek who is scared of horses. She now lives out her dreams penning romance stories about ranchers, cowboys, lawmen, and others living in the Old West. Her novels include End of the Trail , winner of the OWFI 2013 Booksellers Best Fiction Novel Award. Whispers on the Prairie was a Romantic Times Recommended Inspirational Book for July 2013. Song of the Prairie won the 2015 Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. Gabriel’s Atonement, book 1 in the Land Rush Dreams series, placed second in the 2016 Will Rogers Medallion Award. Vickie has recently stepped into independent publishing. Vickie has been married over forty years to Robert. They have four grown sons, one daughter-in-law, and a precocious granddaughter. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, doing stained glass, watching movies, and traveling. To learn more about Vickie’s books or to sign up for her newsletter, visit her website at www.vickiemcdonough.com.