Lizbet Fontaine will do anything to keep her family together, even leave behind the only life she’s ever known to journey to the West. But as the jitney rumbles away, holding tightly to her little brother’s and sister’s hands, she knows something is wrong. Her stepfather has summoned an associate with a predatory glint in his eyes, and Lizbet knows she needs to save them all. She just doesn’t know how…until a kind man points out the Silver Hills Boarding House.

Gabe Whitfield is no saint. But he won’t let a woman be threatened. Getting involved with Lizbet and little Frankie, and Jubal is the last thing on his mind, though. When his wife and their child died a few years ago, a piece of him died, too. So he’ll help this family find their way at Miss Ornetta’s boarding house. Anything more is out of the question.

But that one chance meeting changes Gabe forever. Lizbet’s fierce strength makes him feel the faintest whisper of hope. And Lizbet can’t deny being drawn to the honest, gentle man whose kindness moves her. Can she trust her heart to a man who can’t let go of the past?

~Standalone~

This is a Western Historical Romance with either closed doors/fade to black, or only kissing.

Title:  The Silver Hills Boarding House
Series:  ~Standalone~
Author:  Linda Lael Miller
Published:  October 7, 2025
Publisher:  Canary Street Press/Harlequin
My Rating:  4.5 stars

The Silver Hills Boarding House is one of those stories that slowly winds its way into your heart until it finds a solid home.  Lizbet has traveled far from where she’d considered home with her two young siblings, Frankie and Jubal, to this small western town at the summons of her stepfather.  The man sent to fetch them gave her an intense unease as his glance traveled over her in a predatory fashion.  The last thing she wanted to do was go anywhere with this man, and thanks to the kindness of a stranger, they were saved, at least momentarily, from having to learn just how dangerous the man her stepfather had sent truly was.

Gabe didn’t allow anyone to intimidate a woman or children.  Usually a man who kept to himself, he just couldn’t pass by the attractive woman and her two young companions without offering to help in some way.  Gabe’s wife and child had died some years earlier, and he hoped that someone would have stepped in to keep them from harm, just as he was doing now.  He sent them off to the boarding house for safety, not knowing that he’d just met his future… if he could let go of the past and embrace life once again.

I have loved Linda Lael Miller’s stories, both modern western and historical western, for years now, and The Silver Hills Boarding House was exactly what I expected from this talented author.  Lizbet and Gabe make a believable couple, each suffering loss in different ways, yet the attraction simmering beneath the surface between them gave them each a bit of courage to take a few risks in their emotional journey to a happy ending kind of future.  

Their story is well-written, engaging, and emotional, with a touch of danger and a bit of humor to balance it out.  I enjoyed myself so much reading The Silver Hills Boarding House by Linda Lael Miller, and if that sounds like your kind of historical western romance, then you’ll find a believable, enjoyable couple to cheer on to their happily ever after future in Lizbet and Gabe.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley, and I sincerely thank the author or publishing house for their trust.  It is my choice to leave a review, giving my personal opinion about this book.*

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