The Owen Family Saga, Marsha Ward’s acclaimed series of adventurous, romantic, historical Western stories set in 19th Century America, is an ongoing series which in 2022 consists of one novella and five novels: That Tender Light, Gone for a Soldier, The Man from Shenandoah, Spinster’s Folly, Ride to Raton, and Trail of Storms. Marsha is writing another novel, which will be Book 6 of the Saga.
Many authors write novels out of order, if one considers the release date. One notable example is Louis L’Amour, who wrote at least five early Sackett Family novels after he had nearly completed the series. What’s important for the best reading experience, however, is the chronology. Here is the best reading order for The Owen Family Saga books:
That Tender Light is unnumbered and tagged as “An Owen Family Novella,” but since it’s the Prequel to The Owen Family Saga and gives the story of the Owen Family’s origin, it should be read first.
Gone for a Soldier is Book 1, The Man from Shenandoah is Book 2, Spinster’s Folly is Book 3, Ride to Raton is Book 4, and Trail of Storms is Book 5.
(View the Best Reading Order page for suggestions of stories to read between the main books of the Saga.)
After you learn how the Owen family began, Gone for a Soldier skips forward twenty years to tell of the family’s involvement with the American Civil War. The Man from Shenandoah details how the family afterward went to and settled in Colorado.
The initial scenes in both Spinster’s Folly and Ride to Raton begin with the same event: a wedding. Spinster’s Folly takes off from there in the viewpoint of one sister in the family, Marie, while Ride to Raton follows the aftermath of that wedding from the point of view of a brother, James. Trail of Storms follows the trek of another family to the west until it intersects with James’s story continued from Ride to Raton.
There is action, adventure and romance in all of the novels. Be warned that you may need a box of tissues as you read Ride to Raton. It is not a romance, but a poignant love story.
Here’s the thing about Marsha Ward’s Owen Family stories: they are realistic, dealing with big life issues for members of the Owen family, at the same time as they pull at your heartstrings because you might be coming to love the characters. Now it’s time to get to know Rod and Julia Owen and their children: Rulon, Ben, Peter, Carl, James, Marie, Clay, Albert, and Julianna. They don’t live in a vacuum, so you’ll meet a lot of neighbors from the Shenandoah Valley, too. Enjoy reading, while Marsha writes more adventures for members of the Owen family, which will be added to the Owen Family Saga series.
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