The Owen Family Saga, Marsha Ward’s acclaimed series of adventurous, romantic, historical Western stories set in 19th Century America 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.
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 is the chronology. To make that clear, the novella, That Tender Light, is unnumbered and tagged as “An Owen Family Novella,” but should be read first. Gone for a Soldier is Book 1 and is followed by Book 2, The Man from Shenandoah. Spinster’s Folly is now Book 3, followed by Book 4, Ride to Raton and Book 5, Trail of Storms. That is the best reading order.
(You might elect to read Scandalous: An Owen Family Story, after Spinster’s Folly.)
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 a sister in the family, while Ride to Raton follows the aftermath from the point of view of a brother. Trail of Storms is best read after 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 passel of neighbors from the Shenandoah Valley, too. Enjoy reading, while Marsha writes more adventures.
Future novels and stories about members of the Owen family will not be put in the “Owen Family Saga” series. Each work will be designated as “An Owen Family Novel, Novella, or Story,” with guidelines for where in the Owen Universe’s timeline it falls.