Cornelia Rose decides early in life, almost instinctively, not to allow anyone to limit her to the few choices available to women in New York in the 1850s. Marry well and become a proper lady—is that all I can do? She surreptitiously pursues learning ‘not meant for young ladies,’ and begins the journey to become a midwife.

Flirtatious and sexy, Cornelia attracts suitors everywhere she goes. Flooded with invitations after her ‘unofficial’ debut, her courtships take a dramatic turn when invited to the West Point Military Academy as the guest of a cadet. Will her romantic escapades compromise her choices? Who will decide her future?

Evolved Publishing

FLIRTATION ON THE HUDSON PLAYLIST

Prologue – Love is in the Air, John Paul Long

Part One - New York

Chapter 1 – Don’t Rain on My Parade, Barbara Streisand in Hello Dolly by Jerry Herman

Chapter 2 – Summer Breeze, Seals and Croft

Chapter 3 – Strangers in the Night, Frank Sinatra

Chapter 4 – What a Day for a Daydream, Lovin’ Spoonful

Chapter 5 – Anticipation, Carly Simon

Chapter 6 – Out of the Frying Pan, Meat Loaf

Chapter 7 – Into the Fire, Bruce Springsteen

Chapter 8 – Lord, Deliver Us, Alton Ellis

Chapter 9 – Rescue Me, Aretha Franklin

Chapter 10 – Some Enchanted Evening, Rodgers and Hammerstein South Pacific

Chapter 11 – Baby, to You, All I am is the Invisible Man, 98 Degrees

Chapter 12 – Sugar, You are my Candy Girl, The Archies

Chapter 13 – Downtown, Petula Clark

Chapter 14 – School Days, Chuck Berry

Chapter 15 – Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat, Frank Loesser Guys & Dolls

Part Two - New York

Chapter 16 – Before the Parade Passes By, Jerry Herman, Hello Dolly sung by Bette Midler, 

Chapter 17 – I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Whitney Houston

Chapter 18 – Tea for Two, Ella Fitzgerald

Chapter 19 – There’s a Kind of Hush, Herman’s Hermits

Chapter 20 – Benny Havens, O!, Lt. Lucius O’Brien, Ripley A. Arnold, John Metcalf

Chapter 21 – Homeward Bound, Paul Simon

Chapter 22 – Wedding March, Felix Mendelssohn

Chapter 23 – Don’t Know Much about History, Sam Cooke

Chapter 24 – Déjà vu, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Chapter 25 – Color My World, Chicago

Chapter 26 – It’s Christmas Time in the City, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans sung by Bing  Crosby 

Chapter 27 – Caught Between the Moon and New York City, Christopher Cross

Chapter 28 – Colder Weather, Zac Brown Band

Chapter 29 – True Colors, Cyndi Lauper

Chapter 30 – Send in the Clowns, Judy Collins

Chapter 31 – The Show Must Go On, Leo Sayer sung by Three Dog Night

Chapter 32 – Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?, Lovin’ Spoonful

Chapter 33 – At the Least Suggestion, I’ll Pop the Question,(song title: Lydia Rose) Meredith Wilson        sung by the Buffalo Bills in The Music Man

Chapter 34 – But Can We Still Be Friends?, Todd Rundgren

Chapter 35 – Get Me to the Church on Time, Allen Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe, My Fair Lady

Pack up and leave her home? Never see the broad Hudson River, which flows both ways past her sitting room window, again? Eschew the glories of New York City and the wonders of the 1850s modern technology, and head out to unknown territory in the Wild West?

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Cornelia Rose thought leaving the comforts of home and her family would be the greatest ordeal she would ever face... and then she encounters buffalo, quicksand, mountain fever, and old beaus. 

Life on the Oregon Trail is full of more deprivations and difficulties than Cornelia ever imagined, in spite of her research and preparations for the rough road ahead. Her feisty spirit and medical knowledge help her face challenges from unexpected sources. She summons all her ingenuity to combat the hardships, leading them to her greatest unknown.

What will be waiting for them in the Great Salt Lake City, and who is the silent brooding man on their wagon train who seems so familiar? Order now to find out!

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Reviews

"Pioneer Passage is a truly delightful, meaty read that will satisfy any reader who enjoys an excellent adventure exceptionally well told. Having already read the second story in this saga, I was familiar with the principal characters of the Wright family and author J.F. Collen uses this iteration to expand on and emphasize the unique character and powerful faith of these early pioneers but more especially the women. Cornelia Rose is a woman ahead of her time; learned, well-read, opinionated, and skilled in the healing arts. Her need to be recognized, understood and listened to by men, especially her conservative and strict husband Obadiah, is a real highlight of this particular part of the story. I particularly enjoyed the interactions between Cornelia Rose and her male admirers who were all clearly besotted with the young wife’s beauty, charm, wit, and intelligence. Her handling of their advances was both amusing and, for the period, possibly even somewhat risqué."

"What I particularly love about this author’s style is her ability to convey a wonderment and understanding of the physical environment the pioneers were passing through. Her prose is melodic, almost to the point of musicality and her descriptions vivid and real enough to transport the reader right into the wagon, alongside Nellie and her family, as they negotiate the dangers of the trail. One can truly feel the barrenness and spread of the western prairies, along with the power of the crystal-clear night sky through Collen’s melodic prose. I loved this story, as I did the second book, and I can only hope the author does not intend to end Nellie’s journey with their arrival in Salt Lake City. A fantastic read that I can highly recommend and one of the best I’ve had in a long time."