If ever the word bland described a book, this would be it. It's as if author Cassandra Austin poured water over a delicate painting and washed away all its color, leaving a gray-toned puddle in its place.
Cowboy Christian Prescott lives with his brother and father on their Kansas ranch. Coming to visit are his younger sister and his brother's fiancée, a city woman named Lynette Sterling. Christian loves his family and is sure Lynn will be a frail and fragile flower, not at all right for his brother Arlen, an up and coming politician.
Lynette does not love Arlen - she's marrying him for stability. Her father has died, and the only money she has coming in is for Passion's Secret, a book she wrote under a pseudonym. When she arrives at the ranch, she's in for a surprise. Arlen is stifling her, and, oh yeah, she's warm for Christian's form.
Of course, Arlen is a wet noodle. Of course Christian soon discovers Lynette is not the pampered and spoiled city woman he so fears. Christian and Lynette will come to feel deeply about one another and won't want to hurt Arlen.
With such a premise in place, the makings are there for a good read. The scene when Arlen asks Christian for lovemaking advice (Lynn seems a trifle stiff to him) is good reading, and the character of Christian is one readers will fall for. But there's a lack of passion in the writing, and scenes which could have some sizzle mostly fizzle.
I suppose the author tried to rev things up with a silly subplot hatched by the young sister, whose friend has a crush on Arlen. Even though I didn't like the direction the author wanted to take me, I was willing to go there if there was somewhere. This too fizzled.
The most exciting section of the book is when a spurned suitor from Lynn's past enters the picture and threatens her. But this too falls flat, and, in the end, the reader will wish Christian had a better story.
Sensuality: Warm
Publication Date: 1998
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