Aww! How sweet! I like trying new authors and this is my first Susan Kay Law book. I had heard that she was a very good writer and I do like Americana, so I opened it with some curiosity. It didn’t take long for me to be touched by the story and charmed by the characters. I have a low “cutesy” tolerance – no Precious Moments figurines for me – but Marry Me is not at all cute. While it is as sweet as can be, it is definitely not cloying, which is a very good thing indeed.

Emily Bright has lived with her sister Kate and Kate’s husband since she was a youngster, and now that Kate is a widow, Emily longs for independence. She has some money saved up that she earned working for Emily’s husband, Dr. Goodale, and when she sees a flyer offering free land to homesteaders in Montana, she takes off.

Emily’s land comes with a claim shack and some furniture and books. It looks like it was abandoned by its previous owner. The land is vast and there is much work to do, but Emily is cheerful and very optimistic. But when a strange man shows up on her land, claiming that she is on his land, even Emily’s good nature is strained.

The man is Jacob Sullivan and he claims that this is his land. Emily says that he abandoned the land, that she bought it fair and square, and further, that she she isn’t going to move. In response, Jake pitches a tent on the boundary and prepares to wait it out, sure Emily won’t last long on her own. Emily simply goes her own way, making friends with the neighbors, trying to clear the land, and waiting for Jake to give up and leave. Then she hears that her sister Kate has tracked her down and is coming for a visit.

Kate is the ultimate big, bossy sister. Emily fears Kate will force her back home, and having had a taste of independence, she is loathe to give it up. She asks Jake to pose as her husband; if their scheme is successful and Kate leaves on her own, Emily will return Jake’s land and get a claim elsewhere. After all, there’s a lot of land available.

Marry Me is not a bit realistic. Emily’s efforts to clear the land are laughable – if this had been real life, she would be destitute and starving to death come winter. And for someone who has to haul water, she always seems sweet-smelling and clean as a whistle. But this isn’t a realistic book, it’s a fairy tale and a touching one at that because of Jake and Emily

Neither are new characters, but both are excellent examples of their type. Jake is tortured because of a terrible past, but he never descends into self-loathing, or what’s even worse – torturing others because he had it so bad. He slowly and realistically comes back into the social life of the town and rebuilds himself. He blames himself for ruining the life of his first wife, but through the love of Emily, he forgives himself.

Emily comes close to being a Pollyanna, but never goes over the top. She’s more endearing than irritating in her total sunny optimism, and it would take a total misanthrope to dislike her. I found myself liking her very, very much indeed.

Pamela Morsi has left the Americana sub-genre for women’s fiction and fans of her books will find that Susan Kay Law nicely fills the void. Marry Me was so enjoyable I plan on finding the first book in the series The Bad Man’s Bride, and checking out as much of her backlist as I can. Anyone who can manage a light touch without getting too sentimental is a writer I can thoroughly enjoy.