I picked up The Women of Primrose Creek: Christy because I thought it might be a fun, quick read. Well, I got the quick part right; at 162 pages it was a breeze to finish. Parts of it were fun too, but in the end there just wasn’t quite enough story to make the book any more than an average read.

Christy McQuarry is a beautiful woman who has had a difficult life. She’s originally from Virginia, but when her mother divorced her father and ran off with a rich Englishman, she took Christy and her younger sister Megan along. Both girls were placed in a boarding school, where they were ostracized. Then their mother died, and they were sent back to Virginia where they discovered that their father and grandfather were also dead, and the family estate had been sold. However, the girls’ grandfather left some land to them, and to their cousins Bridget and Skye. The book begins as Christy arrives in Nevada to claim the bequest.

Christy and Megan are escorted to Primrose Creek, Nevada by the town sheriff, Zachary Shaw. Christy notices immediately that Zachary is very attractive, and Zachary returns her interest. However, Christy has big plans, and she has no intention of tying herself down to a penniless lawman. Christy knows that in a frontier town with few women she will be able to hand-pick her mate, and she wants to choose someone rich; not only does she crave security, but she also wants Megan to receive a proper education. Jake Vigil owns the town saw mill, and he lives in an expensive house, so he seems like the logical choice. Zachary is appalled that Christy would be so mercenary, and everyone close to Christy is inclined to agree with him. Will she choose to follow her heart before it’s too late?

This is a cute story with potential. Christy seems a little heartless at first, but really she is more misguided than anything else. The relationships between Christy and the other Primrose Creek women are interesting, and there are some really good moments between Christy and Bridget, who’s own story was told in the first book of this series (The Women of Primrose Creek: Bridget). We don’t see a lot of Zachary, but when he’s there he seems like a great guy too.

Unfortunately, the connection that Christy and Zachary share is never very convincing. It’s supposed to be love at first sight, but they don’t spend much time talking so it seems much more like lust. And while I could understand Christy’s motivations, I thought Zachary was a little too patient with her, especially since she gave him almost no encouragement.

If Christy and Zachary had spent more time together, their relationship might have made more sense. But none of the relationships in the book are fully explored; it’s just so short that there is no time to get to know any of the characters. I’ve read short stories in anthologies that work well, but this book seems more like half a book than anything else. When I was through reading it I had the feeling I had skimmed it, even though I had read every word. If you want a quick read this may fit the bill, but I can’t help wishing a longer, fuller version were available.