Phoebe Conn’s Wild Desire is a readable western romance with some nice romantic moments and a lovely heroine. However, several of the other characters – including, unfortunately, the hero – are apparently inhabitants of some alternate dimension. In this dimension, the laws of logic are mystifyingly different, and people do things for reasons that don’t…
Self-published books can sometimes provide an interesting reading experience since the author herself is usually investing both her time and money into a book born simply out of her love for the story. It’s obvious in Calico Queen that her love of writing and fascination with the people and settings she creates motivate Elizabeth Butler….
A Kiss to Die For is something of a rarity: it’s a historical romantic suspense novel set in post-Civil War Abilene, Kansas. It’s an intriguing combination, and the book had some aspects I really enjoyed. Unfortunately it was also quite a slow read, and I had trouble warming up to the heroine. Anne Ross has…
Cheryl Howe’s debut novel, After the Ashes, is a rare find in more ways than one. Aside from being a Western Romance, a category which is somewhat underrepresented in the current market, it showcases the kind of tightly woven storytelling and solid characterization that are at times equally elusive. Bounty hunter Christopher Braddock meets Lorelei…
The Longing is an example of that increasingly rare creature, the non-Western Americana Romance. Good examples of that particular sub-genre are getting hard to find, and I am happy to say this one did not disappoint. The Longing began well, and moved along quite nicely, but it petered out a bit toward the end. However,…
How far would a man go for honor? What if the last words to your husband were said in anger? How do you reveal a secret that will shatter a person’s life? In asking these questions this romance created more heart and soul than I found in any other romance this year. There were no…
Romances set during and after the Civil War are scarce as can be these days, so I was really looking forward to Magnolia Creek, particularly as it is set in Kentucky, near where I live. While it has many qualities to recommend it, I found it sadly lacking in the main thing a romance novel…
Attention single women: if you think that things are hopeless and you will never find a mate, get thee to The Wedding Dress. In this tale, two sisters are making their youngest sibling a dress, despite the fact that, due to the Civil War, there are no prospective suitors. The older sisters aren’t doing much…
Last month I started glomming Lorraine Heath’s books: fortunately for me she has a relatively small backlist. I had a bit of good timing, in that she had just released a new book for Avon’s young adult line: Samantha and the Cowboy. As with anyone in glom-mode, I snatched it up and read it. Samantha…
Shades of Honor is a Golden Heart award-winning novel, and in this case it was an award well deserved. I’ve had something of a dry spell lately; I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to be so enthralled in a book and so concerned for the characters that I lose all track of time. As the…
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