Review: Great romance, esp for the rurally-inclined
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2013
This book is a sweet love story set in a tiny town in Wisconsin. As such, it has a lot of rural character, including small-town friendliness, plenty of barns and horses, and even a sheriff who knows everyone's names. It has a home-town feel to it so strong, you can almost taste the homemade huckleberry pies.Short plot summary: The novel's shero, Eve Dayton, who runs a riding ranch, begins the story by crashing into her old boyfriend's car, thereby rather dramatically reintroducing him to her life. They meet, sparks fly, romantic tension ensues, and they even manage to sneak in a high school reunion. All this while they work with the sheriff and Eve's ranch manager to solve the increasingly tangled issue of small accidents occurring on the ranch. The story builds to a very dramatic end in terms of both romance and suspense.The book had a great deal of charm. I was especially impressed with the author's skill with dialogue; some of her characters are downright witty and hilarious. That said, some of the characters were pretty two-dimensional, even to the point of being stereotypes. Also, in spite of the empowered, entrepreneurial shero, don't expect her to save herself when danger rears its head. As I said, this story has a rural feel, which is fantastic for folks who want a more old-fashioned love story, complete with Christian, conservative ethics. Shameless, city-girl liberal I am, much of it wasn't my bag, but others will doubtlessly find the setting charming and reassuring.In short, the romance between Eve and Denton is sweet, the suspense is sometimes a little strained but ultimately engaging, and the setting beautifully captures the feel of small towns. I recommend this book, especially for folks looking for a Western feel to their romance.