Review: Hilarious AND Romantic. **SPOILER ALERT**
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 25, 2013
I absolutely LOVED this little novella.  The page count on the website says its 139 pages, but I have my doubts.  It reads more like a full length novel, though it only took me a day to read it.  This little 139 page novella is better than many books I've read that is 3 and 4 times as long!  OMG!  My hat off to Ms. McClure!The main characters of the book are Katie Matthews and Stover Steele (isn't that just one of the sexiest names ever?). Stover is newly moved to town.  He is the head of a family that consists of four sisters, one full sister who is around 19 or 20, and three half sisters, triplets who are about 7 or 8 years old.  None of the characters' age is ever explicitly given, but from reading the book and based on the fact that during those times people got married really young (females anywhere from the age of 15) I'd say Stover (Stove for short) is anywhere from 21 to 25 (this I'm basing on the fact that Stover and his sister Pillar are from the same mother and she is described as looking around 19 or 20.  I figure they probably aren't that far apart in age, but it's just a guess.)Katie Matthews lives with her family in the town.  Her father, a farmer, is a mean bastard who beats up on his wife and children.  However, his beating days have apparently slowed down ever since Katie's older brother, Jared, has grown into a strong young man (at least his beating of his kids have slowed down). Katie is described as being young, but again we're not told what her actual age is.  Based on the story I'd say she was probably about 16 or 17, more like 17.Katie and Stover meet when she is trespassing on his land, which had previously been owned by Katie's family.  She fell asleep sitting under her favorite tree and woke up to find herself covered in flowers and looking up into the faces of Stover's triplet sisters....Bunny, Bonnie, and Berty (isn't that just adorable?).  Stover, out looking for his troublesome sisters, comes across the quartet and meets Katie.  Their meeting is one steeped in fun as Katie is under the belief that Stover will either shoot her or beat her to death for trespassing!  Lol.Stover, in fact, is one of the most chivalrous males ever.  He not only provides for his sisters' physical needs, but also their emotional ones.  He loves and respects women and is absolutely against any kind of violence against them.  This is an extremely important factor because Katie is raised by a man who thinks women are useless and have no respect for them.  As a matter of fact, it is said that he treated the family dog better than he treated Katie's mother.  As such, Katie dreams of finding a man who will not only treat her well, but will also love and cherish her.Katie is immediately attracted to Stover who is said to be one of the most handsome men any had ever seen.  Stover also thinks Katie is pretty if a bit young for him.  Furthermore, Stover refuses to become involved with any woman as he has responsibilities to his sisters.  He is determined to see them all settled before he thinks about having his own life.  There is also a side romance between Stover's sister, Pillar, and Katie's brother, Jared (described as a handsome, strapping young man).  That romance is just as sweet, and I loved Pillar and Jared just as much as I did Stove and Katie.  The devotion of both these two men towards their respective sisters is so touching to read about and emphasized their goodness as men.Stover fights against his attraction for Katie.  He doesn't think he has much to offer a wife, at least not until he's settled his sisters.  Katie is an absolute doll!  She's a free spirit and is constantly getting herself into scrapes.  She absolutely loves the triplets and, in my opinion, was almost like a fourth sister, what with her tendency to attract trouble just like the triplets.  Katie falls in love with Stover when he stands up to her father on her behalf and from their first kiss Stover is sunk!  From there on Stover was sparkin' (that's their term for making out...don't you just love it?!) with Katie every chance he got.There is also an antagonist in the form of Hillary Westover.  This she-devil is after Stover and does everything in her power to undermine Katie's confidence.  However, unknown to Katie, Hillary doesn't have a chance with Stover!  It was hilarious to read about how Stover helped Katie get back at Hillary.  Then there was Katie's penchant for unintentionally ruining a cliche (she says things like "scared like a rat" when she means like a rabbit and "makes my skin boil" when she should say blood!).This book had me chuckling so hard at times, my 6 year old kept asking me "what's so funny Mommy?"  The ending is absolutely delicious and everyone, even Katie and Jared's mom, Evelyn, gets their happy ending.  I can't say enough about this book.  By the time I was done with it I was ready to run to my computer and buy another of Ms. McClure's book.  Imagine my delight when I searched my cloud and found I have, not one, not two, but three other books by Ms. McClure!  Yay!  I LOVED this book!  Buy it!