Review: Oh the Irony!  LOL
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 21, 2014
I loved this book.  It is extremely well written, with an interesting, fast paced plot, and well drawn characters.  Furthermore, the story that unfolds is not only romantic, but also humorous.Wes Ellis Tucker, heir to a huge family fortune, is an officer and a gentleman.  At age 18 he ran screaming, away from the frivolity and meaninglessness of high society life, straight into the arms of the Army.  Wes' worst nightmare is to end up married to one of the artificial, empty headed society misses of his past life.  What are the chances that he'll end up not only meeting, but marrying, exactly such a woman at the isolated Fort Gibson where he's stationed?  But, that's exactly what happens, or at least he THINKS Allison is the type of woman he's been running from.  Imagine the irony when Wes realizes he not only loves this society miss, but wants to keep her!  LOLAllison is the daughter of a wealthy Boston businessman.  Her parents have died, and she is on the way to meet her fiancé in Santa Fe.  Unfortunately, Allison gets left behind when her stagecoach makes a stop at Fort Gibson.  Allison bumps into the handsome, charming Wes.  He gives her the terrible news that the next stage isn't scheduled to arrive for a month.  She decides to send a letter to her fiancé, Nicholas, apprising him of the situation and asking him to come fetch her.Unfortunately, the mail is only slightly quicker than the stagecoach and the end result is that Allison will be a "guest" at Fort Gibson for close to a month.  Wes then informs her that the law requires, any single ladies in residence at the fort must be married within one week, or else they must leave.Wes then magnanimously offers to temporarily marry Allison, thus allowing her to remain at Fort Gibson while she awaits her fiancé.  In desperation, Allison agrees to the ruse, and the two get married.  From there the plot moves at a nice, quick pace to the HEA.The relationship between Wes and Allison is a sweet one.  As he gets to know her, Wes becomes aware that Allison is unlike the other society misses of his previous acquaintance, and his admiration for her begins to grow.  At some point, he realizes that his feelings for Allison have grown, and he wants to keep her with him forever.  At this point he begins to woo her.  LOL  For her part, Allison too recognizes that Wes is perfect husband material.  Alas, there is something standing in the way of the couples HEA.I loved the way this story unfolded.  It's a sweet love story and I loved all the characters.  Allison has grit and determination and more than her share of pride.  Wes is fun loving, charming, and sweet.  As for the supporting cast of characters, I loved them all too, especially Jack and Gray who are the heroes in the other two books of this trilogy.BTW, I would not say that this is a clean romance as I know that there are many people who don't like any sex in their romance books.  There are a couple of love scenes, but although they are descriptive, they are not overly graphic, nor is there any crude language used.  This is a great American Historical Romance and I highly recommend it.  I'm all set to read Jack's story next in "The Officer and the Southerner".