Review: Good Reading
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 8, 2013
The two novellas that make up THE BRIDES OF BLACK MOUNTAIN entwine and add to the saga of the daughters of Clem Jameison. My gracious, that man would take first prize for being the totally dysfunctional father. Since I’d read previous books in the Black Mountain series, when I started reading “Shiloh’s Song” I felt as if I’d dropped by to see what was going on in the lives of old acquaintances.Shiloh’s dream is to make it as a singer in Nashville. But her mother Racine made it in Nashville, made bad choices, and came home a bitter woman. She dissuades Shiloh and leaves Shiloh thinking she is not a good enough singer to realize her dream; so she sings on weekends at her sister’s bar.Her extraordinary talent with horses, a talent she inherited from her father the undependable Clem Jameison, lands her a job with the wealthy Dillon Travers, a popular, young, but supposedly retired Nashville singer.Trust issues for both Shiloh and Dillon create a stumbling block for their budding relationship. How they overcome conflicts and cope with the best-intended meddling of friends and family captivates.The second novella “Mending Fences” is Starla Jameison’s story. She owns the local bar where all important social events seem to take places. She and Lee Trevors, the manager of Dillon Travers’ horse operation, have a history that goes back to their high school days. Starla’s sense of guilt and Lee’s unforgiving attitude create an uneasy atmosphere. To “hook up” is one thing but to wipe the slate clean of past mistakes and let true love work its magic is a whole new issue. They, like Shiloh and Dillon, have trust issues, but for much different reasons.Country music, the rescue and rehabilitation of abused horses, and life around the local bar furnish the props for the love stories. Even though the plots were somewhat predictable I found THE BRIDES OF BLACK MOUNTAIN to be a entertaining escape into the world of romance with a western flavor—fun to read after a day of coping with the hassles of daily living.Originally posted at Long and Short Reviews