Review: Engaging Encounters in Black Mountain
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 23, 2013
D’Ann Lindun’s western romances ring with  truth, so it’s no surprise that The Brides of Black Mountain provides a double dose of the sweet and the gritty—she’s telling two separate stories with her unmistakable charm and authenticity.Shiloh’s Song, the sweeter of the two stories, is an inspired mix of finding love and following dreams, and how to manage doing both at the same time. Shiloh Jamieson is one of a town full of half-sisters fathered by a ne’er-do-well Clem Jamieson. Shiloh has inherited his love of horses along with her mother’s voice—a voice that took Racine Lynch to Nashville, but couldn’t sustain a career given her tendency to make poor personal choices.  Shiloh decides to risk everything and compete in a singing competition that might send her to Nashville—the city her new boss and former country super star Dillon Travers just left.Dillon Travers made a fortune in Nashville, and stood the world on its ear—but he watched his wife die from the drugs and alcohol along her road to stardom.  Unable to cope with the ugliness of success, he flees to Black Mountain and builds a state-of-the-art horse rescue center, determined never to sing again, a decision that might cost him Shiloh’s trust—and love.With Shiloh rushing headlong towards her dreams, and Dillon trying to fight the nightmares of his past—how do they meet in the middle?While Shiloh’s Song deals with first steps chasing after dreams and into love, Mending Fences, as the title might indicate, is romance for more mature characters, whose conflict and love for each other still draw readers in for a memorable story. In Mending Fences, the oldest of Clem Jamieson’s many daughters, Starla, tries to resolve old hurts and her logical fears of being tied down through others’ irresponsible behaviors.  From an abandoned daughter helping to raise siblings and half-siblings, Starla worked her way up to purchase The Waterfall, Black Mountain’s watering hole.  The successful bar provides Starla with a sense of self, and assurance she’ll never depend on anyone—especially not childhood sweetheart Trevor Lee.Trevor Lee, Dillon’s manager for the horse rescue center, loves horses, abandoned puppies—most animals.  He doesn’t care at all for a man like Clem Jamieson, who has fathered and abandoned more kids than most men could count.  His poor opinion of Clem and many of the Jamieson daughters, along with his preference for stable, traditional marriages insult Starla in spite of the torrid affair she and Trevor shared as teenagers.Unfortunately, old attraction and old habits die hard, and Trevor and Starla spend a passionate night together, but find that sometimes lust is not love at all—and only complicates a difficult relationship.Brides of Black Mountain provide short, fast reads with Ms. Lindun’s unique touches of concern for others, and understanding of human nature.  They also introduce a host of Black Mountain residents, and will undoubtedly have you chasing the men of Black Mountain in short order.reviewer's note: I received a review copy of The Brides of Black Mountain in exchange for an honest review.