McKenna's Bride
Caitlin McKenna had waited years to hear from her husband.  She waited patiently for him to send for her from America.  Now, when she comes face to face with a man she can only see as a stranger, her heart pounds with fear and reservations.  With her sister's small daughter in tow and countless trunks from her beloved Ireland, she has come to take her rightful place next to Shane McKenna at his Missouri ranch.  All of the painful memories of losing her mother and father, seeing her homeland overrun with beggars and thieves -- it is all she can do to keep from pummeling the man who now treats her indifferently and calls her a liar to her face.  Living a hard life in Missouri teaches a man to look with caution on nearly every face he meets, and that is the way Shane McKenna confronts his unfortunate bride.  He greets his Caity with an adopted half-breed son and a soul full of sorry and guilt.  Shane refuses to believe the child Cait brings with her is not her own.  He thinks she ignored his letters from years before and used the money he sent for herself and her family.  His cold heart will have to do a great deal of melting before he can defeat his demons and accept hers. He will also have to explain why he calls out another woman's name in the night.  This historical western would not be complete without its mix of Indian haters, cattle rustlers, and bad blood between neighbors.  Judith French's characters are lively and compelling, but the romance between Caitlin and Shane barely simmers for nearly half the book.  There is a great deal of hurting done, both physical and emotional, between family members and neighbors.  However, the slow start of this story is well made up for in the aggressive attack of the ending chapters. A romance that faces all the challenges of the old west with both barrels loaded! Vibrant characters and an emotional plot make McKenna's Bride a handful! Judith French pushes the edge with her new attack on western romance!  McKenna's Bride simmers to a boiling point!Karen Ellington  --Copyright © 1998 Literary Times, Inc.  All rights reserved--FromLiterary Times