Montana Star
Aries Burnett, the winning heroine of Smallwood's pleasant debut, has been trained as a doctor by her father, but 19th-century conventions prohibit her from getting her board certification. When her father dies, leaving her a mountain of debt and no way of supporting herself in Philadelphia, she answers an ad to be the mail-order bride to Montana rancher Jarrett McCabe. Her arrival comes as a surprise to Jarrett, whose brother Ben placed the ad without telling him. Jarrett doesn't want a wife, but he agrees to take Aries on as a cook and housekeeper. As her competence and willingness to adapt breaks down Jarrett's crusty resistance, a romance blossoms. Though predictable, the narrative has some life and a few nice tweaks—Aries's acceptance by the townsfolk as a doctor is refreshing. Also, Smallwood focuses more on Aries's development as a woman rather than strictly on the romance, which will likely win over readers who might otherwise pass on a western.(Oct.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.