by Linda Lael MillerPublisher: Harlequin
Release Date: Sep 20, 2011
Source: sent by publicist
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Summary from goodreads.com:
The sudden death of the town marshal leaves Blue River, Texas, without a lawman…and twenty-five-year-old Dara Rose Nolan without a husband. As winter approaches and her meager seamstress income dwindles, she has three options. Yet she won't give up her two young daughters, refuses to join the fallen women of the Bitter Gulch Saloon and can't fathom condemning herself to another loveless marriage. Unfortunately she must decide—soon—because there's a new marshal in town, and she's living under his roof.
With the heart of a cowboy, Clay McKettrick plans to start a ranch and finally settle down. He isn't interested in uprooting Dara Rose and her children, but he is interested in giving her protection, friendship—and passion. And when they say "I do" to a marriage of convenience, the temporary lawman's Christmas wish is to make Dara Rose his permanent wife….
My Review:
What an old-fashioned, feel-good Christmas story! I loved it! The story, and romance were slow and satisfying, with a great cast of characters.
I loved both Dara Rose's and Clay's relationship with her two little girls. The girls had real personalities, they weren't just props or seen as something for the main characters to 'take care of'. Clay's sweet side really came out where the girls were concerned. The family aspect of the tale was one of my favorite things about this book.
Clay was altogether a great lead, darn near perfect in fact. Definitely the strong, silent type, I would have thought Dara Rose would fall in love with him a little faster!
Even though I really enjoyed the book, a couple of things seemed a little exaggerated to me. Clay had a great job as the town marshal, but sometimes he threw his money around a bit too much as he were a millionaire. Also, the fact that no one in town was willing to help Dara Rose even the tiniest bit rang a little false for me. It seemed like it was going too far to make her situation seem really pitiful.
I loved the slow, country-fied voice of the novel. When done right, this is one of my favorite styles of writing, and Miller definitely does it right. Her dialogue, especially, is spot on an old fashioned country drawl.
Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Bottom Line: A wonderful holiday romance about family and second chance at love.