Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding
Review: This book was amazing. Maggie Osborne definitely has a way with words. She takes two rather unlikeable characters at the beginning and makes you love them at the end. There were several places in this book that made me cry and just as many that had me laughing out loud. Rosie was an incredible herione and her turn around was truly believable. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: This book was amazing. Maggie Osborne definitely has a way with words. She takes two rather unlikeable characters at the beginning and makes you love them at the end. There were several places in this book that made me cry and just as many that had me laughing out loud. Rosie was an incredible herione and her turn around was truly believable. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Complicated obstacles overcome with skill and style
Review: Virtually every romance novel involves the couple overcoming one or two obstacles in the path to love and happiness. Many authors can't even overcome those obstacles in a way that flows. The obstacles in this book are numerous. Rosie is a victim of years of sexual abuse at the hands of her dead step-father and has responded by becoming an active alcoholic who dresses like a man and won't look in mirror. She needs hand to reach her goal of making her farm pay (revenge on the step-father). Her county has a law that a man can be saved from the gallows if he marries a woman from the county. Enter Bowie - dishonorably discharged Army captain and convicted murderer. He chooses marriage over death -- conveniently forgetting his wife in name only, Susan.2/3's of the book is the story of Rosie and Bowie as he clears his name and guides Rosie out of her nightmare. He's helps by some great side characters. 1/3 of the book is the story of Susan. Bowie assumed she was safe in Washington DC. It turns out that she's been disinherited and goes to Wyoming as a mail order bride only to be rejected because she has a son. Many authors would have made a total wreck out of such a mass of complications. Osborne works her way through with skill and tenderness. It's not a perfect book. Bowie's a bit too good to be true. And it didn't move me to tears. Still, it's a much better than average read. And the critics agree with me. The book was chosen by Romantic Times as one of the 200 best books of the last two decades. Likewise, The Romance Reader's reader's poll chose it as one of the 100 best books in the history of romance novels.
Rating:
Summary: Complicated obstacles overcome with skill and style
Review: Virtually every romance novel involves the couple overcoming one or two obstacles in the path to love and happiness. Many authors can't even overcome those obstacles in a way that flows. The obstacles in this book are numerous. Rosie is a victim of years of sexual abuse at the hands of her dead step-father and has responded by becoming an active alcoholic who dresses like a man and won't look in mirror. She needs hand to reach her goal of making her farm pay (revenge on the step-father). Her county has a law that a man can be saved from the gallows if he marries a woman from the county. Enter Bowie - dishonorably discharged Army captain and convicted murderer. He chooses marriage over death -- conveniently forgetting his wife in name only, Susan. 2/3's of the book is the story of Rosie and Bowie as he clears his name and guides Rosie out of her nightmare. He's helps by some great side characters. 1/3 of the book is the story of Susan. Bowie assumed she was safe in Washington DC. It turns out that she's been disinherited and goes to Wyoming as a mail order bride only to be rejected because she has a son. Many authors would have made a total wreck out of such a mass of complications. Osborne works her way through with skill and tenderness. It's not a perfect book. Bowie's a bit too good to be true. And it didn't move me to tears. Still, it's a much better than average read. And the critics agree with me. The book was chosen by Romantic Times as one of the 200 best books of the last two decades. Likewise, The Romance Reader's reader's poll chose it as one of the 100 best books in the history of romance novels.
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