Maggie and the Maverick (Harlequin Historical, No. 461)

Rating:
Summary: You just couldn't count on a woman!
Review: At least, that is what Garrick Devlin believed. His wife Cecilia had recoiled in horror and disgust when she had discovered her husband was missing part of his leg. She had run away and committed bigamy soon after Garrick returned home from the Civil War. Garrick never heard from her for years - until she was near death; then she had sent the son he had never known about to live with him. Garrick is content to raise his son, forget about women in general, and run the new newspaper in a small Texas town. He is furious to learn that the pressMAN he had hired not only a woman, but a Yankee woman!

Maggie Harper was a good pressman - well, pressperson - and knew she'd do a great job for Garrick's fledgling newspaper, if only he'd give her a chance! Maggie was fleeing her own disastrous love affair. She had been engaged to a Yankee captain who had "forgotten" to mention he was already married! Her reputation in shambles in Austin, Texas, she applies for a job as a pressman and never discloses her gender one way or the other. She'll show Garrick a thing or two - and as they work with one another, the more determined she is to show Garrick that not all women were like his faithless wife.

I liked this book fairly well. This is one of the few Civil-War-era books I have read where the South isn't portrayed as evil, and the real story of what happened during Reconstruction isn't made more palatable. Since I lived in Texas for a while, I think that is great :) Garrick was an interesting character, although he was a bit too cruel to Maggie for much of the book. Maggie was a good heroine. At first I thought she was making too big of a deal over the fact that she wasn't a virgin, but after seeing reactions once the information was made known, maybe she wasn't overreacting after all!

Besides Garrick's cruelty to Maggie, the only other complaint I had was the band of thieves that took up much of the book. Too much of the book was focused on capturing the thieves, and not nearly enough of the book was spent on Garrick's and Maggie's romance. Secondary plots shouldn't overwhelm the main plot, and that is what happened in this book. Still, it was an enjoyable book and I may read it again.

Rating:
Summary: The book is so heart-warming!
Review: This book is an amazing love story! It's the story of acceptance, comedy, and love conquering the odds! This book reminds you that no matter who or what you are, there is someone special out there for you! And if you're lucky, you just might find the person right under your nose!

Rating:
Summary: The book is so heart-warming!
Review: This book is an amazing love story! It's the story of acceptance, comedy, and love conquering the odds! This book reminds you that no matter who or what you are, there is someone special out there for you! And if you're lucky, you just might find the person right under your nose!