Last night I stayed up late so I could finish TROUBLE AT LONE SPUR
by Roz Denny Fox (11/1996 Marry Me, Cowboy series).


I just loved the heroine, Lizbeth. She is strong when she could have let despair and grief make her weak. She married a bull rider at 18, was a widow and pregnant at 22. She was left penniless by her husband after he is killed by a bull in the chute. She has to find a career that will support her and her daughter, Melody. She has friends on the rodeo circuit so she trains to be a farrier. For 5 years she followed the rodeo shoeing horses until her daughter is ready for kindergarten, now Lizbeth needs to put down roots so she hires on as the Lone Spur ranch's farrier.

She is hired by the foreman of the Lone Spur, when the owner Gil Spencer returns home after two weeks trying to run down a killer cougar he sees a strange woman in his prize studs stall. Racing to save her from his temperamental horse, Lizbeth chews a bite of hide off his backside for interfering with her work. She believes he is a cowhand, a very dirty stinky cowhand.
Sparks fly between them and the minute Lizbeth said the word rodeo, Gil told her to pack her bags and get off his ranch. He gives her 3 hours.

When Gil can't pay her because his accountant is out of town for a few days Lizbeth refuses to leave until she has her money and she has made plans to withdraw her daughter from school. Gil feels guilty so he gives her until the end of the school year to move on but he doesn't want to see her or her daughter. Gil hates everything that has to do with the rodeo after his two timing wife left him for a bull rider. His twin sons, Rusty and Dustin are almost as bad as their father at hating woman and girls. The twins play nasty tricks on both Lizbeth and Melody, Gil is embarrassed how his attitude toward women has made his sons very disrespectful towards women.

One reason I enjoyed the book is it is over a long period of time, nearly the entire school year. Sparks fly not only with Lizbeth and Gil but Gil's son Dustin hates Lizbeth trying to drive her off. His brother likes having Lizbeth and Melody around cooking and caring for him when his dad is out on the range. As Gil feelings soften and he falls in love with Lizbeth Dustin causes trouble. Toss in his ex-wife to mix and readers will think this romance doesn't have a chance in heaven. I was blinking back tears as Lizbeth fights for all the Spencer's love but sees it slipping away.

I was disappointed earlier in the week when my first shipment of Marry Me, Cowboy arrived in the mail. I thought they would be newer books but I had forgotten there are some great romances in the older books. TROUBLE AT LONE SPUR is going on the keeper shelf. I am going to check the other 5 books for another great cowboy read.

TROUBLE AT LONE SPUR Rated A
Roz Denny Fox
Marry Me, Cowboy series
5/96
Themes: Single parents, ranch, alpha hero, twins

I picked up a great book last night....finished it around midnight. Love it when that happens. I am hoping since I finished 2 books this weekend my reading mood is coming back.

I ordered about 8 books from Half.com that I hadn't been able to find at the used bookstore, a few TTs and some older HSR. I haven't received my November HH so I can watch the mail this week for those. My November HSR are here but it is too warm to read Christmas stories...I will wait for the next cold front! ;)

WEST OF HEAVEN Rated B+ Sex- Sweet
Victoria Bylin
7/2004
Rom/H-Frontier

WEST OF HEAVEN by Victoria Bylin (HH714) 7/2004

The hero Ethan Trent is a very wounded hero having lost his entire family. Now he is a bitter man wanting to be left alone to wallow in his misery. But he finds a body in his barn which bring the man's pregnant widow to his ranch. She is sick and stranded until the snow melts.
Jayne wants to leave as badly as Ethan wants her gone but he is racked with guilt because the first night he made her stay in his cold barn instead of offering her hospitality in his house.
When Jayne's dead husband puts a dangerous outlaw on her trail Ethan will do anything to protect her and her baby.

***************

A SCANDALOUS SITUATION Rated B+ Sex - Semi-Hot
Patricia Frances Rowell
8/2004
Rom/H-Regency

Saturday evening I finished A SCANDALOUS SITUATION by Patricia Frances Rowell (HH716). This wouldn't be a good read to anyone that hates rape in their story, the heroine, Iantha is gang raped in the first chapter and the young men are never caught. The hero, Rob Armstrong rescues her from a snow bank taking her to his castle, later offering her marriage. He then is helping her to remember things about the night hopefully to identify who they were. After they marry he is slowly wooing her sexually. The book is Semi-Hot. Very tender read.

Happy Reading!

While in Denver I picked a few older westerns, this weekend I read one, FAN THE FLAME by Suzanne Elizabeth. The book started out great, the banter between Samatha James and U.S. Marshall Max Barrett was great. It fell a little towards the end.


FAN THE FLAME Rated B Sex- Semi-Hot
by Suzanne Elizabeth (1993)
Historical Western

For once, Samantha James was determined to follow her head instead of her heart, which had been broken twice already. Leaving home to teach school in Utah sounded like a sensible plan. Until her father insisted that she travel with arrogant U.S. Marshal Max Barrett--a towering man who dizzied her with desire. The Montana trail they rode held danger from a bloodthirsty gang whose leader Max had struck down. But the greatest danger lurked within Max himself. For he felt a fierce longing for the woman he was supposed to protect. And when Max and Samantha were swept by a passion as deep as the craggy canyons and a glorious as a Rocky sunset, they could only fear what lay ahead.