Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Snowflakes and Stetsons by Jillian Hart, Carol Finch & Cheryl St. John
Historical Western Romance anthology published by Harlequin Historical 20 Sep 11

There are certain universal truths when it comes to my romance reading: 1) I love category romance 2) I love westerns 3) I love Christmas-themed stories and 4) I love Harlequin Historical.  So naturally, the diabolical minds at Harlequin have taken it upon themselves to produce an annual Christmas-themed western anthology for the past several years.  I’m one of Pavlov’s dogs and somewhere in the bowels of the Harlequin offices someone is ringing a damn bell.

The Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle by Jillian Hart

Fresh out of prison for a crime he didn’t commit (naturally), Caleb McGraw is looking for the sweetheart he left behind, only to discover she’s passed away. When he learns she left behind a son, he knows that child is his. So he tracks down the tyke living with Caroline Dreyer, a widow still mourning the loss of her husband and child.  She adores Thomas, but can’t seem to reach the boy, who takes to starring out the window, waiting for something or someone.

Hart is what I call an “angst writer” and she really slathers it on with this story.  Both Caleb and Caroline are haunted by their pasts, and even young Thomas walks with a shadow following his every move.  What I like here is that we have a secret baby plot that actually seems quite plausible, and that none of these characters is prone to hysterics.  It’s a real emotional heart-tugger of a read, with a healthy dollop of holiday spirit on the side.

Grade: B

Christmas at Cahill Crossing by Carol Finch

Rosalie Greer owns a dress shop in Cahill Crossing and is on her way back to town with Christmas supplies when a blizzard stops her cold. She comes close to freezing to death when Lucas Burnett’s dog (named “Dog” – seriously) uncovers her in a snowdrift. Lucas is a Loner with a capital L, but can’t very well leave the delectable Rosa to die – so he carts her back to his ranch.

What follows is Rosa thawing out, challenging Lucas at every turn, and dragging him out into society by his nose. Finch tends to spoon on a healthy layer of humor in her stories, which doesn’t always work for me. For the most part, it does here. Some of the dialogue didn’t ring true to me (Lucas actually says “mixed heritage” in regards to his half-Comanche, half-Mexican blood – which sounded a little too “PC” to my ears for 1880s Texas), and the fact the couple likes to jump to conclusions about each other did get tiresome. However, it is a fairly enjoyable story, and it’s a nice taste of the upcoming Cahill Cowboys continuity series.

Grade: B-

A Magical Gift at Christmas by Cheryl St. John

U.S. Marshal Jonah Cavanaugh is on a train guarding a gold shipment when he spies a notorious outlaw on board. Suspecting danger is up ahead in the form of an outlaw gang, he unhooks the the mail car from the train, which is carrying the shipment. When he does that, he also unhooks a well-appointed Pullman car, carrying railroad heiress Meredith Abbott. However, that’s not his only concern. Stowing away in the mail car? Two young orphans heading to Denver to find their long-lost Daddy. Now Jonah has a woman and two children to keep safe, with a band of outlaws sure to be paying them a visit once they hold up the train and find the mail car missing.

What I enjoy about St. John’s stories is that her characters are always practical thinking people. They’re never prone to hysterics or overly dramatic. Meredith might be an heiress, but she’s level-headed, can handle a weapon, and doesn’t waste time senselessly bickering with our hero. The author also crams in a ton of story here and gives readers a nice action-adventure style plot that is a nice change of pace from the other two offerings. The only real missteps here are that one of the orphans (the little girl, naturally) speaks with a lisp (blessedly she doesn’t talk too much!), and I feel the ending is a bit rushed. But it’s still a solid offering, featuring a page-turning plot and interesting characters.

Grade: B

This is a solid, cozy anthology that delivers a warm, fuzzy Christmas vibe. It’s the kind of book that should be read Christmas Eve, with a mug of hot cocoa, by a crackling fire place, after the kids have gone to bed. For that matter, it’s the kind of anthology that can be kept and reread every year right around the holiday season. This one is as-advertised.

Overall Grade: B

Summary:

The Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle by Jillian Hart

Wrongly imprisoned, Caleb McGraw is finally free—but the bitterness he holds still makes him feel trapped. Until he sees the beautiful Caroline holding a little boy with eyes just like his own. Discovering his long-lost son is just the start of Caleb’s Christmas miracles!

Christmas at Cahill Crossing by Carol Finch

One Christmas night, outcast Lucas Burnett finds a silver-haired angel buried in the snow. But Rosalie Greer is no pale spirit—she’s a fiery, independent woman, as wild as the mustangs Lucas breeds. Can she be the one to finally thaw Lucas’s frozen heart?

A Magical Gift at Christmas by Cheryl St.John

Meredith has always dreamed of a grand life but, stranded on a train in heavy snowfall with two young stowaways, she unexpectedly finds she has everything she needs with just one strong man to protect her….

Read an excerpt (Hart story only)

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Her Wyoming Man by Cheryl St. John
Historical Western Romance published by Harlequin Historical 21 Jun 11

A new Cheryl St. John Harlequin Historical tends to be a cause for celebration for me.  She is a marvelously consistent writer.  She’s delivered enough times (for me at any rate) that when I settle into one of her stories, I know my chances are very good that it’s going to give me exactly what I expect it to.  Her Wyoming Man is no exception to this rule, well at least until the ending.  But more on that in a moment.

Ella Reed was raised to be a courtesan. Her mother was a prostitute, and Ella was a beautiful child. So the madam of the brothel spent a lot of time and money investing into Ella. She speaks fluent French. She plays an exquisite piano. She knows how to make a man happy. And that’s her job, to make one man very happy. One man has exclusive rights to Ella because he’s very wealthy. So while the other girls in the brothel get knocked around by cowboys and outlaws, Ella is the hothouse flower. Until one night when her man tells her he’s moving back East with his family. There will be no one there to protect her anymore. But the man in question does give her money and the advice that she should run away, while she still has her looks. When one of the girls shows her a clipping from a newspaper about mail-order brides wanted in Wyoming? Ella sees it as her chance for something she’s never had – a normal life.

Nathan Lantry is a widower with three young children. He’s well enough off that he has hired help, so he’s not terribly hot to trot to remarry – except that he has political ambitions. Having a lovely wife on his arm certainly isn’t going to be a determent. He’s not interested in any of the potential brides that have just landed in Sweetwater, Wyoming until he sees Ella. She’s breathtakingly lovely.  Smart, accomplished, so what if she’s not much of a cook and isn’t terribly familiar with children. She’ll learn in time, plus – he has hired help. Before you can say Big Secret, these two are tying the knot. But what will happen when Ella’s past comes calling?

What I like about St. John’s westerns is that it is typically the heroine with the Big Secret. Some part of her past that serves as the conflict. The hero tends to be a nice guy who is blindsided when the truth comes to light. The courtesan angle is a good one and allows our heroine to still be somewhat innocent. She’s lived her whole life preparing for one goal – to be a kept woman. She’s traded that in for being a married woman – but her new husband gives her the freedom that she never had living in the brothel. Little things that other women might take for granted. Every day is a day of new discoveries.

The romance here is gentle and sweet, with enough sensual longing that it’s really fantastic when these two finally succumb. Granted, I found it slightly odd that Nathan doesn’t really question Ella’s lack of innocence in this area until after the Big Secret is revealed – but hey, he’s a guy falling love. You can overlook a lot when you’re falling in love. What I can’t quite overlook here is the ending.  It’s very sugary, and frankly, I find it unbelievable.  Maybe if Nathan and Ella live out in the middle of nowhere – but they’re in an established town.  A civilized, established town that earlier in the book had snubbed a “fallen woman,” and Ella witnessed said snubbing.

However, while the resolution to the conflict doesn’t work for me on the grand scale – the romance, in general, does.  I like Ella.  I like Nathan.  I like that they find each other and are together.  It doesn’t light my world on fire, but it is a very pleasant read, a gentle way to entertain myself while stuck on an airplane.  That’s what I wanted, and that’s what I got.

Grade: B-

Summary:

Courtesan Ella Reed escapes dangerous city life to rural Wyoming and says “I do” to a marriage of convenience! But she may not live the life of a respectable woman for long if she can’t keep her past—and her heart—under lock and key.

For a self-made man with political aspirations, love is trivial in a paper marriage. Nathan Lantry needs a wife to secure his election and manage his rowdy little boys. Yet he can’t stop wanting more from his irresistible new bride. Then her secrets start to unravel….

Read an excerpt.

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Western Winter Wedding Bells by Cheryl St. John, Jenna Kernan & Charlene Sands
Historical western romance anthology published by Harlequin Historical 01 Oct 10

I love Harlequin Historical for their willingness to publish a variety of settings, but I gotta be honest – I’m mostly in it for the westerns.  And lucky me, they’ve had a tradition the last couple of years of publishing a western anthology just in time for the holidays.  Three Christmas-themed westerns in one book?  Merry Christmas to Wendy!

Christmas in Red Willow by Cheryl St. John

I think I might have mentioned a time or two (or three….) that Cheryl St. John is one of my very favorite authors.  So it was with some disappointment that I was…well…disappointed in this story.  Chloe Hanley’s grandfather was the town preacher, and after he passed, the beautiful church fell into disrepair.  Now the town council wants to tear it down and build a hotel in its place!  However, if she gets the place spruced up in time for Christmas services, they’ll abandon the idea.  For help she turns to carpenter Owen Reardon – the brother of the man leading the charge to tear down the church.

This is a nice, inspirational story with a strong Christmas message that didn’t dissolve into preachiness.  Chloe is a determined young lady and Owen continues the fine tradition of wonderful St. John Beta heroes.  However, I couldn’t get past the lack of backstory.  Red Willow is a close-knit town, with many neighborly, god-fearing residents.  When Chloe puts out the call for help, a lot of people answer.  Which begs the questions – why was the church in such disrepair in the first place?  Why was it allowed to deteriorate?  What led the members of the congregation (still meeting, mind you, even without a preacher!) to move services to the schoolhouse?  Why?  It’s not having those answers that annoyed me and keeps me from getting behind this story wholeheartedly.

Grade: C

The Sheriff’s Housekeeper Bride by Jenna Kernan

Eliza Flannery boards the train without a ticket because she’s wanted for a crime she didn’t commit.  When it’s discovered she has no ticket, she’s on the run again – but this time it’s straight into the arms of Trent Foerster.  Before you can say Big Misunderstanding, he’s thinking she’s the new housekeeper he’s hired and she’s happily going along with the charade if only to save her skin.  However, she’s really in the soup now.  Trent not only as a young daughter he’s raising on his own, he’s also a former Texas Ranger!  Oh, not to mention that Eliza can’t cook with a darn.

These types of plots tend to annoy in full-length novels, but are easier for me to swallow in short stories.  That said, Eliza still gets nailed (and not in a good way) for failing to spill the beans to Trent, even though she has oodles of time to do so.  Naturally he doesn’t take kindly to her deception since he was done wrong by his baby’s mama (well, of course, he was!).  Quibbles aside, though, Eliza’s backstory, coupled with Trent’s daughter (who plucked at my heart-strings, I’ll admit it!) and the sense of doom surrounding the Big Mis kept me eagerly flipping the pages.  I wasn’t wow’ed, but I was hooked.

Grade: B-

Wearing the Rancher’s Ring by Charlene Sands

Sands tends to be hit or miss for me, but this story mostly works.  Cooper Garnett is tracking the man who murdered his family when he’s robbed and shot in the back on widow Rachel Bodine’s land.  She nurses him back to health, and he kick-starts her libido.  But what will happen when she learns the man she’s falling for has vengeance in his heart?

This is the most emotional story in the bunch.  I love that both Cooper and Rachel loved their dead spouses, and I adore the fact that neither wallowed in guilt over their mutual attraction.  The conflict mostly revolves around Cooper’s plans and Rachel’s disapproval of them.  That said, with vengeance such a focal theme in the story, it’s disappointing that it’s largely wrapped up “off page.”  I’ll also admit that it did give me pause that Cooper’s wife and son had only been dead for six months.  However, this a good, solid story with good, solid western themes, which mostly worked for me.

Grade: B-

Anthologies can be tricky business, but this one largely works.  I wasn’t blown away by any of these entries, but they did succeed in giving me that warm, fuzzy holiday feeling dressed up with some western flavor.  If you’re looking for some heartwarming, and quick, holiday stories to squeeze in around the craziness of your reality?  This collection may fit the bill.

Overall Grade: B-

Summary:

Small town Christmas—Three big proposals!

Christmas in Red Willow by Cheryl St. John
Chloe Hanley must save the town church. But only if she can convince reclusive carpenter Owen Reardon to help repair the broken heart of the community and open his own up again— in time for Christmas!

The Sheriff’s Housekeeper Bride by Jenna Kernan
Running from her past and a crime she didn’t commit, Eliza Flannery bumps into her future—all rugged six-foot sheriff of him! Single father Trent Foerster mistakes her for his housekeeper, but there’s no mistaking his desire for a mistletoe kiss from this mysterious miss….

Wearing the Rancher’s Ring by Charlene Sands
Cooper Garnett is shot and left for dead near Double J Ranch when widow Rachel Bodine comes to his aid. Could his unexpected arrival be the best Christmas gift ever— a second-chance family for Rachel and her little son?

Read an excerpt (St. John story only)

Other books in this series:

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Her Colorado Man by Cheryl St. John
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 01 Dec 2009

Cheryl St. John is, hands down, my number one comfort author.  Her books are the equivalent of a cold winter night, snow falling outside, wrapped in a blanket, cuddled up on the sofa, drinking a mug of hot cocoa.  There is just something about her stories that rich deep down and strike an emotional cord in me.  Her Colorado Man continues that tradition, although I will admit it took me some time to wrap my mind around the jaw-dropping conflict.

When Mariah was 18-years-old she found herself pregnant.  The only soul she told was her grandfather, who promptly suggested she go to Chicago to attend “school.”  She lived there for a year, and when she returned home with young John James, she discovered grandfather, as a way to protect her and his new grandson, had concocted a make-believe husband.  He had a friend, Otto, working as a postmaster in Alaska, and asked him to come up with a name.  In return, Otto would write the occasional letter “home” to keep up appearances.  It’s an elaborate lie, but one Mariah agrees to.  The truth isn’t an option, so she agrees to become Mrs. Wesley Burrows.

Unknown to them is that there really is a Wesley Burrows.  He went to Alaska looking for gold, but quickly learned that delivering mail was a more reliable way to make money.  After an accident leaves him confined to bed, his backlog of personal mail is delivered to him.  Otto is no longer around to intercept them, so among his mail are letters from young John James.  Reading those letters, from a young boy who desperately needs a father, causes something to break for Wes.  He gets better and writes a letter to Mariah’s grandfather.  He’s coming to Colorado to be the father that John James wants and needs.

As one can imagine, this news is a bit upsetting to Mariah.  She had no idea Wesley Burrows was “real,” and the idea of welcoming a stranger into her life is unacceptable.  Yes, using his name was wrong, but what does he want?  What are his motives?  She doesn’t know this guy from Adam, how can she possibly trust him?  Why is he really doing this?

That’s the rub, of course – and it’s easy for the reader to understand how Mariah feels, because Wes’ decision is pretty fantastical.  Not just any man would drop his whole life to become a father just because a boy needs one.  However the author makes it work by explaining more about Wes.  What his life has been like, the accident, and how those letters from John James gave him so much comfort that he wanted to comfort the boy in return.  Admittedly he doesn’t think this plan all the way through.  He thinks, “I can be this boy’s father.” He doesn’t think, “Um, but what about the boy’s mother?” That’s ultimately what gets sorted out over the course of the story.

How willing the reader is to buy into this conflict will determine how well the book will work for them.  It worked fairly well for me because St. John sells it so well.  It also worked thanks to how fresh and lively this setting felt to me.  This is no run of the mill western. Mariah’s family is a large, lively, close-knit German clan that happens to run their own brewery.  Mariah works there, as does almost every single family member.  The brewery atmosphere, the trip to Denver the family takes for business, made this story feel so fresh and different compared to some of the other historical romances I’ve read this year.

At the end of the day, this story delivers exactly what I’ve come to expect from a Cheryl St. John book.  Good, hard-working characters who aren’t prone to hysterics, compelling conflict, and a tenderness that runs through the romance.  The plot and conflict of this story are a bit of a stretch at times, but it’s to the author’s credit that even this cynical skeptic ended up swallowing the idea.  I finished the final page thinking to myself, “Sure, that could have happened.  Hey, maybe it did happen?  And ::sigh::, what a nice story.”

Grade: B

Summary:

When eighteen-year-old Mariah found herself pregnant and unmarried in her small Colorado town, she disappeared. One year later, she returned with a baby—though minus the “husband” who had conveniently ventured off to Alaska’s gold fields to seek his fortune….

But now, with handsome adventurer Wes Burrows turning up and claiming to be the husband she had invented, Mariah’s lies become flesh and blood—and her wildest dreams a reality!

Read an excerpt.

Our three blog hosts cum Western Romance experts have taken the time to tell you a little more about their thoughts and feelings concerning this beloved genre of theirs. So sit back and have fun with these ladies as they answer the same questions from their very differing points of view!

Sybil in Sybil-ese:

GREAT WESTERN DRIVE: What was the first western romance you ever read?

SYBIL: No clue. Whirlwind Bride by Debra Cowan is the first western I see reviewed on TGTBTU on 3/14/05, but was nowhere near my first western. Or my first Harlequin Historical. I want to say prolly Nicole Jordan’s The Outlaw or Elizabeth Lowell’s Winter Fire, which lead to the Only Series (Winter Fire is still my FAVE and the only series ROCKS).

BUT back when I read trash (I say that with so much love and why I am confused to this day why romance is called ‘trash’), but from 13 to early 20s (I slowed down around 17 cuz I was verra busy causing trouble, uh I mean working), in between reading all of V.C Andrews, Sidney Sheldon, Daniele Steele, Jackie Collins I read a western romance. All I recall, it’s a cover with a bathtub type thing (barrel like) with the outlaw behind her. She was kidnapped. And uh… that is just about it… This is the time to I read Glitter Baby by SEP.

I always say my first romance was Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale because that is when my OCD blogness started. When I went searching for like minded people, found Maili’s blog and AAR. It is when I started my blogspot and blah blah blah (I warned you I ramble, yes?) AND didn’t figure out until after I was blogging for a few years? that Glitter Baby was THE SEP. So I still don’t really ‘count’ that nameless book.

GWD: Do you have a favorite western romance author?

SYBIL: I have favorites I like to bitch about *g*. No longer writing westerns but SHOULD BE faves would be Susan Kay Law, Maureen McKade, and Dana Ransom.

GWD: How about a favorite western hero? Heroine?

SYBIL: Oh I suck at this type of question, can I phone a friend?

GWD: When reading, what do you look for in the perfect cowboy?

SYBIL: Oh holy hell, these questions were put together while I was dealing with the website cuz yuck. I will go with K and W gave amazing answers and point you to them. [Ed. you could try, Syb!]

GWD: And the perfect cowgirl to go with that cowboy?

SYBIL: Someone who can hold their own…

GWD: How do you know when you’re reading a bad western romance? Are they any signs?

SYBIL: The author takes the idea that alpha means abuses, demeaning, or assholish. But oddly I can read and LOVE Elizabeth Lowell’s old westerns. For some reason they don’t trip my switch as being ‘too much.’

If the characters all sound like they are in 2009, I can’t read that, or if the cheese is just too fantastic. The whole drama over Cassie Edwards was odd to me because her writing seems like such a bad joke, I was not at all surprised it was copy and paste.

GWD: What’s the one thing that will really turn off you when reading a western romance?

SYBIL: LOL the above

GWD: How do you know when you’re reading a good Western

SYBIL: LOL I make it through the first few chapters without a headache from rolling my eyes.

GWD: Is there one Western that stands out above all others?

SYBIL: Ride the Fire by Pamela Clare. There is something about a book that opens with a man pointing a gun at a very pregnant woman demanding she doctor him and she gets the upper hand in the first few chapters.

GWD: Who is the Western Author who no longer writes them that you miss the most?

SYBIL: Oops, I answered this, huh? Did I miss anyone? Lorraine Heath REALLY should come back as well as Patrica Potter

GWD: Why do you think westerns have seen such an ebb and flow over the years?

SYBIL: I think it is totally about glitz and glam. People think west and think of the work, sweat, work, bawdy women, work and go ewwwww I want that pretty, pretty, pretty Regency book. Waltz me baby, which is all well and good, but people tend to forget a lot of the Regency history in those books are painted with the same romance brush as westerns.

Personally I don’t ‘put myself’ into the shoes of the heroine. I don’t want to fall in love with the hero as much as I want to fall in love with the love story. And some of my themes lend themselves so well to westerns – Second Chance stories, Road Romances, ‘Cabin Romances.’ People also forget America had a lot of money and glam in the East, so some of those ‘westerns’ can give them both things. They even have virgins in the west… honest.

Ramblin’ Kristie J:

GWD: What was the first western romance you ever read?

KRISTIE: I’ve been reading Westerns for years, so I can’t remember exactly which one it was – but I have a feeling I was at a UBS looking for Rexanne Becnel and forgot her name and ended up getting a Rosanne Bittner instead. I can’t remember what book it was – but it blew me away and I was hooked from then on.

GWD: Do you have a favorite western romance author?

KRISTIE: Well, Rosanne Bittner *g*. Also Patricia Potter, Cheryl St. John, Lorraine Heath (Westerns only). Those are the ones who first come to mind.

GWD: How about a favorite western hero? Heroine?

KRISTIE: Hero – there are too many to choose from!! Heroines one of my favorites is Miranda Hayes from Outlaw Hearts by Rosanne Bittner.

GWD: When reading, what do you look for in the perfect cowboy?

KRISTIE: I always love a hero who is wrecked for the heroine – in any genre. I also love the tortured hero. Lobo from Patricia Potter is one who fits both those bills.

GWD: And the perfect cowgirl to go with that cowboy?

KRISTIE: As for cowgirls – one who is strong, who doesn’t rely on the hero to bail her out. One who wears dresses for the most part, although I did just finish Stacey Kayne’s latest, Mountain Wild, and she was a trapper yet I really liked her. I think it was because she was forced into her circumstances rather than choosing it. [Ed. See, Sybs, not so hard!]

GWD: How do you know when you’re reading a bad western romance? Are they any signs?

KRISTIE: I started reading one not long ago and the author put in “Western” speak!! It was awful – even worse than Scottish speak. I couldn’t get past the first chapter. It may have been a good story, but I’ll never know. Wooden stereotypes are also annoying.

GWD: What’s the one thing that will really turn off when reading a western romance?

KRISTIE: Bad writing, bad writing, bad writing. As much as I love Westerns, a poorly written book will turn me off.

GWD: Is there one Western that stands out above all others?

KRISTIE: Outlaw Hearts by Rosanne Bittner. If someone asked for my choice for one that embodies most of what I love about the genre, this is my number one pick.

GWD: Who is the Western Author who no longer writes them that you miss the most?

KRISTIE: Lorraine Heath – without question. Her Westerns had a poignancy – every single one – and I don’t think she has captured that as well in her English historicals.

GWD: Why do you think westerns have seen such an ebb and flow over the years?

KRISTIE: I think all genres have an ebb and flow but the Western more so then most. I don’t think a lot of readers have tried them, so they don’t know what they are missing. I think a number of readers who have tried them just haven’t read the right one for them. And I think some readers like being carried away by the fantasy of England. But if they read the right one – and see what a good Western can offer – I think they can be swayed. There are a lot of genres I thought I’d never try and yet when I read that one book, I was converted. And I think there are quite a fan of Westerns who have kind of ‘forgotten’ about them. We are really hoping to reach all those groups with this Drive.

Wendy, the SuperLibrarian:

GWD: What was the first western romance you ever read?

WENDY: Nevada Nights by Ruth Ryan Langan, a 1980s-tastic western romance that I read when I was around 14 years old and the first book I read that had gasp s-e-x in it. This book features some of my favorite old-skool tropes. Convent-raised heroine? Check. Mysterious gunslinger named Colt? Check. Soap opera style plot featuring heroine’s odious long-lost family? Check. I wouldn’t recommend this book to readers today, but, dang, as a doe-eyed teen I flipping loved every single word.

GWD: Do you have a favorite western romance author?

WENDY: Hands down Maggie Osborne. She wrote fantastic heroines and never took the easy way out in her stories.

GWD: How about a favorite western hero? Heroine?

WENDY: This is tough. I have a huge soft spot for Beta heroes, so probably Dillon Hennessey from The Horseman by Jillian Hart. Although I also have a soft spot for younger heroes who feel like they have to ‘prove themselves’ – so on that front I think Austin Leigh from Texas Splendor by Lorraine Heath wins.

GWD: When reading, what do you look for in the perfect cowboy?

WENDY: I’m looking for a hero with a strong moral code. Heroes that, while they might have terrible reputations, will ultimately do what’s right.

GWD: And the perfect cowgirl to go with that cowboy?

WENDY: Generally speaking, I like heroines with gumption. They don’t have to kick ass and rescue themselves necessarily, but I also want them to do more than sit in the corner, ring their hands and cry. A lot of western heroines start out their romances literally up against a wall (and no, not in a good way!) and I like reading about a woman who isn’t going to simply roll over and die or pray for a hero to come along and rescue her.

GWD: How do you know when you’re reading a bad western romance? Are they any signs?

WENDY: There’s a long-lost gold mine in the plot. Seriously. Every terrible western I’ve read tends to feature a long-lost gold mine. Also, there’s a bathing scene. Hero and/or heroine spies the other one taking a bath in a stream, pond, lake, whatever and they get all tingly. Sort of like spies in Regency historicals, the bathing scene has been done to death in westerns and it needs to be taken out behind the barn and shot.

GWD: What’s the one thing that will really turn you off when reading a western romance?

WENDY: Too-stupid-to-live heroines who aren’t dead yet. Look, living in the west was hard. There weren’t a lot of comforts, and for that matter, there wasn’t a whole lot of structured law. When I read about a heroine doing something stupid in a western, I think to myself, “How is she not dead yet?”

GWD: How do you know when you’re reading a good Western?

WENDY: Westerns aren’t all that different from other romance subgenres. I’m looking for what I call the Emotional Gut Punch Moment. That moment when the author takes all the emotion, heartbreak, angst, etc., rolls it up and smacks the reader over the head with it. Every book in my keeper stash has such a moment. That moment where the author literally rips my heart out, resurrects it, and stuffs it back into my chest cavity.

GWD: Is there one Western that stands out above all others?

WENDY: This is tough because I’ve read so many great westerns over the years. I would say Lorraine Heath’s Texas/Leigh brother trilogy, mostly because it’s one of the few times in my life I’ve ever read a series back-to-back-to-back. Also, A Reason To Live by Maureen McKade, just for the sheer emotional intensity of that story. That story knocked me out.

GWD: Who is the Western Author who no longer writes them that you miss the most?

WENDY: Definitely Maggie Osborne, who retired after her last book in 2004. I really admire many of her books and, frankly, I think the romance genre desperately needs more writers like her.

Of authors who are still publishing but have left the west? Probably a toss up between Lorraine Heath and Nicole Jordan.

GWD: Why do you think westerns have seen such an ebb and flow over the years?

WENDY: Demographics have changed. The baby boomers literally grew up on westerns, in books, films, and TV. You couldn’t turn on a TV in the 1960s without tripping over a cowboy. But as time has advanced, publishers (like every other industry) is desperate to court that 18-49 year old demographic, and frankly? Those readers (of which I’m one) didn’t necessarily grow up on westerns. Also, publishers want to make money – so they’ll hop on The Next Big Thing, whatever that is, when it starts to sell. Hey, the western romance was king at one point, but like everything, it couldn’t last forever. Readers got burnt out. They got tired of slogging through crap to get to the gems. So they went looking for something “new.” I think readers will come back to the western, especially those readers hungry for real emotional stories. It’s just going to take publishers willing to take the “risk” and talented authors churning out quality stories.

GWD: And there you have it, Western fans, the be-all, end-all last word of the biggest fans in blogdom about reading those famed Western romances. You ready to gnaw on some bones with these gals?

This just in…

Cheryl St. John is offering a terrific online class for authors. Read on! You can never have too much information, right?

~You have to hurry! The workshop begins August 1. It’s a four-week class, ending August 31.

~ Conflict Makes the Story is the title of the class.

~ Brief description from Cheryl’s site:

Cheryl will explain opposing goals and how to create conflict that will sustain a story. She’ll give practical advice on:
· Motivating characters
· Creating characters with built-in conflict
· Revealing emotion through conflict
· Internal and external conflict
· Simple and complex conflict

~ Fee is $25

~ Make your payment via Paypal here and Cheryl will add you to her roster!

~ FYI: The class will be conducted via subscription to a private yahoogroup, two lessons per week, followed by questions and answers. Brief exercises pertaining to the participant’s current work in progress may be included. Archived class will be available for one week after the ending date.
Consider yourself flashed.

Sybil’s review of The Preacher’s Daughter by Cheryl St. John
Historical Romance published by Harlequin Historical 01 June 07

The first time I read this book I enjoyed it but thought the hero read as almost unreal. The second time I read it, was after rereading The Doctor’s Wife, where we are first introduced to the hero as a 17 year old and see more of what should have been his childhood. When I closed the book the second time, I still wanted at least 5 more pages, but thought Ben couldn’t have been more real.

Lorabeth Holdridge is the preacher’s daughter. Reverend Holdridge is very strict and very disapproving of the world. He keeps a firm hold on his children, making sure they lead a life of prayer, chores and reflection. The home is very cold and the children one by one seek escape as soon as possible. Only Lorabeth and Simon are left and have a strong bond with each other. Lorabeth made a promise to her dying mother to not settle for less than her dreams. While waiting for Simon to be old enough to leave she has prayed for a husband, a chance to experience life and finally feels she has a plan that could work and that the timing is right.

After assuring her father she will continue to run his home and do his chores, he gives his blessing for her to live with The Chaney’s. They are the family she has been living with during the week helping Ellie Chaney with her home and her children. Ellie is soon to give birth to another child and Lorabeth is look at as more of a friend and a gift than ‘help’. The Chaney family with Ellie and her husband Caleb, their four children and Ellie’s two brothers Flynn and Ben that Caleb adopted when they were younger show Lorabeth a whole new meaning to the word family.

Benjamin Chaney is now the town vet and finds comfort in his sisters happiness and finds hope in her children. His life is his work and his sisters family. He still hasn’t been able to forgive himself for not being able to protect his sister when he was eight or for what he did to protect of when he was 17. Needless to say, dear Ben is a touch confused and when Lorabeth enters their lives full-time he doesn’t know what to make of her.

So much about Lorabeth mirrors the awe and fascination Ellie, Ben and Flynn had when they joined the Chaney household. But Lorabeth has a father who cared for her, feed her, clothed her and put a roof over her head. Ben doesn’t know what to make of her or how to stay away from her. And once his sister gets involved in seeing Lorabeth get out and become more social Ben appoints himself her protector. She is so innocent and good, as well as so eager for life he is scared for her. Ben doesn’t want Lorabeth hurt or taken advantage of, only problem he sees is who is going to protect her from him.

Or at least he sees that as a problem, Lorabeth is more worried about catching his eye, his interest and his heart. I didn’t think the two characters would work as well as they did because their were both so innocent, neglected and damaged. And I question how they kept going off together for long periods of time alone but I don’t know if a man exist a woman could he safer with than Ben. What works is Lorabeth is so optimistic and has such a faith in Ben, life, God and even though I think she would have every right to hate the man, she truly loved her father if didn’t understand him. And with Lorabeth’s help as well as another family that comes along, Ben grows to see himself for the man he is not the man he fears he could be.

I still wanted more a few more pages. Oh lets be honest, I wanted another chapter. My heart broke for this characters more times than I can count. The Preacher’s Daughter can stand alone and honestly read back to back with The Doctor’s Wife…well they aren’t easy reads. But it is an honest journey with amazing characters, who you can’t help but want to live happily ever after.

Grade: A-

An untouched woman…

Lorabeth Holdridge longed for life and experience! Cloistered by her strict father, her world was confined to chores and prayer. Her chance of escape came when she took a job as housekeeper to a boisterous family. Lorabeth reveled in her newfound freedom. And when Benjamin Chaney visited, she felt the stirrings of her first crush.

A hard-bitten man…

Jaded and cynical, Ben found it hard to trust, though Lorabeth’s sweetness soothed his battered soul and taught him joy. But he would have to face the demons of his past to find a glorious future in Lorabeth’s arms!