The heroine Mariah has loved Nick Gray since she was a teenager, but her father squashed that relationship before it could get started, throwing Mariah in later life into becoming a cold-hearted spinster. But that is a facade; she needs to be loved and to give love, and this marriage of convenience gives her both.
Nick is a recent widower that needs a mother for his children-but not a wife-so now that Mariah's father is gone, their romance can begin.
HIGH PLAINS WIFE is another great Harlequin Historical and Ms. Hart has become one of my favorite western authors.
Other Jillian Hart books I've added to my keepershelf for yearly rereads:
THE LAST CHANCE BRIDE
MONTANA WIFE
MONTANA LEGEND
Debbie
AKA
DeeKay
http://romancereaderatheart.com
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I really wanted to like this book but didn't. I liked the plot of the town spinster marrying and bringing love to the embittered widower and his children. I can even understand the need of a man, whose wife died only weeks before of suicide, to acquire a new wife quickly to take care of his house and his children. Farm/ranch life has never been easy. Especially, 120 years ago.
My problem with the book is that it's so boring. The worst sin a book can have, I think. Nothing much happens. She's a 28-year old spinster, he's newly widowed. She had a mean father, he didn't but he had a slut for a wife. Apparently, years before, when they were both teens, he came calling and was turned away by her father. So, he got drunk, got some other girl pregnant and married her. Her father, in the meantime, belittled her at every opportunity and she came to believe what he said. It happens. We all carry those internal tapes from our parents and they get replayed at the darndest times.
However, and this is the biggie for me, these two people are caught up in their own individual pity parties. Especially, Nick. Lord, I wanted to pop him upside the head on more than one occasion. He kept telling himself that Mariah was nothing like his late wife. But, when he found himself attracted to her, he ran scared and acted like a total idiot. What Mariah found to love about Nick totally escapes me.
And we are beat over the head by Ms. Hart with every other page re-iterating their individual feel-sorry-for-myself shallowness. Hard to believe these are 2 adults. The kids are more mature. This story could have been told in half the number of pages if we stupid readers didn't have to be constantly reminded of why the h/h act the way they do.
Stuff like the above make me angry with both the book and the author. I'm sure that some will like this book. This only my personal critique of it. Even tho I read some good reviews of Ms. Hart's other books, I don't think I'll be reading her again.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I really wanted to like this book but didn't. I liked the plot of the town spinster marrying and bringing love to the embittered widower and his children. I can even understand the need of a man, whose wife died only weeks before of suicide, to acquire a new wife quickly to take care of his house and his children. Farm/ranch life has never been easy. Especially, 120 years ago.
My problem with the book is that it's so boring. The worst sin a book can have, I think. Nothing much happens. She's a 28-year old spinster, he's newly widowed. She had a mean father, he didn't but he had a slut for a wife. Apparently, years before, when they were both teens, he came calling and was turned away by her father. So, he got drunk, got some other girl pregnant and married her. Her father, in the meantime, belittled her at every opportunity and she came to believe what he said. It happens. We all carry those internal tapes from our parents and they get replayed at the darndest times.
However, and this is the biggie for me, these two people are caught up in their own individual pity parties. Especially, Nick. Lord, I wanted to pop him upside the head on more than one occasion. He kept telling himself that Mariah was nothing like his late wife. But, when he found himself attracted to her, he ran scared and acted like a total idiot. What Mariah found to love about Nick totally escapes me.
And we are beat over the head by Ms. Hart with every other page re-iterating their individual feel-sorry-for-myself shallowness. Hard to believe these are 2 adults. The kids are more mature. This story could have been told in half the number of pages if we stupid readers didn't have to be constantly reminded of why the h/h act the way they do.
Stuff like the above make me angry with both the book and the author. I'm sure that some will like this book. This only my personal critique of it. Even tho I read some good reviews of Ms. Hart's other books, I don't think I'll be reading her again.
<< 1 >>
