Dangerous

Rating:
Summary: yuk.
Review: I got to page 100 and got tired of the innocent heroine fighting her way among smelly, drunk, filthy cowboys. When she fell on a floor of a train filled with spit...I tossed the book. This is not indicative of anita mills writing. "Bittersweet" is one of her best. This one is definitely the worst....

Rating:
Summary: Talented writing, entertaining story
Review: I was reluctant to read this, due to the cliche back cover description of a pure girl falling in with a gambler. But the story is more than that tired description. The author is well-studied on this setting, her writing style is good, her dialogue seems natural. You can easily submerge yourself in the story and feel like you are witnessing the events.

Rating:
Summary: The flow of the words, saved the rating.
Review: The description in this story is remarkable. Realistically, the reader journeys through southwestern Texas, after the civil war. Anita Mills' knack to convey the long, hot, dusty days or the sluggish train traveling through the barren wilderness is astonishing. Her writing skills shine, her words flow, and the reader basks in the effortless ride.

The author has written Matthew Morgan as a self-made southern gentleman dripping finesse and savoir-faire. This smooth gambler successfully charms the reader creating playful entertainment. Regrettably, Ms. Mills has written, the heroine, Verena Howard as a standoffish lady. This northern schoolmarm constantly clashes with our hero and generally succeeds in making their life together a state of misery. However, there are moments when this conflict is humorous and it is during these moments when Mills' talent is dazzling. Nevertheless, the constant discord makes the journey long.

I found the shortage of romance in this story a burden. Still Anita Mills is a crafted writer and I would urge this book to admire the author's ability to deliver her reader to the compelling scenes she so aptly dramatizes.

Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.