~The Bride of Willow Creek~

by Maggie Osborne

      Heroine:  lush, voluptuous

      Angie Bartoli, possessed of a dark Italian beauty and its accompanying fiery temper, stepped off the train at the Willow Creek depot in search of the husband who had abandoned her ten years earlier.  Upon finding him, she decked him with a punch worthy of a professional pugilist.  And that was before Angie had discovered that he'd been living with another woman nearly all of that time, and has a family with her!

       Sam Holland had waited for years for this moment to come.  Finally he could put the past behind him, divorce his wife and move on with his life.  But things aren't going the way Sam had planned.  He knew there might be some enmity on Angie's part, but certainly didn't expect to be assaulted by her!   No longer the daughter of wealthy parents, Angie can't afford to pay for their divorce.  And Sam can't rustle up the funds because he is saving up to pay for his young daughter's operation. 

       So a truce is called and a plan is formed.  Angie will live with Sam and care for his young girls until they've put by enough money for both the operation and the legal procedures.  But the more time Angie spends with Sam and his girls, the less she wants to get that divorce.  If only she hadn't already promised herself to another man!

What worked for me:

       I thought the hero and heroine seemed like real people, and reading about their life in an 1800s mining town was very interesting.

       Sometimes kids in romance novels tend to be too cutesy for me, but the girls in this story didn't come across that way at all.  The whole "blended family" scenario was pretty realistic.

       Size-wise Angie didn't seem to have many thoughts one way or the other about her nicely rounded shape, but the hero certainly did!

       What didn't work for me:

       I found the way the hero and heroine clung so desperately to their pride at the expense of their happiness to be terribly frustrating.  I think a prologue showing the brief courtship and stormy breakup between Sam and Angie when they were young would have helped make their anger more believable.

Overall:

       An enjoyable read for fans of Western Historical Romances.

Warning: There are a couple of sexy scenes in this book.

If you liked "The Bride of Willow Creek" you might also enjoy "Wishes", "Beckett's Birthright",  "A Country Christmas", "Land of Dreams", "No Ordinary Princess", "The Bluebird and the Sparrow",  or "The Hero's Best Friend".

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