Wyoming Bride-Joan Johnston

Wyoming Bride


Joan Johnston

Dell, Jan 1 2013, $7.99

ISBN 9780345527462



The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 left the six Wentworth children orphaned. The sextet has lived at the Chicago Institute for Orphaned Children for three years under the abusive control of headmistress Miss Birch. However, the oldest Miranda left as a mail order Texas Bride taking her two youngest siblings (ten years old Nick and four years old Harry) with her to San Antonio and plans to arrange her sisters seventeen years old twins Hannah and Hetty, and sixteen years old Josie to join her.



However, having not heard from Miranda, a desperate Josie arranges for Hannah to become a mail order Wyoming Bride. On the Oregon Trail, Hannah’s new husband McMurtey dies from cholera leaving her pregnant. The Sioux injure Hetty and capture Josie. Rancher Flint Creed finds Hannah trekking for help while her twin lay dying and her other sister is missing. In love with his brother’s fiancée, he proposes to Hannah who accepts though neither mentions love nor imply any passion between them.



The second Wentworth Mail Order Bride historical is a super Reconstruction Era western romance starring two interesting lead characters concealing critical secrets from one another. Action-packed with a secondary romance (Flint’s brother), fans will appreciate Joan Johnston’s entertaining tale.



Harriet Klausner

The Scoundrel Takes A Bride-Stefanie Sloane

The Scoundrel Takes A Bride


Stefanie Sloane

Ballantine, Jan 1 2013, $7.99

ISBN: 9780345531155



Over a decade ago, someone murdered Lady Beatrice Afton in Afton Manor in Petworth, Sussex. No one was accused of the homicide.



Over the years, Beatrice’s daughter Lady Sophia never turned to her arranged by her mom betrothed Langdon Bourne for comfort or help with her obsession to find her mom’s killer. Instead she studied criminology so that by 1813 she feels ready to investigate her mom’s homicide. She believes the one person who could assist her with achieving her objective has come home after years abroad amassing a fortune in India. She pleads with Langdon’s brother Nicholas to be there on her investigation. He reluctantly agrees as he obsesses over keeping the woman he has loved seemingly forever safe on their journey of discovery.



The latest rousing Regency Rogues (see The Saint Who Stole My Heart) is a terrific historical romantic mystery made stronger by Langdon being a decent honorable person. The amateur sleuthing is fun to follow as forbidden passion between the daring duet makes their inquiry that much more difficult.



Harriet Klausner

Shiver-Karen Robards

Shiver


Karen Robards

Gallery, Dec 4 2012, $25.00

ISBN: 9781451678673



In St. Louis, twentyish single mom of four year old Tyler, Samantha Jones attends EMT certification classes while working nights repossessing cars. She arrives to tow away a BMW only to find critically battered and shot Danny Panterro in the trunk.



Danny is an undercover FBI agent, who was outed when the drug cartel he had infiltrated blew up the safe house he was hiding in. That explosion confuses Danny as it seems wrong for drug lord Veith to blow up the townhouse before collecting the missing money. Sam saved his life, but he knows she and her son are now in peril as vicious drug runners pursue them with one objective, three deaths.



Shiver is an action-packed romantic suspense thriller that starts off with an incredible opening scene and never slows down as nothing is quite like it seems. Fast-paced and starring two intrepid protagonists, readers will enjoy Shiver as the bad guys keep the lethal pressure on the good guys.



Harriet Klausner