Carolyn Davidson (1) (1934–)

Written at a 5th grade reading level, full of anachronisms and way too over-reliant on external conflict. The romance is pretty much concluded by page 90. All that holds off the end of the book is a half-baked kidnapping plot and the birth of the baby.

I should knock this down to one star for its shameless treatment of American Indian themes. The secondary character Ruth is some kind of magical healer, mind-reader and future-seer, natch, and is used as a focal point of a patently ridiculous show more prejudice/tolerance morality play. All the good characters made a point of rejecting society's bias against Indians while only the unlikeable characters held any hard feelings toward Ruth. Would that racial bias actually worked that way! Wouldn't it be lovely if racism wasn't something otherwise nice, agreeable people who are kind to animals participated in? We might actually be able to talk about it then. show less

Another refreshing HR with a lead heroine that’s a bit older, plainer, and bigger in body proportions than your usual lead. It’s nice to see this as it says that women can find true love and happiness in her relationships and in life no matter her outer looks. I liked seeing Alicia’s personality and strength of will shine out as she butts heads with Jake.

I also liked that the main struggle in the book was the building up of these guys’ relationship. There weren’t any murky show more individuals from the past or another person trying to break them up. Overcoming stubborn pride and low self-esteem to create a beautiful romance and family was the star of the book. Even the bits with Jason trying to accept Alicia as his new mother didn’t detract from the main focus of the relationship building; it just added to it.

And I gotta say the emotions in this book are something else. I don’t think I’ve cried more while reading a book in a while. It was painful to read about Jake’s struggle to overcome his body issues from his war experiences and Alicia’s to see herself as a beautiful women just as she is. I liked that they started out their relationship as a practical arrangement to meet mutual goals and that it grew into something truly beautiful. Watching that growth in my mind’s eye was quite a journey.

I wish more historical romances were like this: characters more true to life and emphasis more on emotions and relationship building rather than outside conflict. I’ll be looking for more HR’s by this author as I think she’s done a swell job in creating a fantastic one in this book. show less

Good book. Glory had come to Green River after the deaths of her parents caused her to leave a wagon train headed west. With no means of support she ended up in a platonic marriage with Harvey Clark to care for his kids and his home. Three years later he's been hanged for his part in a long ago bank robbery and she's alone with the kids trying to keep the farm running and away from people looking for the stolen gold. When Cade shows up, supposedly looking for a farm to buy, she's inclined to show more trust him. Besides that feeling of trust there is something about him that draws her to him.

I really liked both Glory and Cade. Glory had an incredible amount of inner strength, first when she set out on her own to find a better life, and then when she took charge of keeping the farm running after her husband's death. I loved the way she was such a good mother to Buddy and Essie, giving them both the love and the discipline that they needed. When Cade showed up she was cautious at first, but she soon got the sense that she could trust him. There was something about him that also worried her a little because she didn't understand the feelings he was bringing out. I liked the way that she listened to his reasoning on why they should get married but then took the time to think about it. I could see that her insistence on waiting for the physical wasn't going to last long. I really liked the way that their love grew in a slow realistic manner. She was frequently surprised by his care of her and the little things he would do to make her happy. I also liked the way that she made Cade an important part of the family from the beginning. I loved her courage at the end.

I thought Cade was a pretty terrific hero. When he arrived and met her it was under false pretenses because he didn't know if he could trust her. He did know as soon as he met her that he wanted her in his life. As he talked her into marrying him, one eye was on the search for the missing gold, but the rest of his attention was on Glory and the children. I really enjoyed seeing how much time he spent with the kids and how good he was with them. He was just the role model that Buddy needed and had a wonderful way of being able to talk to him. And I loved the way that little Essie had him wrapped around her finger. I really liked the way that he was determined to make the farm into something worthwhile. His easy care of Glory and the way he treated her was wonderful. It was easy to see how e fell so quickly in love with her. He realized he was tired of the life that he had been living and that being with Glory was just what his heart and soul needed. I liked the fact that he felt guilty about keeping his secret from Glory, but was also afraid of what telling it might do to their relationship. Except for this one thing I really liked the way that he was honest with Glory and the kids about his thoughts and feelings. I loved how things ended up. I'd love to see stories for Buddy and Essie and how their lives turn out. show less

For an Harlequin novel, this book pretty much fit the bill. However, two things bothered me. First was Emma's father's codicil that she had to marry her stepbrother AND have a baby with him - I am sorry, but what kind of will is that? It's a terrible one, and for a man who was supposed to have loved his daughter so much, he passed this requirement! Feh. I mean, even though they were not blood-related, they still shared the same half-sister who stood to gain the entire property if the will show more was not fulfilled.

Second was the person behind the mischief. Though the author tried to hide it, I actually figured out who it was a while before it happened, so it was rather predictable. It's okay as a fluff read, but if more thought had been given to the storyline, it would have been more memorable. show less