The Bride of Willow Creek (Beeler Large Print Series) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Maggie Osborne (Author)

Book Description

Series: Beeler Large Print Series | Publication Date: December 2002

Ten years ago Angie Bartoli eloped with Sam Holland. But before their impetuous marriage even began, they were torn apart by chance. For Angie, the gold band on her finger is a constant reminder of the man she could never forget. Aiming to find her husband and resolve their relationship once and for all, Angie sets out on the adventure of a lifetime.

In a small Colorado town, Angie discovers that her young groom has grown into a man--still handsome, irresistible, and infuriating as ever . . . and now the father of two young children. Forced to become a temporary family, Sam and Angie are surprised to find a deeper love awakening between them--one that could require more than they are willing to give if they are to forge a lasting new life on the American frontier.


From the Paperback edition.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Determined to put her past behind her and get on with her life, Angelina Bartoli Holland heads for the Colorado mining town of Willow Creek intending to divorce the husband she hasn't seen since marrying him as a teenager ten years before. But when finances force Angie and Sam to set up housekeeping together, they gradually realize that they have somehow fallen in love with the adults they both have become. In typical fashion, Osborne reaches beyond the superficial to the true issues of trust, guilt, and self-worth that motivate these realistic characters, producing an emotionally involving story lightened by humor. She is especially good at developing the relationship between the protagonists both passionate and ambivalent and in showing us the gradual but heartwarming rapprochement between Angie and Sam's young daughters; the medical details surrounding the physical disability of one of the girls add interest. Although the solution to the underlying mystery could have been better prepared, and the custody-seeking grandparents are initially stereotypical, Osborne has produced another fast-paced and well-written winner for her fans. Osborne (Silver Lining) is a best-selling RITA Award- winning writer and lives in Colorado.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Angie Bertoli married in haste and repented at leisure. In fact she hasn't even seen her husband in the ten years since their unconsummated wedding. Now nearly penniless, she travels to Willow Creek, Colorado, to demand that Sam Holland support her and pay for a divorce, but unlike her, he hasn't remained chaste and is the father of two motherless little girls. Sam needs money to have his youngest daughter's clubfoot surgically repaired before October, or he'll lose both girls. If Angie is to get her divorce, she's going to have to live with him and care for the girls while he works day and night. Soon Angie finds herself turning into a loving mother, meanwhile Sam struggles to save his livelihood from an arsonist determined to destroy him. Known for her exquisitely rendered historical western settings and complex and fully dimensional characters (even the "bad guys"), Osborne creates a warm, loving romance centered on a strong, nurturing family. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 345 pages
• Publisher: Thomas T Beeler (December 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157490454X
• ISBN-13: 978-1574904543
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,726,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An engaging western romance, October 2, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bride of Willow Creek (Mass Market Paperback)

When she was sixteen, Angie Bertoli married Sam Holland in Chicago. However, her father interceded, ending the relationship before the duo can begin learning how to be a married couple. Sam flees for the West while Angie remains home living in shame.

A decade later following the death of her father six weeks ago, a financially broke Angie travels to Cripple Creek, Colorado seeking Sam. She wants a divorce she can start anew. Angie meets Sam's two young children, Lacy and Daisy, offsprings of the deceased Laura, the woman he lived and loved with for several years. He informs Angie that he cannot afford to pay for a divorce, as he needs all his money to provide surgery for his youngest daughter. They agree to a business arrangement with her caring for his children and handling his money while he works as a carpenter and prays a mining claim comes through. As they learn to respect one another, Sam and Angie fall in love again, but for this pair it seems the opportunity of a relationship has past.

THE BRIDE OF WILLOW CREEK is an engaging western romance that sub-genre fans will enjoy due to the strong cast. Angie and Sam make a fine couple struggling with their joint and separated pasts and guilty feelings. His children, the look back at Laura, the townsfolk, and his in-laws add depth though his deceased wife comes across to perfect in a comparison with Angie. Still readers will fully relish Maggie Osborne's engaging historical romance.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Western Historical, October 2, 2001

By 

Sheri Melnick (Enola, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bride of Willow Creek (Mass Market Paperback)

Humorous, sensitive, and emotional are but a few terms used to describe this latest read by Ms. Osborne, who seems to have a special knack when it comes to western historicals.

Angie Bertoli Holland was furious when Sam Holland left her in Chicago, shortly after their elopement ten years ago. When her domineering father refused to accept their marriage, Angie let Sam leave for undisclosed locations in the west. But when Angie finds herself penniless and homeless after her parents' deaths, she goes to Willow Creek, Colorado to find Sam and seek a divorce.

True to romance novel form, both Sam and Angie blame the other for the unfortunate turn of events ten years ago. However, spice is added to the pot when Angie discovers there is no place to stay while awaiting the divorce except with Sam and his two young daughters, Lucy and Daisy.

Providing complexity to Angie's character is her daily struggle with her feelings for Sam as well as loving his endearing children and coming to terms with Laura, their dead mother. And she and Sam are both faced with the ultimate decision of all, whether to repeat their mistakes of ten years ago or swallow their pride and reach for the brass ring.

The interesting cast of supporting characters, from the neighborly Molly and Can Johnson of Willow Creek to the Govenors, Laura's wealthy controlling parents, further enhances this read. Following in the footsteps of SILVER LINING and I DO, I DO, I DO, Ms. Osborne's latest is not to be missed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible characters! Loved it from page 1!, March 17, 2007

By 

F.Faulkner "F.F." (Hartford, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bride of Willow Creek (Mass Market Paperback)

I thought I only liked historical romance and time-travel romance (a la Diana Gabaldon). I thought I disliked western romance. But that all changed when I read Ms. Osborne's SILVER LINING (then saw HBO's DEADWOOD series too). BRIDE OF WILLOW CREEK is my third. I can't put them down. I'm rarely so involved with characters. But this author has a way of really making every situation so realistic. Her situations are so REAL and so unusual. Not your average romance novel settings that's for sure. These women have troubles. They are not always perfectly beautiful, but they are perfectly beautiful inside. They are strong heroines all on their own, don't fall in love with rapists, aren't conquered by barbarians they fall in love with. Thank you Maggie Osborne! I enjoy your writing so much I can't say enough good things about it. But I wish your books were a tiny bit longer because I am so happy but sad when they're done.