Gold in the Fire (The Ladies of Sweetwater Lake, Book 1) (Love Inspired #273) [Mass Market Paperback]

Margaret Daley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004

Risky Business

As a firefighter, Joshua Markham was used to taking risks. So when unexplained fires started disrupting the quiet town of Sweetwater, he was prepared to stop them--whatever it took.

What he wasn't prepared for was Darcy O'Brien, the beautiful he found trying to save horses as her family's barn smoldered. After a recent relationship filled with heartache, Joshua wasn't ready for the protective feelings Darcy and her young son evoked in him.

Joshua wasn't willing to take risks when it came to love. But he was a man of faith. Could it be mere coincidence that he'd pulled this remarkable woman from a burning barn. . .and into his life?

The Ladies of Sweetwater Lake:

Like a wedding ring, this circle of friends is never ending.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Steeple Hill (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373872836
• ISBN-13: 978-0373872831
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,008,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Margaret has been writing for over 20 years. She started writing in the late 1970s because she wanted to see if she could put a whole story down on paper. That book is still in the drawer and will never see the light of day. But she was able to finish a book, which was her goal.
She decided after that to get some help, and joined a writers' roundtable where she met once a week with some fellow writers who went over each other's work. She sold her first book in the early 1980s and has been selling ever since.
She loves to tell a story. When she was a little girl she made up stories while playing with her dolls. On long trips with her family she would weave a story about the surrounding countryside. From those early beginnings grew a love of entertaining people with a story.
When she went away to college, she met her husband, Mike, to whom she has been married for over 30 years. He is her support and her best friend. She has always felt she was the luckiest woman the day she bumped into him on campus.
When they married, they moved to Tulsa, where she finished her degree in special education and began teaching. She still teaches today and loves working with students with special needs. They help her remember what is important in life. She also participates in the Special Olympics as a coach with her students and has attended the State Games in May for years.
Besides teaching and writing, she is also a mother of one. Her son, Shaun, loves animals and there have been times they could have their own zoo at the house. The most interesting pet Shaun has is a leopard tortoise, which could outlive him. She has joked that his children will be inheriting a tortoise. Shaun is getting married to his high school sweetheart. Margaret hopes that they are as happy as she and her husband are.
When she isn't working, she loves to read, travel, and go to lunch and a movie with a friend. She has been to many countries in the world and loves to meet new people. Her favorite place is Tahiti -- Bora Bora. It is as beautiful as all the pictures portray it.
In her travels she has found herself in some interesting situations. Once, in London, she got caught in the middle of a protest that later turned into a riot over poll taxes. In the rain forest of Costa Rica, she was covered from head to toe in mud and ruined a perfectly good outfit. She should have remembered it was going to be wet since it was called a rain forest. In Rio, she and a friend were left with no means to get back to the hotel on the other side of the city. Neither Margaret nor her companion spoke Portuguese and there wasn't a cab in sight. Thankfully one finally pulled up to the curb at the museum because she couldn't see herself hiking across Rio to get back to the hotel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An exciting, heart-touching story, October 21, 2004

By 

Vickie McD. (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gold in the Fire (The Ladies of Sweetwater Lake, Book 1) (Love Inspired #273) (Mass Market Paperback)

After ten long years, Darcy O'Brien is finally returning to the ranch she was raised on. It's time her son, Sean, met his grandpa, and time for Darcy to face the ghosts of her past. Her father has recently had a heart attack and needs her help in running the ranch-if only the stubborn man will allow it.

Firefighter Joshua Markham doesn't mind facing danger when it means putting out a fire, but he isn't quite ready to risk his heart. Still, he can't deny his attraction to Darcy O'Brien and her son. When an arsonist begins targeting ranches, Joshua must come to Darcy's rescue.

Darcy keeps telling herself not to give in to her attraction to the gallant and handsome Joshua. After all, she's only in town for the summer, and her track record with men isn't all that good. Plus, she can tell that Joshua still isn't over the woman who left him standing at the altar. Is there any hope for two wounded souls to find love?

GOLD IN THE FIRE is the compelling tale of two people learning to trust again. As Joshua and Darcy's attraction grows, both must face past hurts that left them reeling and feeling they can never risk loving again. Darcy also has the added pressure of mending her estranged relationship with her willful father.

Margaret Daley has penned another engaging tale that readers have come to expect from this talented author. She brings the setting of Kentucky ranch life alive. Joshua is a wonderful hero, but not without his own faults and troubles. He relies on his faith to get him through. Readers are sure to sympathize with Darcy, a young widow and single mother, struggling to find out where she belongs. A gentle faith message enhances the enjoyment of this charming book. Don't miss out on GOLD IN THE FIRE, Book One in Daley's The Ladies of Sweetwater Lake series.

4.0 out of 5 stars Is love worth the risk?, November 10, 2011

By 

honeybee - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gold in the Fire (The Ladies of Sweetwater Lake, Book 1) (Love Inspired #273) (Mass Market Paperback)

Although I normally don't read romance novels (I refer to most as "chick porn," because they tend to make women dissatisfied with their relationships, just as risque pictures do for guys), Margaret Daley's Steeple Hill books are generally an exception. She almost always includes a serious issue or two in her books, so the romance is the "sugar" that gets folks to take the "medicine" of the message behind the story.

For GOLD IN THE FIRE, the deeper message is risk-taking. How much of her true self should Darcy reveal to others? Is she willing to share her true feelings with her estranged father, her friend Joshua and others--even if it makes them mad/uncomfortable, or it leaves her feeling vulnerable? After one failed marriage for Darcy and a near-miss for Joshua, are the two of them ready for the risk of taking their friendship to a deeper level? Can Darcy bear to relive the pain of her mother's illness to be a friend to a mom and daughter in similar circumstances?

Solving the mystery of a string of arsons is nothing compared to the risks Margaret's characters face relationally. Are you willing to take a risk and read this book? ;o)