Romancing Olive [Kindle Edition]

Holly Bush (Author)

Book Description

In 1891, spinster librarian, Olive Wilkins, is shocked to learn of her brother’s violent death at a saloon gaming table and her sister-in-law’s subsequent murder, traveling far from her staid life to rescue her niece and nephew, now orphans. She arrives to find the circumstances of her brother’s life deplorable and her long held beliefs of family and tradition, shaken.

Accustomed to the sophistication of Philadelphia, Olive arrives in Spencer, Ohio, a rough and tumble world she is not familiar with, facing two traumatized children. Her niece and nephew, Mary and John, have been living with a neighboring farmer, widower Jacob Butler, the father of three young children of his own and a man still in pain from the recent loss of his wife.

Real danger threatens Olive and Mary and John while Jacob and his own brood battle the day-to-day struggles for survival. Will Olive and Jacob find the strength to fight their battles alone or together? Will love conquer the bitterness of loss and broken dreams?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A poignant read, ROMANCING OLIVE is an inspired, emotion-packed historical story that will touch your heart."

Reviewer for romance book site Romance Junkies

"Put away your notions of romancing. Dust off your ideas of shocking and pick up a copy of ROMANCING OLIVE by Holly Bush, a family saga reminiscent of THE THORNBIRDS."

Susan Russo Anderson Author & Book Blogger

Product Details

• File Size: 456 KB
• Print Length: 205 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: BookBaby; 1 edition (November 1, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0068RPKZ4
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,461 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Romance! December 2, 2011

By LindsayLeigh

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I confess, I began reading "Romancing Olive" somewhat reluctantly. I generally tend to avoid both western historical novels (the story takes place in Ohio, which is west enough for me, in 1891,) as well as romances where the Heroine is significantly older than the Hero (Olive is in her mid-to-late 30s and Jacob is in his mid-to-late 20s,) and this book has both. I ended up reading this book anyway thanks to the urging of a good friend, and much to my surprise, I found myself unable to put it down after just a few short pages!

"Romancing Olive" is really a wonderful story. Author Holly Bush has a gift for creating strong characters who are interesting and easy to relate to, despite differences of setting and situation. I found Jacob's personal struggle to come to grips with the passing of his wife and to accept his changing feelings toward Olive to be especially poignant, and although I was at first thrown by the age difference, Olive's gradual transformation from a settled spinster into a wonderful young-at-heart woman full of vigor was a delightful and interesting twist from that of most formulaic romances written about young ladies. Of the other characters in the story, I also found Mary, Olive's 10 year old niece, to be an especially compelling and strong character. Perhaps in the future Ms. Bush will decide to tell Mary's story -- I would certainly be interested in reading more about her and her story as she comes of age. Ms. Bush also shows her talent with words in her descriptive imagery. I was easily able to picture many of the places and scenes that were described, and the town of Spencer was charming.

Despite a few small grammatical glitches toward the front of the story (including a couple of spots where a copy editor may have missed a comma splice, as well as one instance of a you're/your issue,) I would happily recommend "Romancing Olive" to anyone who enjoys a good romance or just an excellent story in general. I'm sure that I will be re-reading it when I find myself in need of either of these things, and I will eagerly anticipate Ms. Bush's future novels as well.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it!!! November 22, 2011

By cinmyer

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love historical romances and this one does not disappoint. Great characters and a lively story line keeps you interested and turning the pages. I started it this afternoon and couldn't stop until I finished it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Olive November 22, 2011

By hbrn

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved Romancing Olive. I read it twice and enjoyed it both times. A quick, enjoyable read, I highly recommend it.

More About the Author

Holly Bush was born in western Pennsylvania to two avid readers. There was not a room in her home that did not hold a full bookcase. She worked in the hospitality industry, owning a restaurant for twenty years and recently worked as the sales and marketing director in the hospitality/tourism industry and is credited with building traffic to capacity for a local farm tour, bringing guests from twenty-two states, booked two years out. Holly has been a marketing consultant to start-up businesses and has done public speaking on the subject.



Holly has been writing all of her life and is a voracious reader of a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction, particularly political and historical works. She has written five romance novels, all set in the U.S. West in the mid 1800's. Holly has also completed a women's fiction novel and is currently writing a second. She frequently attends writing conferences, and has always been a member of a writer's group.



Holly is a gardener, a news junkie, was a member of her local library board for years and loves to spend time near the ocean. She is the proud mother of two daughters and the wife of a man more than a few years her junior.