3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A delightful pair of stories from a talented duo, July 30, 2000
This review is from: 2 Romantic Comedies: Tryst of Fate / Counterfeit Cowboy (Harlequin Duets, No. 32) (Paperback)
Light on conflict but filled with appealing, believeable characters and loads of chuckles, both TRYST OF FATE by Isabel Sharpe, and the second in Carrie Alexander's "The Cowgirl Club" series, COUNTERFEIT COWBOY, are guaranteed to chase away the blahs.
Rosemary Jenkins, the winsome, starry-eyed heroine in TRYST OF FATE, has determined it's time to fulfill Her Destiny. . .which she at first believes is manifest in an old high school jock she had a crush on oh-so-many years ago, and who has now returned to the tiny Maine town where Rosemary grew up. So, in a cloud of rose-colored fervor, she hotfoots it back to Lazy Pines. . .only to discover that, in fact, her REAL Destiny lies with her old buddy Jordan Phillips, who's harbored fantasies about Rosemary for the same number of years. Except, newly published author Jordan has just arrived at the profound -- and extremely inconvenient realization, considering Rosemary's sudden revelation -- that sex gives him writer's block. With a deadline looming for his second book, what on earth is he going to do?
Ah, but determined, ever-optimistic Rosemary has a cure, right up her rose-colored sleeve. . .
Isabel Sharpe's wry writing style reminds me of a cross between Elizabeth Bevarly and Jennifer Crusie. Her characterizations are superb and amazingly complex considering the length of these books, and her vivid, laugh-a-minute prose breathes life into the goofy, quirky, slightly nutty town of Lazy Pines.
And Carrie Alexander continues her charming "The Cowgirl Club" miniseries, this time focusing on "average" Molly Broome, slightly overweight, plain brown hair, plain brown eyes. . .the type of woman you can rely on to fix whatever needs fixing. Except, when Molly signs on as lodge manager for the decrepit Triple Eight Dude Ranch, everything she tries to "fix" somehow manages to go wrong. But maybe that has something to do with Raleigh Tate, the lodge's head wrangler whose cowboy persona doesn't quite ring true, somehow. . .maybe because he's actually a Fed investigating a possible counterfeit ring that leads right back to the Triple Eight.
Ms. Alexander also has a knack for creating, with a minimum of words, delightfully eccentric and easy-to-see characters. Etta Sue, the lodge's so-called "housekeeper", is a scream, as is the big-haired, big-bosomed, country-singer wannabe Sharlene Jackleen, the lodge's erstwhile housemaid. And Raleigh, a to- die-for hero if ever there was one -- gotta love a big, strong man with kittens crawling all over him -- sees in the "ordinary" Molly the woman of his dreams, giving hope to women everywhere carrying a few extra inches on their hips! Add a cozy little mystery to solve, and you've got another really fun read.
Another pair of highly enjoyable stories from Duets!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cowboy and Writers Take me away..., August 8, 2000
This review is from: 2 Romantic Comedies: Tryst of Fate / Counterfeit Cowboy (Harlequin Duets, No. 32) (Paperback)
If you're looking for lots of laughs and romance, read these books! Both of these authors have the ablity to create zany characters to drive the plot along. In Counterfit Cowboy it is the staff that Molly is faced to deal with. Sharleen Jackleen made me howl, thinking she looked like Faith Hill, and Molly's account of her actual looks had me rolling on the floor. The story was tender and humorous, everything I look for in a romance. Isabel's Tryst of Fate has equally deranged characters along with her heroine and hero. I love the fact that she incorporated their professions and that Rosemary's destiny was right under her nose the whole time, not to mention the yoga and "wild monkeys". <ggg> I can't wait for Laramie's story and to read what Isabel has in store for us next.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
First rate, July 7, 2000
This review is from: 2 Romantic Comedies: Tryst of Fate / Counterfeit Cowboy (Harlequin Duets, No. 32) (Paperback)
Tryst of Fate" by Isabel Sharpe. After searching for love in Manhattan for years, Rosemary Jenkins decides that her destiny lies with writer Jordan Phillips. When her father informs her that Jordan has returned to their hometown of Lazy Pines, Maine, she need to come back to the one person she never forgot. Now all she has to do is persuade Jordan that his need for her has caused his writer's block and only she can free his mind (and body) that will save his career. A very humorous and entertaining contemporary romance that stars two wonderful lead charcaters.
"Counterfeit Cowboy" by Carrie Alexander. As children, the trio of girls formed the Cowgirl club when they met at camp even though they lived in the inner city. Now fifteen years later, Molly Broome decides to make her dream come true by obtaining a job at Wyoming's Triple Eight Dude Ranch. However, the place is a disaster and she is treated like a pest, but obtains the job as lodge manager. As she observes a bunch of seemingly eccentric lunatics in action, Molly falls in love with the head wrangler, Raleigh Tate, who returns her feelings. Still is love enough to overcome his weird family tree? Readers will enjoy this jocular tale due to the endearing but outlandish cast who embellish a warm romance with tenderness.
As usual, DUETS 32 lives up to the fabulous tradition of previous books that provide much pleasure with two sensational tales.
Harriet Klausner
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