Straight for the Heart [Paperback]

Marsha Canham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1995

Mysterious, devious and gorgeous, Montana Rose was known on the gambling circuit as the Queen of the Mississippi riverboats. Equally cunning and rakishly handsome, Michael Tarrington was determined to become the one man who could call her bluff.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Her husband's death during the Civil War left Amanda Courtland a teenaged widow. Now, in the aftermath of the war, she watches her brother break his back daily in the cotton fields, trying to save their once magnificent Mississippi plantation from being repossessed by the unscrupulous Yankee, E. Forrest Wainright, to whom they owe what seems like a fortune. In desperation, genteel Amanda adopts the persona of flamboyant Montana Rose and tries to raise the necessary funds through gambling. On the brink of success, she loses all her winnings to another unscrupulous Yankee, the dashing but devilish Michael Tarrington. Now even more desperate, Amanda agrees to elope with the caddish Wainright, who promises to forgive her family's debt if she'll become his wife. But before she can, Tarrington spirits her away and makes the same offer, insisting that she'll enjoy it a lot more with him. Against her better judgment, Amanda does find Michael irresistibly attractive and consents, but North-South politics, Amanda's scheming twin sister and the villainous Wainright all create tensions and misunderstandings between the newlyweds. Canham's (In the Shadow of Midnight) latest is deftly plotted, and Amanda is sympathetic, if a bit insipid, while Michael is engagingly complex. But secondary characters are flat and stereotypical, and readers who dislike excessive violence will find the concluding chapters disturbing.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Alisha and Amanda Courtland, identical twins who are opposite in nature, are destined to marry within a week of one another. Alisha marries a German baron exiled to America. In her attempt to escape the frightful poverty that the Civil War has visited upon her once-wealthy, still land-proud family, she has unwittingly married someone in the same circumstances. Amanda promises to marry the weaselly carpetbagger who holds the mortgage on the family plantation, but she is rescued from that union when she elopes with a northerner whom she has only recently met. Their meeting took place aboard a riverboat where Amanda wore the disguise of Montana Rose, sultry card shark. Neither marriage is an easy one; nor is the family readily freed from the menace of the carpetbagger. Canham deals out plenty of surprising twists in her paperback historical fiction. Denise Perry Donavin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Dell; First Edition edition (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440614147
• ISBN-13: 978-0440614142
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,255,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. Writing mostly historical romances set in many of my favorite periods and themes: medieval, pirate, regency, Scottish. My books have won many awards from Romantic Times, including Best Historical of the Year, Best Swashbuckler of the Year, Best Medieval of the Year, Storyteller of the Year, and I have twice received Lifetime Achievement Awards. The Iron Rose won accolades from Publishers Weekly for being one of the seven best fiction books of the year. My novels have consistently appeared on USA Today bestseller lists. Nasty rumors of my retirement have been greatly exaggerated.



Check out my website at www.marshacanhamebooks.com

And my blog, Caesars Through the Fence at www.marshacanham.wordpress.com

Join me on Twitter @marshacanham

And Facebook

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SPELLBINDING!!!, March 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Straight for the Heart (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the first book of her's that I have read and I was so enthralled I couldn't put it down, literally. I haven't read a story that held my interest so much that I couldn't stop to cook supper till I finished it. As it builds near the end she made me feel as though I was a part of the story and one of the characters. She is a spellbinding author and I can hardly wait to read the trilogy I bought. Thank you so much Miss Canham and I look forward to reading all your books.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Please check out the NEW Kindle edition, June 28, 2011

By 

Marsha Canham (Toronto) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Straight for the Heart (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm having some difficulty getting this edition removed, so please do a search for the ASIN: B0057AP2B0 which will take you to the $2.99 edition. Thank you for your patience.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I could give this a 7 !!, July 6, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Straight for the Heart (Paperback)

Of all the books I've read, and believe me I'm a read-a-holic, this is the absolute best!! It is my first mcanham book and I'm now scouting up all her others. There is everything here. It's set in the post civil war reconstruction era, with of course characters from both sides of the "fence". It has romance, family, mystery, murder, etc.The dialogue was incredible. I laughed aloud with this spunky and realistic characters.. I hated to see it end. And not only is it a keeper but I bet I'll be re-reading it soon to catch whatever little things I missed the first time. Race to get this. Great job, Marsha.s