Customer Reviews

The Widow's Little Secret (Harlequin Historical Series, No 571)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nevada, 1887
U.S. Marshall Jared McQuade was making a one night stop in Stanford to pick up prisoners to be transported.
He was reading the Stanford Gazette and found out about the passing of Del Ingram, a man from his past.

He thought it only polite to attend the funeral and stumbled onto Del's widow. That was the beginning of changes in his life.

When he stopped by her house to offer his condolences [everyone was telling him what a great guy Del was - that didn't match up with his memories of Del] he ended up leaving more than just comfort with Maggie Ingram.

Unable to get Maggie out of his mind [and blood] he applies for the Sheriff's position three months later. Oh, Oh, he soon found out Maggie's little secret.

She is one stubborn woman who has lost all faith in men and is determined to stand on her own. She has a business to run if she can save it from Del's destruction. And she sure isn't going to accept any help from the hard-nosed sheriff.

I sure liked Billy Weaver and his aunt Frannie. He is great at informing Jared about the quirks of the people of Stanford.

Jared's first experiences of town life just about blow him away. His methods of rough handling of people in Stanford just won't work. He is soon on the outs with Mrs. Pomeroy and the ladies of the Betterment Commity and alienates a couple of old rascals and is being attacked by a 5 year old desperado.

Mrs. Nance, Maggie's cook, at the Cottonwood Cafe keeps trying to nudge Maggie into giving the sheriff a chance.

Nope! she just is not in the mood to entertain a proposal of marriage [I forget how many times Jared asks Maggie to marry him.] after his first attempt to marry Maggie. What a hurry-up affair!

You should love the pace and quirks of these inticeing characters - the problems that Jared must overcome with Maggie and Maggie's own internal problems with herself.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED --m - What a neat story. Poor bumbling Jared. You will love their wedding ceremony.

Although I liked this book and the characters for the most part, the action and dialogue came off as too theatrical at times in contrast to the serious nature of the plot. The Sheriff's behavior in front of the minister was the worst, totally unbelievable (given his character) and contrived (I later realized) for the sake of a parallel, contrasting scene, which comes later on in the book. I've been reading books by Carolyn Davidson, and so this one didn't quite measure up to my expectations for a similar historical romance novel. I have one more book by this author on my shelf and I plan to give her writing another try before marking her off my list.

As in all of Judith Stacy's stories, THE WIDOW'S LITTLE SECRET is another testimony to her talented writing. The storyline is delightful and easy to follow. Jared and Mattie are two characters you'll always hold dear and know they'll live happily ever after!