From Library Journal
Determined to put her past behind her and get on with her life, Angelina Bartoli Holland heads for the Colorado mining town of Willow Creek intending to divorce the husband she hasn't seen since marrying him as a teenager ten years before. But when finances force Angie and Sam to set up housekeeping together, they gradually realize that they have somehow fallen in love with the adults they both have become. In typical fashion, Osborne reaches beyond the superficial to the true issues of trust, guilt, and self-worth that motivate these realistic characters, producing an emotionally involving story lightened by humor. She is especially good at developing the relationship between the protagonists both passionate and ambivalent and in showing us the gradual but heartwarming rapprochement between Angie and Sam's young daughters; the medical details surrounding the physical disability of one of the girls add interest. Although the solution to the underlying mystery could have been better prepared, and the custody-seeking grandparents are initially stereotypical, Osborne has produced another fast-paced and well-written winner for her fans. Osborne (Silver Lining) is a best-selling RITA Award- winning writer and lives in Colorado.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Angie Bertoli married in haste and repented at leisure. In fact she hasn't even seen her husband in the ten years since their unconsummated wedding. Now nearly penniless, she travels to Willow Creek, Colorado, to demand that Sam Holland support her and pay for a divorce, but unlike her, he hasn't remained chaste and is the father of two motherless little girls. Sam needs money to have his youngest daughter's clubfoot surgically repaired before October, or he'll lose both girls. If Angie is to get her divorce, she's going to have to live with him and care for the girls while he works day and night. Soon Angie finds herself turning into a loving mother, meanwhile Sam struggles to save his livelihood from an arsonist determined to destroy him. Known for her exquisitely rendered historical western settings and complex and fully dimensional characters (even the "bad guys"), Osborne creates a warm, loving romance centered on a strong, nurturing family.
Diana Tixier HeraldCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
