Once you get past the ridiculousness of the idea of the two of them getting married, the story becomes entertaining. ~ Shadow, Guilty Pleasures
Description:
WIFE WANTED…
Reese Duncan lost half his ranch and all his dreams to his ex-wife, so when it came time for a family he did the logical thing: he advertised for a bride. She had to be willing to work, to bear his children and to settle for lovemaking in place of love. It sounded perfect — until Madelyn Patterson arrived.
One look and he had to have her. Never mind that she was New York and nightlife to his own plain-spoken Montana ways. She was willing to herd cattle, wax floors and bake biscuits by the dozen. She was even willing to bear his children — but at a price he couldn’t pay. She wanted love — and he was a man who had no love to give.
Review copy provided for an honest review
This is a re-release of an older Linda Howard title and while it is an entertaining story, it is not her best work.
For a start, the premise is untenable. Madelyn Patterson is bored with the non-job she holds in one of her step brother’s companies so she answers an add in newspaper for a mail order bride. She falls in lust with Reese Duncan at first glance and agrees to marry him. This involves uprooting her life from New York to a ranch in Montana within a week. Uhmm-no. This is supposed to be a highly intelligent modern woman and she agrees to marry a man she’s known for one day and go to live with him in what is basically the wilderness. This is just not smart, especially since she has both her own money and access to her stepbrother’s fortune.
While Reese is yummy, he’s also a hardheaded idiot, who deserves the comeuppance he gets at Madelyn’s hands. Reese was burned in the divorce from his ex-wife and doesn’t want Madelyn to have any possibility of getting her hands on what is left of the ranch. He also resists his feelings for his new bride and pushes her to the point that she moves into the nearby town until he realizes she is not his ex-wife.
Once you get past the ridiculousness of the idea of the two of them getting married, the story becomes entertaining. Watching them develop a relationship with each other while battling to survive on the ranch is a joy and the entire book has Howard’s deft touch with story line and characterization.
Summing it up, having some of Howards books in print again is a good idea-this just isn’t the best one to pick.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Shadow