Book Binge

I have a review of The Bravo Bachelor by Christine Rimmer up at The Good, The Bad and The Unread.

All Gabe Bravo wanted was to convince Mary Hofstetter to sell him her land. But the young widow had barely told him to hightail it off her property before going into labor. Being an honorable Bravo bachelor, he stayed by her side, even after her little bundle of joy appeared.

There was no denying Gabe had declared himself permanently single—and proud of it. But with his feelings for Mary growing deeper, he was suddenly torn: walk away from mother and child, or do what he'd sworn he'd never do—get hitched!

I really love these "pregnant widow" stories. I don't know why, exactly, since they often leave me feeling frustrated and annoyed (depending on the heroine's feelings for her dead husband), but there you have it. This one worked very well for me, however.

I really liked Mary. Although the Bravo's have really been putting pressure on her to sell, she wasn't intimidated nor did she ever waiver in her desire to keep her ranch. She was practical and down to earth, a plain speaking woman who didn't beat around the bush or try to play emotional games. I really loved that about her. I also thought her fears that she was moving too quickly with Gabe were spot on. Rimmer didn't push it too far in either direction, so it really worked.