Throwback Thursday - - In Grandma's Kitchen

Some of my earliest - and best - memories are of the times spent in my grandma's kitchen. There was always laughter, warmth, lessons in baking, hugs, and gently offered lessons in life. Many years later, as an adult, I happily opened my own kitchen to my young niece and, together, over the years, we created our own special memories. That niece is now a mother who is sharing her love of baking with her little ones. As they live overseas, I don't get to see her as often as I'd like but for the past several weeks she and her two young children have been visiting her parents in Florida and I traveled down to spend time with them. As I had done with his mom when she was about his age, we set aside a day for my 4-year-old grandnephew and I to have our first Christmas candy making day together. There was laughter, warmth, hugs, lessons in candy making, and gently offered lessons in life...just like those wonderful days in my grandma's kitchen more than 50 years ago. The tradition continues...four generations...love, lessons, and the joys of Christmas.  ~PJ

Some of my earliest memories are of being perched on a stool at my grandma's kitchen counter, hanging onto her every word as she taught me how to wield a rolling pin, create flaky melt-in-your-mouth biscuits or golden brown, perfectly baked cookies. Much of what I know about baking was learned at my grandma's side but baking wasn't the only thing I learned in her kitchen. Sprinkled so lightly among the various techniques that I was hardly aware of them, were gentle lessons that have guided my life over the past 50+ years. From that wise and kind woman I learned to find joy in creating something with my own hands and mind, to take pride in my accomplishments but not be boastful about them, to share willingly and joyfully with others, to have compassion for those lacking the skills or resources with which I was blessed, to treat others with the same kindness and respect that I wish to receive from them and to honor those who have gone before me by sharing my love, my time, my knowledge and a few gentle life lessons with the young people in my life.

Grandma has been with the angels for many years now but, to this day, I can still feel her gentle hand on my shoulder, guiding me in the right direction. A few years ago I was visiting with some cousins that I hadn't seen in almost 30 years. One of them said to me, "You're so much like Grandma it's almost like having her with us again." I can think of no greater compliment.

MY FAVORITE SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup solid Crisco shortening
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
dash of salt
Cream shortening. Add 1-1/2 cups sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs and flavorings; beat well. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into creamed mixture. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2-3 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets. Dip a fork into flour then lightly press on each cookie to flatten. Sprinkle cookie with remaining sugar. Bake at 375° F. for 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
YIELD: 9 dozen

** For a festive appearance, sprinkle cookies with colored sugar before baking or forego the sugar and frost or glaze the cookies after they have baked and cooled.  .

CHOCOLATE DIPPED LOG COOKIES
1 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons brandy
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped pecans
Powdered sugar
Melted milk chocolate

Cream butter.  Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
Add brandy, vanilla and salt; mix well.
Add flour, stirring until blended.  Stir in pecans.

Shape dough into 1-1/2 x 1/2 inch logs.  Place two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 325° F. for 15 to 20 minutes.  Cookies should not brown.

While warm, roll cookies lightly in (or dust with) powdered sugar. Place on wire racks to cool.  When completely cool, dip one end of cookie in melted chocolate.  Let stand on wax paper until set.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

TIGER'S BUTTER

1 cup melted milk chocolate
1 cup melted white chocolate
1 cup smooth peanut butter

Melt milk chocolate and white chocolate in separate double boilers over 120° F. water. Stir peanut butter into melted white chocolate until blended and smooth. Gently swirl melted milk chocolate into the white chocolate/peanut butter mixture.

Ways to serve: 
Pour into a wax-paper lined baking dish. Chill then cut into squares.

Pour into candy molds. Chill then pop out onto wax-paper.

Spread onto wax-paper lined baking sheets. Chill then break into "bark" pieces.

*Your family will fight for the right to lick this bowl!

Are you creating special holiday treats in your kitchen this Christmas?  Did you gain your love of cooking/baking from someone special? Are you passing along that knowledge by being a mentor to someone else?  Share your memories with me for a chance to win! Earn a bonus chance by sharing a recipe.

One randomly chosen person leaving a comment will receive a package of books from my conference stash. (U.S. only) 

One randomly chosen international comment will receive a book of your choice from bookdepository.com. Maximum value of $10 U.S. 

Winners will be chosen from all comments posted by 11:00PM (ET), December 15, 2017. 

Throwback Thursday Review - - Open Country

In a recent interview, I was asked to list my top ten favorite romances. One of the books on my list is Open Country by Kaki Warner. This western historical romance is the second book Warner published and the second story in her award-winning Blood Rose Trilogy. Open Country was a 2011 RITA® finalist and the first story in the trilogy, Pieces of Sky won the 2011 Rita® award. I thought it would be fun to post the review I wrote of Open Country when it was originally published in June, 2010.  This is a book that has stood the test of time for this reader. I'm still in love with these characters six years after first reading their story. 

If you're interested, here's the link to the interview I did with Kimberly Rocha of Book Obsessed Chicks Book Club when she named me one of her "Cheerleaders for Romance." 




Open Country
Blood Rose Trilogy – Book #2
By Kaki Warner
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Release Date: June 1, 2010

Molly McFarlane is as desperate as a woman can get – even one alone on the frontier. Forced to flee with her late sister’s children, she must provide for her wards while outrunning the relentless trackers their vicious stepfather has set on her trail. To secure their future, she marries a badly injured man, assuming that when he dies his insurance settlement will provide all they need. But there is one small problem.

The man doesn’t die.

Since she was thirteen years old, Molly McFarlane has been assisting her famous surgeon father in the care of Civil War soldiers and taking care of herself. She’s never had a social life, never been courted by a young man and now, at twenty-six, she finds herself on the run with two young children. Far from their Georgia home, they are lucky to escape serious injury when the train on which they’re riding derails in Texas. Desperate for money to keep the children safe, when Molly hears that the train company will pay the families of the dead $300, she pretends to be the fiancé of a fellow train passenger who is seriously injured and not expected to survive and, when they won’t pay a fiancé, she convinces the local minister to marry them, even though the groom is unconscious. But, when she realizes that there’s a chance the man might live, and the only doctor in town is a drunk who’s convinced he’ll die, her conscience and her many years of nursing won’t let her walk away.

Hank Wilkins is a complex, quiet man. He’s content to run the family ranch with his brother, Brady and visit the local brothel when he needs “attention.” Having his heart smashed to pieces by a fickle woman has destroyed his trust and he has no interest in giving love, or marriage, a second chance. Following the train crash in which he is almost killed, Hank awakens with amnesia, his only memory the sweet, southern voice of a woman who says she’s his wife.

A figure moved closer. A woman. She bent close and spoke in a calm, soothing voice. “You’re safe, Henry. Stay calm. I’m here to help you.” 

Who the hell was Henry?

Her voice was familiar, but her face was only a blue. He tried to remember, but the effort sent him sliding back toward the void. Terror thundered through him. “Don’t go,” he choked out as blackness pressed against the edges of his vision.

“I won’t. I’m here.”

He felt her hand on his cheek, her palm cool and soft against his skin.

“You’re safe, Henry. You’re all right. I won’t leave you, I promise.”

Her touch was his lifeline, her voice his beacon. In desperation, he clung to it with all of his mind as the smothering darkness sucked him under.

Feeling guilty for what she’s done, Molly tells Hank’s brother, Brady, that she will have her marriage to Hank annulled but while Brady doesn’t trust Molly, he quickly realizes that she’s his brother’s best chance of survival. Not only that, but he’s terrified that his pregnant wife will have complications as she did with her last pregnancy so he convinces (blackmails) Molly to travel with them to their remote family ranch and stay until Hank is healed and Jessica has safely delivered their baby. Grasping the opportunity to keep the children safe, Molly accepts, never expecting to fall in love, not only with Hank but with his entire family.

While Hank and Molly have plenty of life experience, when it comes to love and romance, they are both as awkward as newborn chicks, as is evidenced in the following two internal monologues as they each contemplate the rituals of courting.

     It was starting to sound less fun by the minute. He didn’t like courting. He didn’t know how to act or what to say, and the one time he’d tried it – other than with Molly, apparently – he’d felt big and awkward and clumsy. So much easier if he could just say, “We’re married. Take off your clothes.” Neat and simple.

He glanced at her, wondering if he should give it a try.

Her expression said not.

Just as well. He wasn’t feeling that perky.

     Courting. What did that mean, exactly? What was she supposed to do? Did she even have the proper clothes? It was ludicrous, really, that at the spinsterish age of twenty-six all those adolescent yearnings and doubts should grip her so strongly.

Would he recite poetry? Tell her she was beautiful?

The notion almost made her laugh. Romantic words from the man who had wrestled her over a chamber pot? Not likely.

As time passes and Molly and Hank grow closer, they both learn to open themselves to the possibility of love and trust between them. Molly yearns to truly belong to this man…this family…this beautiful but unforgiving land. But with the secret of their sham marriage, the knowledge that Hank’s memory could return at any moment and a madman closing in for the kill, the question becomes not whether Hank will forgive her and love and accept her as his wife but if any of them will live long enough to see tomorrow.

I loved this story! Kaki Warner grabbed me from the opening of the book and never let me go. Even now, days after turning the final page, I’m still thinking about the characters from this intensely emotional and realistic frontier story. Not just Molly and Hank, but the whole family. I came to care about all of them and hope to see them again in the next book in this series. The secondary characters in Open Country are a colorful cast and very important to the story, especially Molly’s niece and nephew. The scenes between six-year-old Penny and “papa-Hank” are some of the best in the book and had me laughing uproariously in some and wiping away tears in others. Fans of Warner’s first book, Pieces of Sky will be delighted to discover that Brady, Jessica and their children are featured prominently in Open Country.

Several friends recommended that I read Kaki Warner’s debut novel, Pieces of Sky, when it was released in January. I haven’t found the time to read it yet but, now that I’ve finished her second book, Open Country, I’ll be correcting that oversight as soon as possible. Warner is a fresh new voice in historical romance who, through her vivid descriptions, compelling characters and smoothly flowing prose, brings the American Western frontier, with all its harshness and beauty, to life. I highly recommend Open Country!

~PJ

Are you a re-reader? 

What books have stood the test of time for you?

Have you read Open Country?

Throwback Thursday Winner

Thanks for traveling back to the 

2009 Washington, DC RWA National Conference with me.

The winner of this week's package of books is:

MsAwesome

Congratulations!

Please send your full name and mailing address to me at:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

(U.S. addresses only)

Throwback Thursday - - RWA National

Three years after my initial RWA experience in Atlanta (click here to read), I traveled to Washington, DC to attend my first complete conference as a registered participant. By the time July, 2009 rolled around, I had been reviewing books at an online site for almost a year and was excited to learn as much as I could from workshops while also meeting the authors whose books I'd enjoyed reading and other readers I'd "met" online. I volunteered to work the registration desk at that first conference and I strongly encourage anyone attending a conference for the first time to consider doing the same. It's a great way to meet people as they check in for the conference, especially when you're wearing that "first-timer" ribbon! Here are a few of the many highlights of my Washington, DC RWA National Conference.

They traveled from the other side of the world and I'm not sure anyone there was more excited to meet them in person than I was. Here's a picture of me with two of my favorite Aussies, the incomparable Anna Campbell and Christine Wells/Christina Brooke. Have you checked out Anna's new novella, Three Proposals and a Scandal? It's deliciously good!












You can not spend time with Cathy Maxwell, Suzanne Enoch and Karen Hawkins without smiling. It just isn't possible. 

The lovely Robyn Carr treated Virgin River fans to a Jack's Bar luncheon and a fabulous time was had by all! Robyn's upcoming Thunder Point novel, A New Hope was reviewed by Janga yesterday.








I stalked...er...um...stumbled upon...that's right...I stumbled upon the fabulous J.R. Ward while  
walking down the hallway between workshops and begged...no, that sounds desperate...graciously asked...yeah, that's better...I graciously asked her to sign a book for my niece. At least I think that's what I asked. My memories are clouded by the babbling...lots of babbling. Thankfully, she took pity on me, agreed to sign the book and also posed for a photo. She rocks! She also has a new contemporary series kicking off this summer with the July 28th release of The Bourbon Kings. I've read an advanced copy of the book and it is fabulous!

Toni Blake and Julie Anne Long are people I always look forward to seeing and their books are at the top of my "must read" lists. This was my first time meeting them in person and they both treated me as if we were long-time friends. They're just the best!

















Joanna Bourne with the RITA she won for My Lord and Spymaster. She was a double finalist that year. What a fascinating woman and exceptional author!

With Victoria Alexander at one of the publisher parties. Such a lovely lady!

I adore Anne Gracie. Not only is she one of my favorite authors but she's also one of the nicest and most interesting people I've had the pleasure of meeting. And she has that wonderful love of life and sense of humor that seem to be woven into the DNA of all our friends from Down Under. Are you reading her Chance Sisters series? The third book in the quartet, The Spring Bride was released earlier this month and it's wonderful. The hero, Zachary Black stole my heart!

Kristan Higgins, who not only writes great books but also gives great hugs!













Marie Force with the book that started it all. She's worked hard for her success and I couldn't be happier for her!

Tessa Dare and Goddess of the Hunt. What fun to have your debut book sell out at your first RWA Literacy Signing!

The Romance Bandits know how to write great books and they especially know how to party!








Those are a few of the highlights from today's Throwback Thursday to RWA 2009. Be sure to stop by next Friday for a look back at 2010's RWA Disney!


What's your favorite romance sub-genre? Historical? Contemporary? Something else?

Have you ever been to Washington, DC? What was your favorite part of the trip?

What author would you most like to stalk...er...meet in person?

What's the farthest you've traveled?

I have a package of books for one person who leaves a comment on today's post. (U.S. addresses only)

Throwback Thursday Winners

Congratulations to the two winners from my

Throwback Thursday RWA 2006 post:

Laurie G

and

Lil

Please send your full name and mailing address to me at:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Throwback Thursday - - RWA National

In 2006, the Romance Writers of America national conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia and I was going to the Literacy Autographing that is traditionally held the night before the conference begins and is open to the public. Though I'd been reading romance for many years by that time, this was my first opportunity to meet the people from whose imaginations some of my favorite characters and stories had sprung. Living an easy two hours drive away, how could I pass on the chance to thank them for all the years of reading pleasure they had given me? On Wednesday morning, I headed into Atlanta, not really knowing what to expect but filled with excitement for the day to come. Here are a few of my photographic memories from that first - but not last - RWA experience.

I had discovered Eloisa James through the Squawk Radio blog and was an active member of her bulletin board so, of course, when she offered to meet privately with some of her BB members Wednesday afternoon, I jumped at the chance. She was witty, gracious, down to earth and treated all of us as if we were old friends.  










Christie Ridgway, Barbara Freethy and Elizabeth Bevarly have personalities that light up the room. These three contemporary authors are fun to read and fun to be around! 

How can you not smile around Jacquie D'Alessandro? She charmed me with her warm and friendly personality and entertained me with tales of her parents. I walked away determined to buy every book she had written. 










The line was long but I was determined to meet Nora Roberts. A superstar she may be, but she was warm, gracious and showed her appreciation for each reader who took the time to stand in her line. 

A word of advice before meeting Connie Brockway: visit the restroom. Yes, she really will have you laughing that hard! 












One of the authors I was most looking forward to meeting. She ran out of books before I got to the front of the line but it actually worked in my favor as she had more time to chat. Christina Dodd is one of my favorite authors and people. If she writes it, I buy it. It's as easy as that. 

Speaking of people who make me laugh, here's Jenny Crusie and Bob Mayer. Crusie's books are keepers and include some of my all-time favorites.









One of the sweetest and kindest people on the planet who also has a wonderful sense of humor and just happens to be a fantastic author (and now, publisher)! When I introduced myself to Teresa Medeiros she jumped up, gave me a big ole hug and treated me like we'd known each other forever. That's just the kind of person she is. A side note: this photo was taken by the person (then a stranger) standing in front of me in line, a lovely lady who is now one of my dearest friends. You never know who you'll meet while standing in line at a romance book signing. Thank you, Teresa for introducing me to the wonderful J Perry Stone! 

Another long line but I was in love with the Bridgertons and wasn't about to leave without meeting Julia Quinn. What a beautiful smile and infectious personality this lovely lady has! She signed a copy of The Viscount Who Loved Me for my niece and wrote in it, "You have a wonderful aunt." Endeared me to her forever. *grin*









I don't think Susan Elizabeth Phillips has aged a day since this first meeting in 2006. She's a lovely, gracious lady with a zest for life and a wicked sense of humor that's awesome. Oh yeah, she's a pretty amazing author too!

I haven't been able to verify it yet but I'm convinced that somewhere, somehow, Karen Hawkins and I are related. Her family stories are so much like my own that we have to be cousins somewhere along the line! Love her humor, in her books and in real life. Simply put, she makes me smile. 










Cathie Linz succumbed to colon cancer earlier this year. She was a talented author and delightful woman who generously gave of herself to both the romance writing and reading communities. She was instrumental in creating the Librarian's Day at the RWA national conference. In recognition of her many contributions, RWA announced that, beginning this year, the annual Librarian of the Year award would be re-named the Cathie Linz Librarian of the Year. I had the opportunity to meet her a few times. She was so nice, friendly and deeply appreciative of all the readers who enjoyed her books. Library Journal called her books "hilarious and heartwarming." I couldn't agree more. 





Those are a few of my special memories from the 2006 RWA Literacy Autographing. Hope you enjoyed the walk down memory lane. 

~PJ

Have you ever attended a book signing?

What authors would you most like to meet?

Will you be at the 2015 RWA conference or book signing in New York City next month?

I'm clearing out my book stash before refilling it at this summer's conference. Two of you who leave comments on this post will receive a package of books from my stash. (U.S. only)

Throwback Thursday Review - - Open Country

Today's Throwback Thursday review turns back the calendar to May 2010 and my first book by an author who has since become one of my favorites. With Home by Morning, the final book in Kaki Warner's Heartbreak Creek series, being released in July, I thought this would be a good time to re-post my thoughts on Open Country, the book that began my love affair with this award-winning author's work. 

~PJ


Open Country
Blood Rose Trilogy – Book #2
By Kaki Warner
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Release Date: June 1, 2010

Molly McFarlane is as desperate as a woman can get – even one alone on the frontier. Forced to flee with her late sister’s children, she must provide for her wards while outrunning the relentless trackers their vicious stepfather has set on her trail. To secure their future, she marries a badly injured man, assuming that when he dies his insurance settlement will provide all they need. But there is one small problem.


The man doesn’t die.



Since she was thirteen years old, Molly McFarlane has been assisting her famous surgeon father in the care of Civil War soldiers and taking care of herself. She’s never had a social life, never been courted by a young man and now, at twenty-six, she finds herself on the run with two young children. Far from their Georgia home, they are lucky to escape serious injury when the train on which they’re riding derails in Texas. Desperate for money to keep the children safe, when Molly hears that the train company will pay the families of the dead $300, she pretends to be the fiancé of a fellow train passenger who is seriously injured and not expected to survive and, when they won’t pay a fiancé, she convinces the local minister to marry them, even though the groom is unconscious. But, when she realizes that there’s a chance the man might live, and the only doctor in town is a drunk who’s convinced he’ll die, her conscience and her many years of nursing won’t let her walk away. 

Hank Wilkins is a complex, quiet man. He’s content to run the family ranch with his brother, Brady and visit the local brothel when he needs “attention.” Having his heart smashed to pieces by a fickle woman has destroyed his trust and he has no interest in giving love, or marriage, a second chance. Following the train crash in which he is almost killed, Hank awakens with amnesia, his only memory the sweet, southern voice of a woman who says she’s his wife. 

A figure moved closer. A woman. She bent close and spoke in a calm, soothing voice. “You’re safe, Henry. Stay calm. I’m here to help you.” 

Who the hell was Henry?

Her voice was familiar, but her face was only a blue. He tried to remember, but the effort sent him sliding back toward the void. Terror thundered through him. “Don’t go,” he choked out as blackness pressed against the edges of his vision.

“I won’t. I’m here.”

He felt her hand on his cheek, her palm cool and soft against his skin.

“You’re safe, Henry. You’re all right. I won’t leave you, I promise.”

Her touch was his lifeline, her voice his beacon. In desperation, he clung to it with all of his mind as the smothering darkness sucked him under.

Feeling guilty for what she’s done, Molly tells Hank’s brother, Brady, that she will have her marriage to Hank annulled but while Brady doesn’t trust Molly, he quickly realizes that she’s his brother’s best chance of survival. Not only that, but he’s terrified that his pregnant wife will have complications as she did with her last pregnancy so he convinces (blackmails) Molly to travel with them to their remote family ranch and stay until Hank is healed and Jessica has safely delivered their baby. Grasping the opportunity to keep the children safe, Molly accepts, never expecting to fall in love, not only with Hank but with his entire family. 

While Hank and Molly have plenty of life experience, when it comes to love and romance, they are both as awkward as newborn chicks, as is evidenced in the following two internal monologues as they each contemplate the rituals of courting.

     It was starting to sound less fun by the minute. He didn’t like courting. He didn’t know how to act or what to say, and the one time he’d tried it – other than with Molly, apparently – he’d felt big and awkward and clumsy. So much easier if he could just say, “We’re married. Take off your clothes.” Neat and simple.

He glanced at her, wondering if he should give it a try.

Her expression said not.

Just as well. He wasn’t feeling that perky.

     Courting. What did that mean, exactly? What was she supposed to do? Did she even have the proper clothes? It was ludicrous, really, that at the spinsterish age of twenty-six all those adolescent yearnings and doubts should grip her so strongly.

Would he recite poetry? Tell her she was beautiful?

The notion almost made her laugh. Romantic words from the man who had wrestled her over a chamber pot? Not likely.

As time passes and Molly and Hank grow closer, they both learn to open themselves to the possibility of love and trust between them. Molly yearns to truly belong to this man…this family…this beautiful but unforgiving land. But with the secret of their sham marriage, the knowledge that Hank’s memory could return at any moment and a madman closing in for the kill, the question becomes not whether Hank will forgive her and love and accept her as his wife but if any of them will live long enough to see tomorrow.

I loved this story! Kaki Warner grabbed me from the opening of the book and never let me go. Even now, days after turning the final page, I’m still thinking about the characters from this intensely emotional and realistic frontier story. Not just Molly and Hank, but the whole family. I came to care about all of them and hope to see them again in the next book in this series. The secondary characters in Open Country are a colorful cast and very important to the story, especially Molly’s niece and nephew. The scenes between six-year-old Penny and “papa-Hank” are some of the best in the book and had me laughing uproariously in some and wiping away tears in others. Fans of Warner’s first book, Pieces of Sky will be delighted to discover that Brady, Jessica and their children are featured prominently in Open Country. 

Several friends recommended that I read Kaki Warner’s debut novel, Pieces of Sky, when it was released in January. I haven’t found the time to read it yet but, now that I’ve finished her second book, Open Country, I’ll be correcting that oversight as soon as possible. Warner is a fresh new voice in historical romance who, through her vivid descriptions, compelling characters and smoothly flowing prose, brings the American Western frontier, with all its harshness and beauty, to life. I highly recommend Open Country!

~PJ

Have you read Kaki Warner yet?

Do you have a favorite among her books?

Do you enjoy historical stories set in the American West?

Home by Morning is on my "highly anticipated" summer reading list. What new books are you looking forward to this summer?

I have a signed copy of Kaki Warner's 2015 Rita-nominated book, Where the Horses Run for one randomly selected person who leaves a comment on today's post. (U.S. only)

Throwback Thursday - - Heartbreak Creek

PJ here. One of my favorite things as a reader is to find a new author who blows my socks off with her debut book but when that happens, it always makes me a little nervous about how much I’ll like her second book.  Will I be as enthusiastic or will I suffer the much dreaded second book let-down?  You can imagine how over-the-moon excited I was when all three books in Kaki Warner's debut Blood Rose Trilogy were five-star reads for me. (and Warner went on to be a double finalist and winner in the 2011 RITA® awards)  Warner's second series, set in Heartbreak Creek, Colorado has continued to carry her high standard of excellence, drawing readers more deeply into the lives of her characters in the small western frontier town with each book published and earning more awards for Warner, including another RITA® final. With the last book in the series, the highly anticipated story of Thomas and Pru, two beloved characters introduced in Heartbreak Creek, coming out in July, I thought this would be a good time to revisit Janga's 2011 review of the first book in the series, Heartbreak Creek. I highly recommend the entire series and, like Janga, am eagerly anticipating the long-awaited conclusion to a tumultuous journey of love we've now been following for four years. 



Heartbreak Creek
By Kaki Warner
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: July 5, 2011

The world that Edwina Ladoux was reared to inhabit is gone. All that remains of the once prominent Whitney family is “a weed-choked cotton plantation sold for back taxes, her father’s watch, and a graveyard full of new markers.” There’s no place for Southern belles in a Reconstruction Louisiana filled with carpetbaggers and desperation, and so Edwina agrees to marriage by proxy to a man she knows only from his ad in the Matrimonial News and the tintype he sent her along with a bank draft and railroad vouchers that will get her to Heartbreak Creek, Colorado. With a mixed bag of memories and her half-sister, Prudence, the offspring of Edwina’s father and a Rose Hill slave he loved but could not marry, Edwina sets out to meet her new husband—and her new life.

Declan Brodie has no idea what’s in store for him. A widower who needs, as his ad specified, a “sturdy English-speaking woman to help with mountain ranch and four children,” Brodie finds himself instead with a too-thin beauty whose only skill is sewing and who is ill equipped to care for his uncontrollable children. He’s not too sure of her sanity either, and his attraction to her is making him question his own.

Edwina and Declan have agreed on a three-month trial, and amid chaos and confrontations, conversations and kisses, the two fall in love. There’s a memorable moment about a third of the way into the book when Edwina recalls her life before it was shattered by war and recognizes the promise of her new life:

In better times, Edwina had worn gowns of lace and satin and brocade. She had adorned herself with costly jewels, rather than a single garnet ring that had once belonged to her grandmother. She had walked down elegant staircases under fine crystal chandeliers that shimmered with the glittering light of a dozen candles. Yet now, as she descended the uncarpeted staircase of the rustic Heartbreak Creek Hotel, dressed in an outdated frock and a borrowed shawl and wearing a simple ribbon in her hair, she felt as shaky and breathless as a debutante headed to her first ball.

As Edwina, the displaced Southern belle, becomes Ed, the ranch woman, she falls in love with the Brodie children as well. Just when it seems that happily ever after is within reach, the first Mrs. Declan Brodie reappears. While Ed and her no-longer husband are dealing with this complication, Lone Tree, an Arapaho obsessed with his need for revenge against Declan, proves a more deadly threat to their happiness.

Heartbreak Creek is the first book in Warner’s Runaway Brides series, and based on the series debut, I expect the new series to be as stellar as her Blood Rose trilogy. Edwina and Declan are wonderful characters, smart, courageous, and genuine. Each has an interesting history, a balance of strengths and flaws, and a rich sense of humor. Both have their reasons for being wary of marriage, but gradually, through emotional and physical intimacy, they learn to trust and to love one another. Watching them become more together than they are separately is a delight.

Warner also includes a colorful assortment of secondary and tertiary characters. In less skillful hands, the Brodie children might have become an inseparable blend of incorrigibility, but Warner makes big brother R.D., trickster Joe Bill, quiet scholar Lucas, and indefatigable Brin distinct and endearing personalities. Pru is perhaps the most compelling among the secondary characters because the reader knows there is so much more to her story than the blend of strength, intelligence, and vulnerability that we see in this first book. Maddie Wallace and Lucinda Hathaway are also fascinating characters, as is Thomas Redstone, Declan’s Cheyenne friend. Add to these some quirky locals, Heartbreak Creek itself (a mining town in danger of becoming a ghost town), and a West where, despite the laughter and tenderness that fill this book, danger—from nature and humans—is real. The result is another extraordinary book from Kaki Warner, who may be turning those persistent rumors of a Western romance revival into fact.

~Janga

If you'd like to catch up with the series before this summer's release of Home by Morning, here are the books set in Heartbreak Creek, in order:

Heartbreak Creek - RITA® finalist
Colorado Dawn
Bride of the High Country
Behind His Blue Eyes
Where the Horses Run
Home by Morning

And if you'd like to read Warner's first trilogy, those books are, in order:

Pieces of Sky - RITA® winner
Open Country - RITA® finalist
Chasing the Sun