Tuesday, September 20, 2011

A Bride Most Begrudging by Deanne Gist

I discovered Gist earlier this year and have been charmed by her writing ever since.  A Bride Most Begrudging did not disappoint.

Lady Constance Morrow sneaks on board a ship bound to America with criminals of the crown... one being her beloved Uncle.  Before she is able to slip back on shore, she is discovered and kidnapped by the unscrupulous captain who is hauling a load of "tobacco brides" along with the criminals.  After a rigorous voyage, Constance finds herself in America and on the block sold to a swarthy farmer ready to bed his wife and produce children.  Fortunately, Drew O'Connor has seen her plight and wins her contract in a game of cards. But Drew is not looking for a wife. He's gone that route before. He needs a woman to cook and clean and care for his younger sister.  He does not find that in Constance, who has no idea how to do any housework.

Forced to marry to preserve moral statutes in the settlement, Constance and Drew find themselves in an awkward situation.  Over time, Constance learns to cook and clean and other wifely duties.. and over time she and Drew learn to open their hearts and let love in.

A Killer Stitch by Maggie Sefton

Book 4 in the Knitting Mysteries series. Guess what? I loved this book. LOL!  I have loved every book in this series. Fun characters... good storylines... charming setting... my kind of cozy mystery.

In A Killer Stitch,  a local fella is found dead... one who apparently wooed many a lady in Ft. Connor including The House of Lambspun's newest instructor, Lucy Adair.  Lucy quickly becomes the prime suspect, but Kelly can't see it... not mild mannered Lucy.  So she decides to do a bit of digging to clear her friend's name and find the truth.

Read these books in order... there are storylines that carry from book to book like Kelly's relationship with Steve.