DEAR PENELOPE

Author: Sharon Ihle ISBN: 0843955996 9/2005 HISTORICAL Publisher: DORCHESTER
Time Period: 1896

Dear Penelope, My intended left me for another woman after I traveled to a strange town to marry him. Is leaving him without certain parts of his anatomy letting him off too easy? --Signed, Angry in Emancipation, Wyoming Dear Angry in Emancipation, You need to cut all ties with your former beau-not cut off parts of him to which you no longer have a claim! When my fiancé jilted me, I was left alone and penniless. Luckily, I was offered a position as a hostess at a reputable saloon. Perhaps proposing marriage to its owner was a tad rash, but I had to ensure my family didn't drag me back to Kansas City. And my soon-to-be husband handled the arrival of my overprotective brother and well-intentioned but misguided father with true grace. As well, he barely blinked an eye at the machinations of my amorous ex- fiancé. A word to the wise, though: A marriage of convenience can be anything but. Proceed with caution. --Happier than I ever imagined, Penelope

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Ok, so I think it is safe to say that Sebastian is my all time favorite hero name. Every time I read a book in which the hero's name is Sebastian, I know that I will absolutely love it. There is just no way for a man with that name to be a bore. DEAR PENELOPE has got to be one of the most entertaining books I have read in a long time, right up there with any Vicki Lewis Thompson book. All of the characters in DEAR PENELOPE have a unique personality and they all shine in their own way. Of course, nobody overshadows the relationship between our hero and heroine, Lucy and Seb.

Lucy is having a bad day. She has almost been trampled by horses, has been dumped by her spineless ninny of a boyfriend after traveling to a lonely town to marry him, and now has nowhere to live and only five dollars in her pocket—not even enough money to get her home. She impetuously walks into the saloon owned by one Sebastian Cole, demanding retribution for her hat that was ruined when she was nearly trampled. Lucy has no idea what she has just gotten herself into.

When Lucy walks into Seb's saloon, he knows that he wants to kiss her and that she is the prettiest little thing that he has ever seen. So, he offers her a job to help her out of her troubles. He has a weakness for damsels in distress and decides that Lucy needs a protector. He never dreams that when Lucy's family decides to come to town, his life is going to turn upside down.

Sharon Ihle is a master storyteller. She kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next. When she threw together a bunch of woman in pants, a gorgeous saloon owner, a beautiful heroine with a nutty family and group of suffragists, she had to have known she was going to have a winner. And, oh, what a wonderful combination it is.

Kristal Gorman