Heidi Betts - Elizabeth Bevarly
Betts, Heidi - CINNAMON AND ROSES (Leisure - 1/00) (3)
Setting: Kansas, 1880s
Rebecca, the daughter of a prostitute and an unknown father,
grew up in the back room of a Kansas City brothel. At the age
of thirteen, when the madam declared her old enough to start "working," Rebecca ran away and never looked back. After she arrived in Leavenworth, Kansas, a kindhearted widow took the
girl into her home and taught her how to sew. When Widow Fitzgerald died years later, Rebecca inherited her small dresssmaker's shop.
The story begins when Rebecca is asked to sew an elaborate gown for the mistress of Caleb Adams, a wealthy New York businessman who is visiting his father in Leavenworth. When Caleb refuses to pay the hefty bill for his lover's gown, tempers ignite. The plain-jane seamstress reminds him of a "well-worn ragdoll," but her spirited nature captivates him. Caleb's sixteen-year-old sister notices his reaction to Rebecca and begins to do some matchmaking, and Caleb soon sends his mistress packing.
Even though Rebecca has vowed never to become like her mother, she is easily seduced one day when she walks in on Caleb during his bath. He offers to marry Rebecca, but her troubles are just beginning. Danger is lurking all around, and she must not only come to terms with her marriage, but also contend with jealousy and greed—and face her past once and for all.
Heidi Betts makes a promising debut with CINNAMON AND ROSES. Although the actions of the characters did not always ring true, I warmed up to the hero and heroine about midway through the book. Rebecca, in particular, won me over. All in all, CINNAMON AND ROSES is an entertaining, leisurely read with a sweet homespun flavor and a bit of spice. ~June Folk for Bookbug on the Web
Bevarly, Elizabeth - HER MAN FRIDAY (Avon - 1999) (4+)
Something shady has been going on for years at Kimball Technologies, and the board of directors' efforts to find the cagey culprit have thus far added up to a big fat zero. It's inconceivable that someone has been able to siphon off millions
of dollars in company revenue, virtually under their noses, and remain completely undetected for such a long time. When the board members decide the situation calls for some outside expertise, it's Leo Friday, ex-FBI agent turned fraud
investigator, who gets the call.
Mr. Friday does have the best reputation in the business for ferreting out corporate miscreants, but there's one small problem—he's a bit too well known. His very presence at Kimball Technologies would undoubtedly tip the board's hand that they're onto something fishy. But Leo is intrigued enough by the case (and the promise of a very healthy paycheck) to allow this very colorful bunch to dress him up in what they consider to be credible corporate camouflage. In short order, Mr. Leo Friday emerges from the boardroom with a whole new persona. He is now Leonard Freiberger, mild mannered, self-effacing (and hopefully invisible) company accountant.
Sporting his new look (although it's a bit tough on the macho man's ego), "Leonard" investigates all the obvious areas of the company, then expands his search to the very private domain of Mr. Schuyler Kimball, eccentric genius and founder of the company. This is where the story really gets interesting! Our hero has manufactured a plausible explanation to gain access to Ashling, the sprawling estate that is the reclusive billionaire's home, but where is the publicity-shy, globe-trotting gentleman? Nowhere in the immediate vicinity, to be sure; but it does seem that Mr. Kimball's genius for collecting colorful characters goes beyond the boardroom. Upon his arrival, Leo encounters yet another group of rather outlandish people, and numero uno on his newly expanded list of crazies (and possible suspects) has to be the beauteous Ms. Lily Rigby.
When Lily greets him at the door and introduces herself as Mr. Kimball's social secretary, there's just something about this whole setup that doesn't ring true. Women who look like she does, and who also appear to be a few cells short in the brain department, don't usually "live-in" just to take care of the boss's calendar. On second glance, however, it becomes apparent that Ms. Rigby is the caretaker of the entire Kimball household. Obviously, she has more than enough intelligence stored up in that beautiful head to handle all the details necessary to keep this bizarre family in line. In truth, Lily is much more than she appears to be, but we (along with Leo) don't find out the whole truth of the matter until much, much later. All the fun is getting there though!
Elizabeth Bevarly is a wonderfully gifted storyteller. Her lively tales never fail to lift my spirits and put a smile on my face. She takes seemingly normal situations and characters and brings them to life with quirky personality twists and delicious plot turns. Between the covers of her latest book, readers will find poignant and serious moments adroitly sprinkled in with the laughter and wit. If contemporary romps are your cuppa tea, HER MAN FRIDAY is the perfect choice any day of the week! ~Connie Ramsdell for Bookbug on the Web
Bevarly, Elizabeth - MY MAN PENDLETON (Avon - 1998) (5)
Whoooeeee, what a book!!! If you love fast-paced contemporary romance with witty dialogue and laugh-out-loud humor, MY MAN PENDLETON is for you. Be warned though—save it for a time when you have an uninterrupted few hours because it will keep you turning the pages 'til the very end.
Katherine "Kit" McClellan is the quintessential poor little rich girl. To her father and older brothers she is an off-kilter, slightly mad free spirit who just happens to hold the purse strings of the entire family fortune. To the bright young executives who work for the family owned business, however, she is a capricious, sometimes malicious sprite who is capable of more mayhem than a bull turned loose in a china shop. When the unflappable and staid Mr. Pendleton is hired by the family firm, he is initially delighted by his good fortune at landing such a plum job. But he soon finds out that ignorance is bliss when it comes to the "real" terms of his employment.
MY MAN PENDLETON is a terrific book that, at times, took me down memory lane to the slapstick TV comedies of the 50s. This roller-coaster ride of a story will take you from guffaws to sniffles, that often come simultaneously. I really, really loved this book and still get a smile on my face when I think about it. Elizabeth Bevarly is a brand new author for me, and hopefully, I'll be able to track down some of her previous books while I wait impatiently for her next "big" one. Enjoy! ~Connie Ramsdell for Bookbug on the Web
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