Lorraine Heath
Heath, Lorraine - ALWAYS TO REMEMBER (Jove - 1996) (4+)
Books don't usually make me cry, but parts of this one nearly broke my heart! I wanted to reach out and hug the hero, Clay, as hard as I could. I tried to keep in mind that it wasn't unusual for people to have so much hatred for one another in the aftermath of the Civil War, but I felt like screaming, "wake up—he's wonderful!" Clay was committed to his beliefs and so caring of others. ALWAYS TO REMEMBER was quite the emotional roller coaster for me. ~Katie (katie@dns.gpbx.net)
Heath, Lorraine - ROGUE IN TEXAS, A (Avon - 4/99) (5)
After the American Civil War, a group of young Englishmen travel to Texas to find the fortune that awaits them. In actuality, their privileged fathers paid Benjamin Winslow a handsome sum to transport the wayward bunch of lads to America and make men out of them. Most are second-born sons who will not inherit a title, so they are far from pleased when they discover their "fortune" is none other than Fortune, Texas! Due to an absence of able-bodied men after the war, their fate is to work the cotton fields; and Abigail Westland and her sister are among those who paid Mr. Winslow a fee to find workers for their struggling farms.
Abbie, a young widow with three children, provides food and shelter for one of the workers, Grayson Rhodes, but the handsome "foreigner" soon proves to be a curious distraction. She doesn't know what to make of Gray's playful, flirtatious nature, even though he claims to be a harmless rogue. He stirs up feelings she has never experienced and his presence makes her uncomfortable, but his attention to the children and his earnest, hardworking attempts to help with the farm gain her admiration. Gradually she learns to trust him...and her heart.
As the illegitimate and unwanted son of a Duke, Gray grew up without the love and respect he craved. Not only is he attracted to the lovely widow, he is intrigued by her. Abbie's strong sense of pride, determination and loyalty to her family inspire him to look within, and it's glaringly apparent that he lacks any real purpose and commitment in life. The need to "belong" has never been greater, but will he get that chance when Abbie's past comes back to haunt her?
I had very high expectations when I opened this book because Lorraine Heath has never disappointed me, so I was relieved and very pleased to discover another keeper. As is the norm when I read this author's work, I gobbled up each and every word and often found myself lingering over an insightful comment or clever analogy. I really appreciate the amount of thought Ms. Heath puts into her writing. The story line of A ROGUE IN TEXAS captured my interest immediately, and one heartbeat later, I fell in love with the characters. The sparkling humor, old-fashioned wisdom and Americana charm, and the tender, emotional scenes touched my heart and brought warm smiles (and a few chuckles). Passion, hope and need, conflict, loss, human bonding, faith and acceptance, love...and the very essence of life—you'll find it all in this beautifully written romance. Lorraine Heath is one of the genre's most talented and consistent authors, and the next book in the Rogue trilogy can't come soon enough for me! ~June Folk for Bookbug on the Web
Heath, Lorraine - TEXAS DESTINY (Topaz - 1997) (5)
This is a powerful love story. The hero is disfigured from the Civil War and has a very low opinion of himself. He is sent to bring home his brother's mail-order bride. On the journey (about five weeks on the trail), Amelia discovers he is a very caring, tender person, and she helps him find himself again. Wonderful, tender, heart-warming. Don't read ahead--this book keeps you in suspense until the very end. ~Carol C. (angelca@ibm.net)
Heath, Lorraine - TEXAS GLORY (Topaz - 1998) (5)
Second in Heath's Texas trilogy, this book tells the story of the eldest brother, Dallas. As a result of being forced to be second-in-command to his father during the Civil War, Dallas has forgotten how to ask anyone for anything. Hard and gruff on the surface, he is feared by most people. He has succeeded in everything he's attempted, but now he desires a son to carry on the empire he built. The problem is there are no women in the territory to marry. He learns that his thieving neighbors, the McQueens, have a sister; and after a night of fighting and shooting over land/water rights, Dallas bargains to trade these rights if he can marry Cordelia—sight unseen.
Cordelia was kept like a prisoner in her own home and sorely mistreated by her brothers and father. Since she was not allowed outside, she had never even experienced the simple pleasures of life, like seeing a sunset or a sunrise. She was taught that Dallas was a liar and a greedy thief, so now she feels she has been sold to him for land, and she is absolutely terrified.
It is a treat to watch Heath's development of these characters. Cordelia, a meek, frightened young girl, grows into a strong, spirited, yet graceful woman. Dallas' gruff front is destroyed and his gentle nature is uncovered. There is an additional twist of irony in the story as a young boy, Rawley, comes to live with them. You will shed some tears reading this book, but it is a delight to watch a marriage that seems doomed to failure come about with a happy ending. ~Carol C. (angelca@ibm.net)
Heath, Lorraine - TEXAS SPLENDOR (Topaz - 1/99) (4+)
Lorraine Heath has done it again. In this, the third and last
story in her Texas trilogy, she takes us back to the Old West (circa 1887) to continue the gritty, emotion-packed saga of the
enigmatic Leigh brothers.
Austin Leigh has spent the past five lonely and desolate years in prison, falsely accused of murder. Not that he didn't have murder in his heart that tragic night—the intent had surely been there, but someone else got to Boyd McQueen before he could. And in a cruel twist of fate, his sense of honor and integrity led him down the path to prison rather than besmirch his lady love's pristine reputation. Now free, his only thought is to return to Leighton to claim the lovely Becky Oliver for his own.
In the intervening years, however, Becky has found a new life with another man. Heartsick, hurting and desperate to clear his name, Austin leaves town on a quest to find the real murderer. Beginning to feel the effects of a knife wound received in an attack intended to kill him, he stumbles onto an isolated homestead stuck out in the middle of nowhere. When the young "boy" chopping wood in the farmyard transforms into a very comely and petite female, events are set in motion that will prove to be almost more than either of them can bear. Loree Grant had witnessed the brutal murders of her entire family, and although Austin coaxes her out of her self-imposed isolation to take her back to Leighton as his bride, she continues to hide a secret that could well prove to be the undoing of both of them.
Always the consummate storyteller, Ms. Heath has again used compassionately drawn characters, moving through a vivid and tightly written plot, to produce an unforgettable book. The strength of TEXAS SPLENDOR is such that it can surely stand alone, but I would recommend reading TEXAS DESTINY and TEXAS GLORY first. As past characters were interwoven into the fabric of the story, I was often taken back to scenes that made me feel as though I was visiting old friends. In fact, as I finished reading TEXAS SPLENDOR, I couldn't help but wish for a fourth and fifth book to continue this series. Two of the secondary characters, Rawley and Maggie, surely deserve their own stories, and I can only hope that we'll be seeing them both again in the future. If you've never read a romance by Lorraine Heath, the Texas Trilogy is a fine place to start, and I guarantee you'll be hooked on the work of this extremely talented author. ~Connie Ramsdell for Bookbug on the Web
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