Katie Rose - JoAnn Ross
Rose, Katie - CASE FOR ROMANCE, A (Bantam - 3/99) (4+)
Setting: 1894 Colorado
Twenty-eight-year-old spinster Emily Potter and her kitten, Dr. Watson, travel to Denver, Colorado following the murder of her father. Emily, a passionate fan of the fictional Sherlock Holmes and a keen practitioner of his investigative methods, plans to claim her inheritance and find out who murdered her father..and why.
Upon arriving at the house she inherited, Emily learns it is the town bordello, where her father had died alongside Rosie, one of the resident girls and his known lover. According to rumor, he had stolen a two-million dollar payroll from Wells Fargo, and after hiding it inside the bordello, someone looking for the gold had committed the murders. Emily's investigation meets opposition at every turn—with one exception. Staying close by and helping her is sexy preacher, Thomas Hall, who seems to know a bit too much about guns and the case in general.
Although Emily is living in a bordello, she is somewhat naive about what goes on between a man and a woman. Up until now, her life had been consumed working in her late mother's millinery shop, and society had considered her an oddity because of her unique talents in logic and deduction. Emily's lack of knowledge about intimate matters is soon remedied by the resident ghost, Rosie, who tutors her in the art of seduction. Our heroine discovers the nature of her femininity as the passion between her and Thomas flares. Emily can't help falling for the preacher, even though her suspicious mind tells her he's not who or what he claims to be...and that he might have had something to do with her father's death. However, united by passion and their feelings for each other, they eventually work together to uncover the truth—and keep each other alive in the process.
A CASE FOR ROMANCE is an intriguing and sensual read with a hunk of a hero, a heroine whose blend of naivete and logic is a delight, and a bawdy ghost who'll tug at your heart. I guarantee your eyes will mist when it's Rosie's turn to go to the light. My only regret is that this book doesn't begin a series featuring Emily and Thomas. I'm hooked on these characters! ~Debora Hosey for Bookbug on the Web
Ross, JoAnn - HOMEPLACE (Pocket - 3/99) (4+)
Raine Cantrell is a brilliant lawyer who has single-handedly
built a bright future for herself in a prestigious New York
City law firm. After receiving an urgent phone call from
one of the "stray" girls her eccentric grandmother is famous
for collecting, Raine is forced to drop everything and return
to her childhood home in Coldwater Cove, Washington to sort
out the mess. Arriving at her grandmother's house in the
pouring rain, she finds three teenaged girls barricaded
inside...and an army of police and press waiting outside.
Before the day is over she manages to defuse the tense situation, but only time will tell what the ultimate cost will be in regard to her life and career. By taking temporary responsibility for the girls, she is stepping back into a world of unresolved questions and painful memories that she had left behind years before. Raine is determined to quickly take care of the business at hand and return to her "real" life; however, these plans are quickly undermined when she unexpectedly finds herself attracted to Coldwater Cove's sheriff, Jack O'Halloran. Jack is a single parent struggling to raise his motherless daughter, Amy, and he has some very weighty issues to deal with himself. Considering his reaction to Raine, the strong emotional pull toward her just further complicates his already confused life.
In HOMEPLACE, author Joann Ross doesn't disappoint readers who are looking for romance—there are three satisfying romances in this story. Just as important to the story is the interplay between the heroine and a group of secondary female characters who gradually come to life with each turn of the page. These women of various ages, some related by blood and some not, are the fabric of a very strong matriarchal family, and it was a pleasure to get to know each of them. This multifaceted gem of a book had the power to move me to tears, as easily as it brought a smile to my face. If you love a story that impacts your emotions and stays with you long after you've finished reading, I highly recommend HOMEPLACE. ~Connie Ramsdell for Bookbug on the Web
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