Cynthia Sterling
Sterling, Cynthia - GREAT CAESAR'S GHOST (Jove - 1/00) (4)
Setting: Texas, 1893
Caesar Hawkins, owner and operator of Great Caesar's Medicine Show, had an "unfortunate accident" and is now a ghost. But
that doesn't interfere with his plans to find a wife for his son, Jed, who has taken over the selling of Great Caesar's Celebrated Curative. When Caesar spots a pretty woman at the fairgrounds, he tricks her into his wagon, and Jed drags her onstage to help
sell the potion.
Nixie is a practical person who considers Jed just another "snake oil salesman." Her father is a doctor, so when she leaves, she takes a bottle of the curative with her to have it analyzed. Imagine her surprise when Jed shows up in her small hometown of Welcome Springs to retrieve the potion, which he needs because Nixie took the last bottle of the "secret ingredient." When Jed finds out that her young brothers have emptied the contents, Caesar persuades him to stay the three weeks it will take to have more sent.
Caesar has definite plans for getting his son and Nixie together, and although the two fall in love, Nixie has good reason for distrusting men. Her practical nature also makes it hard for her to believe that a traveling man like Jed could ever put down roots. When it's time for Jed to move on, he has to decide if his traveling days are over or not—a choice he makes with some last advice from Caesar.
GREAT CAESAR'S GHOST is a lighthearted romance that features a meddlesome ghost, a talking bird, a cast of likable characters, and even a sweet secondary romance, which makes this book a fun addition to the Haunting Hearts line. ~Karen Witkowski for Bookbug on the Web
Sterling, Cynthia - PATCHWORK HEARTS (Jove - 1999) (3+)
Ex-Yankee soldier Trace Abernathy has come to the small
Texas town of Elm Ridge, determined to begin a new life—a life that many of the townspeople are just as determined to make short and not so sweet. Just having this healthy, seemingly whole man in their midst is galling to the "true" Southern sons who fought for the Confederacy, some of whom still can't quite believe the war is over. Lucy O'Connor feels like a square peg in a round hole herself. Although she knows she should be concerned with finding herself a husband and finishing her bridal quilt (a lot of interesting folklore surrounding single women and patchwork quilts is mentioned in the story), her compulsion to make money in order to provide herself with a safe, secure future is the overriding need in her life. Although sparks of awareness seem to fly between Lucy and Trace when they first meet, both
are sure they are destined for a single life. It takes a few
plot twists and turns to convince them otherwise.
Ms. Sterling makes her debut with a sweet story about two very strong-willed and determined people who have to overcome some incredible issues, both personally and publicly, in order to find out that what they really need is each other. Although some of the plotting was a bit farfetched at times, generally the story flowed well and held my interest. One thing that I especially liked was the slowly developing relationship between the hero and heroine. I recommend PATCHWORK HEARTS to readers who enjoy a post-Civil War setting and a warm Americana romance. ~Connie Ramsdell for Bookbug on the Web
Sterling, Cynthia - WILLING SPIRIT, A (Jove Haunting Hearts - 1999) (4+) Tessa Bright has more grit and determination than most, but a broken arm has effectively put an end to her solo effort to maintain her sprawling Texas ranch. The hard work has already taken its toll on her, and Tessa knows she has to find some help in order to save the ranch. She needs a willing, able-bodied man, but such help is going to be difficult to find, given the local people's past reaction to her. Even the death of her husband, Will, the year before hasn't changed their mean-spirited attitude; but there is another significant matter with which she has to deal. Strictly speaking, Tessa isn't really alone at the homestead. She has, in fact, been getting an abundance of advice from a rather unusual source. It seems her good-hearted, if rather possessive, late husband hasn't entirely left the premises...or Tessa.
When Micah Fox comes walking up the lane, with a saddle slung over one shoulder and looking gaunt and ready to collapse, neither Tessa nor the ever-hovering Will thinks he is a likely candidate for the position of hired hand. The man is obviously not strong enough, and having a half-breed drifter around would only cause her more grief with the townspeople. But Tessa impulsively decides, much to Will's annoyance, that a fed and rested Micah might very well be the answer to her manpower shortage. Long accustomed to not fitting in anywhere, and accurately reading the situation (although unaware that the silver-haired "recluse" he'd spoken to earlier was really a ghost), Micah agrees to stick around for a while and give the lady a much needed hand. What neither of them anticipates, however, is the soul-deep bond that will blossom between them. Even Will's possessive spirit and the prejudices of the town can't keep Tessa and Micah apart in the end.
Except for a minor editing glitch or two, A WILLING SPIRIT is one of the best ghost stories I've read in a long time. The plot line is imaginative and as believable as can be, considering the paranormal aspect; and the author's characterizations are so well rendered that I found myself cheering on the good guys and booing the bad ones. Don't expect to be kept awake at night by haunting, ghoulish images though. Will Bright's specter is everything a proper ghost should be, but there are no eerie clanking chains or creepy moans in this otherworldly tale. A WILLING SPIRIT is a fun ghost story, overlaid with a deeper message about acceptance and kindness of spirit, that made for a highly entertaining and sweetly sensual read. ~Connie Ramsdell for Bookbug on the Web
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