Never Love a Lawman

August 15, 2009
Surprised when she inherits a small but critical railroad spur, Rachel Bailey is appalled to learn that she has been cleverly manipulated by her late benefactor and must marry annoyingly attractive Sheriff Wyatt Cooper in order to keep it out of the wrong hands. Reluctant to doom the Colorado mining town that depends on the line, Rachel agrees to a strictly business partnership marriageuntil pent-up passion explodes between them and changes everything. A sympathetic, resolute heroine, a hero to die for, and a group of fascinating, exceptionally well-delineated secondary characters band together in a uniquely tolerant, closely knit town to defeat a soulless villain. VERDICT From the first sentence, Goodman hooks readers and rivets them in place with magnetic protagonists and just enough perfectly timed backstory revelations to keep the engaging plot on target. Goodman ("The Price of Desire") lives in West Virginia. See what the prolific author has to say for herself, p. 60.

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2009
There is no way Rachel Bailey will agree to the terms of Clinton Maddoxs will. Its one thing to leave her a house and a share in one of his mines, but to stipulate that sheriff Wyatt Cooper has to marry Rachel, well that is the limit. Maddox proved to be cleverer than Rachel imagined, though, and now unless she agrees to wed Wyatt, the town of Reidsville, Coloradoa place that has been very kind to Rachelwill lose its railway spur to Denver. So Rachel agrees to marry Wyatt with a condition of her own: their marriage will be strictly a business partnership. But the more time Rachel spends with Wyatt, the more she begins to think mixing business and pleasure might not be such a bad idea after all. Goodmans latest superbly crafted historical romance, which might remind readers of LaVyrle Spencers wonderful western historicals, has all the ingredients of a classic romance: a strong heroine with a sharp sense of humor, a deliciously sexy hero, colorful secondary characters, and flawless writing that balances action, passion, and comedy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)