Sunday, April 19, 2015

Recent Read

Homeward Hearts by Alexis Harrington

Why this one: It's a reread of an oldie but goodie

Steam Level: very nice indeed

My Thoughts:
I’ve noticed that more and more older books are being rereleased as ebooks and I am loving this.  I’m rediscovering authors I’ve lost track of.  My latest ebook glom is Alexis Harrington.  This works out well as I’m also in a Western Frame of Mind at the moment.

 

The first one up is Homeward Hearts.  Ms. Harrington tends to write poignant tales about people battered by life and this one is a good example.  Chloe Maitland is a bossy young woman who has to fend for herself in a dying town named Misfortune after her blacksmith alcoholic father drinks himself to death.  He was the only family she had and with the mortgage coming due soon, she is in a difficult situation.  She places and add for a blacksmith but can only provide room and board, no real wages until after the amount needed for the mortgage is earned. She is being courted by the local teacher, a bland useless kind of man.  She’s not really keen on him, but she’s lonely.  Because of her bossy ways, though with a tender heart, she has no real friends.

 
Travis McGuire answers her add, but before he can start, he needs to be tended to as he walked a long ways to Misfortune in the boiling sun and is now suffering from a bad case of heat stroke.

Chloe and Travis clash from almost the beginning.  A lot of times I don’t really like bickering protagonists, but in Homeward Hearts, it was their way of bonding and getting to know each other.  Travis had his own issues.  He’d spent a number of years in jail for murdering his adulterous wife but he was innocent.  Because of this and the fact that he is being hunted by a bounty hunter bound to take him back to jail.  He has no family left either and I loved this story of two lonely people finding each other .

It’s been a number of years since I’d read any books by Alexis Harrington though not long ago I purchased one as an ebook.  I checked to see which one while I was reading this one and did a quick little happy dance when I realized it was a sequel to this book; the bounty hunter’s story.  I started reading it last night right after I finished this book and I’ve also purchased 3 more by this author I first read years ago. 

I really hope a whole new generation of readers who enjoy Westerns discover this author and maybe some older authors rediscover her.  She really is good
 
Grade: 4.5 out of 5
 
'til later

4 comments:

Lover Of Romance said...

I agree with you...I love the older books are get re published into e book format...so fun to see. and I just might have to look this one up, I do love westerns.

azteclady said...

This is truly good news--it would seem Ms Harrington got her rights back, as the digital book is sold by amazon digital services.

And it's a Western...well, then!

It's going on the list.

Kristie (J) said...

Renee, I finished the sequel to Homeward Hearts, Desperate Hearts and liked it even a little bit better, review to follow very soon. This book & the one I just finished and the one I'm reading now, 'cause I just can't seem to quit her *chuckle* are excellent examples of why I love Westerns so very much.

AL, I also looked some very much older Lorraine Heath books and totally different story. They are charging over $9 for an ebook that probably cost me about $6 back a number of years ago when I first read it.
But YES says I to getting a western by Alexis.

azteclady said...

Kristie, I think the Lorraine Heath titles issued in digital are sold by her original publisher, and these days, traditional publishers are making a royal mess of pricing digital editions. Seriously, those people don't have a clue what they are doing.