Love's a Mystery in Deadwood, OR
Dual Timeline Novel By Emily Quinn and Laura Bradford
The Love’s a Mystery series is a standalone dual timeline series where there are two novellas in each book. One is a historical novella and the other one is set in present times. If you are interested in this series, you can acquire it through Guideposts (www.shopguideposts.org)
Love is an Art by Emily Quinn
Roberta Stevens was abandoned at the altar. Her fiance left town the night before their wedding with their wedding gifts. Devastated, she decides she cannot face the people in her town, so she takes a bus to Portland, Oregon to start a new life. On the bus, she sits next to a man who is supposed to be the postmaster at Deadwood. When they make a stop, her seat comapnion does not return. Unfortunaley, he takes her case of art supplies and she is left with his briefcase of postmaster appointment papers. When Roberta gets off at Deadwood with the breifcase, the person overseeing the post office decides to give her the job temporarily.
While in Deadwood, Roberta meets a young man, Jonathan Devons, who works at the mill. They become friends. But when it is discovered that their landlady of their boarding house has a stolen painting (unknown to her), they worry she might become the target of the thieves who could be headed to Deadwood. Jonathan and Roberta work together to acquire the stolen painting and give it to the FBI. As they work together, they grow closer and start to develop feelings for one another. But both Roberta and Jonathan are scared. They anticipated their stay in Deadwood to be a short one, but do they want to stay? And can Roberta trust a man again?
This is the first Christain historical fiction story I have read in the 1950s. It was an intersting romance with mystery and intrique. I not only liked the two main characters, but I also liked the supporting characters who brought Deadwood to life as a community.
Rating: 5/5
The Heart of the Matter by Laura Bradford
In present day Deadwood, Penny McCormick has just lost her mother. She inherited a small house in Deadwood that belonged to her grandfather, Jonathan Devons, and her grandmother, Roberta. She intends to renovate the place and rent it out to people. Seth Foster, who works at the local hardware store, and is the son of a freind of Penny’s mother, detests the idea. He does not like the idea of strangers coming to a tight knit community. Despite them butting heads, Seth agrees to help her with the renovations.
While doing the renovations, Penny comes across her grandfather’s journal and it raises questions on his past and if he really was the upstanding citizen he claimed to be. During her investigation, she starts to develop feelings for Seth. Penny questions her intention of renting her grandfather’s house. Does she and Seth have a future? Does she have a home in Deadwood?
While I thought the romance was sweet and the mystery interesting, unlike the first novella in the book, the reader only receives Penny’s perspective. In the first novella, the reader receives the points of view of both the hero and heroine. I think both novellas in this book should be consistent.
Rating: 4/5
Next Novel to Review: Danger on the Peaks