We first met Jeff Birmingham through his brother Brandon in THE FLAME AND FLOWER, the author’s very first novel.  Here he gets his own bride, just hours after meeting her as she ran from her self-proclaimed uncle, who was intent on selling her. 

Raelynn and Jeff meet when he saves her from the man she’s running from, and doesn’t hesitate to wed her as he feels they’ve known each other forever.  On their first night together, the man Raelynn was sold to comes to kidnap her, sending Jeff and his family on a hunt for her.  But Gustav isn’t their only enemy, as a jealous rival is determined to have Jeff for herself. 

This older anthology was sent for review in honor of the authors passing recently.  It was written true to heart -- the dramatic, romantic descriptions mixed with usually intelligent conversation that made readers realize that there was a good reason to read romance.  But it’s a novella, and as such robs the reader of the pleasure of really knowing the characters or understanding the author as die-hard fans do.  Kathleen Woodiwiss really needs to be read in her full size novels, especially her early works, where she proves that a reader can truly be immersed in her world, wherever it may be at the time.

Reviewed for The Road to Romance by Sue Waldeck

September 21, 2007