As scruffy and rootless as the other prospectors searching for gold in the Rockies, Low Down wanted nothing in return for nursing a raggedy bunch through the pox. But when pressed to reveal her heart's wish, she admits, "I want a baby." Not a husband, not a forced marriage to the proud man who drew the scratched marble and became honor bound to marry her. To be sure, Max McCord was easy on the eyes, but he loved another woman and dreamed of a different life. Yet they agreed to a temporary marriage that could end only in disaster. But can this strange twist of fate lead to the silver lining that both have been searching for?
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)
- Published: 01 Jan 2000 by Ivy Books
- Format: Paperback, 352 pages
First time I knew about this book was from one of my book best friend, and got curious about it because of her funny silly review at Goodreads (it's in Indonesian). And I was quite lucky when I found the book even in used condition, since I couldn't find a new one. It's been on my shelf for months but now I had a reason to read it to complete the reading challenge on January, one held by Reading-Romances. The January theme is marriage of convenience, one of my favorite theme.
Anyway, after reading my friend's review, I kinda hoped to read something funny. Well, it's not that funny, but, that's alright, it's quite entertaining. I must confessed, I didn't really enjoy it at first, not as much as I hoped. Because it turned out that it's a little painful to imagine what Max and Low Down (or Louise) had faced. It sure hurt when you have to face the reality that your husband looked so angry because he's been the one who had to marry you. Especially the way Max acted on their first night. Oh, how cold! Not to mention other times when he kept thinking about Philadelphia. Therefore, Low Down had my sympathy. But of course, I couldn't blame Max for feeling and/or acting the way he did.
What I think of this book, is that this one was the comforting kind. Or according to my friend said once, the domestic type. And I do love reading something that realistic, yet comforting.
It's true that I didn't like Max (a lot) at first, that I felt sorry for Philadelphia (no woman deserved to experience it), or that I kinda despised Max's mother for suggesting such thing, or even Wally's character. I even thought what my friend saw from this book. But just like these people in this book who's experiencing things and started to change, my perspective changed, too.
The only constant thing was my feeling toward Louise/Low Down. I loved and admired her character! Poor Louise. She made me want to hug her, and tell her that despite of her many faults, she's lovable, that she's not alone. Somehow her character inspired me.
Another thing I loved was how things between Max and Louise was settled and growing gradually. I also loved the speech Livvy gave to Max when she talked about Louise's character.
The only disappointment I felt about this book was the ending, when Louise agreed to postponed what she wanted to tell Max because he asked her to wait until they got home. Ugh!
If you expect something big, hot, or full of surprise, I don't think you'll get it. I do believe that some people will think it's boring. But hey, despite I love reading one hot-fast paced novel, I really think I need to read this sweet, comforting kind of novel, too.
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