Nevada City in the 1880's was fast, rough and dangerous, particularly if you were a prostitute. Class of prostitute figured greatly into the comfort, treatment and survival potential of a working girl. You either worked in an upscale bordello or you were relegated to the end of the line working out of a crib. Our heroine, Rebecca Rose isn't from the upscale part of the line - she spent her first four years playing with her doll on the other side of a curtain from where her mother earned their living on her back. Rebecca is content in her mother's love unaware of what goes on when the curtain is closed, until the day a nasty client with a knife ends Rebecca's happiness. Sworn to avenge her mother's murder she lives each day knowing she'll have peace once the murderer is lying cold beneath the ground.

When Rebecca finds work in Denver she knows she's entering the life handed down to her by her mother. What she doesn't expect is to find is love with one of the town's most prominent citizens. Morgan Larkspur, has always done what is right, in fact he's ahead of his times. He's caring, considerate, hard working and looks out for people. What Rebecca and Morgan find together is altogether unexpected and unconventional. Their desire for each other is at odds with their own personal quests, her desire for revenge and his desire for conventional happiness.

Ms. Sundell writes an interesting combination of western, historical, romantic mystery. The author has a unique writing style that is sharp and to the point. The dialogue is punchy, not flowery but it works here. It read in a staccato fashion, very much the way I imagine the frontier was, short and to the point with no superfluous meanderings. The author's sense of pacing had me guessing as to who the murderer was, and threw me off very early on in the book - I was surprised to learn his identity, and I certainly didn't see it coming.

As a reader, what I would have liked was several more chapters. The conflict between the hero and heroine wraps almost before it's begun. The resolution of problems up and disappear in a matter of paragraphs. Secondary characters that were well thought out and developed are nearly forgotten at the end of the book. This is a western and I wanted it to be big and sprawling, I felt the length of the book gave it confines it was never meant to have.

Jennifer Rose is a recently divorced school teacher who is about to begin her summer vacation hiding from all the things she hates about herself. Her self esteem is in the toilet and she's about thirty pounds heavier than she wants to be.

Handsome, sexy Nick Tulane is a successful single father who is feeling like a failure because his son isn't making the grade at school. That's the premise Ms. Stockham sets up for the hero and heroine to meet. From there she goes into deep territory. She tackles two difficult subjects - being overweight and illiteracy. Being overweight in America is synonymous to committing a crime. There are hundreds of diets, pills, and drugs that are marketed to women every year. Magazines, movies, and television scream at women from every corner - "be a size two and your dreams will come true." It's enough to make you sick. I admired the way the author tackled this issue -- by having the heroine lose weight the old fashioned way - diet and exercise. She creates a realistic set of circumstances for our heroine Jenn, and her character grows from a vulnerable, shy wallflower, to a self-confident, in-charge woman. The author also doesn't have the happily ever after include our heroine becoming a size two.

The hero, Nick, is successful, but he's got issues. His relationship with his family is strained, his son is flunking out and he has his own secret that keeps him from fully being part of the world around him. The author tackles the subject of adult illiteracy and what that means to an individual in a visual world. How can one read a street sign, a newspaper, or follow directions, when they can't read.

The relationship between Nick and Jenn is a slow build, and one that I found very satisfying. They learn about each other and help each other overcome the things in their lives that have made them withdraw from the world and others.

Ms. Stockham has the ability to introduce secondary characters and in a moment the reader can totally grasp the nuances of those characters. If there is one criticism, it would be the repetition. There was a few times where the author repeated the main character's problems and I felt it wasn't necessary and detracted from the progression.

It's a tender story, with a relationship that isn't hurried, instead it is created with care and a stable foundation. I'm looking forward to reading more of Kay Stockham's books.