Desert Moon

Susan Page Davis usually writes compelling novels that draw the reader in.  I had a hard time getting into this book and really enjoying it.

Julia is coming home to Arizona after her mother's death.  Before she even gets to town, the stage is robbed of the mine's payroll and the shotgun rider is killed.  The first person she sees when she disembarks from the stage is her old beau, Adam, who believes her brother is the one responsible for the chaos.

Here are my problems with the plot of the novel
         Julia has a distinct animosity that suddenly turns to love for Adam.  The speed at which her emotions change gives the reader whiplash.
         Adam makes his mind up without truly investigating the situation
         Julia's brother runs and hides without trying to clear his name, even though he had an unbreakable alibi.
         I think that with a longer novel, Susan could have developed her characters a bit more and given them a bit more personality.

I'd have to give this one a two star rating.

In the bonus story, Colleen Reece, has matched Honor Brooks with Philip Travis and he has invited her to his family's ranch.  When she gets to the ranch, she thinks she's seeing Philip, but actually she's meeting his twin, James.  James takes advantage of the situation by tricking Honor into marriage.

Honor is a sweetly naive girl and Colleen has given her strength and backbone to meet her challenges. I love the way she's met her every challenge and still keeps true to herself.

I'd have to give this one four stars.

Between the two of the books in the single cover, they average a three star rating.

My thanks to Barbour Books for allowing me to read and review this book.