Montana Welcome

Melinda Curtis (Harlequin Heartwarming, Toronto)

1.0 out of 5.0 stars

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Let me just say …

I wanted to like this book. I like the Heartwarming concept and I love to read romance. I liked that it was a clean romance and I liked some of the writing. But this book didn’t do it for me. Sorry. In all honesty I think it barely reached the lowest rung of romantic mediocrity.

What’s wrong: The Story

The story here is completely unbelievable. On the day of the wedding the groom (Danny) gets cold feet, the bride (Lily) gets cold feet, the bride learns that her father (Rudy) is really her step-father and her biological grandfather (Elias Blackwell, known as “Big E”) shows up wanting to take her to Montana to meet the family.

When you think things can’t get less believable, it turns out that the runaway bride will travel from her home (San Diego) to Montana in an old RV chaperoned by a handsome cowboy (Conner). But they’ll first detour through Las Vegas to pick up Big E’s step-granddaughter (who is getting married) and her maid of honor.

Of course, Lily’s financee Danny, and her step-father, Rudy, chase her up to Montana to sort things out. Unsurprisingly, Lily ends up falling in love with Conner.

What’s wrong: The Characters

It’s well known that the characters are at the heart of a romance. Here, the characters are two dimensional and unbelievable. Sorry, I really wanted to like them but they just didn’t “come alive” for me. Another problem is that there are too many characters.

Concluding thoughts

I read this novel because Harlequin listed it as their “sample” for aspiring authors in the Heartwarming line. As a result, I expected it to be really good. It wasn’t. I was let down and I really don’t know how Harlequin even decided to publish this one.