"A Lovely Debut Novel, a Perfect Love Story in a Town You'll Want to Visit."
Reviewed by Diana Troldahl
Posted February 4, 2012
Romance
Emily Murphy has lost her marriage, her mother and her sense
of identity. She has determined her best choice is to sell
the last remaining asset she has; a building once housing a
restaurant and apartment in downtown Valentine, Colorado. It
should be enough to fund her delayed return to college and
the education that will help guide the rest of her life,
including adopting children to create a family. Unfortunately her situation is worse than she'd imagined.
The former tenants of the building have intentionally
destroyed much of the interior and worse yet she learns she
does not hold the lease completely. A lien against a loan is
held by a local Valentine resident.
Nate Thalburg is viscerally attracted to the strawberry
blonde in the pink raincoat the minute she seeks shelter
from the rain in the local bar. A hot and flirty game of
pool leads to an intense lip lock, but when Emily slams on
the brakes he realizes he uncharacteristically has gone a
bit too far into unknown territory. He is more than glad she
stopped him in his tracks when he learns she plans to stay
in town instead of just passing through. The last thing he
wants is a relationship. Still, when her car leaves her
stranded and he discovers she intends to stay in the ruined
apartment above her restaurant space he can't in good
conscience leave her to fend for herself. He has little
choice but to park her in his grandmother's boarding house
even though he knows she'll get a plentiful earful of gossip
about his past.
Emma Cane's debut novel has everything I want in a love
story; plenty of contrary and amusing residents surrounding
the main characters and a setting I can almost touch not to
mention strong ties of friendship and a happy ending. The
details of Valentine Valley were created with a great deal
of affection and the town is a big part of the draw for me.
As I read I was wishing it were real and that I could move
there. I am glad to know A TOWN CALLED VALENTINE is only the
first of a series, as I am eager to visit again.
SUMMARY
Welcome to Valentine Valley—where broken hearts come home to
mend, and true love may lie just across the range . . . Emily Murphy never thought she’d return to her mom’s rustic
hometown in the Colorado Mountains. But after her marriage
in San Francisco falls apart, leaving her penniless and
heartsick, she returns to her old family home to find a new
direction for her life. On her first night back, though, a
steamy encounter with handsome rancher Nate Thalberg is not
the fresh start she had in mind . . . Nate has good reason not to trust the determined beauty who
just waltzed into town—he’s no stranger to betrayal.
Besides, she’s only there to sell her family’s old property
and move back out. But as Nate and Emily begin working
side-by-side to restore her time-worn building and old
family secrets change Emily’s perception of herself, both
are about to learn how difficult it is to hide from love in
a place known far and wide for romance, family ties, and
happily-ever-afters: a town called Valentine.
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