There’s a funny song that my husband and I always laugh at when it comes on the radio, then of course we sing along because that’s just what we do.
In OUTLAW LAKE, Maisie Yates has an undercurrent theme. It gets bounced around. Especially when it concerns Perry, short for Periwinkle, and her best friend Carson Wild. They are like two magnets whose friendship meant so much that they feared putting any new feelings on the line. The cost was too high.
So back to the song. If you wanted to be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman your wife, so, in my personal opinion, get an ugly woman to marry you.
So with this philosophy in mind, the same should hold true for best friends.
That’s the lesson to learn in OUTLAW LAKE. Are there any unwritten laws about friendship and its boundaries? It is realistic to put feelings on the back burner because you are scared witless of the repercussions of the friendship disappearing if the love thing doesn’t work out.
In true Maisie Yates fashion, as fans of this prolific author would testify, there are equal amounts of humor and angst in her latest OUTLAW LAKE. Marvelous characters with spiffy dialog and attitudes. All fans have become accustomed to it. Purposely not giving away any of the plot, suffice it to say OUTLAW LAKE was a delight to read and, if I must admit, a re-read. Maisie Yates sets out to entertain and leave you with a satisfying conclusion to still another lovely story.
Carson Wilder and Perry Bramble have been best friends forever, starting with their painful childhoods. As far as romance, Carson always knew he wasn’t good enough for her. And by the time they were grown, their bond was too important to risk messing up. Now, Carson is grieving the death of his wife. And like always, Perry is his rock. He can’t imagine life without her. But he may have to.
Perry has loved Carson since she was 7 years old. He never showed a hint of interest in her beyond friendship, but two-plus decades later, he’s still the most important person in her life. Maybe too important. Inspired by the diary of an ancestor who left everything behind to come west as a mail order bride, Perry stuns Carson with a decision: She’s moving to a neighboring city to expand her florist business—and to find love and start a family.
Carson hates the idea, but he’ll do anything for Perry’s happiness. He’ll even help get her historic home fixed up for sale. She can stay with him at his ranch house on Outlaw Lake in the meantime. What ensues are dinners filled with laughter, dating app disasters—and Carson wondering why he’d look for another woman when the one he loves is right here. His answers may lie in the letters he finds from the man who married the mail order bride. . . . But can he finally gather the courage to be true to his wild heart—before it's too late?
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