A LAWMAN'S CHRISTMAS.

The second book read for ..... 

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A LAWMAN'S CHRISTMAS by LINDA LAEL MILLER.

(Slight spoiler included below...... Highlight text if you wish to view)

The sudden death of the town marshal leaves Blue River, Texas, without a lawman ..... and twenty-five-year-old Dara Rose  Nolan without a husband. As winter approaches and her meagre seamstress income dwindles, she has three options. Yet she won't give up her two young daughters, refuses to join the fallen women of the Bitter Gulch Saloon and can't fathom condemning herself to another loveless marriage. Unfortunately she must decide - soon - because there's a new marshal in town, and she's living under his roof.

With the heart of a cowboy, Clay McKettrick plans to start a ranch and finally settle down. He isn't interested in uprooting Dara Rose and her children, but, he is interested in giving her protection, friendship - and passion. And when they say 'I do' to a marriage of convenience, the temporary lawman's Christmas wish is to make Dara Rose his permanent wife.

..... Inner front cover.

FIRST SENTENCE (Chapter 1): If the spark-throwing screech of iron-on-iron hadn't wrenched Clay McKettrick out of his uneasy sleep, the train's lurching stop - which nearly pitched him onto the facing seat - would surely have done the trick.

MEMORABLE MOMENT (Page 14): "My papa was the marshal a while back," she informed Clay matter-of-factly, "but then he died in the arms of a misguided woman in the room above the Bitter Gulch Saloon and left us high and dry."

MY THOUGHTS: Described as a Western, a historical romance AND, perhaps most accurately, as a 'ROMCOW' (a romantic cowboy) this is the first time I've ever read anything of this kind ..... my thanks to Nadia for the giveaway in which I won it, you can see her review HERE.

An albeit largely unbelievable read, this is nevertheless a nice enough cosy and charming story with lots of snow scenes. In many ways the  perfect seasonal read, its just that apart from the humour and matter-of-fact ways of one character (Edrina) and that this is Christmas without all of the commercialism there was nothing about the book that particularly spoke to me.

Perhaps I'm being too harsh in my judgement as whereas there was nothing outstandingly good about A Lawman's Christmas nor was there anything glaringly bad about it - apart from the nauseating, cringeworthy, sexually fuelled epilogue that is.

Glad that I satisfied my curiosity about this genre, I'm not too sure that I'll be revisiting the books of Linda Lael Miller any time soon though.

KEEP IT OR NOT?: I'll be passing this one on.