Ratings7
Average rating4
Hailed as "one of the best writers in the business" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, multi-award-winning author Maggie Osborne delivers hilarious and heartrending tales of resilient women full of grit, pride, and dignity who shine through hard times. Now meet the most irresistible and independent heroine of them all, a woman called Low Down, who never had anything good happen to her until the day she asked for the one thing that only a man could give her. . . .As scruffy and rootless as the other prospectors searching for gold in the Rockies, Low Down wanted nothing in return for nursing a raggedy bunch through the pox. But when pressed to reveal her heart's wish, she admits, "I want a baby." Not a husband, not a forced marriage to the proud man who drew the scratched marble and became honor bound to marry her. To be sure, Max McCord was easy on the eyes, but he loved another woman and dreamed of a different life. Yet they agreed to a temporary marriage that could end only in disaster. But can this strange twist of fate lead to the silver lining that both have been searching for?From the Paperback edition.
Reviews with the most likes.
This book captured my attention from the very first page, as did the rough around the edges heroine Louise aka Low Down. Such a great character! She truly had a heart of gold. Highly recommend if you're looking for a unique storyline and a funny/heartwarming/tender read.
I enjoyed this quick read. It reminded me a little of the westerns I used to read when I was younger. I had a hard time with the main character being named “Low Down,” but I know why they did it and I was able to adapt somewhat by only calling her “Low” in my head.
this book was fun! the conceit was a little weird and contrived and made her a little less likeable as a character early on, and there's like a weird thread of cringiness running through the whole novel (girl stop saying poke), but i brave little soldiered my way through that because i liked the rough-around-the-edgedness of lowdown as a character and i am tired of reading about quirky girls with no personality <3 i waffled between 3.75 and 4 on this but settled on 3.75 because i hate the term “poking”
Truly one of my better recent reads and perhaps one of my top romance reads ever which is almost completely due to the heroine.
Louise/Low Down hasn't had an easy life or any practical knowledge of how to be a lady. Our hero marries her, because he does the equivalent of draw the short straw. A group of men in a mining camp owe Low Down their lives and tell her she can have whatever she wants. She finally and reluctantly tells them that she wants a baby. She didn't technically ask for a husband, but it was part and parcel of the time.
The majority of the book deals with Low Down meeting her new Max's family and building a life with him. Max also had some explaining to do to the fiance he'd left behind, and there are interesting complications on that front.
It's easy to root for Low Down and believe she deserves happiness and there were a number of times when her vulnerability brought tears to my eyes. That's the kind of book, the kind of romance I want to read, rather than a generic kewpie doll heroine who is blandly nice or randomly “spit fiery.”
Good read, will remember it fondly.
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2,097 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...