Longing

Short on historical depth and detail but long on convoluted plot twists, the second book in Lindstrom s 1870s Grayson brothers series (following Shades of Honor), is an earnest but unremarkable romance set in upstate New York. When sawmill owner Kyle Grayson demands payment on a long overdue bill from Tom Drake, a business associate, Drake suffers a fatal heart attack. Feeling responsible for Drake s death, Kyle buys his sawmill as a means of providing for the man s arresting daughter, Amelia. What he doesn t realize is that Drake s enormous debts could sink his own business. Kyle confronts Amelia at her closely chaperoned teacher s residence and unwittingly compromises her reputation which predictably leads them to enter into a rocky marriage of convenience. Although Kyle and Amelia are attracted to each other, they both harbor secrets that may spell the end of their relationship. Lindstrom stretches her story by playing up every startling (and not-so-startling) revelation, but she excels at depicting the camaraderie between the Grayson brothers and the magic of minor interactions (the antics of a little girl and her cat are particularly affecting). These tender moments help soften what otherwise would have been a wooden, overworked tale. (Apr.)