Marry Me

Bestseller Goodman combines history, intrigue, medical science, and family secrets in this winning sequel to 2009's Never Love a Lawman. The year is 1884. Offered a surprise job in tiny Reidsville, Colo., Dr. Coleridge Monroe and his scarred 16-year-old sister, Whitley, pack up and leave New York City, where no one appreciates Cole's research on germs. In Reidsville, Cole meets Rhyne Abbott, who is gradually transformed from a mountain girl to a city girl as she spends more time with Cole. Goodman has a real flair for writing romantic tension and sexy love scenes, and she also gives ample time to exploring the characters' deeper relationships and longings for revenge and forgiveness. Fans of historical and western romances will also appreciate Goodman's witty dialogue, first-rate narrative prose, and clever plotting. (Dec.)