Simmer All Night

Dawson (The Wedding Raffle) offers a breezy glimpse of Victorian England through the eyes of two Texans in a romance buoyed by lively characters and Southern lore. When perpetual rebel Christina Delaney's unorthodox behavior gets her into trouble with her aristocratic San Antonio family, her parents send her to visit her grandfather in Derbyshire, England, accompanied by family friend Cole Morgan, with whom she has a love-hate relationship. After making and breaking a marriage engagement, Chrissy realizes she's been in love with Cole all along. The only thing standing in her way is her rebellious nature: her mother would love for her to marry Cole. Cole and Chrissy's squabbles wear thin, and their repeated couplings and breakups seem childish; however, a dramatic twist adds some much-needed action, and Dawson sustains readers' attention with her humorous dialogue and colorful narration. (Dec.)