This book began as a fun and fast read, but it quickly started to drag and the dialog became so sappy. Toward the end there are so many "that would NEVER happen!!" moments you get bashed over the head with them. Fiction or not, there are plot twists an author should not try, and this book had many.
In the year 1867, Garth strolls into a small western town near San Francisco where he meets Rory (our Heroine), her drunk and very annoying father, and a whole bunch of trouble. Hoodlums run the town, and soon everyone has to leave quickly. Before they leave, Rory's dad snags a map of a gold mine from Garth, but Garth had it memorized so he is able to catch up with them days later. The story primary deals with their day-to-day survival in less than comfy conditions up in the mountain range, including how to tolerate the drunken dad and his endless stupidity. Garth & Rory have the hots for each other, but she is saving herself. She is a flirt and tease (in a fun jest sort of way), and really I did like her as a heroine. They eventually "get it on" and that is when the story really starts to change and takes a dive. It was a light romance with some sensual moments, but overall not a memorable book.
