Amazon The Wild Rose Press All Romance eBooks Category:  Romance Publisher: The Wild Rose Press ISBN-10:  160154264X Type: Fiction Pages: 280 Copyright: July 10, 2008 Meg Greyson heads to Wyoming Territory to marry the man of her dreams only to discover that he is nothing like the gentleman who penned her letters. Anxious to escape the confines of her loving, but overprotective family, Meg Greyson travels to Wyoming Territory to marry the man of her dreams. Only she discovers Brendan Kelly is nothing like the gentleman rancher who penned her beautiful letters. As she comes to know this intimidating, yet tacit man, Meg finds herself constantly having to rationalize away his dark and dangerous side in order to conform him to her image of the perfect man who wrote her letters. Brendan knows he should tell her the truth, but once he does, she will leave him forever. So he keeps pretending and everytime she says, "I love you," he dies a little more inside, for he knows he will never be the man she wants him to be. Excerpt "Be making no mistakes, Meg Greyson. 'Tis a hard man I be and a hard life I be living. I've no room in it for soft words and doe-eyed looks. And by the saints, I'll be wanting none o' yer damn pity!" He whirled on his heels. His long strides took him quickly into the barn. Meg stared after him, her emotions caught somewhere between wanting to give him a big hug and wanting to hit him with a big rock. Lifting her chin, she marched into the dimly lit building and halted before him. His hat on his head, he froze in the act of sliding his arm into the sleeve of his shirt. Cold jade eyes clashed with hers. She wheeled around, scanned the interior, strode to the corner, picked up a bucket, and stalked back. Her jaw set, she slammed the bucket--upside down--on the floor at his feet. Then she snatched up the hem of her skirt and with two sharp clicks of her heels against the wood, stomped on top. Though the extra height helped, she was still forced to tip her head back in order to meet his narrow-eyed scowl. "Mister Kelly! If you have had a hard life, so be it. But do not presume to bully me with your harsh words and threatening looks. I have endured it for years from my family and I will not tolerate it from the man I marry! Another thing! Do not be so quick to confuse pity with compassion. Understand, sir, I pity only those whom I cannot respect. I offer my compassion to those that I care for!" Her nose in the air, she stepped off the bucket, picked it up, and replaced it in the corner. Then with her head high, she marched from the barn and left him standing there with his shirt sleeve half way up his arm.

The Romance Studio
5 Hearts
Meg Greyson was tired of having her father and all her brothers telling her what to do. She was always being second-guessed and told what she could, and could not, do. She had been corresponding with Mr. Kelly and he asked her to join him. She got off at the Spring Creek Stage Depot and Freight Office but no one was there to meet her. She had traveled with one brother, Tom, who pretended to be looking for property for his employer. Soon all her brothers would appear under various disguises.
Mr. Kelly had gone into town to pick up the shingles that his partner (boss) had ordered. When Meg approached him, he had no idea who she was or what she wanted. He could not believe that she actually was going to the Rocking W Ranch with him. He thought she would run when he refused to marry her. Convinced that she was being paid by the owner of the Blue Garter Saloon, Charlie MacDonald, he barely spoke to her.

Ms. Kathy Otten is a new author to me. I really like her writing style. The plot for this book is embedded in a storyline that is so diverse there has to be something in it for everyone. Her main characters were a strong alpha female and a dejected man who had more problems in his past than most could imagine. One came from a home full of love (almost too much it seemed) and the other from a home which never knew anything but horror.

Slowly, as this book unfolded, Ms. Otten allowed readers to glimpse the terror in his past and the disbelief that Brendan felt when Meg would speak of her feelings. The more I read the more questions I had. This was a wonderful journey in which the further I went the faster I needed to read. This was a full-length novel, but I could scarcely put it down.

This marvelous book is one which requires reading the very last word before all questions are answered. I loved it and highly recommend it.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Mildly sensual

Reviewer: Brenda Talley
July 25, 2008



Coffee Time Romance
Rating: 4 Cups

Margaret Greyson heads to Wyoming Territory to wed the man to whom she has been corresponding. She is none too happy when she arrives only to be jilted.

Brendan Kelly has a dark side. He has his reason for not being completely truthful with Meg. The thought of lying to her pricks his heart but for now it is the only way.

All the letters that Meg receives from Brendan indicate he is indeed a gentleman. She sees a whole different man when she meets him. There must be some reason he is dead set against marrying her now. One thing a Greyson never does is cower to anyone. She refuses to back away. Brendan has not lived an easy life and carries scars inside and out. He is stunned by Meg’s beauty and loyalty to him. She trusts him with her life. He feels he does not deserve a woman like her, not when her heart belongs to someone else that penned the letters. With her brothers watching all her moves, and Brendan fighting the feelings he holds for her, will he ever really have Meg’s complete heart when she learns what secret he hides?

Between the Lines definitely lives up to its title. A well crafted plot, two well-cast main characters and some twists and turns along the way, creates a story soaring in excitement. The secondary players scatter just the right amount of seasoning to the pot bringing in some mystery to the backdrop. I love how Kathy Otten takes the character of Meg and makes her strong, not afraid to stand up to anyone. She allows Meg to reach into the inner heart of Brendan, bringing out his human qualities that make him a gentle hero. Ms. Otten weaves a romance that truly captures the heart.

Cherokee
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books



Love Western Romances
When Meg Greyson steps off the stage to meet her fiancé, her brother Tom steps off with her-undercover of course. He's there to protect his little sister from herself-and the man who has written her love letters and taken a sizeable amount of her money. In fact, there are five brothers who will soon gather to size up Brenden Kelly, Tom being the most reasonable.



Meg's determined to have none of it. She's fallen in love with Brenden and is convinced he is the man of honor and integrity who she found in his letters. But when she's forced to hunt him down at the mercantile and he denies ever having written to her much less asked her to marry him, she's momentarily flummoxed. Refusing to accept his denial she blocks out anything that contradicts the image of Brenden she's conceived from the letters he wrote to her.



Brenden is sure this is some trick, devised by his nemeses Charlie McFarland, nephew of the rancher Brenden is helping. And Charlie has reasons since his uncle has disinherited him and made Brenden the inheritor of the farm when the time comes. He's unprepared, though, for Meg's steadfast loyalty and open-hearted trust-or the fact she's a beautiful woman.



Brenden Kelly is feared by most folks because of his overpowering size and the fact that he's done time in prison for murder. Meg's innocent adoration and love, her inability to be intimidated by his size or his bluster, are both intoxicating and alluring to Brenden who is hungry for love and acceptance and for someone, anyone, to see the man he could be. But the plain fact is Meg has fallen in love with some other Kelly, some other man who wrote those letters, not him. How long can Brenden go on pretending he is really worthy of this woman's love and what will happen when she finds out the truth?



This western variation on the tale of beauty and the beast has a heroine whose stubbornness in the face of all evidence is only exceeded by her determination to find the good in Brenden Kelly that justifies her love. Meg Greyson is a heroine whose confidence and independent spirit despite the interference of five brothers and the overbearing attitude of her intended is inspiring. In Brenden, Ms. Otten has given readers a tortured soul who has tried, however ineffectually, to protect that small spark of goodness inside of him from the many who have sought over the years to extinguish it. With good battling evil and truth battling lies, Ms. Otten takes the reader on an insightful journey where love takes on all comers.

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~Carol

Reviewer for LWR Book Reviews