Amazon Category:  Romance Publisher: The Wild Rose Press ISBN-10:  1601540035 Type: Fiction Pages: 171 ISBN-13: 9781601540034 When Ben Sheridan is released from prison in 1936, he returns to his hometown in the Blue Ridge Mountains with only one goal--to lead a simple life. Although he's paid his debt to society, he's never forgiven himself for the unthinkable act that forced him to take the life of his step-brother over a decade before. Small-town storekeeper, Heather O'Malley, has never played the victim, but to most she's still that "scarred" young woman, the past prey of a madman. Unconventional and independent, she seizes the opportunity to help Ben restart his life, in part to atone for her silence about the events that sent her rescuer to prison. Ben can't resist Heather's free-spirited approach to life, and she can't resist his reluctant charm. Neither intends to fall in love, but when dangers from their past threaten their fragile connection and another young girl turns up missing, they discover just how knotted together their lives are--and how fiercely they're willing to fight for each other and their future. Ben set aside tonight to work on the pier. The old wooden structure listed into the water, and he wanted to be able to sit and fish, like he had as a boy. He'd borrowed a saw and hammer, and as soon as the sun sank behind the mountain, he went to work with a calm breeze on his bare back. He laid flat on his stomach, upper arms over the front edge of the dock when he first noticed someone standing on the bank. Upside down, he only saw legs in loose denim pants and feet in heavy utility shoes. He pushed up and turned, surprised to see a woman, slender under the baggy clothes, her chestnut hair in a messy pile on top of her head. The girl from the general store. Struggling to get up, he hesitated before walking up the bank. Inching forward, he noticed the large cardboard box sitting at her feet. “Can I help you?” Drawing near, his focus fell on how pretty she looked. Before his imagination ran away with her shape under those unconventional boy's clothes, he put on the emergency brake. He'd always had zeal for dark-haired girls, and not much had changed, except his willingness to act on it. “Someone asked me to deliver these to you.” Her voice quivered. She stared at his bare skin while shifting her weight left to right. He'd forgotten all about the scar that ran crossways across his chest. No need to hide the prison memento. Better she should be a little frightened and keep her distance. “Who sent you?” He crouched in front of the box, which contained a pair of shoes and several consumables, including a Hershey chocolate bar. He picked up the thick candy and muttered, “Don't tell me...” “Your mother,” she finished for him, her soft voice forcing him to look at her. She had green eyes. Damn. He loved green eyes. Nothing this pretty in the pen “You know my mother?” he asked, climbing back to his feet, sizing her up from the corner of his eye. Hell, of course she knew his mother. Everyone knew everyone. She smiled. “She came by the store at closing today.” Ben shook his head. Of course his mama would find a way to help him out when she could. He hoped she wasn't taking undue risks. “How'd she pay for this?” “Credit. She didn't want Hal to know, so I put it in your name. She paid what she could in cash, but there was a little left over, about five dollars. The shoes...they cost a lot.” Ben sighed. She'd taken a huge a risk. He picked up the box and headed into the shack, not about to let his mother go into debt. The girl waited in the doorway, and he caught her peering inside. Why didn't she seem put-off by the fact that he was a paroled convict? The way her gaze searched him, she seemed downright curious. She smiled. “I didn't believe it when she said you were living down here, but it's not so bad.” He turned and handed her five one-dollar bills, trying hard not to notice how her shirt clung to her body in the heat. She was odd, wearing men's dungarees, yet it suited her. “You ought not to be here.” Something sparked in her eyes as she snatched the money from his hand, something like anger. “I'm sick of you men telling me what I ought to be doing or not doing. I do what I please. I may be young, but I've seen enough in my days. I'll tell you one thing--I'm not the least bit afraid you.” Didn't she have any sense? “You should be.”

Romance Reviews Today
After twelve long years, Ben Sheridan is released from prison. He goes home, but his stepfather kicks him out of the house and tells him not to come back. His mother gives him the old fishing shanty where he and his real father used to go when Ben was a child, so he takes his possessions and moves into the shanty. Even though it is a one-room shack that has seen better days, Ben feels comfortable there, and is happy in the fresh air of freedom.

Heather O’Malley works at the general store in Bryeton, and when Ben asks for help, she chooses some grocery items for him. She mentions that workers are needed for the new parkway being built, but when she realizes to whom she's talking, she is stunned. Ben was a cocky young man when he left twelve years ago, and now he is beaten by life. She remembers Ben saving her life when she was twelve years old, and although she had written him several letters to thank him, she never had the nerve to actually mail them. He does not recognize her. Heather has been dating Duane for years, and although he wants to marry her, she is not interested.

Heather and Ben become friends, although Duane warns him away. She is one of the few people in town who is not afraid of him, but Ben feels the weight of his past. Working hard and fixing up the little cabin, Ben enjoys his free time fishing in the river as he used to do with his father, but he is alone and lonely. Heather and Ben are attracted to each other, but can Ben forgive himself for what happened so long ago? When a young girl is killed and evidence is planted in Ben’s cabin, Heather puts herself in harm’s way to help him.

A short, interesting story, THE KNOT tells of two lonely people who find solace with each other. Heather takes an instant liking to Ben who is shunned by the town, and hated by a few. Ben is determined to find the murderer and prove his innocence. Secondary characters compliment the story: Ben’s mother, who loves her son and wants to help him; his stepfather, who is an unlikable and angry man, and Duane, who wants Heather and hates Ben.

Readers of romantic suspense are sure to enjoy this tale. It is well written, has good pacing, and an interesting storyline.

Marilyn Heyman

Nights & Weekends
Twelve years ago, Ben Sheridan ended up in prison for killing his stepbrother, who was attacking a little girl who would have ended up dead if Ben hadn’t shown up. Too young and scared, Heather O’Malley never told her side of the story—a side that might have kept Ben out of prison. Now Ben is back in town, hoping for a new start, and Heather is all grown up.

It’s the year 1936, and the locals consider Heather an odd woman. She doesn’t act like a proper woman should—she wears trousers, lives alone, and refuses to marry her long-time steady. And now she’s taken up with that scruffy Ben Sheridan, who they think, in their twisted minds, might drag their daughters off into the woods and murder them. But Heather knows what happened all those years ago, and she’s not one bit afraid of Ben or what the town thinks of her.

Ben feels that probably the best thing he can do is leave Bryeton and not cause trouble for Heather—or for his mother, whom he fears is being treated badly by his stepfather, Hal. In the end, he can’t leave his mom to suffer, and he can’t get Heather out of his head. But someone else feels otherwise, and he or she will do whatever it takes to get rid of Ben—even if it means going as far as murder to get the job done.

The Knot is the stuff great movies are made of—a vintage setting, a family torn apart by tragedy, and a moving love story. Very few authors can suck me into a story so thoroughly or make me fall deeply in love with the hero, but Ms. Kindall has done it here. Heather is a tough, assertive woman, yet very likeable—making her worthy of the hero’s love. It’s so hard to pull off that type of characterization—yet Ms. Kindall masters it beautifully.

With a hint of mystery and a deeply moving romance, The Knot captivates you from beginning to end. If you’ve never tried a vintage romance, start with this one. You’re sure to love it.

-Margaret Marr