Kate Welsh

A friend sent me this book in a box of mostly Love Inspired line books.

I do somewhat disagree with another reviewer who said this subseries has to be read in order. I haven't read others in the series, and I was able to read this one. I did struggle a bit with some of the Pennsylvania relatives to Meg.

What I liked:
*Evan and Meg have a bit of a history (even if it is antagonistic)--so it's not that they just met each other, fall in love, and get married a few months later.
*The fear of being hurt again or having someone leave you again is real (if a bit overdone for fiction).
*The desire for a "home" (or a secure place to call home) is also real.
*It was nice that the plot didn't have both of them ready to commit at the same time (even though that was a bit frustrating as a reader). Evan resolved his issue with having a relationship first, but Meg still had to work on hers.
*Meg had a good point that her father treated her brother and her differently.

What I didn't like:
*The struggle for the Evan and Meg to get to the point where they're both ready to commit to each other seemed dragged out.
*It's a little hard to believe that neither Evan nor Meg could come up with the thought of a compromise--each feeling that it had to be all or nothing. They had to live in either Colorado or Pennsylvania and only (rarely?) visit the other state. They had to either travel like Meg usually did or not travel past Denver at all.… (meer)

This story gives you more details about Travis Vance (if you are reading this series). U.S. Air Force Major "Tricia" Streeter needs Travis' help in an investigation she has been assigned to. The problem is he is her former college sweetheart and someone she watched choose her roommate to marry over her. To make their undercover scheme work, they must act like a dating couple, so you pretty much can guess where this will lead. A good story with intrigue and suspense as they figure out who the "bad guys" are before someone else ends up dead.… (meer)

Amber Dodd and Jamie Reynolds (Earl of Adair) meet on board a clipper called Young America that is traveling from New York to San Francisco. Jamie is on the ship in search of a woman called Helena. (Jamie was with Helena's father when he was shot and killed and Jamie believes the bullet was meant for him. Jamie promised to look after Helena when her father died.) Jamie finds out Amber is taking Helena's place on the clipper (they swapped places) so Helena could go off and marry her sweetheart. Jamie is disappointed Helena isn't on board but he gets to know Amber better. During their 130 day/four month trip to San Francisco Jamie becomes ill with scarlet fever that he caught from his daughter, Meara. Amber is asked to look after him. Through a series of events they end up having a marriage of convenience for his daughter's sake, which they plan to annul later. But after they reach San Francisco they decide to try to make a go of their marriage. But there are many misunderstandings, jealousy, enemies from the past...

I really enjoyed this story. I loved the settings. Half of the book took place on the clipper. The other half in California. I liked both Jamie and Amber. Amber was a sweet and caring heroine. Jamie was handsome, kind, and thoughtful. I found them to be interesting characters and I enjoyed their back-stories. This book also had a little bit of suspense.

A delightful and pleasing romance with wonderful locations.… (meer)