Delia and the Drifter
Part cowboy and part historical romance, I found my first Melody Carlson story pleasant reading. Delia Blackstone is a university educated, (rare enough back in Pittsburgh in the 1800s) long-suffering heroine who finds herself at odds with her parents over a planned marriage. Unwilling to marry a man many years her senior even if he is extremely rich, she decides to take up an invitation to visit Colorado, where a relative she had not known existed wants to meet her.
New experiences pile in upon Delia once she closes the door on her old life. There is bad news upon arrival in Colorado and she is encouraged to turn around and head back east, but instead grits her teeth and makes herself useful by learning new skills.
Without wanting to reveal the plot the story is an entertaining read with plenty of twists and turns to keep a person reading.
If I had any caveat it would be that the drifter does not figure overmuch in the story, and that the happy ending comes crashing in rather suddenly; but in no way did either of those points spoil my enjoyment. I read it start to finish over two days and recommend it as a light easy read for women and there is nothing to stop mothers handing it over to their daughters to read.
