RESTLESS HEART - Emma Lang
Kensington Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-0-7582-4752-0
ISBN-10: 0-7582-4752-4
February 2011
Historical Romance

Forestville, Wyoming - 1873

Angeline Hunter and her friend Lettie have left an abusive situation in Utah behind them and are working at the Blue Plate restaurant in Forestville. They know they must be on the watch, though, for the determined man who is on the hunt for them. Angeline's beauty makes it difficult for her to hide. When Sam Carver begins courting her, she knows that someday she'll have to reveal her past to him.

Sam works on the town newspaper that his father runs. Unfortunately, his father is slowly losing his grip on reality, and Sam is trying to cover for him. His half-Indian mother is dead, and there is no one else to care for the elder Carver. Sam cannot stop thinking of the lovely Angeline over at the Blue Plate. It's obvious that she is shy, and he's hoping to coax her out of her timidity so that he can get to know her better. Everyone has secrets, and he knows whatever Angel is hiding can't be serious.

Growing up in the newly formed Mormon church, Angeline had always tried to be obedient, but when her father forced her to marry a man who had two wives already, she was not prepared for the man's cruelty. Now she has to convince Sam not to woo her, that she is tainted goods. Will Sam understand? And what about the man stalking her?

Set in the days of the newly settled West, RESTLESS HEART tells the story of a young woman who has led a difficult early life. Angel just wants to be safe and can't plan too far into the future, with her past so doggedly pursuing her. Sam has seen too much death and destruction during the war and wants to lead a quiet life. And he wants to do so with Angel.

Secondary characters are important in the plot of RESTLESS HEART. Forestville is a town where people stick together, and how they handle Angel's woes is important to this story. Nicely written, this was an enjoyable tale.

Jani Brooks