What a Delight!

Last week, in a marathon read, I started and finished Love Finds You in Golden New Mexico by Lena Nelson Dooley. What a sweet story!

This is the back-cover information.

All that glitters is not gold.

It’s 1890, and Golden, New Mexico, is a booming mining town where men far outnumber women. So when an old wealthy miner named Philip Smith finds himself in need of a nursemaid, he places an ad for a mail-order bride—despite
the protests of his friend Jeremiah. Hoping to escape a perilous situation back East, young Madeleine Mercer answers the ad and arrives in town under a cloud of suspicion. But just as she begins to win over Philip—and Jeremiah himself—the secrets she left behind threaten to follow her to Golden...and tarnish her reputation beyond redemption.

I dealt with a little heartbreak during the story right alongside Madeline Mercer, the main character. When her world flipped over, my angst, fueled from righteous indignation, ignited. As even more misunderstandings led to prejudicial judgments, fires of frustration grew. If not for the calming presence of the old miner, the emotion of the story might well have spiraled out of control. His wit and wisdom calmed me down, too!

Updated 9-18-11 I will add that while I enjoyed the book, it seemed to end too quickly and the ending went on a little too long. I don't enjoy falling action that goes at the speed of light, but chapters of tying up loose ends after the climax becomes rather tedious.

I had the pleasure of meeting Lena Nelson Dooley at a meeting of the DFW Ready Writers, a chapter of the ACFW, where she serves as president. Their motto comes from Psalm 45:1, "My tongue is the pen of a ready writer." Her spirit of generosity and graciousness is evidenced not only in her writing, but also in her service to the ACFW and to new writers who she happily mentors in her spare time. I was so glad to get the chance to read her latest book and can't wait until her newest one, Maggie's Journey, is available!