"A moça pensou o nome: Tom... Thomas... e sentiu a assombrosa irrupção do desejo que apagava os contornos da discrição. O homem pensou nela como sempre: maria macho... a que menos teria suspeitado que pudesse acender esse fogo nele" (...)Livro absolutamente lindo. Personagens vibrantes, apaixonados, falhos, leais e muito humanos. Trata-se da história de uma família do oeste americano, precisamente do território de Wyoming, em 1888. Aqui vive a família Walcott, formada pelo patriarca Edwin, a mãe Josephine, e os filhos Emily e Frankie. Uma família aparentemente feliz a ponto de romper-se, pois Josephine está gravemente enferma. A possível morte de sua esposa pode ser a chave para a felicidade de Edwin, pois este teve que abrir mão de Fannie, seu verdadeiro amor, para atender as regras sociais e compromissos familiares, tornando-se um marido plácido e amável, porém infeliz. Emily, uma jovem de 18 anos, sonha em ser veterinária e seus sentimentos por Charles Bliss, o amigo e namorado de toda uma vida, são postos em cheque com a chegada do atraente forasteiro Tom Jeffcoat, possível concorrente de seu pai nos negócios. A súbita antipatia que se instala entre os dois se converte em uma atração impiedosa, que coloca Tom e Emily diante da necessidade de realizarem difíceis confrontações para se oportunizarem o direito de serem felizes. Promessas antigas podem ser quebradas? E justo magoarmos as pessoas que amamos em nome da nossa própria felicidade?Diante de tantos dilemas, todos os personagens desse livro terão que fazer as escolhas que mudarão o rumo de suas vidas. É uma história plena, madura, cheia de aprendizados. Sim, leitores, essa autora tem o verdadeiro dom de emocionar, fazer chorar e invocar nossas paixões e sentimentos contidos. Sua escrita é absolutamente envolvente, original, gráfica em alguns momentos e completamente emotiva em outros. A autora nos esmaga com emoções irreprimíveis arrebatadas por dois triângulos amorosos, sem que suas condutas sejam postas a julgamento, na verdade nos deleitamos com elas, por sua carga de realismo que nos faz vibrar com o coração, a alma e os sentidos. Amei.Resenha publicada em: http://www.skoob.com.br/estante/livro...
A little ditty of a historical romance that takes place in a small western town in Wyoming. Emily Wolcott is a fiery tomboy that has dreams of becoming a veterinarian because of her love for animals. Tom Jeffcoat is a handsome dastardly specimen that moves to Wyoming to open his own livery and become a blacksmith because he hears to it's a great place for the opportunity to make something of himself after being gilted by his former fiancee' for another suitor. Together these two characters overcome obstacles to be together including the fact that Emily has already promised to wed her long-time beau and childhood friend, Charles. A side storyline which is also taking place throughout the book, is Emily taking care of her mother because she is dying. Unbeknownst to Emily though, is the fact that her parents really never were in love and another woman had once held her father's, Edwin, heart...Fannie, who is her mother, Josephine's, cousin. Fannie comes to stay with them to take care of Josephine over Edwin's objections, and the two follow their hearts once again. The scenes between Emily and Tom were just laugh-out-loud funny because of Emily's feisty attitude, whereby Tom could not resist the urge to tease her just to get her sassy blood boiling. Hearts are broken and friendships are tested, but the final outcome is a novel worth checking out!
What do You think about Vows (1988)?
How can be a girl of Victorian culture suddenly slips out of the tradition she was accustomed to because of love? A girl whose belief of moral and chastity has become a great hindrance but in the end she found a way and answers to her question. The characters are unique in their own way. From Emily Walcott who loves wearing her brothers clothes tending and nursing stable animals bethroted to her childhood friend Charles Bliss, who is a carpenter, but falls in love with a man she met ones and boils the blood up to her head in the first meeting, Thomas Jeffcoat, a handsome blacksmith, whose type of girl is far from Emily but how can he resist her innocent charms and deny the sparks that ignite whenever they're near with each other. From Edwin Walcott, the father of Emily whose wife is dying of unknown disease, Josephine, whose twenty-two years of marriage to a wrong woman has not hinder him from being a respectful husband and a good father to his two children to the woman she really loved because of her uniqueness and indifference, Fannie Cooper. Savor every moment of the games at the parties where Emily and Tom are caught on their undeniable sparks and hidden attraction to each other. Wait for the moment where the two of them realizes how in love they are to each other and how they are drawn to their desires. How they came across of the difficulty in admitting what they have to Charles. Read it, the events are beyond your wild imaginantion. :-)
—Christina Camacho
Excellent romantic read, a true love triangle. We see this plot in so many movies, TV shows and other books. This one is truly happy and sad. Sad because the spurned man is truly likeable, not a bad bone in his body. Yet you can't but be happy for the two lovers, they are soul mates. How can you hold that against them. I'll be frank this isn't as good as Morning Glory, perhaps writers only can write one masterpiece and everything else lacks a little. I absolutely don't want to put anyone off from reading this, it's sweet and likable. Very! I rarely re-read but Morning Glory was the exception. As for this story it focuses on frontier life, small booming town in the mid-west 1880's timeframe was excellently described in this book. And like all of LaVyrle Spencer's work, she makes you feel for all the characters included. The love triangle is the main plot theme, but the back drop is marry for duty is always wrong as seen through the eyes of her parents and eventually by the lovers.
—Sue
This story did not work for me for two reasons: I didn’t admire the main characters, and the romantic conflict involved betrayal, which I detest.Emily is a tomboy heroine who thinks she is better than others. She considers her best friend, Tarsy, silly and shallow. A rancher who does not show adequate respect for Emily’s veterinary expertise needs to be taught a lesson. When Emily feels unwanted attraction toward Tom, a blatantly masculine newcomer, she treats him with open scorn, as if blaming
—Foxfire
