Simply Love

Starred review from March 31, 1997
Luke Taggart is bored. He's made his fortune in the Colorado gold mines and bought the best of everything, including women. But lately his life is like a glass of ale left out overnight-flat, with all the fizz gone. He longs for the warmth and comfort of family life, but that would mean taking a wife, which he has vowed never to do. When he happens upon Cassandra Zerek as she's reading to a group of children, he realizes Cassie is the woman he wants for a mistress. To get past her objecting father, Luke has him jailed on bogus claim-jumping charges, then "rescues" Cassie and her little brother from destitution by offering her a position as his live-in companion. Cassie misunderstands her duties, and a delightful comedy of errors starts as Luke tries to explain exactly what he has hired her to do-all of which is lost on the naive young woman. He finally resorts to marriage to get what he's paid for, but by that time Cassie has discovered his manipulation and deception, and Luke must find a way to prove his love for her. With this latest, (after Keegan's Lady) Anderson creates a heartwarming page-turner while establishing herself as a major voice in the romance genre.

May 15, 1997
Wealthy Colorado mining mogul Luke Taggart is bored with the beautiful, loose women in his life. So he tricks naive Cassandra Zerek into becoming his paid companion, but after she moves into his home, he finds he needs her on a different, more committed level. Taggart suffered sexual abuse as a child, which has affected his relationships with women. Anderson (Annie's Song, Avon, 1996) offers a beguiling combination of earthiness and innocence, sweetness and sensuality in this wonderfully written work. The author lives in Sutherlin, Oregon. (JC)