Gold Rush

I have a bit of a soft spot for romance author Ruth Ryan Langan. She wrote the first romance novel I ever read, which incidentally (and this shocks no one) happened to be a western romance. I wouldn't recommend anyone go trolling for Nevada Nights these days, since it's loaded with 1980s awesome sauce (convent-raise heroine, a mysterious gunslinger named Colt ::snort::, a soap opera-style plot that probably could have saved Guiding Light from cancellation), but as a doe-eyed teen (I was probably 14-ish), I inhaled that book. Not only was it my first romance novel, and my first western historical, it was also the first "grown-up" book I read in one sitting.

Oh, and I probably shouldn't discount the s-e-x. Ahem, anywho....

Langan has been writing for years, for a variety of publishers, and I discovered recently that she's moving over to Grand Central and has a trilogy due out in early 2010 (under a new name). I'll admit, the premise of the series does give me pause. Every reader has certain plot lines they've had bad luck with. Well, mine is long-lost gold mines/nuggets/whatever. Honestly, it's probably just my dumb luck, but every historical western I've read featuring long-lost gold has made my brain bleed.

But again - soft spot for Langan. Also this is a contemporary trilogy, not a historical. Plus, we can't discount the cowboys on the covers. Yep, I really am this shallow. Obviously you've just stumbled on this blog.....

Overview Series Description:

He was called a crazy old coot by the folks of Gold Fever, Montana, because he'd spent a lifetime searching for the sack of gold nuggets discovered by his ancestor, and stolen by a greedy prospector who was later found dead, the gold missing. The name stuck, and Coot McCord passed on his legacy to his three grandsons, challenging them in his will to carry on the treasure hunt.

Cousins Jesse, Wyatt and Zane McCord had grown up under the same roof, not only blood related, but best friends, until the fabric of their family began to unravel, and their parents chose separate paths. Now adults, they are drawn into their grandfather's obsession, but they will have to overcome many obstacles on their path to regain the easy friendship they had once enjoyed.

Montana Destiny by R.C. Ryan, March 2010

Description:

She was the one person who shook Jesse McCord’s quiet determination. She was the only one he ever let in, body and soul. Then suddenly Amy Parrish left without warning — or a word — and the oldest McCord cousin devoted his life to the family ranch. Now Amy is back, caring for her ailing father and offering Jesse help in finding the legendary McCord gold. With luck, his pride will keep him safe from her irresistible charms — and his own unexpected desire...

Amy isn’t about to give Jesse a second chance. She’s keeping her assistance strictly business, even if the hungry look in Jesse’s eyes is getting harder and harder to resist. But under the wide prairie skies an unseen enemy is fast closing in, threatening Amy and Jesse’s very lives and the promise of their...

Montana Destiny by R.C. Ryan, May 2010

Description:

Wyatt McCord looks more like an eternal surfer than a cowboy. After traveling around the globe, he is brought back to Gold Fever by the death of his grandfather, and challenged to take up the search for the legendary McCord fortune. But Wyatt finds an even greater challenge in Marilee Trainor, a free-spirit who handles the town's emergency runs and pilots her own plane. When she decides to aid Wyatt in his treasure hunt, she finds herself in the line of fire by someone bent on preventing Wyatt from reaching his goal.

Montana Glory by R.C. Ryan, To Be Announced

Description:

Zane McCord put in some hard time growing up in Hollywood, until he found purpose with Steven Michaelson, a renowned director of documentaries. When he returns to Gold Fever, he must put in more hard time proving that he has what it takes to belong on his grandfather's ranch.

Kate Mason is struggling to raise her two little daughters while juggling a day job at a local day care and working nights at the Fortune Saloon. Her first night at the saloon is a disaster, and Zane steps in to save her from being fired. When he learns that she was an art major in college, he puts in a good word with his aunt, a bit of an eccentric, but an amazing artist, who happens to need an assistant. Kate and Cora are a perfect fit. But because of a painful divorce, Kate isn't about to allow herself to admit to the feelings that Zane stirs in her. As for Zane, the family's avowed bachelor, he's certainly not ready for a ready-made family.

As the cousins draw ever closer to the lost fortune, there are those who are determined to stop them at any price.

Can Zane and Kate overcome the many obstacles to discover both love and fortune?