The Love Lesson

In 1874 Flint, Kansas, eleven-year-old Polly Sutherland and Amy Jo Baxter are the best friends even if their behavior is radically different. Polly is a typical Midwest girl while Amy Jo is a tomboy. When Amy Jo tells her buddy that Carey kissed her, Polly dreams of her knight in shining armor. Her beloved requires two traits. He must be able to chop wood and read Shakespeare.Twelve years later, a pregnant Amy Jo is married to Race Jordan while the single Polly teaches school. The two women remain the best of friends and Polly's clumsy matchmaking efforts brought Race and Amy Jo together. A newcomer to town is self-exiled Englishman Cameron Hawke accompanied by his two small children who attend Polly's class. The kids hate what their mother did to their father and want him to once again be happy, not lonely. They select Polly as the ideal person. With the machinations of Amy Jo and two precocious little children, Polly and Cameron begin to spend much time together. The duo starts to fall in love, but he has ugly memories of his first spouse and she thinks a brute like him never heard of Shakespeare.THE LOVE LESSON is an entertaining western romance that features several enjoyable characters. The return of Carey, Race and Amy Jo from MY VALENTINE adds a homecoming touch to the tale. Polly and Cameron make a wonderful couple even if he is too obstinate to realize it. The shenanigans of the two children turn them into the stars of this engrossing tale. Sub-genre fans will quickly realize that Sheridon Smythe is a wonderful new force who is providing readers with pleasurable novels.Harriet Klausner