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Meadowlark Trilogy #2
Silver Springs
Though Alexis and Angelica Brady are identical twins, they are complete opposites. Angel is strong-willed and stubborn where Alexis is meek and easily intimidated. Still, the bond between them is unbreakable, and when Alexis begs for her sister's help in avoiding an arranged marriage, Angel reluctantly agrees to switch places and drive the unwanted suitor away. Disguised as the straitlaced Alexis, Angel is shocked to discover the prospective bridegroom is none other than Ox Bruford, the only male who has ever touched her heart. A man is the last thing Angel wants in her life. Her independence was too hard won to give up for something as frivolous as love, but the more she tries to push Ox away, the more she yearns for his touch. Loving Ox would mean revealing her identity...and her heart.
371 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1996
5 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Lampman
15 books19 followersAward-winning author Carolyn Lampman grew up on the Wyoming ranch her great-grandparents homesteaded in 1887 and could ride a horse almost before she could walk. She is best known for her fluent Wyoming twang and humorous, impossible-to-put-down adventures. Carolyn's background and love of the American West shine through in all of her books. History, romance, humor, and mystery all weave together in gripping tales that make her books page-turning, rollicking good reads!
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 4, 2024
This is the second book in the Meadowlark trilogy. It's about Angel and Ox. Together, they plot and scheme to put the two men who've tried to control them out of business. Along the way, they fall in love. There's a lot of action, mischief, and many interesting characters in this book. If you love books set in the Wild West, this one's for you!
July 5, 2017
Angel was tough and smart in book one of the series, but in book two she must also become a convincing actress as she pretends to be her twin Alexis. She fools her father and step-mother and even her best friend Ox who becomes torn as he realizes he loves Angel and is falling for Alexis.
August 22, 2021
I listened to this one on audio. This is a nice continuation in this series. I like how we see the Character, Angel, in a different light. In book 1 we see her as a madam, but this book shows a different light. Great book.
December 5, 2010
From the back cover:
She could deny her past...but not her wild desire...
Angelica Brady was a successful saloon owner in the Wyoming Territory who valued her independence above all else. She only agreed to leave behind the Green Garter to answer her twin sister's plea for help in avoiding an unwanted marriage. Disguised as straitlaced Alexis, the tempestuous firebrand discovered that her sister's fiance was none other than Ox Bruford, the one man from Angel's past who could send her pulse racing.
The more Angel tried to avoid her sister's would-be husband, the more she yearned for his strong arms and sure touch. But loving Ox would mean revealing her identity--and her heart. How long could her deception last when her lies were so boldly betrayed by desire?
And my review:
I bought this book after enjoying Meadowlark by the same author. Unfortunately, SILVER SPRINGS was a bit of a disappointment.
First off, the good points: this author has a flowing, easy-to-read writing style. She writes a good historical backdrop without having it overtake the story. The historical detail is woven into the background of the story--there are no sections that read like a textbook. The characters are well sketched, and real people with real flaws.
However, the characters were also this book's downfall. They were so stupid at times! Early on into the charade, Ox figures out that "Alexis" is really Angel. Rather than admitting it and letting him in on the secret (after all, it's their fathers that need fooling, not the hero) Angel convinces him that she's actually Alexis. She carries on the charade until almost the last page. I would have enjoyed it more if she'd let him in on the secret. Also, when the hero finally finds out that she's been lying to him all along, he's not even the least bit upset! No, he's a lovesick fool, so he's only happy. C'mon! Any person would have been at least a little mad at being tricked and lied to. I know "love is blind", but I think this was a little too unrealistic.
Also, Angel (in her Alexis role) tells Ox that she's engaged. That doesn't stop him from sleeping with her, even after she tells him about her (fake) fiance. Okay, she knows that she's not really engaged, but he doesn't. It was pretty hard to like a man who would willingly sleep with another man's fiancee. I never understood why Angel was so untrusting of men, either. The author never showed the reader why.
Another thing that really bothered me was the scheme of the hero and heroine to get revenge on their fathers. Now granted, their fathers were awful people, but I felt that the hero and heroine were really childish about it. How about just standing up to your father and telling him that you're an adult, and he isn't going to run your life? (They were both portrayed as strong people, so why were they so weak on this point?) No, instead they decide to put their fathers out of the stagecoach business. And part of this plan involves getting a band of robbers to rob the stages. The thieves have instructions not to hurt anyone, but still, the hero and heroine never even gave a thought to the innocent passengers who would suffer from these holdups. Maybe they wouldn't be physically hurt, but they would suffer emotional and psychological injury all the same. Many of them would think that they were about to be killed. Such an experience can ruin a person's life. Again, I found it hard to cheer for a hero and heroine who would stoop to such lows just to get revenge (which had already seemed petty enough).
And then, after all this build-up of how they're going to get their revenge, the author ends the story before the big confrontation with the fathers. Huh? It was as if someone had switched off the TV ten minutes before the end of a movie. It wasn't done yet! Don't make the revenge a huge pivotal theme in the book and then just leave it hanging unfinished at the end! (How satisfying would THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO be if the book ended before the confrontation between Dantes and Fernand Mondego?)
If SILVER SPRINGS had been the first book I'd tried by Lampman, I probably wouldn't have tried another. Read MEADOWLARK instead. It's much better, and the characters are worth cheering for.
She could deny her past...but not her wild desire...
Angelica Brady was a successful saloon owner in the Wyoming Territory who valued her independence above all else. She only agreed to leave behind the Green Garter to answer her twin sister's plea for help in avoiding an unwanted marriage. Disguised as straitlaced Alexis, the tempestuous firebrand discovered that her sister's fiance was none other than Ox Bruford, the one man from Angel's past who could send her pulse racing.
The more Angel tried to avoid her sister's would-be husband, the more she yearned for his strong arms and sure touch. But loving Ox would mean revealing her identity--and her heart. How long could her deception last when her lies were so boldly betrayed by desire?
And my review:
I bought this book after enjoying Meadowlark by the same author. Unfortunately, SILVER SPRINGS was a bit of a disappointment.
First off, the good points: this author has a flowing, easy-to-read writing style. She writes a good historical backdrop without having it overtake the story. The historical detail is woven into the background of the story--there are no sections that read like a textbook. The characters are well sketched, and real people with real flaws.
However, the characters were also this book's downfall. They were so stupid at times! Early on into the charade, Ox figures out that "Alexis" is really Angel. Rather than admitting it and letting him in on the secret (after all, it's their fathers that need fooling, not the hero) Angel convinces him that she's actually Alexis. She carries on the charade until almost the last page. I would have enjoyed it more if she'd let him in on the secret. Also, when the hero finally finds out that she's been lying to him all along, he's not even the least bit upset! No, he's a lovesick fool, so he's only happy. C'mon! Any person would have been at least a little mad at being tricked and lied to. I know "love is blind", but I think this was a little too unrealistic.
Also, Angel (in her Alexis role) tells Ox that she's engaged. That doesn't stop him from sleeping with her, even after she tells him about her (fake) fiance. Okay, she knows that she's not really engaged, but he doesn't. It was pretty hard to like a man who would willingly sleep with another man's fiancee. I never understood why Angel was so untrusting of men, either. The author never showed the reader why.
Another thing that really bothered me was the scheme of the hero and heroine to get revenge on their fathers. Now granted, their fathers were awful people, but I felt that the hero and heroine were really childish about it. How about just standing up to your father and telling him that you're an adult, and he isn't going to run your life? (They were both portrayed as strong people, so why were they so weak on this point?) No, instead they decide to put their fathers out of the stagecoach business. And part of this plan involves getting a band of robbers to rob the stages. The thieves have instructions not to hurt anyone, but still, the hero and heroine never even gave a thought to the innocent passengers who would suffer from these holdups. Maybe they wouldn't be physically hurt, but they would suffer emotional and psychological injury all the same. Many of them would think that they were about to be killed. Such an experience can ruin a person's life. Again, I found it hard to cheer for a hero and heroine who would stoop to such lows just to get revenge (which had already seemed petty enough).
And then, after all this build-up of how they're going to get their revenge, the author ends the story before the big confrontation with the fathers. Huh? It was as if someone had switched off the TV ten minutes before the end of a movie. It wasn't done yet! Don't make the revenge a huge pivotal theme in the book and then just leave it hanging unfinished at the end! (How satisfying would THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO be if the book ended before the confrontation between Dantes and Fernand Mondego?)
If SILVER SPRINGS had been the first book I'd tried by Lampman, I probably wouldn't have tried another. Read MEADOWLARK instead. It's much better, and the characters are worth cheering for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2019
Ox and Angel
Angel had been the Madam of the Green Garter Casino and Bordello before selling for a nice profit and Sam had owned and operated a freight balling business. Angel received a letter from her sister asking her to come to their home because she needed help. Ox also moved to the same city. Circumstances bring Angel and Ox together and create confusion and exciting adventure to both of them and romance too. Will they be successful in their new business adventure and also find the lasting love they both secretly want?
Angel had been the Madam of the Green Garter Casino and Bordello before selling for a nice profit and Sam had owned and operated a freight balling business. Angel received a letter from her sister asking her to come to their home because she needed help. Ox also moved to the same city. Circumstances bring Angel and Ox together and create confusion and exciting adventure to both of them and romance too. Will they be successful in their new business adventure and also find the lasting love they both secretly want?
March 23, 2009
3.5 stars
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January 2, 2013Part 2 in the Meadowlark series... Cute tale of twins switching places to solve love issues in their lives along with overbearing parental interference.
Read
February 9, 2014enjoyable
November 15, 2014
LOVED IT!
Read
February 23, 2015read
September 1, 2013
Love Angel's character, and Ox is a perfect match for her. Great series, wonderful characters!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews