Bittersweet

by Jannine Gallant

Can a love born in tragedy survive?

Eight months after her husband is killed in a train robbery, Tess Moran knows she must pick up the pieces of her shattered life and build a future for herself and her infant daughter. Daniel Moran’s love for Tess is bittersweet. Acting on his feelings for his sister-in-law will betray his dead brother’s memory. Watching her search for love elsewhere may very well destroy him.

In 1880, life in rural Colorado is filled hard work and simple pleasures, but trouble looms on the horizon. Together, Tess and Daniel must battle drought and the outlaw who killed the man they both loved. But the greatest challenge of all is finding solace for their battered hearts.

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2012

About the author

Write what you know. I've taken this advice to heart, creating characters from small towns and plots that unfold in the great outdoors. A recent empty nester, I grew up in a tiny Northern California town and currently live in beautiful Lake Tahoe with my husband. When I'm not busy writing, I hike or snowshoe in the woods around my home. Discover the beauty of nature woven into my fast-paced romantic suspense novels.

Reviews

[Diane Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A man who lets guilt destroy his chance at happiness. A woman who's known love, tragedy, and grief and needs a fresh start. Daniel can't get past the fact that because of him his brother was murdered. With his dying breath, his brother charges Daniel to take care of his wife and unborn child. Daniel is willing to do anything for Tess except love her the way he wants to. After nearly a year of mourning, Tess wants to start a new life. She needs a father for her child and a man to love. She wants a future with the one man who doesn't want her. Or so he says.

Janine Gallant tells a poignant love story between two honorable people you can't help rooting for. To get a flavor of life in the Old West where honor and integrity abound, where women work beside their men fighting the elements, nature and evil doers, read Bittersweet.

[Alison Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bittersweet is a beautiful story about guilt, honor, and unrequited love. Tess and Daniel are bound together by their mutual love for Tess's late husband (Daniel's brother) and grief after his death. Daniel is wracked by guilt because he has long loved Tess in secret and feels he should have done more to prevent his brother's murder. As they struggle to overcome their mutual loss, Tess comes to accept the loss of her husband, and her longstanding affection for Daniel blossoms into love, only to meet the brick wall of his guilt. Watching these two come to grips with the reality of their love is a sheer delight. Bittersweet is a lovely, gentle, and deeply moving story.

[Jerri Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely read! Sometimes I'm just in the mood for a story to pull at my heart strings and Bittersweet was perfect for my mood. Tess losses her husband, Rory, when he's killed during a train robbery. He didn't want to give up his wedding ring. Daniel, Rory's brother, is with him and promises Rory to take care of Tess and his unborn child. Emotions run deep in the book with Daniel and Tess coming to grips with Rory's death and their eventually feelings for each other. I greatly enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it!

[Glenda Bettin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read a great Western, loved this book , so very glad for Daniel and Tess

[Anne Patkau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rory died 6 months ago. His brother Daniel has always loved his widow Tess and baby Emily, but feels guilty, so she flirts with new Sheriff Nathan. Typos:4.21 lightening IS lightning 5.24 alter IS altar