Courting Miss Hattie

by Pamela Morsi

The news spread like brush fire through the whole county when widower Ancil Drayton announced his intention to start courting Miss Hattie Colfax. She was certainly spirited and delightfully sweet natured, and she'd managed to run her family farm almost single-handedly. But wasn't a twenty-nine-year-old lady farmer too old to catch a husband?

An Irresistible Suitor.

All his life handsome, black-haired Reed Tyler had worked Miss Hattie's farm--and dreamed of one day settling down on his own piece of land with the pretty young woman he'd sworn to marry. Hattie was someone he could tell his hopes and troubles to--someone he looked on as a sister. So he thought, until the idea of Ancil Drayton calling on her made him seethe. Until the night a brotherly peck became a scorching kiss... and Reed knew nothing would bank the blaze--and that his best friend was the only woman he would ever love.


From the Paperback edition.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Westerns, Friends To Lovers, Historical Fiction, Western Romance

292 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Pamela Morsi was an American writer. She was the author of 29 romance novels, beginning in 1991.

Reviews

[LuvBug · Rating 3 out of 5]

OH. MY.GOSH this book completely peed me off! I was sorely tempted to give it 1 stars but this author can weave a good tail so that saved it. Miss Hattie is a plain Jane and almost everyone in the community calls her horse face because of her big teeth. One day out of the blue a thinning hair raggedy farmer with seven kids started to court her and she is ecstatic because no one has ever given her the time or day. The hero which is her best friend started seeing her in a new light even though he himself was engaged. (but of course the OW really loves someone else that she later runs off with- don't get me started on that, grrr!)

What takes place after that was some very entertaining scenes. The hero teaching her how to kiss so she could use it on her suitor,his jealous antics after she does, and miss Hatti's genuine happiness at finally being wanted by a man. Then the author had to go and ruin it at about 60% in. The suitor didn't really want Miss Hattie at all, he was just using her to get her land and was still calling her horse face behind her back and saying he was gonna get some children off her by covering her face with a bag. HE SAID THIS ALL IN FRONT OF THE HERO! Thanks!

Why couldn't the suitor really want to Marry her for herself?! She had so much to offer but yet not even a nasty rotten teeth farmer wanted her? WTH? Only the hero in the whole wide world finds her appealing? No one can't be that ugly that a man like that couldn't see something to admire in the chit. She couldn't have one lone suitor that really liked her? Come on, even in real life some men actually look beyond the surface, especially a man like that idiot suitor which had absolutely nothing good going on for him. Looks nada, riches nada, teeth nada, (okay, a bit of an exaggeration) seven kids yesa.

I'm just disgruntled because I was really enjoying the fact that it took another man to see the qualities that the hero didn't see and it made him turn and take notice. It had that sort of "see what you were your missing" thing going on, but then it turned out to be a lie. The author couldn't leave it at that, the poor girl had to be humiliated by that slime scum crap bag still calling her horse face after she agrees to marry him. And get this, just get this.... She was so desperate that she was willing to give him another chance! Cuz ya know, who else was gonna ask? No pride I tell ya!  Ugh! Yea, We get our HEA with the hero and heroine in the end, but at what price, at what price I say? Lol. Too bad this story went nutso because this author can really bring a story to life. I was laughing and on the edge of my seat for a while before it all turned to doodoo. I honestly can't give this book anything less than 3 stars because barring all the things that went wrong for me, the story was very engaging.

[Cheesecake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reed and Hattie. This story is a slow build but not in any boring way. Hattie is 29 and Reed is 24. When she was younger, her father dying and then her mother being of weak character and her being the only child, left Hattie missing her best years. Now she is a hopeless spinster but her character is such that she doesn't let it get her down. She's not a beauty, and was bullied in school for it, but she still remains sweet-natured and has a wonderful sense of humour. Reed came to work on her father's farm when he was just 9, and now it is her farm and he hopes to buy it from her. He is promised to the local beauty but their connection seems rather passionless. Then everything gets turned on it's head when the local widower decides to start courting Miss Hattie. I love how this author really researches her work. The story is rich with history and realistic to the times, yet still romantic and super sexy. The first half of the book is buildup where you learn the multitude of interesting characters and life in that time and place. Then just when you are starting to wonder if anything is going to happen... everything changes and it was SOOOOO hard to put down! The ending was fantastic and one of the most romantic endings I've ever read. I just loved Reed and Hattie!! (and I will never view peaches the same!!!)

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no words.

Perfection.

Expanded thoughts: Although I would normally be troubled by a hero who is already engaged, it worked in this book, and the bratty betrothed actually has more layers than initially portrayed. Miss Hattie is a wonderful character who reminds me a bit of Maggie Osborne's Jenny Jones in her self-sufficiency and lack of pretension. Reed is hotttness personified - honest, hard-working, and playful with a hint of wickedness. I love how the author reveals his feelings for Hattie...even without Reed's being able to put a name to such just yet. The moment when Hattie realizes Reed intends his visit to be courting is priceless. I was deeply invested in their HEA from the start. Reed and his peaches...*shivers* delicious! Theirs is a sweet and passionate story with a slow burn that feels so damn good when it catches fire.

I loved this book. Seriously loved it.

Edit: Don't be thrown off by the $$$ listing on Amazon. You can find a used copy for cheap on www.half.com or by clicking the plus sign next to the Paperback listing on Amazon, which will reveal a drop down menu that includes a 1991 edition. Amazon is sneaky like that with the hidden listings.

[Celestine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written with Morsi's trademark charm. She manages to write books with romantic tension and dubious characters who end up surprising us with their graciousness. There are no true villains besides weather and fate in a Pamela Morsi novel.

What I usually love in a Morsi hero is his unabashed lusting after some obscure part of the heroine's anatomy. She can make a hillbilly's foot seem swoon-worthy. In this book, there were so many references to Hattie's horse face and wide grin, that I just didn't feel the lust. It also didn't help that Reed's fiancee was such a large part of the plot. It smacked a little of emotional cheating, for all that perhaps Reed didn't recognize his feelings as such.

Hattie was delightful: spunky, strong, good-spirited and happy. I wanted to be her friend. Though not graced with a beautiful face, she didn't wallow in her misery. She also knew she wanted more out of life, and sought to grasp on to whatever additional happiness might come her way.

The setting around Arkansas rice fields was unique and educational. I had no idea Arkansas produces rice and is still today has the highest rice yield in the U.S. I love it when casually dropped details in a historical novel make me turn to the Internet to check out more information. Not surprising Morsi manages to inject drama into farming. She has a great ability to make us appreciate the efforts and ingenuity of the past, and bring them alive through great characters and touching romance.

[Marquise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of well-to-do landowner Hattie Colfax and Reed Tyler, the farmhand she's known for fifteen years is a sweet one. The heroine is a self-sufficient woman, who's respected by everyone in town because of her charming personality, which however didn't bring her any suitors to vie for her hand and she's been a spinster for a long while despite her winsomeness. Until she attracts the eye of a widowed farmed with seven children, desperately seeking for a mother for his little ones, that begins to court her with marriage in mind.

He, however, isn't interested in her or in having a mother for his children. He covets her land, the best one round those parts, and commits the indiscretion of telling everyone about that. Hattie, who'd agreed to the courtship out of a mix of desperation and longing, since she's never attracted anyone and doesn't want to miss her chance to have the family she wants, is hurt. The issues with the wooing Mr Drayton result in her developing deeper ties with another man, closer at hand, from whom she'll finally know what true courtship entails and where it leads.

I liked that this author, hitherto unknown to me, has this ability to narrate very "homely" stories that nevertheless are interesting. Her heroine is plain and otherwise unremarkable, yet one that is attractive to readers thanks to the characterisation. Morsi is able to make one feel like common daily-life type of plots can have their charm as much as those more adventurous and fast-paced that usually are set in frontier/Wild West placements. I'm not sure which order this novel occupies in her résumé, but I believe she still needs to polish her dialogue-writing somewhat more, especially if she is writing books set in the 19th century, due to the language. Also, the novel would've improved greatly if she'd not had spent so much time on the secondary couple, which took more space than necessary--the plot could've been shorter, and Harmon's continuous pleading with the girl became repetitive--and at times distracted from the main H/h storyline. Apart from that, it's an enjoyable tale.

[Saly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 3.5 stars
This is not my favourite book by this author. The heroine is 29 and a spinster and plain looking so everyone thinks she doesn't want romance in life but that is not the case, she yearns for family and romance and when a widower with seven kids declares his intention to court her, she is very happy. Hattie never got a chance to experience romance because she was plain looking and when her father died she had to take care of her mother. Reed is 24 and engaged to a very beautiful woman. He has known Hattie all his life and wants to buy her farm. When Hattie begins being courted he doesn't like it at all. For some reason I ended up enjoying the book and not loving it. Reed's fiancée as it turns out has her own secrets and secret love which she keeps denying because of family expectations but she finally does the right thing, making Reed free to follow what he wants.

[Petra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot how romantic Pamela Morsi can be but also how sexy.
The drama what turns out to be between two couples kept me turning pages until the early hours of the morning.
Every single person in this story is unique down to a nanny goat who we are introduced at the beginning.
Reed and Hattie were so perfect for each other as characters even though on the outside it did not appear that way. She is 5 years older and people call her Horseface( that was so hard for me to take that she was called that in her face) and Reed is younger, handsome and very ambitious.

And the secondary love story is quiet romantic as well.
I enjoyed this book a lot.

[Becky ♡The Bookworm♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

***3.5 Sweet Romantic Stars!***

I'm always a little nervous when I pick up a romance originally written during the late 80's or early 90's, but this one was pretty good. I thought Hattie was an interesting character, although she does have self-esteem issues when it comes to her looks. She's described as having "horse teeth" and has never been courted or kissed. Despite that issue, she thrives in other areas. After the passing of Hattie's father, she runs the farm single-handedly and does it very well. Unlike other women of the time, she doesn't 'need' a man to provide or care for her. She's independent and self-sufficient, but she's also lonely for family and children.

Enter Reed Tyler, a young ambitious farmer looking for a partner to co-op a parcel of land. He's engaged and wants to plant rice, but doesn't have the land. His fiancée wants to marry as soon as possible, so he approaches Hattie.

What I like most about this book is how the relationship between Hattie and Reed develops slowly over time. They've known each other since childhood and never expected more to come of their relationship. Reed has an honorable personality and tends to have fun no matter what he is doing. It's a great match for Hattie, who enjoys the company and the laughter. The banter between them is really sweet and at times laugh-out-loud funny, especially when local widower Ancil (who has 7 kids) decides to officially 'court' Hattie.

There is much more to the story than Hattie and Reed's growing relationship and the secondary characters add so much extra to the story. There are a few challenges on the way to everyone's HEA and a few surprises, too. My only complaint is that the ending felt abrupt, even though it was satisfying. I look forward to reading more work from this author in the future.

I recommend this book to adult fans of Historical Western Romance, especially those written during the early 1990's.

[Jill Dunlop · Rating 4 out of 5]

At a young age Miss Hattie Colfax had to run her family farm by herself with the help of her plowboy Reed Tyler. She was determined to be successful and sure enough she has one of the most prosperous farms in town. Although, since she had a farm to worry about, her youth passed her by. Now, at twenty-nine for the first time a man wants to court her. Hattie believed that her dreams of having a family of her own where just that dreams, but when Ancil Drayton’s wife dies and he desperately needs someone to help care for them he turns to Hattie. Reed Tyler who has known Hattie since he was a child and starts to look at Hattie in a new light now that Ancil is showing some interest.

Courting Miss Hattie was a wonderful, peach of a story. This story is more character driven, than action driven. The characters are rich and vivid as is the backdrop of Arkansas. Hattie knows she is not the prettiest woman around, but she is smart and hard working. She takes a lot of pride in her farm. Hattie who hasn’t ever had someone show a romantic interest in her doesn’t exactly know how to handle this new attention Ancil is giving her. He opens up a whole new perspective for her and she realizes that her feelings for Reed are more than just friendship. Even though Reed is engaged to pretty Bessie Jane, he can’t seem to stop thinking about Hattie either.

As the story unfolds slowly Hattie and Reed unearth their feelings for each other. The scenes are so sweet and tender. Not to worry, it never feels syrupy. My favorite part of the book is when Reed sees Hattie crying on her front porch. He wants to know what has her so upset and she tells him she doesn’t know how to kiss. He then proceeds to give her a lesson in kissing. It is a most memorable scene because of their innocence and it is both funny and touching. Both are surprised at the depths of their feelings this kissing lesson evokes and it becomes a turning point in their relationship.

[daemyra, the realm's delight · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed this. Slice of life. Life on the farm. The goat Myrene and the boars! So humourous, including that first scene with the preacher informing Hattie that there's a suitor for but don't worry he primed him to be let down because you know, she's a spinster on the shelf.

I would not consider the hero beta or the heroine a prude. Hattie the heroine was initially hesitant to do some sparking time with her unsuitable suitor, but she does try out of curiosity, and it is clear that she was interested in the hero, Reed.

Reed is also not beta, it's clear he was jealous over the courtship, and speaks up on Hattie's defence when she's not in the vicinity. Perhaps a more aggressive hero would have schemed to prevent her from dating, but I liked that she had the opportunity to go on dates, as someone who became a spinster against her own wishes. Hattie and Reed's first date was SO awkward and full of misunderstandings...it would have gone worse if Hattie didn't have some experience, at that point.

While the farming, rice fields, did take up a lot of the story, a little too much and I did skim those agricultural parts of the story, I did like what the rice field symbolized, and the final act event. That scene when Hattie speaks to Reed's uncle was just what I wanted Hattie to hear, because Reed would never say it.

It was clear the heroine did some smoochy-smooch with her unsuitable suitor, but didn't like doing stuff with him.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very talented writer to make this story work so well.

[Hilcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Courting Miss Hattie, Morsi once again sets her story in an Arkansas farming community and captures both time and place. She tells the story of Miss Hattie, a 29-year-old spinster who has never been courted, until now. In Miss Hattie, Morsi again works with a character that is viewed as different by her community. She is respected, as an excellent farmer who owns her own land, is independent and knowledgeable and also happens to be an excellent housekeeper and cook. But Hattie is a woman, and as a woman in a community where girls marry at the tender age of seventeen, she's considered an old spinster and treated as such. The fact that Hattie's looks are lacking count heavily against her -- behind her back her nickname is "Horseface Hattie."

When local farmer and widower and father to a slew of children, Ancyl Drayton decides to come calling, you can feel both Hattie's pain and her hope for a future she thought she would never have -- a husband and children. I loved Miss Hattie. She is the perfect spinster/plain Jane type of protagonist that some of us love to read about in a book. Hattie isn't exactly your missish spinster, although she is definitely naive and has her moments. She is an independent woman who is direct and plain speaking and a tough and hard-working farmer. As a woman she is vulnerable, passionate and all heart. There is a joy in Hattie that makes her beautiful.

Reed Tyler? I could have eaten him up with a spoon. What a great character he turned out to be. He is younger than Miss Hattie, but he is a real man. Reed began working at the Colfax farm when he was a 14-year-old boy. After Hattie's parents died and left her the farm, Reed stayed to help her and became a sharecropper using Colfax land. Reed and Hattie are close friends and partners. His dream is to save his money to buy the Colfax farm from Hattie so he can settle down with his young wife once he marries. That is...until Ancyl begins courting Hattie.

Courting Miss Hattie is a wonderful friends to lovers romance. In a way, I hate to put it that way because it simplifies this story and it is more than that. The community at large, and Hattie herself, both see Ancyl's courting as a godsend and a favor to her -- all except Reed. He doesn't think Ancyl is good enough for her, as a man or as a farmer. I loved him for that. Reed begins to see Hattie as a woman and to seethe. Slowly, Ms. Morsi develops the story, and the sexual tension and romance between Hattie and Reed builds. And a passionate, joyful romance it is!

I have many favorite scenes in this book. The scene where Reed explains to Hattie that there are three different types of kisses: pecks, peaches and malvalvas, and Miss Hattie comes to love her "peaches," is a favorite. But, I think their overall joy and laughter in the midst of the discovery of their passion and love is what makes this romance stand out for me.

This review would be incomplete if I didn't mention a secondary romance that impacts Hattie and Reed's relationship. Morsi doesn't leave this romance behind in passion or in characterization; she takes her time with both. As in Simple Jess, she again develops a community that is vital and their down-to-earth, everyday interactions add depth to this story. The secondary characters are very much a part of Courting Miss Hattie and complete this romance.

This is another Morsi book I highly recommend for those who want to read a different type of historical romance in an American setting. In Courting Miss Hattie you’ll find a beautifully written, well-developed, passionate romance, with a friends to lovers theme, and an unforgettable secondary, lively cast of characters that has more to offer than your every day fare. This is definitely a keeper.

[Cyndi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason Courting Miss Hattie didn't earn 1 star was because I learned a little about farming in Arkansas and growing rice. Other than that the book sucked.

Hardly any time was devoted to Reed and Hattie's romantic relationship. One second they have a brother/sister relationship, the next they kiss, and dozens of pages later (with no hint of romance in between) they get married and have sex all the time. Boo! Where's the build up? The romance? The will-they-or-won't-they suspense? Not in this book. Instead the reader is treated to pages and pages of Hattie hanging out with Ancil (yuck) and Reed "sparkin'" Bessie Jane (blah). How someone as strong willed as Hattie was convinced that Ancil would make a good husband, I will never know. And Reed's condescending attitude toward Bessie Jane was borderline offensive.

Oh! And the way the characters talked?? Good lord. I wanted to shoot myself in the head. I don't need every character I read about to be well-spoken and educated, but Morsi borders on caricature with some of the people in the novel. In the beginning I thought, "Oh, the dialect is okay. Kind of different. Interesting interpretation of the time period and area." By the end I felt like she was making them out to be backwoods hicks.

The Harmon/Bess story could have been interesting if he wasn't calling her "Sweet Bess" every fricking 5 seconds. After the 7th time on one page I was ready to scream. Though, I was happy to see that Harmon became successful in the epilogue.

And speaking of the epilogue, I hope 39 year old Hattie has a safe pregnancy ;)

I don't think I'll checking out more of Morsi's work, especially since this is, apparently, the best of it. That doesn't say much for the others.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Hattie Colfax is a 29 year old spinster who has been successfully running her small town Arkansas farm with the help of her 25 year old best friend/ neighbor, Reed Tyler.
Reed has been helping then sharecropping on this farm since he was about 12-13 years old. He and Hattie are great friends and she has promised to sell him the farm. He has dreams of growing rice on the farm and is saving to buy the place so he can marry his pretty little fiance'.
Hattie knows that she is no beauty, she has been called Horse Face Hattie behind her back for all of her life. When she gets news that recent widower, Ancil Drayton ( one of her childhood tormentors)has decided to court her, she realizes that this may be her only opportunity to have the life she always dreamed of.. marriage, children ( Well Ancil already has 7 or 8 of them) When the courting begins and Ancil wants to "spark" with her, she shys away because she has never been kissed and is afraid of doing it wrong. Who better to teach her how than her best friend Reed! After some sweet peaches from Reed, can either of them resist each other??

I absolutely loved this book! There are some great side stories going on as well as a lot of romantic tension (and release).

[Crista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think 3 1/2 stars would be more what I'd rate this book. It is definitely good, but I struggled to really get into it until the last 3/4 or so.

The setting is on a Arkansas farm between a land owner (Miss Hattie) and her younger field hand (Reed). The age difference didn't bother me....the boss/worker relationship didn't bother me, but it did kind of bother me that Hattie used to "babysit" Reed when he was little. If there is going to be an age gap, then please don't tell me that Hattie knew Reed as a child used to wipe his nose...it is just a bit creepy for me.

The love story was sweet and I was glad that Miss Hattie found love...but why did it have to be with Reed? I usually like "friends turned lovers" storylines, but this took it a little to far for me.

[Addie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am re-reading all my 5 star rated romance novels. There are 62 on my shelf (and counting). This is book 48.



Aw shucks - I could not finish (DNF 19%). Cheesy, saccharin, and unbelievable. This type of writing does not work for me anymore.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute love story with likable characters but like another reviewer said "my enjoyment was diminished by the INORDINATE amount of time spent on the characters talking about farming."

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Historical Romance discord that I’m in selected this as the book of the month.

I enjoyed it! I usually don’t care for Morsi’s secondary romances but I preferred this one to the primary romance.

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 3 out of 5]

RTC

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I am floating...that kind of "Sound of Music" floaty. "Courting Miss Hattie" is exquisite perfection.

The heroine, Hattie Colfax, is everything I want in a heroine. She is warm, hard-working, self-reliant, good-hearted, and all around wonderful. Hattie is 29 year old "spinster" who is working her family farm following the death of her parents. She has no siblings or relatives, her closest friend is farm hand, Reed Tyler, who was hired at age eight by Hattie's late father to work as a sharecropper. Now at 24, Reed has come to love the land, is engaged to pretty, snobby, 17 year old Bessie Jane, and he is saving up to buy the farm from Hattie who has promised to sell the farm to Reed.

Although I was not very happy with the plot where the hero is already engaged, the resolution was believable because even in her apparent cruelty, there were complex layers to Bessie Jane's fickle behavior. But it took Bess a long time to grow and in the meantime, she hurt many people. I was furious when tried to destroy the man she loved by telling him that she had slept with Reed. Her terrible treatment of such a wonderful man as Harmon never quite redeemed her in my eyes.

Despite his working for her, Hattie and Reed are good friends but that changes when a neighboring framer, Ancil Drayton decides to court Miss Hattie. Drayton is a balding, crude, widower with seven children and he had been one of Hattie's childhood tormentors. I was infuriated at the mean-spirited treatment of Hattie by her schoolmates, called "Horseface Hattie" and never asked out as a young woman, I felt her pain and isolation. Yet despite being treated so poorly as a child and teen, Hattie maintained her kind nature, always greeting her neighbors with her toothy but genuine smile, and she became a respected member of her community because of her generous spirit.

I was thoroughly amused at Reed's growing irritation with the thought of Drayton courting Hattie. After giving Hattie lessons on kissing...pecks, peaches, and malavas, Reed slowly starts to see Hattie as a woman of character and gravitas.

It was a revelation at seeing Reed's feelings for Hattie deepened into a steady, passionate love. It was when he was talking with his mom that Reed began to realize his true feelings. And when Hattie realizes Reed's building her a porch swing and intends his visits to be courting her is simply perfection.

When it comes to this genre, Americana settings, Pamela Morsi is truly gifted. When I read the last sentence, I was elated and wanted to take the journey of Hattie and Reed again. No heroine ever written deserved such a sweet HEA as Miss Hattie. I adored her, and that's the mark of a great writer, to create a heroine that I'd want to have as a friend. This book is a gem and will be on my keeper shelf to be re-read many more times.

[Ela (Mouse333) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book, but too much of the book had other people that both of the main characters were dating.

I really liked Hattie and Reed’s friendship and how it was shown how their relationship changed slowly.

I liked most of the side characters that were shown, but I thought that there could have been more scenes where Hattie and Reed interacted with them. I liked Harmon, but I really didn’t like Bessie as she was rude and selfish. The fact that everyone in the book seems to forget that by the end of the book, made me dislike her even more. I didn’t like Ancil, but I liked his children and how most of them had their own personalities and were clearly shown. Also, I thought that there could have been more scenes where Hattie and Reed interacted with Reed’s family.

I liked how this book showed everything in detail, but I wanted to see more scenes showing Hattie and Reed’s lives at the end as it felt like the majority of this book was about them dating other people.

I really liked how this book was written and how the characters and relationships were developed, but I thought that Hattie and Reed could have broken up with Ancil and Bessie quicker.

[namericanwordcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best Plain Jane Romance hands down. This is a great friends to lovers love story. And it adds in a older woman younger man trope that is perfect.

Morsi is one of my favorite writers and this is one of my favorite books. Everything is perfectly in place. She does wonderful work with this common themes but sets them in a less common time period and gives me nerdgasms by teaching me about rice farming.

It is rare in any romance that you actually feel the couple fall in love. It is subtle and sudden and you are just so happy for them.

All other details in this story are finely wrought and memorable but they are the kind of memories you need to relive again. So, I keep rereading this book.

[puppitypup · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historic Romance Sweet

Normally, when I see the word sweet associated with a book, I steer clear. For some reason, I associate sweet with boring. Not so in this case!

Taking place on a small farm in Arkansas, this isn't your typical historic romance setting. I really enjoyed the story. It's nice to see a hero and heroine working together toward a common goal, and both of them are upbeat, happy people, I like that.

The book is not clean, one or two bad words and a couple of intimate scenes.

[Lnlyoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to punch every men in that town. A bunch of assholes!! Scums!!! Cruel pigs! I know there were a few good men also but that didn't change anything. Their cruel words about her physical appearance broke my heart. None forgot about her lack of beauty. I think she is a very strong woman. She accepted the truth about herself and didn't let their cruelness break her. I admired her heart. Unlike me, she could forgive easily.

[Gwen (The Gwendolyn Reading Method) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I swear I've read this one too!!! Jeez, I was really bad at entering books into Goodreads for awhile! Anywho, it was cute! Watch my video review

[Renegade ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 - 4 1/2 stars

[ᑭᑌᑎƳᗩ [Punya Reviews...] · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts... for more, visit Punya Reviews...

I have waited to pick up another Pamela Morsi book for at least 4 yrs. There is a reason behind it but I am not here to discuss that. Recently I decided I need to give her older romance a try once again. Last week I finished “Sealed with a Kiss”, which didn’t really live up to my expectations. But I had already bought a few books by her so I picked up Courting Miss Hattie instead. The blurb intrigued me, so did the ratings. And I have to say that it was better than I thought it would be. I’m also quite fond of older woman-younger man theme, so that was a boon in this story. Surprised me really, because I didn’t know it prior to starting the book.

Courting Miss Hattie is set at the turn of the century. Hattie Colfax was but a child when her father passed away leaving her with her frail, difficult-to-be-with mother. But that didn’t mean Hattie didn’t love them both. Being an only child, she took care of her until she also passed on. After that, Hattie has been pretty much alone, taking care of their farmland all by herself. But she also had a helper. Reed Tyler came to them when he was but barely a boy, recruited by her father. 5 yrs younger than Hattie, Reed took to the training soon. While Hattie only had 2 other members in her family, Reed’s family was very big with 8/9 brothers and sisters. He was somewhere in the middle so the training at an early age did him good. Every bit of financial contribution mattered. Besides Reed’s father liked Hattie’s and was happy to have him work for the old Mr. Colfax.

Now a grown man of 24, Reed is every bit as hardworking and one of the best farmers around. Since she started taking care of the farm, Hattie had leased out her land to other farmers but no one stuck around for long. Not because it wasn’t a good land—people wanted it as we find out soon enough— but because Reed took over as soon as he was of an age and was able to farm on his own. He had a dream and Colfax farm was a big part of it. Reed wanted to own it someday when Hattie won’t be able to take care of it anymore. After working here for so long, Colfax farm felt like his place so Reed treated it as such. He has recently gotten engaged to the prettiest girl in town, so he had other things to think of as well.

But above all, Reed was quite fond of Hattie. Miss Hattie was someone he looked up to and cared for. They worked together every day since their childhood. In all, they have been a part of each-other since Reed was 12 and Hattie 17. Now you ask, why weren’t they engaged instead? That’d surely solve any problem they may have regarding Hattie’s farm! Why isn’t Hattie married yet for that matter?

Unfortunately for Hattie, she wasn’t attractive enough to ‘catch a man’. But to me, after reading everything, it felt more like the result of small-town gossip of equally shallow-minded people than anything else. Hattie had a longer face and a mouth full of white, bright teeth that were a tad bigger than usual. She had a bright, big smile I’m sure. However, that has gotten her various nasty nicknames since her childhood. Being a lonely child, Hattie was rather introvert and the school bullies didn’t take kindly to that. She was abused and taunted for her ‘face’ and became ‘Horseface Hattie’ to everyone. I mean everyone in the town. To this day, till now, they call her Horseface Hattie behind her back. At times not even that! Can you even imagine????! I was agape reading how horrible people were, dragging on something like that for years after years, so much so that Hattie doesn’t even mind anymore. It has become a part of her life, as much as loneliness and spinsterhood had. She had wanted her own family but she knew from a young age that she never will because no man will ever ask her. No one did so far...until recently.

So it was, one of the town widower and father of 7, Ancil Drayton had shown a marked interest in Hattie. Drayton was not ‘dream guy’ material by any stretch of the word. In fact, IMO any girl with a bit of self-respect would never give him a chance. His callousness had probably seen his wife to an early grave. 7 children in about 10yrs or so… Good God! :| But when Hattie heard of it, she was rather...intrigued. I tried to understand it from her perspective here, and couldn’t blame her even if Ancil had all the charm of a slimy worm. She was genuinely pleased that a man suddenly took notice of her. But what she didn’t know that Ancil had no great attraction towards her. All he wanted was the land she could offer, which was way better than his own (another thing almost barren by his callous treatment). I wish Hattie figured it out sooner rather than later but everything was happening so soon, and she really liked Ancil’s children so she seriously begins considering his offer. At least, she won’t be lonely anymore. Hattie was super hard-working and as neat and clean as they came; exact opposite of Ancil and his brood. But Hattie didn’t mind. She would help them with everything when they married. Hell, she was good in everybody when there was none of that. -_-

But no one knew, like even Hattie ever refused to consider, was her intense attraction to Reed now that he’s grown to be a tall and handsome, strapping young man. She knew there was no chance of them being together but it was one of those intense longing you have for a person you know you can never have. Hattie couldn’t help it and tried her best to stamp it down; to be practical. Reed had always treated her like an elder sister. At least, he’d never shown any other type of interest. Besides he’s engaged now so all Hattie can do is to grab hold of the opportunity she’d been given and try to be as happy as possible for her.

When we get to know more of Reed’s courtship of Bitchy…ahemm, Bessie Jane, we learned that Reed wasn’t in love with her. Lust, yes cause she was young and very beautiful. Besides they’ve had sex once, and seeing tears in Bessie Jane’s eyes he’d promptly offered for her. With her father’s blessings, Reed has been courting her for a few months now. Though Bessie Jane is very eager to marry, Reed can’t until he’s got his business straighten out to his liking. In this case, buying Colfax farm.

On the get go, I didn’t like Bitchy Jane. I’ll explain why I call her that. She was a spoiled whiny girl who liked to manipulate people to get to do her bidding. Some would say she was young, nothing more than a teenager but everything she did to demean Hattie was horrible. There was no excuse for her behavior. She called her all kinds of names in Reed’s presence, knowing his utmost respect and affection for Hattie. When he talked of Hattie and Colfax farm, Reed could forget everyone else. And Bessie Jane hated it. I also absolutely hated the fact that Reed never really strictly warned the girl until he himself began to view Hattie as the woman she was. I wish he’d slap Bitchy Jane’s face off. I wanted to for sure! The better person here was Hattie, who was ever forgiving but never a doormat! She was smart and simply tried her best to not dwell on those things. ‘If life gives you lemons, make lemonade’—was her philosophy.

Reed heard of Hattie and Ancil’s story from Bitchy Jane’s usual nasty gossip and titter about Hattie’s ‘unfortunate’ face and her old and lonely existence that was such a joke for this girl. I mean seriously Reed, wtf did you see in this girl? Tell me please! A nasty person becomes even nastier in my eyes with such behavior, doesn’t matter how goodlooking they are on the outside. It’s just one of those things and I would simply SMH at Reed, thinking how could he tolerate that girl who was SO MEAN to Hattie for the better part of the book! The author tried to make her nice by showing some changes later, but she was forever marked as a bitch in my eyes so I simply wanted her gone.

Then we get a backstory of Bessie Jane’s ‘real’ love, a junkyard boy that her father refused to let her see. Harmon Leege is 20, tall and goodlooking, who had a knack for machineries and fixing anything like that. He works hard to improve his life and the unfortunate circumstances that ruined all his chances, no thanks to his own father’s drunkenness and his mother’s elopement with another man. No one ever thought Harmon would ever amount to anything; that he’ll someday go down the same drain his father has. But these were the same people that taunted Hattie all her life so I couldn’t expect anything better from them.

So Harmon was the one Bessie Jane was enamored of but she wasn’t brave enough to weather the wrath of her father. She had lost her virginity to Harmon, something Reed failed to notice for his own lack of experience with virgins. Snaring Reed was something very much pre-planned so she could ‘move on’, not because she cared for him. Not that I really cherished reading all that crap between them but I know that the author has a tendency of wasting pages on characters who didn’t deserve any attention to begin with, and the hero’s OWs or other sexual escapades that I’d rather not hear of. So I had to simply skim through to get to the pages where Hattie and Reed were. Anyway, since her father has decreed Harmon unacceptable on all accounts, Bessie Jane had manipulated Reed into having sex, and then gotten a proposal out of him. She’s been forcing Reed to hurry the wedding date for a while now. I, at first, though she was pregnant or something. She was definitely the type who would’ve passed on the baby as Reed’s if that was the case. But all she wanted was to marry Reed to keep Harmon at bay, who, in his blind devotion to that dumb bitch, won’t let her be. He’d sneak at the back of her house and try to tempt her into running away with him. She even deeply hurt Harmon more than once so he stops chasing her. *headache alert!* However tempted she was, Bessie Jane was never going to run away with the likes of Harmon Leege. Nope.

This far, I was bored and, frankly, irritated at the characters, except for Hattie cause I LOVED her. But things started to rush when Ancil and Hattie sped up their courtship. Hattie had never kissed anyone, so she was worried that her fiancé won’t be happy with her, uh, performance. Who had she but Reed to confide to? It didn’t even feel abnormal cause Reed was the closest thing to a friend, if not a brother, she’d ever had. Reed had already started looking at Hattie as a woman for the first time in his life, noting the ample curves under her shapeless dress. All he saw was a woman he could desire. There was nothing wrong with her, and for the first time in his life, Reed wondered why had he never considered Hattie as the perfect helpmeet, which she was in every day possible by the standard of a hardworking farmer. She could make him the best wife possible whereas Bessie Jane wasn’t suited for farm life at all. She had made it clear time after time that she didn’t want anything to with farming!

So when Hattie asked him shyly for a short training in kissing, Reed had the hard-on of his life. I mean seriously! He was feeling it, like having that chance to taste the most forbidden of fruits. :P It could’ve escalated to something else, had Reed not stopped it in time. But by that time he’d decided he wanted Hattie more than anyone else. But how could he offer for her, when he’d already entangled himself with Bessie Jane and Hattie is seeing Ancil? On the other hand, Hattie was head-over-heels for this strapping and sexy Reed. ;) She’d admired him physically for a while; the kisses only left her insatiable. Ancil’s kisses were just...uh, better not discuss those at all. But Hattie thought about the security a man can offer her and a lifetime with those children and decides to make things official with Ancil.

At that point, things turned in a way that it begin to look positive for Hattie and Reed when she hears of Ancil’s boasting of grabbing her farm. The bearer of that bit of gossip was none other than the town’s best gossip Bessie Jane, who wasn’t simply doing a neighborly charity. Bessie Jane, one, wanted to push Reed to marry her and without Colfax farm, he won’t be able to. Two, she couldn’t help poking Hattie about her ‘unattractiveness’ on her face. That girl was just.........ugh! End result, Hattie was hurt cause she thought Ancil was genuine in his regard. :( Reed wasn’t happy about any of it himself. He was mad at Ancil, and irritated at Bessie Jane. When he thought of it with a clear head, he knew he must marry Hattie. Only he didn’t know how he can go about it and break his engagement with Bessie Jane off. Fortunately, Harmon Leege took the matter in hand. Bessie Jane, for the first time in her life, gathers the courage to elope with him (good riddance!), leaving Reed free to consider the possibilities.

After a disastrous courtship where Reed couldn’t begin to understand how to court someone like Hattie, things take a rather lovely turn. He was good with women; only Hattie wasn’t just another woman in his life. She mattered. It was also because both felt awkward due to their previous history where they could never determine what they meant to each-other. Hattie kinda knew for a while, but to Reed it was simply too new and awesome. He wanted to marry Hattie not just because of the land, which is of course was a part of the bargain, but because he wanted her madly. Now that his brain has turned, he couldn’t think of marrying anyone else. I was so happy cause this made Hattie extremely happy. :D

The ending was rather lovely too which is why I gave Courting Miss Hattie a 4 star. I loved how Hattie and Reed’s relationship turned to something more fulfilling than they could’ve ever imagined. I only wish Reed saw it much earlier and saved Hattie from all that humiliation and heartaches.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! It was simple and sweet, and it wasn't a book trying to be more than what it should have been. I enjoyed getting to know Miss Hattie and Reed Tyler very much. I enjoyed the relationship they had as friends working her farm together. The easiness that lay between two people who genuinely cared for one another and enjoyed each others company. Miss Hattie was a simple, efficient, and sufficient woman with a great sense of humor and kind spirit who knew herself well and didn't try to mold herself to others expectations. Reed Tyler was a very handsome hardworking honorable man who had big dreams of owning his own land. I just loved how this story changed as they slowly became aware of each other, not as Miss Hattie and Reed, but as a woman and a man, and the struggles to handle that startling realization. I truly enjoyed this book and the storyline that took place in between. I enjoyed it so much so that I read this book straight thru until I was done, but it was totally worthy the blurry eyes I have today. I will have to see about reading more by this author because I was very impressed with this book and her writing so I will have to see if Pamela Morsi is as good as this story implies or if it was just a lucky shot for a die hard romantic like myself, LOL;-)

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book but I suppose that, in all honesty, I was just looking for something more mindless when I picked it up. I was expecting a sweet, not too complicated romance to get swept up in. I did get my sweet romance, and it was very well done but I found I had to do a lot more thinking than I was really prepared to do along the way.

This thinking I was forced to do was about farming. If you want a primer in how to raise a boar or milk a goat or grow rice as oppose to cotton this may be the book for you. Unfortunately, that just wasn't primarily what I was looking for, so my enjoyment was diminished by the INORDINATE amount of time spent on the characters talking about farming.

With that said, props to the author for making the two main characters very likable despite some extenuating circumstances- for example, I usually don't go for heroes who start out engaged to someone else, but somehow, in this case, the author made these cliches work.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first by this author and I loved it! Hattie, an old maid at 29 is finally courted by an unattractive widower with 7 children. But, just as she's finally being courted by someone, her old time friend and plow worker, handsome Reed Tyler begins to notice her as well - but he's already engaged! Little does he know his fiance is really in love with someone else - his new found friend and business partner! Over the course of the book, we see these couples untangle themselves from the wrong partner and find true love at last. I loved the slow build up between Reed and Hattie and when at last they marry, it is blissful, they can work and love side by side - really well done, revealing just how great their life can be. But all is not perfect until they can get the rice crop in. So much to this book is great, I'll miss these characters. Definitely reading more by this author!

4.5/5