Deb’s Dozen: Destitute widow craves acceptance; Successful rancher craves her love. Will romance win?

I love Loree Lough books! I know when I start to read the book there will be a happy ending, but there will be twists and turns along the way to that ending. Currency of the Heart: Secrets on Sterling Street, is such a story.

Shaina Sterling has been left destitute by a philandering and gambling husband, who has been killed. Before his death, Shaina was part of society—apparently rich and well-to-do. Now she has been forced to sell off her precious belongings and let her help go to keep up even the slightest pretense and to preserve the legacy of her late husband’s name.

Sloan Remington is a successful rancher and entrepreneur, who seems to know everything there is to know about Shaina and loves her from a distance. He keeps a close eye on her status because of a promise to her husband as he was dying to always watch out for her.

One snowy, bitterly cold night, Sloan sees Shaina struggling to get back home. He aids her but convinces her to have dinner with him first. He is aware she has no money and little food. When they leave, the weather is even worse than before; he is glad he’s insisted on walking her home. They arrive at Sterling Hall only to find …. a disaster of epic proportions.

What will happen to Shaina? Will she humble her pride enough to accept help? Can Sloan convince Shaina to accept his help and yet stay his distance. You’ll want to read Currency of the Heart to find out.

Loree has once again created complex, believable characters who captivate and charm the reader. Both Shaina and Sloan as well as the secondary characters you can imagine living just down the street (if you lived in the 1800s). They’re all people you would like as friends. Thanks for another few hours of pleasurable reading, Loree! Four Stars!

Loree Lough is a prolific writer who has nearly five million of her books in print. In March 2014, she added her one-hundredth book to her shelf. Congrats, Loree! She shares her hard-earned wisdom about writing and the business of writing at conferences all over the country. She splits her time between their tiny home outside Baltimore and their even tinier cabin in the Allegheny Mountains. She shares her life with her real-life hero, Larry, who silently puts up with the folderol of a writer’s life with few complaints. Visit Loree at www.LoreeLough.com.

My thanks to Whittaker House for providing me a copy of Currency of the Heart in exchange for my unbiased review. (Okay, slightly biased because I love Loree’s writing!)