Klondike Fever

Harlequin Historical, Apr 2008, $5.99
ISBN: 9780373294916

In 1898, Miss Lilybeth 'Klondike Lily' Cromwell rides a coach in the Yukon Wilderness on her way to Alaska to find her missing sister Amanda. The wealthiest female in the territory due to gold, the former servant would return to servile work and give up all the gold she possesses if she could find Amanda safe. Also on the coach is undercover Mountie Dylan Wayburn, who is using the guise of a drifter to investigate coach robberies. He and Lily not only know each other, they concealed their love for one another.

The Maddock gang stops the coach and chains together all the prisoners as they know who Lily is. They steal her gold leaving them to die from wild animals or the even wilder climate. However, the pair survives and team up pretending to be married in their quest to rescue Amanda, retrieve Lily's gold, and end the robberies. During their ordeal, neither can hide their love any longer.

No one brings vividly to life late nineteenth century Canada better than Kate Bridges consistently does with her Mountie historical romances (see KLONDIKE FEVER). The story line is fast-paced from the moment that the coach is robbed and Dylan and Lily are chained together and never slows down until the final confrontation. Lily is terrific as she knows she would give up the gold for her loved ones while Dylan wonders how to prove to his wealthy beloved that he loved her when she was a servant. As always this talented author provides a bridge to bygone era.

Harriet Klausner