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Cecilia And The Stranger
Trussed up in tweet and a suitably righteous manner, Jake Reed hoped he'd pass as a schoolmaster long enough to elude the gunman on his trail. But with Cecilia Summertree, the prettiest—and the nosiest—schoolmarm in the West dodging his every move, he was having a hard time keeping his mind on the classroom….
Cecilia knew exactly what she'd always wanted. The freedom to do what she pleased, when she pleased. Though in all her reckoning she'd never considered meeting someone like Jake Reed. A man determined to teach her that there were a few important things missing in her life, and one of them was him!
Cecilia knew exactly what she'd always wanted. The freedom to do what she pleased, when she pleased. Though in all her reckoning she'd never considered meeting someone like Jake Reed. A man determined to teach her that there were a few important things missing in her life, and one of them was him!
297 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
About the author
Liz Ireland
65 books274 followersLiz was born in Texas and credits a rural upbringing in a houseful of books for her lifelong love of stories. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, she moved to New York and worked various jobs (book clerk, world’s slowest professional typist, substitute teacher) before landing a job in publishing. Since then, she’s made her home in Austin, Portland (Oregon), Ottawa, Montreal, and now Vancouver Island in British Columbia. In her free time, she enjoys playing in local concert bands, watching classic films, and—of course—reading. In addition to her writing career, Liz has worked for two decades as a fiction editor. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and has served as a regional representative for Crime Writers of Canada.
Under the pen name Liz Freeland, Liz writes the Louise Faulk historical mystery series. She also writes women's fiction as Elizabeth Bass.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 30, 2020
This read like a romcom or a farce and for me, didn't suit what was supposed to be happening.
Or -- maybe my expectations based on the description didn't suit reading a romcom. Which, fair enough.
It's billed as a brooding man on the run for his life hiding out and then falling in love against his judgment and will -- and it felt more like a music man / oklahoma / etc -era musical, with the exaggerated characterizations (that poor dumb cowhand who is manipulated to here & back, the puffery of the leading townsman, the cliche father, and an over-precocious child to boot). All mixing in small town 'drama.'
I honestly was a bit baffled by this book. It didn't seem to know what it wanted to be, or quite how, and got burdened by way too much with everything half-baked.
There's a kernel of theme here being the hero & heroine are living the wrong life, or idea of what life has to be, until they find each other and discover the life they need. Nice; too bad it's so vaguely played. I like that she had grit and determination. I like that he wasn't purely hard-bitten. Enough to keep me skimming, and see how they make their HEA.
But the majority of the book is a whirl, and difficult to hold the thread of concern for the leads, beset by so many other colorful characters and distracting head-hopping and asides. Cecilia is a spitfire but she hardly stands out among the small town eccentrics... not the worst, and perhaps to show yes this is where she belongs, but it meant everything read at the same highkey, strident level.
The thin subplots come together in aid of the main, but in ways convenient and perfectly timed, instead of building conflict or interest or tension to the climax.
It's also fairly superficial. There's not a lot of dailyness or struggle or them figuring things out, separately or together. It's a lot of quippy conversations and near slapstick interactions, and then a sudden kiss and they can't get enough each other without sufficient build to know why.
(and oof, I almost forgot the the wince-inducing backstory of the comanche raid. include it, sure, as such happened during the "expansion west," but handle it better. even if it's told via the spitfire gal just trying to cause troubles with it the first recounting and then exorcising the pain of it the second telling.)
For all that he was on the run for his life and hunted for years, the stakes were incredibly low. And then easily matched and bested. Not a lot of satisfaction there; more dominoes falling in line with the others.
Why do the leads love each other? I'm not for sure. I wasn't the whole book. They kiss and have sex but I felt no spark or chemistry for why they were so inexorably drawn. But I hope they'll find bliss on the big ranch that's conveniently all he's ever wanted and theirs to inherit and run. I put it this way because again, the kernel of 'without you nothing would work' is here but it's never given depth or importance, so the big rich ranch winds up feeling like another contrivance.
Or -- maybe my expectations based on the description didn't suit reading a romcom. Which, fair enough.
It's billed as a brooding man on the run for his life hiding out and then falling in love against his judgment and will -- and it felt more like a music man / oklahoma / etc -era musical, with the exaggerated characterizations (that poor dumb cowhand who is manipulated to here & back, the puffery of the leading townsman, the cliche father, and an over-precocious child to boot). All mixing in small town 'drama.'
I honestly was a bit baffled by this book. It didn't seem to know what it wanted to be, or quite how, and got burdened by way too much with everything half-baked.
There's a kernel of theme here being the hero & heroine are living the wrong life, or idea of what life has to be, until they find each other and discover the life they need. Nice; too bad it's so vaguely played. I like that she had grit and determination. I like that he wasn't purely hard-bitten. Enough to keep me skimming, and see how they make their HEA.
But the majority of the book is a whirl, and difficult to hold the thread of concern for the leads, beset by so many other colorful characters and distracting head-hopping and asides. Cecilia is a spitfire but she hardly stands out among the small town eccentrics... not the worst, and perhaps to show yes this is where she belongs, but it meant everything read at the same highkey, strident level.
The thin subplots come together in aid of the main, but in ways convenient and perfectly timed, instead of building conflict or interest or tension to the climax.
It's also fairly superficial. There's not a lot of dailyness or struggle or them figuring things out, separately or together. It's a lot of quippy conversations and near slapstick interactions, and then a sudden kiss and they can't get enough each other without sufficient build to know why.
(and oof, I almost forgot the the wince-inducing backstory of the comanche raid. include it, sure, as such happened during the "expansion west," but handle it better. even if it's told via the spitfire gal just trying to cause troubles with it the first recounting and then exorcising the pain of it the second telling.)
For all that he was on the run for his life and hunted for years, the stakes were incredibly low. And then easily matched and bested. Not a lot of satisfaction there; more dominoes falling in line with the others.
Why do the leads love each other? I'm not for sure. I wasn't the whole book. They kiss and have sex but I felt no spark or chemistry for why they were so inexorably drawn. But I hope they'll find bliss on the big ranch that's conveniently all he's ever wanted and theirs to inherit and run. I put it this way because again, the kernel of 'without you nothing would work' is here but it's never given depth or importance, so the big rich ranch winds up feeling like another contrivance.
October 27, 2024
4 ⭐️s
📖 Kindle purchase
"Are you so determined to win me over?
"Are you so determined to resist?" 😏
I can see why some people might be disappointed with the silliness of this book if they were expecting a more serious suspenseful romance. HOWEVER, I thought it was genuinely light hearted and fun. It reminded me a lot of a wild west rom com that was filmed in the 1960s with exaggerated characters and theatrics. I think that was the point. While, it wasn't what I was expecting, I did enjoy reading it. It was a what I would call a "feel good" read. Easy and enjoyable with fun characters and witty banter.
Jake was interesting and hilarious. I had a few highlighted notes that just said "this guy lmao" because he either had me rolling my eyes, laughing, or twirling my hair and giggling. Cecilia was a bit hard to like at some times but she grew on me. I realize she was young and strong headed and entirely too stubborn for her own good which, honestly, made her more likable in my eyes (and Jakes 😌).
Basically this was an easy wholesome read that could be marketed as a comedy.
Notable features:
🐴 Enemies/rivals to lovers
🐴 3rd person POV
🐴 Side character POV at times
🐴 Virgin FMC x experienced MMC
🐴 Closed door/fade to black spice 🌶️
🐴 Non explicit open door spice 🌶️
🐴 Gun violence/use
🐴 Happy ending
📖 Kindle purchase
"Are you so determined to win me over?
"Are you so determined to resist?" 😏
I can see why some people might be disappointed with the silliness of this book if they were expecting a more serious suspenseful romance. HOWEVER, I thought it was genuinely light hearted and fun. It reminded me a lot of a wild west rom com that was filmed in the 1960s with exaggerated characters and theatrics. I think that was the point. While, it wasn't what I was expecting, I did enjoy reading it. It was a what I would call a "feel good" read. Easy and enjoyable with fun characters and witty banter.
Jake was interesting and hilarious. I had a few highlighted notes that just said "this guy lmao" because he either had me rolling my eyes, laughing, or twirling my hair and giggling. Cecilia was a bit hard to like at some times but she grew on me. I realize she was young and strong headed and entirely too stubborn for her own good which, honestly, made her more likable in my eyes (and Jakes 😌).
Basically this was an easy wholesome read that could be marketed as a comedy.
Notable features:
🐴 Enemies/rivals to lovers
🐴 3rd person POV
🐴 Side character POV at times
🐴 Virgin FMC x experienced MMC
🐴 Closed door/fade to black spice 🌶️
🐴 Non explicit open door spice 🌶️
🐴 Gun violence/use
🐴 Happy ending
July 12, 2019
This was an okay read. Not terrible, but not all that great either. Throughout the novel, I found the actions of the heroine towards the hero to be somewhat inappropriate based on the time period. I know it's a work of fiction, but... :P
I am now, however, curious - does a book exists with regards to Ann Summertree - a character whom was discussed every now and then in "Cecilia and the Stranger"? Anyone know?
Well, it's almost midnight. Time to head down to the basement and find my next western - historical summertree, errrr, summertime read :D
I am now, however, curious - does a book exists with regards to Ann Summertree - a character whom was discussed every now and then in "Cecilia and the Stranger"? Anyone know?
Well, it's almost midnight. Time to head down to the basement and find my next western - historical summertree, errrr, summertime read :D
September 23, 2014
Enjoyed how spunky Cecilia was as a single female not afraid to challenge her father and then the community over her rights. Humorous episodes as she tried to find evidence that Jake was pretending to be a teacher.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews