A Touch of Flame

The Cowboys of Colorado Series, Book 2

By: Jo Goodman

Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow

Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Dr. E. Ridley Woodhouse is like no physician Ben Madison has ever met - she's a woman. As the newly elected sheriff of Frost Falls, Colorado, Ben is tasked with welcoming Ridley to the community. But while Ben might be tempted by the new doc's charms, getting the town to accept a big-city female doctor is no easy feat. To earn their trust, she'll have to prove herself, and Ben is determined to help her...even if she's the most stubborn woman he's ever met.

Then Ridley is threatened, and Ben's protective instincts kick in. Ridley has come to rely on his steady presence and the delicious tension that simmers just below the surface of their easy friendship, but as much as she trusts his warnings, she's never been one to back down from a challenge, and she refuses to abandon her patient.

But sticking to your guns can earn you trouble in the rough terrain of the Wild West, and danger threatens Ridley from unexpected places, forcing Ben to confront his deepest fear in order to save the woman he loves.

©2018 Jo Goodman (P)2018 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Narrator takes some getting used to

I like the banter in the book between the main characters. It is a slow growing romance.

The narrator takes some getting used to. She sometimes works hard to clearly speak every word. She mispronounced several words like colon and lasso. The heroine is from Boston, but no Boston accent.

Lovely historical Western romance!

The fact that E. Ridley Woodhouse, the young doctor that’s come to replace old Dr. Dunlop, is a woman stirs up some gossip, and the town is a little slow accepting a female can be a proper doctor. Fortunately, Dr. Dunlop enlisted the town’s sheriff, Ben Madison to help Ridley in the transition. He’s well respected, and knows everyone in town, even if he’s completely frustrating at times. Like relentlessly trying to find out what exactly the “E.” in E. Ridley Woodhouse stands for, lol. And no, it’s not Eureka!

Ben didn’t know Dr. E. Ridley Woodhouse was a woman, and he has no issues with that. His mother raised him to respect an intelligent woman, but boy, Ridley gets under his skin from the minute she steps off the train! In the best possible way, of course. The romance was playfully antagonistic. The teasing between them cute and funny, enough to put a smile on my face.

There’s some prejudice over having a woman doctor especially in view of the time in history, but Ridley proves herself capable and compassionate. However, treating Lily Salt leads to some trouble with Lily’s husband, Jeremiah Salt. I hated that awful man! Ridley proved herself tough and resourceful, but still, the sheer physical size difference and the fact that he was a mean bully just looking for an opportunity to get his pound of flesh set me on edge. Thankfully, Ridley has quite a few allies when it comes to this difficult and dangerous situation, Ben being the most important.

I thoroughly enjoyed the previous book, A Touch of Frost, and so I was eager to pick up the new installment. Getting a glimpse of what life what like in the late 1800’s is interesting. A life without most modern conveniences like indoor plumbing (chamber pots, eeek!) and where the only source of water is a pump in the kitchen sounds a little daunting!

A Touch of Flame is basically a stand-alone story, some of the events in the last book are recounted because Ben is first introduced there, and his history is important to his character now. But it’s not necessary to read the previous book to enjoy A Touch of Flame. I was pleased to “see” Phoebe and Remington (the couple from the previous book) again, and their cute little son, Colt here. The romance between Ben and Ridley is the heart of the story, but it a little danger and suspense makes this a story you don’t want to put down.

Laurel Lefkow's narration was lovely!