A review by lauriereadslohf
Garters by Pamela Morsi

4.0

I can always count on Pamela Morsi to write a good-hearted story about everyday people who make me laugh and GARTERS is no exception

Esme (short for Esmerelda!) Crabb is the practical one in her family. Her beautiful twin sisters are a little light in the brains department and her dad is kind-hearted but the laziest man in the county, so the burden of providing for her family is entirely hers. Determined to make a better life for her and her useless loved-ones she concocts a plan to make the richest man in town marry her.

Esme's not a beauty, nor is she refined, being brought up in the "hills" so she has to use her brains to snare Cleavis Rye's attention. He's the town store-keeper and is one of the best educated men in the land and she figures when he realizes how practical marrying up with her is he'd have to be crazy not to just jump at the chance. So she follows him around a like a puppy and insinuates her way into his life and before he knows what is happening she's working in his store, flashing her legs at him, driving him insane and ruining his reputation!

This book was fun, fun, fun! I so enjoyed watching the practical Esme lose all common sense when trying to catch herself a man. She's blunt, honest and funny and I was rooting for her all the way. It was also amusing to see the prissy talking and sometimes snobby Cleavis lighten up, get all hot and bothered and lose his heart to the most unlikely woman possible. His nickname for the heroine "Hillbaby" drove me nuts but you can't have everything, can you? There are no bad guys in GARTERS because Morsi has a gift that manages to turn even the most unlikable character into a real person (Cleavis's Mom comes to mind, as do the twins shifty suitor). Her books always remain centered on her characters growing love, never getting lost or bogged down with intrigue and action. And did I forget to mention the incredible sensual tension?! Whew, this one had plenty of it. It's the perfect book to brighten up a dank, rainy day or any day for that matter.