About the Author

Dorothy Garlock is the author of more than 50 novels that have sold 15 million+ combined copies and are published in 15 languages. She lives in Iowa.

Reviews

Novel number two in popular romance writer Garlock's Depression-era Route 66 trilogy (after Mother Road) follows a caravan of trucks on their way to California. Twenty-three-year-old Margie Kinnard's dream of going to Hollywood to become a star seemed to vanish when a conniving boyfriend abandoned her after stealing her money. She decides to join her recalcitrant father, Elmer, when he sells his ice business in Missouri and heads west to start anew. Elmer is a bitter, mean man who has had nothing to do with his daughter since her mother-his second wife-died, and Margie has spent most of her life away from him being raised by her maternal grandmother. Margie decides to put up with her father's ornery ways to achieve her dream, though it becomes clear that Elmer wants her along merely to take care of the usual womanly chores. Life starts looking up for Margie when they hook up with three other families-some of whom are set to go into the ice business with her father. Garlock presents an entertaining cavalcade of characters, from the loving couple whose blind son is a talented musician to the na?ve husband whose new wife is a bane to his children's lives and a troublemaker from the get-go. There is also Brady Hoyt, a handsome cowboy and love interest for Margie. Garlock, known for her heartwarming Americana, does not disappoint here. She's got bad guys pitted against a group of hardworking men and women; an evil, sassy lady who finally gets her comeuppance; and a heart-throbbing romance at the heart of it all. (Jan. 9) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

In this sequel to Garlock's Depression-era Mother Road, 23-three-year-old Margie Kinnard dreams of going to California to become a star. But her dreams disappear when her devious boyfriend steals her money and abandons her. Determined to continue west, she joins her estranged father, Elmer, a bitter man who just sold his business in Missouri and wants to start a new one in California. The pair hook up with a caravan of quirky travelers: Alvin and Grace Putman, whose blind son Rusty is a talented musician; the Luker family-Foley, his two daughters, and his unappreciative new wife, Sugar; and, of course, Brady Hoyt, a Colorado horse rancher whom Margie falls in love with, and his recently orphaned niece Ann Marie. Read by Isabel Keating, this book incorporates bad guys and gals, upstanding men and women, and romance and tragedy. It travels back in time, offering an account of the struggles and dangers people faced while looking for a better life. Unfortunately, the story is only somewhat suspenseful, the characters are one-dimensional, and the plot is predictable. Libraries should purchase for demand, or if there is a Garlock following.-Carol Stern, Glen Cove P.L., NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.