HEAD IN THE CLOUDS By Karen Witemeyer

Adelaide Proctor longs for romance and a hero to call her own. When she follows a fellow she thinks will fit that bill she is surprised to learn that he is married. Stuck in a new town with no job and very little money prompts her to apply for a governess position caring for the daughter of handsome rancher, Gideon Westcott. She gets the job when he sees how very good she is with his 'silent' Isabella. As Adelaide slowly draws Bella out of her shell with her playful and endearing ways she also slowly starts winning the heart of Gideon. But Bella's uncle wants her inheritance and will stop at nothing to get it. Maybe even murder!

This was the first book I've read by this author but I can tell you it won't be my last. The story was a well balanced mix of romance and suspense with splashes humor and touching moments along the way. Filled with great characters and lots of snappy dialog it held my attention from beginning to end. Adelaide was the type of heroine I love reading about. She was sweet yet feisty and her playful manner made me want to be like her. Gideon was a wonderful hero. He was strong yet sensitive and tender. Isabella is at the center of the story and is so cute you'll want to adopt her as your own. One thing I really appreciated about the story was that it reminds us that just because bad things happen to us doesn't mean God's not taking care of us. It was also clever how the author used an old testament story to guide our heroine. This was just an all around GREAT story that I would highly recommend. Great job, Karen! A thank you goes to LibraryThing Early Reviewers for this complimentary review copy.