Two Ruth Wind Titles

I read two Ruth Wind titles on my way back home - books I started weeks ago but never finished. (Maybe there was a reason?)

Walk in Beauty by Ruth Wind (SSE 881)
(1994, Series) 6/16/05
Grade: 4

Eight years earlier, Jessie made the agonizing decision to leave Luke, even though she loved him with all her heart. She was pregnant and Luke was sliding into alcoholism, something she knew all too well. Now he’s back, sober and determined to play a part in his daughter’s life. Can she risk her heart again?

Ruth Wind’s books are always well done, and this one is no exception. The characters are well written and sympathetic, and the sexual chemistry between Luke and Jessie is apparent on every page. The depiction of modern Indian life is fascinating. Seven year old Giselle is somewhat angelic but not too annoying. But something was missing in this book - it just didn’t have the emotional depth of some of her other books. Surprising, especially since she deals with Luke’s alchoholism honestly - but it just didn’t grab my heart the way her other books have. Worth reading, but not one of her best.

Rainsinger by Ruth Wind (SSE 1031)
(1996, Series) 6/16/06
Grade: 4

Both Winona Snow and Daniel Lynch have a claim on an ancient peach tree orchard - she grew up there, and his Indian ancestors planted the trees. They agree to share the house for the summer, along with Winona’s troubled teenage sister Joleen. But as the attraction between Winona and Daniel grows, can they find a way to work out their differences?

The characters make this book - both Daniel and Winona are unique and interesting people, and I enjoyed reading about them. But the rest of the book wasn’t as compelling, which made this book less resonant than many of Wind’s other books. I found Joleen somewhat tedious, and the constant back and forth about Indian rights to the land became tiresome after a while. The intriguing chemistry between the hero and heroine wasn’t enough to sustain the entire book, unfortunately.

I'm not a big fan of kids in romances, and that may have colored my feelings about these two books. Both books had good qualities, but it's hard for any book to measure up to Wind's best work.