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Review by Jodi Israel
Back in paperback land, newcomer Stephanie Mittman is definitely a writer to watch. Her newest novel, Sweeter than Wine is a full-length sequel to the story she contributed to A Christmas Miracle (Island Books, $6.50, 0440222907). Ethan Morrow had a supporting role in that story but clearly deserved his own book. This is it!
Ethan is all set to leave Van Wert, Ohio, and try to gain a homestead farther out west when a freak accident stops his plans cold. Three- year-old Worth Philips runs right in the path of Ethan's horse and wagon. The diagnosis is flaccid paralysis, and Ethan is devastated. Ethan spends the rest of the novel trying to help Worth walk while pretending that Worth's sister Sterling -- a young woman with secrets -- isn't equally fascinating.
This sweet novel has no graphic love scenes and none at all without the sanctity of a wedding. However, the sexual tension, the need between Sterling and Ethan, is evident in every look that passes between them. Mittman has a lovely writing style, reveling in the sights, smells, and sounds of America's heartland at the turn of the century.
Jodi Israel is an avid reader and writer of romance. She can be reached at jodi@tiac.net.
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