Review: Silver Lining

Silver Lining by Maggie Osborne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars 

I buddy read this over on Storygraph, but a few thoughts and feelings... 

In the end, their marriage was everyone's fault and no one's fault. 

For a book that started off with oozing pustules and vomit, this had my eyes watering at times. This is only my second Maggie Osborne (The Wives of Bowie Stone) but I'm catching a theme, hard tough exterior women with hurt vulnerable insides who survived trauma, and I am here for it. 

I'm going to be labeled a son of a bitch, and you're going to be seen as an unscrupulous temptress. At least in the beginning." 

Her eyebrows soared."Me? A temptress?" It was the most thrilling thing she'd ever heard. 

This starts off with the aforementioned vomit as Low Down is the only person that has stayed in the small gold mining town to take care of all the small pox sick. After the men recover, they need to find a way to repay her and ask her what her one wish is, Low Down replies with “have a baby”. This leads to the men drawing a marble marked with an X to see who will marry Low Down and give her a baby. You'd think all these men would be jumping at the chance to “poke” Low Down but remember the little thing of no indoor plumbing and Low Down has never cared for her appearance and, you know what, just go with it, lol. 

Instead, a solitary silver spoon stood against the wallpaper in the center of the mantel, propped against a scratched pewter watch case. 

One of the men Low Down took care of was Max and even though he's leaving the town that night to return to his fiancée, he gets pushed into the drawing. (I know, just go with it). Low Down knows Max from the letters to his fiancée and has a desire to be wanted like that and finds him good looking, so there's a little bit of foundation that from her that she'd be open to him. He, of course, draws the x marble and we have a forced marriage. 

But take a hard look, son. When you see that woman working up a sweat pitching hay like a hired hand … you're looking at character. 

Max doesn't treat her awful but he's cold and moody because his fiancée was a rich girl who's dad runs the town where Max's family ranch is and he knows the repercussions are going to be huge. As they journey and arrive at Max's ranch, we get the two talking and start to see the slow build of friendship that even more slowly builds to romantic attraction. Max spends some time with his head up his butt because of an unforeseen surprise reveal for him and it makes it harder for him to open up to Low Down. I wish we could have gotten more of Max but he gets some flushing out with issues about growing up seeing his dad controlled by his strong mother and so he's even more resentful about getting pushed into marriage by Low Down. 

"They're treating me squarely, not for my sake, but for yours, and that's all right. But it's true that I could die right now standing here about to wash up the supper dishes, and no one would weep a single tear. That's how it's always been, and that's a fact!" 

Abruptly Max realized that he had no idea what they were arguing about. Not an inkling. 

Max's mom just about stole the show, if strong capable women do it for you, prepare thy self. She comes up with the plan to try and save face with the rich family, forced into doing something because of a surprise reveal, and the jilted fiancee ends up marrying Max's younger brother. The jilted fiancee ended up playing an over the top villain to me, you'll want to dive in and rescue the younger brother, lol. 

  

Now Sunshine laughed. "You do lots of good things, Aunt Louise! I 'spect you always have." 

"I 'spect so, too," Max said quietly, gazing at her above Sunshine's head. 

Her stomach tightened, and her heart pounded against her rib cage. His expression was unreadable, but he looked at her as if he really saw her, as if his sharp blue eyes penetrated to regions others couldn't see. 

I did literally laugh (a little bit of that lighthearted goofy like a historical Garwood) and cry during this. The story Low Down tells about how she got that nickname and telling Max her real name is Lousie Downe and how he reacts was hit you in the heart, it's vulnerable and subtle in that hurt you so good deep way and then Max getting flustered with Louise's huge nightgown was the laughing feel good relief. 

She had family. 

I do wish the romance side of this was a tad more deeper and played out but Louise's journey to getting a family was hurt so good. This will always be the book of a spoon and a marble making me emotional, so if you're looking for a little western feeling atmosphere and subtly in characters' connection and vulnerabilities, this would be one to go find. *A+ to the later descriptions of Max wearing a duster and Stetson

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