Hank & Chloe - by Jo-Ann Mapson (Paperback)

About the Book

A gritty, funny, suspenseful first novel--a contemporary Western romance set in the dwindling rural canyonlands of Southern California. The heroine is Chloe Morgan, a 33-year-old part-time waitress whose only loves are Hannah, her German Shepherd, and Absolom, her beloved horse. Until, that is, she meets Henry Oliver, a professor of folklore at the local college who has his own reasons for holding back.

Book Synopsis

Chloe Morgan is a thirty-three-year-old part-time waitress, small-time horse trainer, and full-time thoroughly toughened Western woman living in a corner of the dwindling canyonlands of Southern California. Though surrounded by such memorable friends as Rich, her boss at the diner who rules by intimidation; Kit, Rich's obese and talkative teenage daughter; Gabe, a lusty veterinarian; and Wes, a classic cowboy with a heart of gold, the only creatures Chloe allows herself to love with total abandon and complete faith are Hannah, her German shepherd, and Absalom, her beloved horse. That is, until a quirk in the weather and a sunrise funeral service cause her to cross the path of Henry Oliver, a sedate professor of folklore at the local junior college who, like Chloe, has reasons for holding back. But once Hank steps inside Chloe's makeshift cabin in the hills, Chloe realizes she must come to terms with her losses and choose between the life of solitude she had always thought was her fate and the love of a man who seems - at first - all wrong.

From the Back Cover

Chloe Morgan is a thirty-three-year-old part-time waitress, small-time horse trainer, and full-time thoroughly toughened Western woman living in a corner of the dwindling canyonlands of Southern California. Calloused and wary, Chloe allows herself to love with total abandon and complete faith only her horse and her dog. That is, until a quirk in the weather and a sunrise funeral service cause her to cross the path of Henry Oliver, a sedate professor of folklore at the local college, who, like Chloe, has his reasons for holding back. But once Hank steps inside Chloe's makeshift cabin in the hills, Chloe realizes she must come to terms with her losses and decide between the life of solitude she had always thought was her fate and the love of a man who seems--at first--all wrong.

Review Quotes

""Hank & Chloe" are as star-crossed as Romeo and Juliet but sexier and frankly, a lot more fun. This is a love story with a salsa bite and a winning heart."--Barbara Kingsolver