The Queen of Paradise Valley

When Delaney “Del” Russel, the son of Owen Rennie’s estranged partner returns to claim his father’s half of the ranch, Owen and his daughter Diana have other plans. Diana goes to town to discourage Del from staking his claim. However, when Owen drops in to confront Del, he finds Diana in Del’s arms and her necklace in his saddlebag. Owen forces them to wed, in order to preserve Diana’s reputation but then immediately has Del taken to jail and convicted of theft. Years later, Owen is dead and Diana is running the ranch. Del appears again, more determined than ever to claim his share of the ranch and to have Diana as his wife. Diana has other plans including ridding her of Del forever and certainly never becoming his wife. Will this tumultuous couple ever settle down to a life of happily ever after? 

“The Queen of Paradise Valley” is filled with scenes of majestic beauty of the ranch contrasting greatly with the dusty town of Rennieville. Amazing back-stories and a rich depth of character make both Diana and Delaney quite interesting. Both characters display so much anger it interferes with any real kind of communication between them. Diana and Del are portrayed as strong characters, but neither of them is strong enough to stand their ground. Each conflict begins and is well set up but is never resolved because one or the other runs away to the wilderness until they cool down. The many minor characters are handled very well, adding both depth and color to the story. Ms. Dubie delivers a beautiful love story full of strife, definitely worth the read.

Belinda Wilson