Wild Blossom

Can a British aristocrat and an American woman from Wyoming find happiness together in Edwardian England? Yes, but by the time readers get through Wright's overlong romance, with its improbable characters, they may no longer care. Shelby Matthews (daughter of the protagonists in Fireblossom ) travels to Cody, Wyo., to run the family's cattle ranch and promptly loses it in a poker game to Geoffrey Weston, a bored Earl. Not only is Geoffrey a skilled poker player (not exactly an Englishman's game) but he is also proves to be brilliant with a lasso. Shelby, on the other hand, comes across as an impulsive flake, even though she is supposed to be a Smith graduate and expert bookkeeper. When a convenient misunderstanding sends Geoffrey back to England and an arranged marriage, and Shelby joins Buffalo Bill's touring Wild West Show, the pace picks up somewhat. Historical details do add interest, and readers will applaud the fact that it is the heroine who bests the villain, but this is still pretty tired fare. (July)