Leaving Whiskey Bend    by Dorothy Garlock Order:  USA  Can Grand Central, 2008 (2008) Hardcover, Paperback     Reviewed by Kim Atchue-Cusella Mary Sinclair has been beaten by her stepbrother Chester Remnick. He is determined to keep Mary to himself since he claims that his father gave Mary to him. But her friends Hallie Wolcott and Pearl Parsons take her out of the house and take off so that he cannot find her again. Mary is terrified he will find her and kill her this time. Eli Morgan had plans to go into the Army when his brother Caleb was murdered. His mother and father were not happy that he did not stay to help find the murderer. Since his father's death, his mother will not speak to him. And after collapsing and not waking up for weeks, his brother Abraham seems to think that he is the former president. Eli and his uncle Hank come upon Hallie screaming that her friend is in the river. Eli saves her and brings the trio home to his mother Adele, who is not pleased at all to have Mary, Hallie and Pearl around. Pearl does not get along with Eli's mother and they spar endlessly. Hallie ends up taking care of the mother when she suffers a fall and ends up in bed. Eli has his own problems when an old friend, Fawn, decides again that she wants to marry him though she is engaged to Seth. Seth and Eli have hated each other since they were kids. Hank takes a shining to Pearl and they start spending a lot of time together. Eli and Hallie have a budding romance that triggers Fawn's jealousy and causes problems with Seth. Abraham seems to think that Mary is his wife and sits by her side for hours on end. Leaving Whiskey Bend is another great story by Dorothy Garlock. The characters show just the right amounts of strength and sensitivity. This is a great historical romance to top off a relaxing weekend reading. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews