GLOVER, Ruth

PERSONAL: Born in Saskatchewan, Canada; married; husband's name Hal (a retired minister); children: three.

ADDRESSES: Home—The Dalles, OR. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Five Star, 295 Kennedy Memorial Dr., Waterville, ME 04901.

CAREER: Writer.

WRITINGS:

"WILDROSE" SERIES; ROMANCE NOVELS

The Shining Light, Beacon Hill Press (Kansas City, MO), 1994.

Bitter Thistle, Sweet Rose, Beacon Hill Press (Kansas City, MO), 1994.

A Time to Dream, Beacon Hill Press (Kansas City, MO), 1995.

Turn Northward, Love, Beacon Hill Press (Kansas City, MO), 1996.

Second-Best Bride, Beacon Hill Press (Kansas City, MO), 1997.

A Place to Call Home, Beacon Hill Press (Kansas City, MO), 1999.

"SASKATCHEWAN SAGA"; ROMANCE NOVELS

A Place Called Bliss, Fleming H. Revell (Grand Rapids, MI), 2001.

With Love from Bliss, Fleming H. Revell (Grand Rapids, MI), 2001.

Journey to Bliss, Fleming H. Revell (Grand Rapids, MI), 2001.

Seasons of Bliss, Fleming H. Revell (Grand Rapids, MI), 2002.

Bittersweet Bliss, Fleming H. Revell (Grand Rapids, MI), 2003.

Back Roads to Bliss, Fleming H. Revell (Grand Rapids, MI), 2003.

OTHER

The Letter: Based on the Novel With Love from Bliss (play), Christian Drama Publishing, 2002.

Also contributor to Christian periodicals.

SIDELIGHTS: Ruth Glover spent her childhood in the countryside of Saskatchewan, Canada. As an adult, she draws upon her intimate knowledge of the landscape to write historical romances for the "Saskatchewan Saga" and "Wildrose" series. These books have been praised by critics for their historical accuracy. In a review of Glover's debut novel, The Shining Light, for example, Booklist critic John Mort asserted that the story "has an authenticity lacking in most such efforts; Glover, who grew up on a Canadian farm, knows firsthand about gopher holes in wheat fields, clouds of mosquitoes that descend upon horses and farmers, and prairie lakes full of leeches."

The hardships experienced by immigrants and farmers in Canada play a significant role in Glover's "Wildrose" books, which begin with the story of Saskatchewan settlers in The Shining Light. The next book in the series, Bitter Thistle, Sweet Rose, features an increased dose of romance. Here, a young woman's chance meeting with a young Saskatchewan farmer blossoms into a classic love story that is "masterfully rendered," according to Mort in another Booklist review. In yet another installment in the series, Second-Best Bride, a rivalry between two sisters leads Meg to move from Toronto to the Canadian wilderness to marry the farmer that her prettier, selfish sister rejected. "Historical romances may be a dime a dozen in this genre," Melissa Hudak commented in Library Journal, but Gover's novel "stands out."

Glover's "Saskatchewan Saga" series is set in the town of Bliss, on the Canadian frontier. The first book, A Place Called Bliss, involves two women: one from a wealthy Scottish family, the other a humble servant. Both women immigrate to Canada with their husbands and both give birth during the journey, and a mistake following the births tragically links the women for decades to come.

With Love from Bliss is a story of revenge in which Kerry Ferne devises an elaborate plan to humiliate Connor Dougal, whom she blames for the death of a friend. Another romance in the series, Seasons of Bliss, features Tieney Caulder, who travels to the town of Bliss to be with her sweetheart, only to be devastated to learn he is already engaged to be married. Melanie C. Duncan described the latter romance in Library Journal as a "light historical romance for series fans."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 1994, John Mort, review of The Shining Light, p. 112; January 15, 1995, John Mort, review of Bitter Thistle, Sweet Rose, p. 897.

Library Journal, February 1, 1998, Melissa Hudak, review of Second-Best Bride, p. 70; February 1, 2001, Melanie C. Duncan, reviews of With Love from Bliss and A Place Called Bliss, p. 77; April 1, 2002, Melanie C. Duncan, review of Seasons of Bliss, p. 86.

ONLINE

Romance Readers Connection Online, http://www.theromancereadersconnection.com/ (May, 2001), Wanda Augustine, review of A Place Called Bliss.

RomanticTimes.com, http://www.romantictimes.com/ (June 3, 2002), Bev Huston, review of Seasons of Bliss.