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Montana Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

An Inmate's Daughter

Published in Paperback by Raven Publishing of Montana (2006-02-25)

Author: Jan Walker

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Average review score:

There sould be more like this

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-25

There are very few books written for or about the hundreds of thousands of children with incarcerated parents. This book's story line catches the interest of any reader, child or adult, from the first and carries it through to the end. The theme of hiding an incarcerated Dad from those outside the family rings very true to me who has spent years working with children of prisoners. School and public libraries SHOULD have this book in their collection.

Gripping, Intense, Enlightening

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-05

Jan Walker and Raven Publishing, Inc. have partnered in their mutual mission of using fiction to address contemporary issues faced by preteens and teens. "An Inmate's Daughter" is an effort to increase awareness of the daily struggles faced by children who have a parent in prison.

The story revolves around thirteen year old Jenna, whose father is in prison for murder. Jenna found herself without friends after a move to live with her grandparents. The stigma of her father's imprisonment, and her mother's firm rule about keeping this fact within the family left her feeling insecure about making friends.

Jenna whose heritage is half Native American is also confronted with Bi-Racial bigotry. Jenna uses her journal as a means of sorting out her feelings.

On an extended family visitation to the McNeil Island prison facility to see her father, Jenna saves the life of a young child in a near drowning incident. News coverage of the incident becomes a threat to Jenna's mother. She fears that their identity and family secret will be exposed. Jenna is faced with the question of what will happen to her "evaluation" if members of her secret club find out about her father's incarceration.

Jan Walker intricately and expertly weaves a plot around club acceptance, a soccer team, the strength of family, and the measure of true friendship in this heart rending, true to life, fast paced narrative. The pen and ink illustrations of Herb Leonhard make you feel the emotions of the dialog.

Jenna is faced with the choice of living a lie, the possibility of bringing hurt and shame to her mother and younger brother, or the freedom of truth.

This is an excellent book for the young reader, grades five through eight. It is an important resource for classroom teachers, child counselors, ministers, and prison personnel who are exposed to children with an incarcerated parent.

Kids Really do suffer because of their parents incarceration.

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-08

This story tells about thirteen-year old Jenna MacDonald, whose father is in prison for murder. Mom's "don't tell" rule requires that Jenna and her brother fabricate stories about their dad. There are more than two million children in the US that are in this same predicament. They have an incarcerated parent, and are suffering from isolation and the pain of being ostracised by their peers. These children need help to cope with the problems they encounter, but few receive this assistance. Jan Walker tackles the problem head-on in this book. Jenna, her brother, and her mother have moved in with grandparents to live closer to McNeil Island where her father is incarcerated. Being half Native American contributes to Jenna's difficulty in trying to make new friends. During a visit to the prison Jenna dives into the water to rescue a small girl when she falls off the dock at the prison. When the Department of Corrections investigates the accident, the publicity threatens to expose the story of Jenna's dad to all her new friends at school. Jenna's mother is upset because her actions have called attention to their family, and now Jenna questions her own decision in rescuing the drowning child. "Why did I do such a dumb thing?"
Jenna longs for a friend that she can talk to about her feelings, but when she tries to join one of the racially-mixed "in" groups, they ask questions about her family, bringing the tensions between Jenna's need for acceptance and her mother's desire for secrecy to a head. Jan Walker's plotting and characterization skills are exceptional. You can really feel Jenna's isolation and pain. This book would be a great addition to your children's library and a wonderful family night conversation starter to help promote tolerance and acceptance in your children.

Tough topic - encourages readers to support peers

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-12

Reviewed by Kim Peterson for Reader Views (2/06)

Jenna MacDonald didn't mean to do anything wrong when she plunged into Puget Sound to save a little girl from drowning. She just reacted on instinct. She had been rescuing her rather hyper younger brother in their neighborhood swimming pool for years without her mother knowing.

But Jenna's mother is upset because her actions have called attention to their family. The rescue occurred at McNeil Island boat dock during a visit to Jenna's father who is serving time in prison. Now, the paper wants to run a story and the McNeil Island Corrections Center wants to investigate how it happened.

When her dad was transferred to this site, Jenna's family moved, too. Now they live with her grandparents and Jenna is adjusting to a new school. She feels confused by her mother's anger and insistence that they keep her dad's situation private. Jenna wants to talk to someone about it. She wants to feel like she belongs to a whole family.

Jenna's grandparents encourage her to make friends and to enjoy life. But junior high is tough and Jenna, who is half Native American, struggles to find her niche. When she tries to join one of the racially-mixed "in" groups, they ask questions about her family bringing the tensions between Jenna's need for acceptance and her mother's desire for secrecy to a head.

More than two million American children wrestle with the stigma of an incarcerated parent. Few of these children receive the assistance they need to cope with their situation. Walker's book takes on a tough topic. Her book informs and encourages young adult readers so they can support their peers.

Judge Dee at Work: Eight Chinese Detective Stories (Judge Dee Mysteries)

Published in Paperback by University Of Chicago Press (2007-04-15)

Author: Robert van Gulik

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Average review score:

Judge Dee Short Stories

Helpful Votes: 13 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2005-01-20

Dutch diplomat Robert van Gulik wrote the Judge Dee mysteries (in English!) to introduce the West to the Chinese version of the mystery story, which arose centuries before the English detective story. Judge Dee is an actual historical person, a magistrate of the seventh century during the T'ang dynasty, who was renown in China for his ability to solve crimes. In Judge Dee at Work, van Gulik presents us with eight short stories each of a single case (the novels, in the Chinese tradition, involve 3 intertwined cases) that take place throughout the judge's long career (magistrates were usually moved to a new post every three years). A table at the back of the book, places each case and all the novels within the timeline of Judge Dee's life.

I have read about half the novels and this book of short stories, and I have enjoyed them all. Early on, Judge Dee employs three different men to be his lieutenants, and they do much of the legwork for him. However, Dee is also very hands-on, going to the crime scenes and sometimes even going about in disguise. In some of the short stories here, he solves the mystery on his own. van Gulik has created a good detective in Dee; he is very, very smart, fair, compassionate to victims and stern with criminals. The cases are varied and interesting, and difficult to solve. I especially like the setting of ancient China. van Gulik really seems to know the era he is writing about, and he brings it alive through the actions and dialog of the story. There is no exposition here. If we need to know the differences of Taoism to Buddhism, we find out through a conversation of Dee with a monk or other character. That really makes the stories glide along. Sometimes a choice of phrase seems a little odd or modern for the setting, and I assume that arises from the fact that van Gulik was Dutch writing about China in English. In any event, these quirks become rather fun and don't detract at all from the stories. van Gulik also made illustrations in the traditional Chinese style of the time, and they add to the stories. I am very glad I have found the Judge Dee mysteries, and Judge Dee at Work is an excellent way to meet the judge and his world. You will be glad you did.

Sketches of the Judicial Life: China,Seventh Century

Helpful Votes: 13 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2000-06-13

The wonderful thing about these stories is the sense of time and place which comes through in all of them. We find ourselves easily transported to seventh century China, and the world of a highly organised empire, with its representative in the various cities which serve as venues for the stories, the Magistrate, in the person of Judge Dee.

Robert Van Gulick's picture of Chinese life, crafted from his own extensive study of China, both underpins and overlays these elegant detective stories. Those inhabiting these stories are truly the inhabitants of the places: walking through the streets, eating at the restaurants, working in the Tribunal, and interacting with all classes of their highly stratified society.

The characters are well developed, from Judge Dee himself to his various colourful assistants and lieutenants, who do most (but not all) of the Tribunal's leg work. Criminals, victims, witnesses, and others along the way complete the fascinating tableaux.

There are references to the various Judge Dee novels at the beginning of each story providing a context within the magistrate's career. Numerous line drawings by the author gently illuminate the stories.

The legendary Judge Dee

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-10

Indeed, during China's glorious Tang Dynasty (AD 618-960) - the golden age of China, under the reign of Empress Wu Tzi Tien, there was a great judge whose actual native name was Pao Kung (Judge Dee). He was compassionate and full of wisdom and many well-known cases were judged and solved by him and his loyal subordinates. Sometime Justice Pao Kung would commence his judgement at night in his magistrate under candlelight which surely added mystery and awe to the solemn occasion. One of his most celebrated cases was the judgement of a murdered baby prince in which the murderess substitited the corpse with the body of a civet cat...! Legend had it that Magistrate Pao or Dee (as translated by Van Gulik) was born inside a coffin of her deceased mother and therefore half of his face was black and the other half white. Reputedly, he had the supernatural ability to converse with gods and departed souls in the Spirit World which would assist him in delivering judgement. Judge Dee was revered and respected by the throne as well as high officials and he travelled a great deal from province to province to supervise difficult to solve cases. The late Robert Van Gulik had translated many cases of the famous Judge Dee and derived most of his stories from the files of the Tang Dynasty archives and then embellished them somewhat for excitement and drama. Even today, in the tea houses of China, professional storytellers would enthrilled their audience with stories of Justice Pao...! When I was growing up in the then British Malaysia in the 1950s, I had listened to an old storyteller, under a bean oil lamp, telling exciting tales of Judge Dee. He would charge a penny each from the audience Presently, I have had read many of his translations by Van Gulik - notably the Chinese Murder Series which are now classics and give both the Western and Oriental readers an insight into the lives and times of the glorious Tang Dynasty. Justice Pao or Judge Dee was an honest official, incorruptible, learned, a good homicidal investigator and judge of human characters. His judgments, as translated by Van Gulik, is firm and without the slightest error. I urge readers of mysteries and crimes to read the translated works of Judge Dee - never a dull moment and please go for them to while away your time...Cheers.

Wonderful Chinese detective stories - 7th Century style!

Helpful Votes: 22 out of 22 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-18

I first became aware of the Judge Dee stories after reading the short story "He Came with the Rain" in a historical mystery collection. I loved the story so much that I promptly went to Amazon.com to find more Judge Dee novels and stories. This collection of eight short stories is particularly interesting as it covers about 20 years in Judge Dee's career through several of his postings. The stories are extremely interesting, both for the wealth of historical detail as well as the actual mystery content. Judge Dee as a District Magistrate is the leading civilian authority but I found stories such as "The Red Tape Murder" particularly interesting when he clashes with military authorities. This gives Dr. Van Gulik the opportunity to introduce snippets about ancient Chinese history, particularly about the clashes with Korea and the Tartar offenses on China's Western borders. This is a period of Chinese history where very little is known - almost a sort of Chinese Dark Ages - so it is wonderful to learn more about that time, also about the social customs of the era, which I found surprisingly modern, with the exception of the accepted practice of polygamy! If you are interested in historical mystery fiction, I would highly recommend the series. Also try the Sister Fidelma series about a mystery solving nun in Dark Ages Ireland - it is equally atmospheric!

Justin's Rock: and other poetic reflections on growing up in Jordan, Montana

Published in Paperback by AuthorHouse (2000-07-25)

Author: Lawrence Leuschen

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Average review score:

Our gandfather is the best

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-09-27

Our grandfather is very talented. He can write and build things. Justin's Rock is a story about him. We love our grandfather.

Shared memories

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-29

This is the coolest book--It brought back so many memories, experiences,feelings and people from my childhood in Jordan, Montana. I could hear and see some of the people and places he describes. The fact that it is written in poetry adds to the entire experience. Thank you, Richard

Family traditions

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-11-10

I really enjoyed this book because the author ( my uncle) made me feel like I was in Jordan during his childhood. My father was very happy whenever talking about or visiting Jordan. This book helps me understand how he felt.

Justin's Rock

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-11-04

I recommend this book of poems to everyone, especially the folks that grew up in the rural ares of this country. I guarentee that any one who has spent time in a small town in the thirties and forties in rural America will find many things in these poems that will bring back fond memories. These poems are so descriptive, I am sure the writer must have lived them.

The Marquesa (Heroines of the Golden West #2)

Published in Paperback by Crossway Books (1998-09)

Author: Stephen A. Bly

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Average review score:

One of my favorites

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-21

I love this story. It is really a page turner and it is the only thing that you can think about. Everyone should read this book.

great book!!!!!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-18

i love the surprises carefully written throughout this book!!!
a MUST read for all christian/romance lovers!

One of the most adventure-filled books I've ever read!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1999-09-05

This is an adventure-filled book that will pick you up off your seat, and leave you wanting more when it's done

A fiery kind of heroine!

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2000-09-27

The daring actress Isabel Leon knows all the roles, but she's never known true friendship until she buys a hotel in Cantrell, Montana, and determines to settle down. Captain Dawson Mandera irritates and frustrates her, but she's intrigued by his past and his big brood of kids. Isabel is finally offered the role she's always dreamed of, but will her own past make her ineligible? A page turner.

Mineral Spirits: A Novel

Published in Hardcover by Bridge Works (2006-10-25)

Author: Heather Sharfeddin

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Average review score:

Montana setting, robust plot, good-hearted protagonist

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-02

I take a special delight in reading novels set in remote locales, far from the madding crowds and the usual suspects. MINERAL SPIRITS is a fine example. Ms. Sharfeddin's second novel, a literate and humane contemporary western, is a pure gem. Sheriff Kip Edelson is the lawman of Mineral County in Montana, near the Idaho border. He finds the skeletal remains of a dead lady. His only clue is an anonymous phone caller identifying the lady corpse as "Chris". At the same time, Kip's wife Robin decides to move to Missoula and resume her college education. Kip is lonely until he befriends ten-year-old Gray Dausman who's destined for a tough row in the foster care system. An elderly lady, Mrs. Sherwood, takes an interest in Kip and Gray. They form an ad hoc family in this bleak, frigid wintry landscape. Events carom to the pitch-perfect climax, Kip's showdown with the local bad guys including killers and dope dealers at a deserted school. Fans of C.J. Box, Craig Johnson, and the masterly Tony Hillerman should find MINERAL SPIRITS a rewarding read.

Mineral Spirits

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-18

This exciting new author really hooks you quickly into her storyline. Her characters, while flawed and resistant to relationships, develop into people you wish you could write a thank you letter to for allowing you into their world. Ms. Sharfeddin captures Montana perfectly with just the right mix of one foot in the past and one foot in modern times and leaving you uncertain which way you would like to see it step next. Mineral Spirits has just the right mix of pathos, humor, possibilites and heartbreak. A gem of a book

I totally enjoyed her first book "Blackbellies" and am anxious to read whatever she next releases. 4 thumps up!

Kept me reading past midnight

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-10

Sharfeddin's latest book kept me turning the pages until the wee hours on a work night. I enjoyed the intricate plot, the beautiful descriptions of rural Montana, and the fast-paced action. Kip Edelson is a complicated man--tough sheriff on the outside, yet complex and emotional in ways he tries to hide from everyone, including himself and those he loves. A satisfying ending and a great read. I can't wait for Sharfeddin's next book.

Another excellent novel

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-27

This is 2 for 2 good novels from Heather Sharfeddin. I recently read Blackbelly which I really loved. The imagery was fantastic and the detail made it so real. I was not disappointed with the next novel, Mineral Spirits. This book follows one of the more likable characters from the first book, Sherriff Kip Edelson to a new location in Montana (Mineral County). Kip's character is well developed here and is given more depth. He becomes emotionally entangled with a heartbreakingly trusting but neglected young boy in the course of the investigation into a skeleton unearthed by the young man. Kip is drug through an amazing range of emotions during the course of this book, tenderness for Gray, the young boy, and for the sweet old lady who needs them as much as they need her; hurt and betrayal from his wife with a good dose of confusion; terror and measured response upon meeting up with members of a drug ring and sadness at the way people (including himself) can treat each other. Thrown into the mix is an almost school boy giddiness at meeting an intensly interesting but unapproachable woman who he continually devises ways to approach. On the periphery and intertwined in the story are other characters who are equally interesting. The tavern owner with his secrets and occasional glimpses back to the romantic wild West Montana is captivating. I highly recommend this fast read and can't wait to see what's comming next.

Monkey Love

Published in Hardcover by Andrews McMeel Publishing (2005-11-01)

Author: Dee Lindner

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Average review score:

MONKEY LOVE

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-03

Monkey Love Was looking for several Sock monkey books to give as a shower gift, along with sock monkey items that I had made: a diaper bag, monkey burp clothes, monkey swaddler, and three monkey books. This particular book, MONKEY LOVE, is a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y darling! I enjoyed all the books, but this was is going to be repeatedly purchased to accompany my homemade sock monkeys. Not a story, but all about love and its many phases. Buy and ENJOY!

Monkey Love .... Makes a Wonderful Statement!

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-27

Monkey Love is a delightful and inspirational book which displays caring and love not only in the colorful monkey photographs, but also in the heart-felt sayings which accompany those photographs. The 'situations' in which the monkeys find themselves are FUN to look at .... the sand angel, the tongue stuck on the flagpole, the 'unique' monkeys, etc. .... all relate to events and situations in real life. It is difficult to come away with just one favorite. This little book not only makes a nice treasure for my own bookshelf, it also makes a cherished gift - one that comes with lot's of love within. I've already given one as a gift (to my mother-in-law) and it was passed around the room with lots of smiles, laughter, and discussion! This would make a nice item for anyone for anytime - all ages - everyone will enjoy it.

Monkey Love/ Love those Monkeys!

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-06

This is a wonderful little hard-backed book and just the right size for little hands. The pictures are so endearing and will enchant little ones as they ooh and ahhh over those little monkeys in their charming outfits and their demonstrations of affection in oh so many ways!
I love the book, I love the Monkeys! Thanks Dee for such a treasure!

edie brown

Sock Monkeys Explore The Human Condition

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-07

This is a wonderful little book and is suitable for all ages. It makes an excellent gift, and is great for brightening anyone's day. The sock monkeys in Dee Lindner's work are all unique and expressive, which is probably why people identify with them so much. For anthropomorphizing human emotions onto other things, Lindner is second only to William Wegman's brilliant works with dogs.

The pages each represent a human emotion, feeling, or action associated with love, and all are whimsical and entertaining. My two favorites are the monkey making a sand angel with the caption "love gives you wings," and the sock monkey with his tongue frozen to the flagpole with the caption "love learns from mistakes."

This is a great little book, perfect for a gift, and sure to make anyone smile.

The Montana Cowboy, 2nd

Published in Hardcover by Stoecklein Publishing (1998-08)

Author: Patrick Dawson

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Average review score:

Excellent

Helpful Votes: 10 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-20

The photographs make this book. I have never visited a ranch, but I now feel like I have. "The Montana Cowboy" shows the real working life of the American cowboy, not the fluffy romantic stuff that comes out of Hollywood. This book offered me the chance to experience the realities of ranching first-hand. It holds a prominent place on my bookshelf, and it is well worth the buy.

GOOD BOOK!!!!

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2001-10-23

I thought that this book really captures the aura of Montana. I believe that only the truth is seen when looking at these pictures. Coming from a ranch here in Montana, I only see a lifestyle and a way of living and I think that many people that don't have the same oppurtunities to see what I see everyday, can see it in the pictures of this book.

A Big Sky experience, in living color and emotions.

Helpful Votes: 49 out of 49 total.
Review Date: 1998-12-03

Having lived in Montana and grown up on a ranch, this book was like going home. If you have never been on a working ranch to experience the wonder of the cattle and horses there is no place better than one in Montana. The Big Sky country is indeed the "last best place" and David Stoecklien has photographed it beautifully. It amazed me how an outsider could come in and really capture the essence of ranch life and the country around it. He truly depicts the struggle of working nature in all it's elements, even at 40 below zero. That is what cattle ranching is all about.

Along with the pictures are wonderful biographies about the ranches. History is the romance of a cowboy's life and many people don't know they still exist today. History in the making!

I for one,am very excited that these ranches have been now captured in history to show and tell to everyone interested the way of life these families have built. I grew up in the Milk River Valley next to the Cornwell Ranch, one of the many depicted in this book, and to see the pictures and share them with my family and friends was exciting.

The cowboy ways in moving cattle, putting up hay and rounding up horses are so excellently photographed by Mr. Stoecklein. No one has his talents to zero in on the boots, dogs, ropes, calves and other details that you know are authentic to their equipment and hardwork. It explains the life without the needs for words. You can experience the moments in the breathtaking scenery of the Big Sky country. In the cold, clear water, the mountains and the valleys all have a personallity of their own to share with us. We have purchased these books to give out at Christmas to our family in Montana to have a record of what they have been a part of.

Outstanding, insightful photos

Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2002-09-22

Stoecklein's use of shading and shadow in his photography in this book really capture the Montana spirit. My wife, a born and bread Montana gal, really loved this book. She was really moved by some of the pictures. This is really a great book for the die-hard Montana resident (and you know who you are...) and anyone who likes the spirit of the northwest.

Montana Legacy (Harlequin Superromance No. 895)(Home On The Ranch series)

Published in Paperback by Harlequin (2000-02-01)

Author: Roxanne Rustland

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Average review score:

Montana Legacy

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2000-02-12

Once again, Roxanne Rustand has created a wonderfully vivid story with characters you can't help but fall in love with. Set on a Montana cattle ranch, Kate and Logan have to find a way to release the past before they are able to look to the future. Deeply emotional, this book is beautifully written and one that I'll treasure for years to come.

Montana Legacy--Yes!

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2000-09-28

This is a touching love story about a good-hearted, but lonely man and a woman he means to hate, but finds he loves. Around them swirls a mystery which had thirty-something years in which to brew. When it finally reaches its treacherous end, the new found trust between the hero and heroine saves the day and a little girl's heart. A keeper.

Talented storyteller

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2000-02-16

The Minneapolis gang avenged police officer Kate Rawlins' testimony against a member by killing a teen friend and wounding the cop. Kate, feeling guilty about Rico's death, promises a scholarship will be started in honor of the dead teen. Kate just inherited half of her estranged grandfather's ranch. She hopes this will pay the bill for the scholarship, but she must live there for six months to gain her half.

Seth Hayward inherits half the ranch too. He loathes Kate for ignoring her grandfather, who wanted to see her before he died. Kate remembers being tossed off the ranch as a child along with her mother and her grandfather who ignored them ever since. Seth warns Kate to stay away from his daughter. As Kate learns the truth about her heritage, Seth learns the truth about Kate. They begin to fall in love, but she is big city and he is big country.

MONTANA LEGACY is an entertaining modern ranch romance. The story line contains a bit of intrigue, but clearly centers on the emotions of the lead characters and several supporting players. Anyone who enjoys a warm category romance will gain immense pleasure from award winning Roxanne Rustand's warm tale.

Harriet Klausner

A touching story of mending broken hearts--and finding love!

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-18

Kate, a disillusioned big city cop finds she has been left a ranch by her estranged grandfather. Reeling from the shock, she learns she must live on the ranch for six months to inherit. That means dealing with hunky Seth who runs the ranch and stands to inherit a portion of it himself. Sparks fly the instant these two meet--of animosity at first, but also of a hidden attractionn they can't deny. The author paints a vivid picture of the Montana ranch as Seth initiates the reluctant city girl to country life with humor and growing respect. There's a building sense these two from opposite worlds are ultimately meant for each other. But mysteries from the past threaten to tear them apart. You'll root for Kate and Seth as they struggle to put past hurts aside, deal with present dangers that threaten their very lives, and build a legacy of love together. Another delightful read from Roxanne Rustand! Make room on your keeper shelf!

Montana Mavericks: Big Sky Brides (Silhouette Promo)

Published in Paperback by Silhouette (2000-02-01)

Author: Christine; Greene, Jennifer; St. John, Cheryl Rimmer

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Average review score:

Absolutely Terrific!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-28

If you enjoy western romantic short stories, then you'll enjoy this book! The two contemporary tales of Suzanna Brennan and Diana Brennan are delightful and the historical story of their great-great grandparents, Isabelle and Kyle Running Horse Brennan is enchanting!

Be sure not to miss historical anthology, Big Sky Grooms. The stories are about two Kincaid brothers, Caleb and Will and their cousin James. The book, Gunslinger's Bride continues their stories with little brother Brock.

Big Sky Brides-Big Time Reading

Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-04

I thought this was an excellant book. All 3 stories were well written. The connection to the community of Whitehorn was minimal, especially compared to other books in the Montana Mavericks series. At the same time these 3 stories stand on their own. They don't need the background of previous books in the series. If I had any complaint about the books was that the stories were too short. I like the characters of Suzanna, Diana, & Isabelle and wanted to read more about them.

A great new series by three of romances most beloved authors

Helpful Votes: 20 out of 22 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-03

I loved this new Silhouette anthology. Christine Rimmer and Jennifer Greene's stories are both contemps about two sisters, Suzanna and Diana.

Suzanna's wedding day had one small snag . . . no groom. She eases her aching heart with one wild night fling with a cowboy. A few months later it becomes obvious she's carrying his baby and Suzanna finds herself married to a stranger, a stranger she's falling in love with.

Diana's come home to Montana, and falls in love with a little girl, a little girl who just so happens to be the daughter of Diana's first love. When Trey asks her to marry him is it just for his daughter's sake, or could there be another, deeper reason?

Cheryl St. John's contribution, ISABELLE, is a historical that introduces Diana and Suzanna's great-great-grandmother. After her father's death, Isabelle returns to the Big Sky Ranch, determined to build a life for herself. But the ranch is in debt and there's only one option Isabelle can find -- marry Kyle Running Horse Brennan. Can a marriage that begins for practical reasons turn into something more . . . can it turn into a life-long love that will set the standards for generations of Big Sky Brides?

The three stories are a good fit, and a fantastic read! I'm looking foward to reading the rest of the Montana Mavericks series!

Well Worth Reading!

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-24

I greatly enjoyed these stories! The tales consist of the contemporary stories of sisters, Suzanna and Diana Brennan and the historical story of the legendary love of their great-great grandparents, Isabelle and Kyle Running Horse Brennan.

Suzanna: Left-at-alter bride, Suzanna spent her wedding night with a sexy stranger. But when she discovered she was pregnant with his child, she didn't refuse the arrogant cowboy's proposal and found herself trying to win his love.

Diana: Diana couldn't turn down the chance of marriage and motherhood to her childhood love who's now a lonely millionaire and a single dad of a young girl determined to make them a family.

Isabelle: Citified Isabelle returns to the beloved ranch of her childhood determined to make it her permanent home. She and the handsomely sexy Native American ranch foreman marry to save the ranch despite the fact he's reluctant to admit his true feelings of desire and love.

Be sure not to miss Big Sky Grooms historical anthology of the sexy Montana Kincaid's and follow up with continuing story of a Kincaid brother in Gunslinger's Bride.

Montana Red (Big Iron Series)

Published in Paperback by Signet (1998-04-01)

Author: Ralph W. Cotton

List price: $5.99

New price: $102.18
Used price: $14.36

Average review score:

Only the lucky survive

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-23

Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack was a man of hair-trigger courage and a lightning-quick draw. He carried a list of outlaws and tracked his prey relentlessly, alone. His goal was swift justice usually ending in death.
No one under the badlands sun would put the ranger's skills to the test like Montana Red Hollis, a man more brutal than any beast, and more cunning than any desperado Burrack has ever hunted. No one was safe from the wrath of Montana Red. Now, on the frontier where the fastest guns ruled and only the lucky survived, a bloodthirsty killer was about to meet his match.

This is the first book in Ralph Cotton's long running series about the man simply known as the Ranger. Cotton portrays his hero as single minded, a man who won't let anything, or anyone, get in his way of taking his prey down. In fact Burrack often comes across as cold-hearted as those he hunts.

Cotton creates a number of memorable characters, not least Burrack and Montana Red, but the one I liked best was the man running from his past, the gambler Gentleman Joe, who finds himself hiding behind a lawman's badge.

Cotton's descriptions of the landscape, heat and action sequences are first rate, as is his abilitly to build up suspense. The book moves from one set of characters to another effortlessly and the violent confrontations come thick and fast.

Definitely a worthwhile read for fans of the western and a book that has me eager to read more stories about The Ranger.

Cotton does it again

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1998-06-28

Having read Cotton's Jeston Nash Outlaw series, While Angels Dance, Killers Of Man, and others, I couldn't imagine this new series topping them. On the surface Montana Red is one gutsy shoot-em up western in the tradition of Max Brand and, Louis Lamour. But the best part of the story is the underlying perception of human behavior. What violence does to the lawman and the other people involved is the stuff all great stories are made of. Cotton takes the reader and makes them face what they would do in these kind of situations. I couldn't put the book down until I finished it, and I still find myself goin back to it. Can't wait to see the movie.

Cotton hits another home run!

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1998-06-19

Ralph Cotton is the next Louis Lamour. Montana Red takes the reader through a roller coaster ride of shootouts and tough western times when bad men were genuinely BAD! The story so captured me that I was afraid to put the book down for fear of something would happen and I'd miss it. It's definitely a page-turner from beginning to end. Can't wait for the next one.

A Very Well Put Together Story Of the Old West.

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 1998-12-08

Ralph, you have done it again. This story is about an Arizona Ranger Sam Burack, that is very quick on the draw, and an excellent shot with his trusty .58 cali rifle, and a list in his pocket of outlaws and one of them is a ruthless killer, Montana Red. But while pursuing Montana Red, the Ranger gets into quit a few different scaps, that only his wits and years of experience can get him out of. I give You a 5 star, Ralph, "Very Nice Work putting this series together",and would recommend any one that likes old west stories to read this well put together book. I have read the second book in this series also(BADLANDS), and cant wait until (HARD JUSTICE) comes out in the spring. Once you start reading you cant put them down.