Montana Books

i have read literally all of her books and thoroughly enjoy them. she always writes about the same theme, young virgin, older man, hates them, but eventually they realize they love them so all is right. her love scenes are so tender that you can help but fall in love. i cannot wait for her next book.

I've read many of Diana Palmer's book and well this one was not very different. Since its more like a short story, it doesn't get that well developed.

Story is about a mom (Maggie) who moves out to Montana with her son. The nearest neighbor (Tate) is almost untouchable after he lost his family. However, Maggie is able to win his heart and build her own family with Tate.

Since the story is very short, the character's personalities don't have a chance to develop. However, you can see from the short amount of time that Maggie is very devoted towards her son and Tate is very passionate and somewhat innocent.

A cute story. If you like Diana Palmer, this one should be a quick, good read.

Let's all hope that Karen's not so busy in her new job at the White House that she doesn't have time to write more classics like this one!

On the night of their siblings' wedding, Ryder Redstone and Daisy Harding unknowingly created a child together and went their separate ways. Daisy returned to her life as a mousy teacher and Ryder returned to his life on the road with a multitude of women. Or at least they tried to. A few months later, Daisy is fired for her unwed pregnancy and heads to Whitehorn to spend time with her sister. Ryder returns as a favor to his brother to help out around the ranch. Now the two must deal with the repercussions of that evening.

Karen Hughes has written a story with an engaging style and even more engaging characters. Daisy isn't blatantly beautiful and Ryder is not as careless as he seems. There is a lot more to them than meets the eyes and Hughes illustrates this throughout the story. I really found a lot to admire about Daisy though her denial of Ryder as the father is patently false. Her denial gradually grows irrational and even irritating. Quite surprisingly, Ryder was the more admirable of the two because of his patience, his concern for her, and ultimately because of his love. He is willing to set a lot of his pride aside for Daisy, which clearly wasn't an easy thing for him. He was also ready to make sacrifices for himself for the sake of his child and he had a great deal of faith in Daisy while she continuously second-guessed him even in the face of his devotion to her.

Seems Shelly Dupree, owner of The Brimming Cup, returned to her coffee shop after deposting her lottery winnings to find an abandoned baby on the counter. Who precious little Max belongs to is a mystery, but that's not the only gossip buzzing around town. Sources reveal that the new doctor, Connor O'Rourke, spent the night at Shelly's house, supposedly to help her care for the foundling. Word has it that the gorgeous MD has more than medicine on his mind- and rumors of a knee-buckling kiss witnessed in the diner during the morning rush have been flying. Only time will tell is Shelly will go from dishing out the daily special to serving up her very own wedding cake!

In economically depressed Jester, Montana, twelve of the local merchants each chip in a dollar every week for the Big Bucks Multi State Lottery. When one of their numbers hit, they win over $1 million each after taxes.
In this first installment in the Millionaire, Montana series, Shelly Dupree is struggling to keep the cafe/coffee shop she inherited from her parents open. She is two months behind in the rent and is about to be evicted when the lucky lottery numbers are drawn. With this new found financial freedom, Shelly plans to finally spend some quality Shelly time and indulge in some of her dreams of travel. When the press flock to Jester to cover everything they can about the new millionaires, one desperate young unwed mother abandons her baby in Shelly's cafe so Shelly can give the baby what the mother cannot. Shelly has no experience with babies since she spent all her time as a youth working in her parents cafe rather than baby sitting. When family services cannot come to pick up the baby for a few days because of staff shortages due to illness then weather, the local sheriff asks Shelly to look after the baby with the aid of the hunky new pediatrician, Connor O'Rourke. With Connor's help, Shelly soon builds confidence in her mothering abilities and falls in love with the baby while Connor is falling in love with Shelly.
Shelly is a strong heroine whose personal growth makes this book worth reading.

I'm glad I ignored the Kurkis Review or I would never have experienced the enjoyable true story of the life of an American pioneer; James Wells of Montana. This book is a great read for those who want a snapshot of life in the early west without wading though the details that could bough down the telling of the story. Of course a book with only 256 pages will miss some details or information especially since it spans such a long period. However, recognizing that, the author entertains us with some dialog that brings the story to life and made it quite enjoyable. Wells and his adventures, which were true (including marrying the princess of a Gros Ventre tribe), fascinated me. As his life unfolded, I had the same impressions that I enjoyed in "Dance with the Wolves" and "Jeremiah Johnson". It's unbelievable what our forefathers did to pave the way for us in the 20th Century. You don't need me to quote the story line or talk about the people and places. The best I can do is say that as a reader of almost any type of book including, autobiographies, science fiction, mysteries, adventure, and fiction, this book goes on my recommendation list. Just read and enjoy the short narrative about one person's true story and the world around him in the early west. There's even a gunfight for those that loved "Gunsmoke". After reading this story, I'm looking forward to reading James Frank's next book "Mary Wells".

I really enjoyed reading James Wells of Montana, an excellent, first-hand look at early American history. This true tale also provides many interesting facts of the native-American Gros Ventre culture -- very educational and my favorite aspect of the book. As you read, you become enveloped in the life of James Wells, and feel his and his family's struggles and joys. There are even some humorous anecdotes that round out the story. If you like learning about other cultures, history, or the Old West, or just enjoy accounts on the life of a family, then this book is for you.

This is what happens when the bucolic life goes a little goofy.

An eclectic group of individuals has to stop a space alien before their little postage stamp sized chunk of the American Dream gets wiped out. Can Kent Montana lead them to victory? Can Gracie say goodnight? Can a pacifist overcome his ways and fight back?

I laughed at this book. My mom laughed at this book. Silly but fun.

Kent Montana is an out of work actor that has a close encounter with an alien bent on destruction. Apparently, the alien has been watching a lot of 50's television, because quotes from several old western series pop up. Kent's companions include a sarcastic downstairs neighbor, a local prostitute and a scientist named Hooker. Sarcastic lines and pretty bad puns abound in this book. A must read for anyone with a warped sense of humor.

kittredge's collection evades perfection only through inclusion of a number of less than outstanding tales and essays. these are pretty much identifiable by their first or second paragraphs though; it takes no great effort to just page forward to the next outstanding offering. the dream of montana is well woven here. the reality of montana, remarkably enough, is even better than the dream. my only real reservation about this book is that it is apt to draw a crowd: i would wish montana to remain as it is.

The Last Best Place is an anthology with incredible breadth and scope. It was put together over a three year period by a group of dedicated editors and researchers headed up by Annick Smith and William Kittredge. The goal was to identify and preserve Montanna's rich literary heritage ranging from the earliest Native American inhabitants and explorers to contemporary authors such as Rick Newby and Bill Hoagland.

The size of the anthology is proof that it was a daunting if rewarding task. Over 1,000 pages long, it cannot be considered "light" reading, and yet the writing shines. There are sections from Lewis and Clark, Osborne Russell and James Audubon, (all early visitors to Montana), side by side with Native American stories and myths by the like of Jerome Fourstar, James White Calf and Pete Beaverhead( don't miss "Chickadees" as told to Frank Linderman by Pretty-shield, Medicine Woman). Here too you will find cowboys, settlers and wild west characters such as Mary MacLane who declared from a very early age, "I want Fame...Let me but make a beginning, let me but strike the world in a vulnerable spot, and I can take it by storm." There are essays, legends, journals, tall tales and poetry; tales of stunning beauty, adventure, disaster, brutality and vision. This is a book that belongs on the shelf of anyone who understands the importance of place and is fascinated by the literature that has evolved out of it.

Don't feel like a philistine. Don't scratch your head and wonder what is the matter with you for not appreciating the world's great literature. Just read this book and it will all come clear. In all likelihood, your literature teacher didn't know how to teach. Rosenblatt's thesis is that without a pro-active, supportive environment in which a novice reader is credited for those things he or she can discern from his/her experience, knowledge, intuition, and reasoning, the most erudite transfer of knowledge from a 'professional' reader to a novice will at best be a delivery of information not unlike the role the pizza guy performs in bringing you your pizza and at worst, promoting a self-doubting reader who will not feel comfortable with his or her own insights. Assuming that a prime reason for reading literature is to sense the 'transpersonal' between writer and reader, anyone who can read should be able to make that connection since we are all human. Of course, expert knowledge and scholarship have their place, but not the first place. The primary place is within, and it is the job of the promoter of 'literature' to help the student find that place within himself or herself--not demean the unenlightened to exact revenge for all those years of torturous graduate school.

If you teach literature (at any level) and haven't read this book, you probably don't know what you are doing.

I just finished reading this book and I thought it was magnificent. If you love country music and romance this is the book for you. You can imagine everything that happens in this book from the frustration of Derrick concerning his son and Kara to the confusion that Kara has to work through. It has several different view points to make you truly understand all the main characters of the book. This is such an inspirational and moving book that can make you laugh out load and cry from a simple sentence. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves reading about cowboys and the country because you won't be able to put this book down, I couldn't.

MAN FROM MONTANA by Brenda Mott
October 8, 2006

Amazon rating 4/5


"The story starts twelve years before the main action. Nineteen-year-old Derrick is racing his car against his better judgment, while his two-year-old son is in the back seat. And the worst thing that could happen does - Derrick loses control of the car.

Fast forward twelve years and Derrick is working at a honky tonk, playing with his band and tending bar. His son Connor lives with him on a part time basis, Derrick having lost full custody after the near-tragic accident. Connor is in a wheelchair for life, and while he doesn't remember the accident, he knows the story. Connor has issues, and while it's not exactly about being in a wheelchair, it has to do with how Derrick treats Connor, reminding both of them every day that Derrick made a terrible mistake all those years before.

Kara is a widow of twenty-nine, and has not moved on. She believes she will be faithful to Evan's memory forever. But when she meets Derrick - who happens to be her new neighbor - she learns about his past and tries to help him move beyond his mistake and to accept Connor for who he is. However, she has a difficult time forgetting her own past, and unlike Derrick, is afraid to move forward." - Complete review found at BookLoons - M. Lofton


I enjoyed this contemporary romance a lot. The characters were written honestly and true to life, with dialogue that rang true as well. The author did a good job with the story lines and made this a highly enjoyable book.

This is the start of a three series book that touches the heart strings for three grown up women who have poor expectations for their own happiness with a male counterpart. Excellent story.

When he brought Bobby Maxwell home in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm, Deputy Rafe Rafferty never considered the chain of events he might set into motion in small town Paradise Corners, Montana. Bobby's father Robert Maxwell practically owns the town as well as the state's political appointees and law enforcement personal. Further, Bobby's sister Thea Maxwell quickly captures Rafe's heart.

Thea can out castrate, out rope and out work virtually any cowboy in Montana. But at twenty-nine, after a disillusioning experience with the governor's son, she remains single. She loves the ranch, and if she had been a son, would have inherited it. Instead, her brother Bobby stands to inherit, even though he feels as though the land and his father suffocate him. She gives Rafe her heart, but when he has to arrest her brother, Thea finds herself caught between love and loyalty.

The Big Sky Country miniseries kicks off with MARRIED IN MONTANA by Lynette Kent. This fast paced, spirited novel creates tremendous tension as the heroine struggles between family loyalty and the man she loves. The hero likewise struggles to follow the law, even though he knows his decision pushes the woman he loves away. Further, the secondary characters add tremendous depth and interest, not only introducing further installments, but also strengthening this fascinating tale. MARRIED IN MONTANA comes very highly recommended...

Jackson starts this miniseries with a tremendously powerful hook. The plot flows beautifully, piquing the reader's interest and delivering a first rate tale of love. Randi's accident ties all three books together in an originally unique method that both resolves the love story, yet leaves the larger purpose unanswered in THE MCCAFFERTYS: THORNE. I eagerly look forward to the next installment of the series! Highly recommended.

Thorn McCafferty is back home but not because he wants to be but instead because his half sister Randi is fighting for her life after being in a one car accident. The brothers (Slade, Matt and Thorn) had no idea that their baby half sister was in Montana to begin with and that she was pregnant to boot. There are more questions then answers and with both Randi and her baby fighting for their lives Thorn doesn't need any more problems. Well, what Thorn needs, and what Thorn gets...are two different things.

Dr. Nicole Stevenson is the admitting doctor when Randi comes into the E.R. She realizes right away who Randi is and what's about to walk through her doors, her past in the form of very handsome, very rich Thorn McCafferty. Nikki was once naïve enough to give her heart to this man. She won't do it again. No matter how nicely he apologizes for the past, and not matter how sweetly he kisses now. He's bad new and Nikki has had enough heartache to last her a lifetime. But, sometimes life doesn't go according to plan and feelings don't just go away. No matter how many years pass. Will Thorn and Nikki give their love another chance or will they let it slip through their fingers once again?

This was a very sweet story about a second chance at love. Ms. Jackson has created a very dominating arrogant hero but he's turned around by the love of a good woman. This was a fun quick read but the romance doesn't suffer for it.

Official Reviewer for Romance Designs