This was okay. Generally well written, and the characters were potentially likeable, but for a book that's nearly 400 pages, it sure didn't give us a whole lot to help us understand what we were being told. As a result, it left me a bit "meh," because I felt like I was simply watching characters run through a set of motions, rather then actually being drawn in.I could sort of buy the heroine's reason for returning to the town, though it was a bit flimsy, but we got no explanation at all as to why a man would leave half his estate to an illegitimate son he wouldn't even speak to - since these things were major elements in the book, it would have been nice to believe them. Similarly, we find a man agreeing to take on his "rebellious" teenaged stepdaughter. Her rebellion? One small tattoo and an obvious love for her cellphone. Other than that, she was a perfectly fine kid (for a teenager), so I'm not sure what the drama was there? Again, being unable to buy the major premises hurts the overall impact of the book.There were also a number of things raised but never resolved, but I assume this is because these things are dealt with in the next two installments. The book does read okay as a stand-alone, though.The bigger problem for me, though, was the fact that the first 200 pages of the book are taken up with the above personal issues, and the "couple" only see each other briefly throughout - giving heated glances, sure, but spending no time together. When they do finally spend a day together they end up in bed, which is fine, but I'm not sure how this leads directly to a life-long commitment. Who dates someone once and then is totally fine with the idea a surprise baby might have occurred? (Especially a man who has dealt with what he saw as the problems associated with illegitimacy?) Why would a handful of conversations and one afternoon of sex cause a reasonable woman to suddenly have her birth control implant removed, before commitments were even exchanged? Finally, if, after sex, a woman asks a man about the condom and he responds "What condom?" in a smarmy-butch sort of way, she should likely never, ever trust her body to him ever, ever again. Or, you know, be a grown up and check on that sucker before sex occurs. But, then, I'm not hot to breed like these folks seem to be, so maybe I'm just being silly. Why would anyone want to make sure the relationship is the real deal before getting that bun in that oven, right?Honestly, while I read this and enjoyed it as a human drama, I didn't buy the romance at all. The romance was so unfounded and random that the first 200 pages were better than the confusing last half. There was simply nothing there - certainly some attraction, and possibly a foundation for these two generally attractive and likeable people to build something on, but nothing that justifies the lightening-fast resolution we get here. As it is, we get what feels like 400 pages of build-up to something - 200 pages of internal personal issues monologue (and talking to pets) and 200 pages of rapid flirting that suddenly culminates in a rushed 40-page romance and then a wedding that feels very forced and unnecessary.And that's a pity, because there were moments that I really enjoyed this. While the motivations were pretty scanty, I found the setting and some of the interactions interesting, and had the story been more well developed, I could have liked this book a lot more. I liked the writing style, but the story left me emotionally cold.I'm not a fan of "cowboy romances", typically, as I usually can't handle the alpholes that usually populate them, but I can commend this book on moving past that trope. While these guys certainly do lame Manly Man stuff occasionally (horse race, really?), they were not abusive jerks, and I liked this hero. Even if you are not a cowboy romance fan, you still stand a chance of enjoying this, as it also works very well as a "Small Town Romance," a subgenre I do enjoy quite a bit.ETA: I give the author extra points for making a joke at the expense of these typically silly names. "Slade", it seems, was a name his mom got out of a cowboy romance magazine. It's nice to see a bit of tongue-in-cheek self-ribbing about these things. I haven't read anything by LLMiller in years but I needed a book set in Montana so I choose this series opener and loved it! I really liked Slade Barlow and understood his animosity towards his "father" who refused to acknowledge his illegitimate birth (like that was Slade's fault) suddenly gifting him half his wealth. Why now he needed the money growing up. And Hutch, the boy wonder legitimate son, surly because he didn't get it all. Regardless I liked Hutch and can see him (and Kendra) having their own book real soon. I liked Joslyn though was confused about her guilt over her stepfathers crimes. It was never explained why she felt the need to compensate all those people for something she didn't do and once that was done, why exactly did she go back to Parable? Other than that I loved this book. LLMiller has created an interesting town, some very interesting characters, and set up a few plots for future books. I can't wait to get back to Parable, Montana.
Do You like book Terra Do Céu Aberto (2013)?
Very mellow read and pretty tame. The emotions, even when the characters were down right riled up, were quite mellow and civilized. since I listened to the book, I could be basing my mellow vibe on the reader's relaxed narration as opposed to what the author wanted the reader to feel. Since I enjoy cowboys I will try more in the series I just like a bit more intensity in my characters be it steamy sex or anger that turns into steamy sex. I just left this book feeling, well, mellow.
—beth
This book was not bad but it just felt like it was missing something. I did like most of the characters but it did not feel like you really got to know them, or if you did there was not much to them. I did love Opal but she was only in a little bit of the book. That being said I have not made up my mind on if I will be reading the next book yet. I will more then likely buy it and sit on it for a while and hope feels a little more complete than this book did.
—abhishekahuja
I love reading Linda Lael Miller. Love her cowboy characters. I might read this set again.
—jeja
