This was another excellent Western romance from a master of the genre. Sam O'Ballivan comes to town where he takes a job as the newest school master. He is actually an Arizona Ranger looking for a gang of robbers. When he first arrives, he has to rescue the current school master from the well where his students have put him. Sam catches one of the kids and decides he has to talk to his sister about the kid's behavior. Maddie Chancelor runs the local general store and can't believe her brother is a troublemaker. However, she is attracted to the new school master and he is attracted to her too. Only problem - he has a girlfriend at home that he is planning to marry. He hasn't actually proposed but the expectation is there and he is an honorable man.It doesn't take long for Sam to get involved in the town and meet the local rancher, his much younger and flirtatious wife, and his three older and one younger son. Sam suspects that at least some of the older sons are involved in the robberies. Maddie has her own reasons to stay away from them all. The rancher owns the General Store and has courted her in the past. She is also very cautious around his sons since she doesn't trust them at all. I liked the setting of this one and the things that made it Western. We have the local madam who actually does have a heart of gold. We have saloon girls who didn't have any other career options. We have a poor widow-woman and her young daughter.Sam is a great hero. He is honest, honorable, and has an overwhelming need to rescue anyone who needs rescuing from stray puppies to old horses to young kids. This was a very enjoyable romance which also was a good mystery with some dangerous and exciting scenes.
#1 Stone Creek series - Historical Western Romance - Strong 5 Stars!Superb, one of my favorite reads of 2008 ... Donna, thank you SO much for the recommend :-)Haven, Arizona Territory - 1903LLM writes so descriptively that I could taste the dust from the trail, hear the horses drinking thirstily from the riders' hats at a well, feel the tension at a supper attended by romantic rivals ...Maddie runs the local mercantile to support herself and her young brother Terran. A new schoolteacher, Sam, arrives and must bring the rough ranchers' children under control - including Terran. Sam keeps his gun and Ranger badge hidden, while working undercover to capture rustlers and train robbers. Lots of gun slingin' shootin' action!Several engrossing and exciting sub-plots give this tale additional depth. LLM's main and many supporting characters are so clearly drawn, so compelling and the unfolding story of their inter-relationships kept me eagerly turning the pages and thinking "Oh, wow!" or "Aha!" :-)I must admit that going into the book I thought LLM would be too tame, too unexciting for my tastes. But LLM is much more enjoyable for me than the Sarah McCarty historical western erotica I've been reading. Her (LLM) writing paints a distinct picture, conveys the characters' emotions so well. Fabulous!
Do You like book The Man From Stone Creek (2006)?
The story is set back in horse and buggy days and concerns a Ranger posing as a school master in order to catch thieves and murderers. He happens to meet the local postmistress and falls in love. The problem is he is already betrothed to another woman and Maddie isn’t exactly ready to trust him. She knows that he is hiding a secret.Maddie is also hiding a secret. The story involves train robbers, adultery, murders and of course romance. I don’t want to give away too much as to possibly ruin the book for you. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the second book of this series to arrive. I have already ordered it and it should come one day this week.
—Peggy Ferrell
Always love it when someone steps up to help others in need and especially when it's someone you wouldn't expect.Sam O'Ballivan, an Arizona ranger comes to a small town to play schoolmaster while he's keeping an eye on some family criminals that are wreaking havoc on each side of the border. Maddie Chancelor, who runs the town merchantile has a secret of her own. I enjoyed watching Sam's heartfelt gestures toward the little people of the town as well as Terran watching out for his big sister Maddie. I wondered how Sam was going to get out of marrying the major's daughter even though he would have,out of obligation. Therein laid the bump in the road for Maddie. I always love waiting for the twists in Ms. Miller's books. Looking forward to reading more.
—Jill Twigg
This was an action packed historical western with a fantastic hero! I fell in love with Sam right away, especially over the way he handled the kids in the town of Haven. He arrived from Stone Creek to take over as the new school teacher, but the town has suspicions that there is more to the new teacher than meets the eye. A bullying incident with the school kids brings him face to face with Maddie Chancelor and the sparks begin to fly. The tension between the two kept me turning the pages and filled the gaps between the action sequences very nicely. This was a great read that took me through every range of emotion. I can't wait to read the next book! I highly recommend this one!
—Becky ♡The Bookworm♡
