Big Sky Wedding - Linda Lael Miller (HQN - Sept 2013)

Series: Parable MT (Book 5)

Wedding bells are ringing in Parable, Montana, but Brylee Parrish hasn't enjoyed the sound since being jilted at the altar by Hutch Carmody. She's over Hutch now, and running a multimillion-dollar business is challenging enough for this country gal. So she should avoid falling head over boot heels for A-list actor Zane Sutton. He's come home to his rodeo roots, but Hollywood lured him away once and just might again. Yet everything about him, from his easy charm to his concern for his young half brother, seems too genuine to resist….

Zane didn't come to Parable for love -- but count on a spirited woman to change a jaded cowboy's mind. Problem is, Brylee's not convinced he's here to stay. Good thing he's determined to prove to her, kiss by kiss, that she's meant to be his bride.

Very good book.  I've been waiting for Brylee to get her own story since Hutch left her at the altar in Big Sky Mountain.  Originally she seemed pretty spoiled, but in the books since then she's done some growing up.  She's turned her business into a huge success and continues to be a loving presence in her family's life.  I really liked seeing how great she was with her niece Clare.  There is a wonderfully emotional scene with her brother Walker when she explains to him why Clare wants to go along on a rodeo trip with him and her brother.  She has finally admitted to herself that it's time to get over the past and move on.  She's lonely and wants a family of her own.  It's at this point that Zane Sutton returns to the ranch he and his brother bought a few years earlier.  The attraction between them is immediate and hot, but Brylee is pretty wary around him.  There have been a lot of Hollywood people who have bought land in Montana, visited once in awhile or lived there for a short time, then gotten bored and moved on.  She doesn't want to get involved and then get left again.  She starts out judging him pretty harshly, but as she has the chance to spend time with him realizes that he's not what she had expected.  When the white hot attraction between them gets too hard to resist they give in to it.  Then Brylee panics and starts thinking about leaving town for awhile before she talks herself out of it.  She admits to herself that she's in love with him already, but she's afraid to take the chance.  I loved what he said to her when he came to see her that relieved her fears.

I loved Zane.  He had been a successful rodeo cowboy when he got sucked into acting and became a star.  He's had enough of that lifestyle and has come to his ranch in Montana to start a new life. Shortly after he arrives he meets Brylee in the woods between their properties.  He feels like he's been struck by lightning but she can't get away from him fast enough.  His house is in pretty bad shape and he's just starting to get a handle on what he wants to do with it when his brother Landry calls.  Their father has dumped their 12 year old half brother on him and he's getting ready to leave the country for a meeting.  Can he send Nash to Zane?  It's him or foster care, so Zane says yes.  I liked the way he stepped right up to take care of Nash.  He could see the pain the boy was in at the way he's treated by his father and the pride that won't let him complain.  Zane was terrific at making sure Nash knew that he was wanted and welcome.  Besides dealing with Nash he also had his housekeeper Cleo show up and take over the care of the house and getting the renovations started.  This freed up Zane to try to get closer to Brylee.  I really liked the way that he kept going back to Brylee, trying to win her over.  When they had their big passion filled moment he understood what her reaction was going to be the next day.  I loved the way that he went to her, told her his feelings, and what his intentions were for the future.  It was exactly what she needed to feel secure.  The epilogue was fantastic, especially the dance with Hutch.

There were some really funny moments, especially once Cleo made her appearance.  I loved the way she fussed and fumed at Zane.  There were also some really emotional times, such as when Zane realized just how badly Nash had been treated by their father.  I also loved seeing Clare's teenage melodramatics as she would describe her woes to her Aunt Brylee.  
 
 

Big Sky Summer - Linda Lael Miller (HQN - June 2013)

Series: Parable MT (Book 4)


With his father's rodeo legacy to continue and a prosperous spread to run, Walker Parrish has no time to dwell on wrecked relationships. But country-western sweetheart Casey Elder is out of the spotlight and back in Parable, Montana. And Walker can't ignore that his "act now, think later" passion for Casey has had consequences. Two "teenage" consequences 

Keeping her children's paternity under wraps has always been part of Casey's plan to give them normal, uncomplicated lives. Now the best way to hold her family together seems to be to let Walker be a part of it--as her husband of convenience. Or will some secrets--like Casey's desire to be the rancher's wife in every way--unravel, with unforeseen results?

Very good book.  There's a lot of heat between Casey and Walker as they now have to deal with their feelings for each other and with the consequences of their longstanding relationship.  Casey has been on the road for years, raising her two children as best she could.  She's tired of the lifestyle now that she has met all the goals she set for herself.  She wants to give the kids a stable home and the chance to go to school and make friends and just live a normal life.  She settles in Parable, where her "friend" Walker lives.  She has done a great job of keeping the secret of who her kids' father is, not wanting them to become part of a media circus.  But now that they have settled down Walker wants his proper role in their lives. 

I liked Casey.  She has been a terrific mother, raising Clare and Shane to be pretty good kids.  They don't seem to have any of the problems that most celebrity kids seem to have.  They have known Walker for most of their lives, but only as a family friend.  When she got pregnant (both times) she wasn't ready to settle down and convinced Walker that staying anonymous was the best way to handle things.  Now she realizes that that maybe wasn't the best way to do it.  Both kids have made it clear that they wished they had a real father.  She goes to Walker and agrees with him that it's time they tell the kids the truth.  Casey is really scared.  She is afraid that the kids will hate her for not telling them the truth.  She also knows that she still can't resist her physical attraction to Walker.  They have always been physically compatible but can't be together for five minutes without finding something to argue about.  Casey tends to start the fights as a way to keep Walker at a distance.  Casey has a lot to deal with once the truth comes out.  Her son seems to take the news well, but her daughter is having a hard time with her feelings of betrayal.  Casey decides that she and Walker should marry to protect the children, but she doesn't want to risk her heart on a real marriage.  She soon realizes that her heart is already at risk because she has loved Walker all along and wants nothing more than to be a real wife to him. 

Walker has long wanted to be a real father to his kids.  He is tired of just being the family friend and wants to tell the kids the truth.  He finally tells Casey that she has to tell them.  I liked the fact that he lets her know that they will do it together, that he is not going to try to take the kids or anything like that.  He just wants to be a real dad.  I really enjoyed seeing him become that father rather than just the cool friend.  He soon realizes that being a father is a little more complicated than he thought but I thought he handled it very well.  I also enjoyed the way that he made sure that Casey knew that he was there for whatever she needed for the kids or for herself.  I also liked the way that he finally admitted to himself that Casey's desire to keep his fatherhood secret had allowed him to not have to deal with the hard things.  Once they married he finally got a taste of the things she had had to deal with all those years, especially the tabloid reporters.  This made him appreciate her even more.  I liked the way that he finally admitted his love for her. 

One of the best things about the book was the way it showed how hard both Casey and Walker had to work to make their relationship a success.  Both of them had to learn to compromise and both of them had to learn to actually talk to the other one.  Casey also had to face up to her mistakes even though she had made them with the best of intentions. I liked both kids also.  They were both realistically done without being obnoxious or too sweet.  I also enjoyed catching up with the characters from previous books.  I'm looking forward to the next book and seeing Brylee finally get her own happy ending.

Big Sky River - Linda Lael Miller (HQN - Dec 2012)

Series: Parable MT (Book 3)

Sheriff Boone Taylor has his job, friends, a run-down but decent ranch, two faithful dogs and a good horse. He doesn't want romance--the widowed Montanan has loved and lost enough for a lifetime. But when a city woman buys the spread next door, Boone's peace and quiet are in serious jeopardy.

With a marriage and a career painfully behind her, Tara Kendall is determined to start over in Parable. Reinventing herself and living a girlhood dream is worth the hard work. Sure, she might need help from her handsome, wary neighbor. But life along Big Sky River is full of surprises...like falling for a cowboy-lawman who just might start to believe in second chances.

Very good book.  The back cover copy got some things a bit wrong.  At the beginning of the book, Boone had no dogs and acquired one during the story. I loved the way he did get the dog and how much he came to mean to the whole family. Tara does everything she can to avoid even talking to Boone much less ask him for help.  That being said, I really enjoyed the book.  Tara is living her dream raising her chickens in Parable.  She has friends and a community she loves.  She's not real fond of her neighbor Boone.  They hit it off wrong when she moved in and he said something about a citified wannabe farmer and she considered him a redneck sheriff too lazy to fix up his double wide.  At the beginning of this story Tara has had a call from her ex-husband asking her to care for his twelve year old daughters because they keep running off the nannies.  She says yes because she has missed them so much.  I liked Boone from the beginning but he did need a bit of an attitude adjustment.  When his wife died he had been so devastated that he sent his sons to live with his sister until he could get himself together.  That short period has stretched to several years and circumstances have led to them having to come back home to him.  Now he has to learn to be a father all over again. The longer the boys had stayed away the less confidence he had in his abilities. With both Boone and Tara pulling parent duty they find themselves together more often and realize that those sparks weren't dislike, but passion.  I really enjoyed seeing both of them open their hearts to the possibilities of a future together.  I also enjoyed seeing more of the people of Parable.  Opal still seems to be the glue that holds the town together.  Hutch and Slade are great at keeping Boone straight and I loved the way that Kendra and Joslyn kept pushing Tara toward Boone.  I also liked seeing the way that the town pulled together when people needed help, especially for the family of the boy who fell from the water tower.  I'm also looking forward to seeing whatever happens with that obnoxious deputy.