Linda Lael Miller

The ever-elusive 2 stars. You've earned it, book.

I've read worse books, but never one that annoyed me so much. First of all, this is insta-love at its worse. The two main characters meet, have a long night of (hot?) sex, then the next day are engaged to be married. And nobody has a problem with that. Her dad is overjoyed, her young daughter is excited to move into a trailer away from everything familiar, and his brothers are congratulating him at every turn. It's so ridiculously show more unrealistic, and it drives me nuts. And don't tell me that they loved each other in high school, because it's been a decade, a failed marriage for both of them, a career in Hollywood of all places, and a kid. People change, and these two people have no business jumping right back into things like they're still in high school.

Then there's the horribly convoluted plot. Nothing really ever happens, except for some drunk guy driving a semi truck into his cabin, which I think was supposed to serve as the climactic action? It gets a question mark, because there's not a second of worry that the characters will actually get hurt, there's no emotional turmoil, and they wanted to bulldoze the cabin anyway! Win-win! Grr.

Last but certainly not least, this is a ball of sickening fluff. It's like the author can't bear to write in any sort of struggles for her characters, and we the readers end up suffering for it. Everybody in this book is super rich, rich enough to just pack up and sell their cars, apartments, and belongings with no worry, and to bulldoze a cabin and immediately start putting in a house with absolutely no forethought. I usually don't have a problem with the rich hot guy trope, but this book really makes it sickening. And thanks author, we get that you like kids and animals, but does every woman in this book need to be barefoot and pregnant to feel happy? For god's sake, the book ends with an info dump about every single one of the Creed wives and their new babies' names and their happy children. There's nothing wrong with having kids in your epilogue, but this is a prime example of the wrong way to do it. Finally, the thing that bugs me the most - the "cowboy" culture. I'm from the high plains, I talk to real cowboys all the time and they DO NOT act like the Creed men. They don't jet off to become high-powered lawyers or movie stars and then decide that they miss the "big open Montana skies." If you want to write about cowboys, write them the right way.

This book is downright terrible, and I will absolutely never be reading anything by this author again. Now I need to go and find one of my old favorites to get this crap out of my system. show less

Oldie but goodie, and highly emotional. Glory is returning to Pearl River for the first time since her brother's funeral eight years earlier. She'd been forced to leave, breaking her heart and her boyfriend's, but given no choice. She's back for a brief visit, to see her mother married, then moving on from a new heartbreak. But there's one thing she wants to find out before she leaves - what happened to the baby girl she had and gave up for adoption.

She didn't expect Jesse to be the first show more person she saw when she arrived back in town, or the sparks that flew between them. Likewise, Jesse was stunned to see Glory, and not happy to see the woman who had broken his heart. A heated confrontation ends in a scorching kiss that shows them both that the past is still alive and well.

Then Glory makes the startling discovery that her baby girl had been adopted by Jesse's older brother and his wife. They were recently killed in an airplane crash, leaving Liza in Jesse's custody. Glory is convinced that Jesse was in on his grandfather's scheme the whole time, while Jesse is stunned to discover that he isn't just Liza's uncle, he's also her father. Glory decides then and there that she isn't going to leave Pearl River again, she'll get a job locally and get to know her daughter. Jesse is equally determined at the time to keep them apart.

This begins an emotional roller coaster of a story. I spent the last third of the book in almost constant tears, aching for Glory, who wants to get to know her daughter. I was also equally mad at and aching for Jesse. I loved watching Glory get to know Liza, being excruciatingly careful not to give away the truth, while desperately wanting to do so. The two of them bonded quickly, aided by Jesse's cousin Ilene. I loved the part where Glory was helping Liza with an angel costume. She is so happy just spending time with Liza, but is also determined not to give up hope of eventually telling her the truth. I got a bit frustrated with her when she started to cave in to the pressure to leave Liza alone.

Jesse is torn between allowing Glory to spend time with Liza and wanting her gone from Pearl River entirely. He has moments of being so understanding, like when he brought Glory the pictures of Liza from when she was small. He also has his moments of being a real butt-head, such as when he told Glory she needed to stay away for awhile. Jesse tells himself he is protecting Liza from being hurt by a woman he doesn't trust to stick around, but he is also protecting his own heart. Jesse was so inconsistent with his behavior toward Glory that I really wanted to grab him and shake him. And knowing his grandfather as well as he does, it bugged me that he had listened to and believed what the old man had told him ten years earlier. I loved what happened when he discovered the truth and how he admitted his idiocy. His big moment at the end was good, and I especially loved Glory's response.

Liza was a big part of the story of course, and I really liked that she played an active part. She's smart and sweet and her relationship with Jesse is already good, so she doesn't have any trouble accepting that he's her father too. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her get to know Glory and figure out the truth there. show less

When I first started this book, all I could think of was how rich it seemed. The descriptions -- both physical and character -- felt like a luxurious blanket that I could cuddle under and get lost in for a while. And that feeling never quite went away, which is why I gave this a 4 overall. The biggest drawback was that it took sooooooo long for Slade and Joslyn to get together that there wasn't really time to enjoy it. But even with that said, I am absolutely looking forward to reading more show more from this author. show less

I loved this last book in the Parable series. It was a really fun wrap up. When Landry came to Parable he wasn't planning to stay, but life seemed to have other plans for him. Ria had come to Parable on a whim, looking for a new beginning after the death of her husband. The two of them struck sparks off each other from the beginning.

The introduction to Ria sets the tone for the book. She is relatively new to Parable, having bought her farm sight unseen and started a flower growing business. show more She's made some good friends, but still keeps pretty much to herself. One person who is NOT her friend is next door neighbor and buffalo rancher Landry Sutton. For the last year his buffalo herd (all two of them) have been escaping his land and coming to feast on her flowers. Once again they are back and she's had enough. When he arrives to get his animals she lets him have it, getting more frustrated as he just stands there grinning at her. When he tells her that all that passion has a better use and kisses her, it rocks her world. She's been emotionally numb since the death of her husband and the last person she wants to feel anything for is Landry. He's too handsome, has the women falling all over him, and she just doesn't like him - or so she keeps trying to tell herself. She doesn't want to admit that what she's feeling is far stronger than what she felt for her husband, especially at the end. He had cheated on her, destroying her trust in him, and making it hard for her to trust another man. But Landry won't let it go and tricks her into agreeing to go on a date with him to the local saloon. Between the events of the date and his refusal to let her hide any longer, Ria finds herself letting go of her fears.

I loved Landry in this book. In the previous book, as Zane's younger city-slicker brother, he comes across as pretty snobby. He came to Parable to sell his land to his brother and head back to the city. By the time this one begins, he has begun to settle in on his property. He still hasn't fully decided to stay, but he's a lot happier than he had been. This book starts out with Landry going head to head with a bucking bronc as he's trying to prepare for his first rodeo. It isn't going well. Things look up when he gets called to Ria's farm to retrieve his animals - again. He has enjoyed their spats and realizes that the woman really appeals to him. He would like to see where the attraction might go, but she won't give him a chance. I loved seeing him confront her with his belief that her dislike is really because she's afraid of the way he makes her feel. I loved their date and seeing Landry show himself to be a gentleman really sealed the deal for me. He had decided that she was definitely the woman for him and his gentle yet relentless pursuit of her is so romantic.

I always enjoy the humor that LLM uses in her books. The events are described so well that I feel like I'm right there and I usually find myself laughing out loud. Two prime examples are when Ria finds the buffalo in her yard and the date at the saloon. Just the description of what she saw out the window that morning made her problem with Landry seem perfectly logical. Even better was the narrative of the date. From her niece's commentary on her clothing to the events of the next morning, I was laughing all the way. I loved the description of Ria's beer consumption and her disbelief of the effect that Landry could see that it was having - until it was too late. The trip back to her house and what happened when they got there was a riot. Then Landry's care for her later was the sweetest thing and really showed that he cares. I also loved Landry's butler, Highbridge. He is such a proper British fellow that seeing him rag on Landry in that slightly snooty way is hysterical. Highbridge is quite fond of Ria and I love his combination of protectiveness and matchmaking. His antics for the rodeo were fun to see.

LLM also makes family of central importance in her books. Landry and Zane had grown apart during their adult years, but with his arrival in Parable they start to repair that relationship. Zane can be a bit of a pain as a know it all older brother, but it's obvious that he cares. We also learn more about their early lives with their mother. Even the rocky relationship with their father undergoes some changes. Ria has some family issues of her own to deal with. Her older half sister, who comes across as a real witch at the beginning, has always made Ria feel like an outsider. The only good part of that relationship has been Ria's niece Quinn, who runs away from home and comes to Parable, rescuing a dog along the way. They talk her mother into letting her stay for the summer and we see Quinn grow and change during the time she is there. There are also brief appearances by earlier couples as we see how their families are doing. show less