Sarah M. Anderson (1)

Terrific book. Madeline is a doctor on a mission - she has brought her skills to the Lakota White Sandy Reservation, committing herself to at least two years as their doctor. She gets a rude awakening when she discovers that the conditions are more primitive than she knew - a lack of supplies, irregular record keeping, and a rundown building, to name a few. She is determined to succeed, despite the interference from Rebel, the tribe's medicine man.

Rebel takes his responsibilities to his show more people seriously. After years spent running away from his heritage, he returned to the home of his heart. Raised in the traditions of the tribe by his grandfather, Rebel's connection to the land runs deep. Madeline's arrival throws him for a loop, and as much as he wants to believe the tribe doesn't need her, a rash of unexplained illnesses convinces him otherwise.

The first encounters between Madeline and Rebel were tense and intense. Madeline is very much a traditional doctor, relying on science and medicine to help her patients. Madeline is also the latest in a series of doctors who have come to work on the rez, most of whom don't last more than a few months, so it is an uphill battle earning their trust. Rebel is a Lakota medicine man whose methods lean more on the spiritual side and get on Madeline's wrong side when he recommends his methods over hers. Matters come to a head when her patients flat-out refuse vaccinations, and she blames Rebel. It isn't until he explains the history of Native distrust of "government assistance" that she begins to understand.

Underneath the antagonism between Rebel and Madeline is an intense attraction neither wants. Rebel has been burned in the past by a relationship with a white woman, and Madeline prefers to concentrate on her work. But there is no denying the pull between them, as exhibited by the river scene when Madeline chases him down at his campsite. This begins a connection between them as they grow closer in understanding each other's lives. Their chemistry builds, leaving each in a quandary about their future. Madeline is a woman whose life requires a house, while Rebel is happiest living under the stars. Each must consider the compromises they are willing to make for their desired future.

The subject of the mysterious illnesses plaguing the people runs throughout the book. Rebel's visions have told him this is an impending crisis, but he cannot know what it is. Madeline's attempts to progress the traditional way run into delays caused by institutional prejudice. I could feel her frustration and loved her method of getting results. When the crisis hits, it is all hands on deck as Madeline and a few others have to deal with it. The intensity was overwhelming, and I was wholly invested in the outcome. The resolution was almost anticlimactic but still very satisfying.

One of the things I loved most about this book was the natural inclusion of Lakota history and traditions. They were a logical part of the story, from Rebel's explanation about the vaccines to his visions to Grandfather Albert's decisions about his health. I loved getting to know various community members, such as Albert, Clarence, Tara, and Tammy, and learning about their lives and challenges. It was also a realistic look at life and conditions on a reservation, such as poverty, drugs, and alcoholism. I ached for the prejudice that someone like Rebel faced despite his success. show less

Terrific book. It is the only one of the series I have read, and it left me wanting to read the others. It was an emotional book about a man who endured horrible things as a child and the effect on his life thereafter. It was also the story of the woman who saw past the scars to the man.

Melinda left Ohio after yet another failed relationship to join her sister at the White Sandy rez. She will run the new daycare center. The man who cleans the center and visits her sister and brother-in-law show more late at night intrigues her with his scars and haunted eyes.

Nobody was a hero who pulled at the heartstrings. Named Nobody by his mother, who told him he was "a nobody who came from nobody and would always be a nobody," he lives in the shadows and avoids contact with almost everyone. His history is heartbreaking, but it left him with a streak of protectiveness, especially toward children.

I loved the connection that formed between Melinda and Nobody from the moment they met. Nobody has an uncanny knack for melting into the shadows, and it's a rare person who can see him when he does. Melinda is one of those people, and it scares Nobody spitless. I loved watching her get to know him by slipping into his world. She understands him and what makes him the way he is, and she doesn't try to force him into her world. Instead, she accepts him in all of his solitary glory while ensuring he doesn't push her away. Nobody bought into the world's opinion that he's no good and doesn't understand what Melinda sees in him. His internal commentaries are both funny and heartbreaking as he tries to wrap his head around her interest.

It isn't long before their two worlds collide in the person of a young victim of the same kind of abuse Nobody suffered. Nobody protects young Jamie with his own form of justice, frequently taking the boy to his own home and giving him a safe space to recover. I loved the connection between the two of them. Jamie worships Nobody; his imitation of his hero is spot-on. He is also as protective of Nobody as Nobody is of him. When Melinda becomes aware of Jamie's situation, her reaction is to remove Jamie from his home ASAP. She receives an eye-opening education on what happens to Native children when they end up in foster care and struggles to find a compromise.

I loved the solution that Melinda and Nobody devised and that it had a good chance of working. Unfortunately, fate intervened before their plans could be fully executed. Melinda has the problem well in hand, but it requires Nobody's patience and cooperation. I ached for Nobody, whose worry for Jamie became so overwhelming that he did a very stupid thing. This left Melinda in an awkward position of having to find a way to fix the results of his actions and ensure that the solution is the one they want. I was quite impressed with Melinda as she went to bat for both Jamie and Nobody, though her methods for Nobody were very unorthodox. I ached for Nobody as he endured the consequences of his actions and worried that he'd also lost Melinda.

The ending brought tears to my eyes as Melinda waited and hoped for Nobody's return. I loved that she wasn't going to give him long to avoid her. I loved how, once again, she felt him before she saw him. Nobody broke my heart as he shared his fears and his feelings with her. "I've never loved anyone. I don't know how to love you. Will you show me how?" And Melinda says, "All I can ask is that you don't give up on us." Nobody: "Us. Never had an us before." Sigh.

#netgalley show less

Good story that is a combination of second chances and friends to lovers. Sofia is a widowed mother of twin toddlers. After the death of her husband, she needed help and moved in with her parents, because she was having trouble making ends meet. She really needs a job with good pay and regular hours, when she sees an ad for an office manager for Eric's company. She takes a chance on applying, even though she isn't totally qualified.

Eric has made an incredible success of his company. He is show more known as one of the most eligible bachelors in Chicago. Ever since the end of his engagement, he has felt like there is a hole in his life. His friends are all settling down, but he is still alone. It is hard for him to know if a woman is interested in his money and position, or in the man that he truly is. He is stunned when he recognizes the job applicant as his childhood friend.

I loved the development of their relationship. Just seeing Sofia again reminded Eric of what good friends they had been when they were kids. He feels very protective of her and offers her the job right away, even though he has no idea if she can do it. I loved that scene as they point out each other's negotiating failures. But now that she works for him, Eric tells himself that she is off limits, even though he's very attracted to her and wants to get closer. It was really sweet to see the way that he tries to take care of her. Sofia is just as attracted to him. She doesn't see the ruthless businessman or the playboy billionaire. She sees the kind and handsome guy who was her friend when she was a kid. However, she also knows that mixing business and pleasure is a bad idea, especially since she really needs that job. Plus, she still sees herself as the housekeeper's daughter and therefore not good enough for the billionaire bachelor. I loved their business trip where she got a taste of his life. The passion flared between them, but a crisis back home left Sofia drowning in guilt over what happened, so she pushes him away. I ached for Eric because all he wanted was to care for Sofia and the kids. I loved the ending as Eric exposed his vulnerability along with his heart. I also loved seeing Sofia finally accept that Eric loved her for who she was. The epilogue was a sweet picture of the new family.

I really liked Eric. He has a reputation as ruthless in business, but underneath he is a good and honorable man. He doesn't fool around with his employees, though he does flirt lightly with some of them. Those same employees truly respect him, and I loved seeing the relationships he had with them. He was burned by love once, but it hasn't put him off the idea of finding the right woman. He also really wants to be a father and I ached for him over the disappointments in his past. show less

I nearly missed this because I was only a quarter listening in to the audiobook when I started playing it the first time, and I didn't much like Jack Garrett's voice - after all, he does a great drawl. But I like the mood and characters of cowboy novels, so I gave it another go and was immediately swept into the attraction between JR and Thalia. And came to admire Jack Garrett's presentation of the novel.