Joan Johnston

Good conclusion to the Mail Order Brides series. In the earlier books, the four sisters had all taken steps to escape the horror of their lives in a Chicago orphanage after their parents' deaths. Josie was captured by renegade Sioux warriors, and in the prologue of this book is whipped by one of her captors because she resisted. Marcus, Duke of Blackthorne, and his friend David, Earl of Seaton, happen upon the scene. Horrified by what he sees, Marcus buys Josie from the Indian, determined to show more save her. Unwilling to leave her behind to recover, Marcus takes her with him back to England, nursing her himself during the journey. As he is to be married to David's sister on his return home, he charges his friend with making certain that Josie is returned to her family in America once she is healed.

Two years later, Josie is practically a prisoner at one of the Duke's estates, working as a maid and caring for the Duke's two orphaned nephews. She is furious at the Duke, both for his broken promise to her and for his neglect of his nephews. She has written to him numerous times with no response and her anger at him continues to grow. Her life takes a sudden and drastic change when she is visited by a Pinkerton detective. She is stunned when he informs her that her sisters have been searching for her for two years and that she has inherited a significant amount of money. She decides to use that money to bribe Marcus to allow her to take his nephews back to America with her. That decision undergoes a change when she discovers that he is looking for a rich American to marry to save his estates. I loved Josie's spirit and determination to protect the two little boys she has come to love.

Marcus's life since his return has not been an easy one. His father died, leaving the estate in debt. His brother also died, leaving Marcus to care for his two nephews. His beloved wife also died, along with their son, after an illness she had hidden from him. Though he doesn't want to marry again, he needs an heir and the wherewithal to restore his estates. Throughout it all, he has never forgotten the girl he rescued and has often wondered how she is and why she has never contacted him. Marcus irritated me at the beginning with the way he had neglected to follow up on his promise to Josie. He also seemed far too willing to depend on other people's word instead of checking things out himself.

I enjoyed the meeting between Josie and Marcus. He doesn't recognize her as the woman he rescued, and he never knew her name. Josie is determined to dislike Marcus, based on his broken promise and neglect of his nephews. Neither expects the buzz of attraction between them. It was fun to see Marcus begin to regret the bargain that he had made, promising that he would not seek out the physical side of their marriage past their wedding night. Josie keeps the secret of her identity as she still plans to leave him as soon as she can. But as they spend their honeymoon preparing to restore his main estate, they begin to get to know each other. There are some terrific scenes as Josie's American outlook butts up against Marcus's British reserve. Josie discovers that Marcus is not the unfeeling man she thought he was. Marcus is stunned when he discovers the truth about Josie. The attraction between them continues to grow as do their feelings, though neither is ready to admit it.

As Josie fights with herself over her best course of action, family crises create complications. One of Marcus's sisters disappears, and Marcus and Josie embark on a search for her. Josie receives word that one of her sisters is fighting for her life. Josie and Marcus become separated, and he discovers the truth behind what happened to Josie. I wasn't surprised by who was behind it, though the reasoning was somewhat incredible. Josie's fear for her sister causes her to act precipitously and by the time she realizes that she may have made a mistake it's too late to change course. I liked their big moment at the end as they finally admit to their feelings. I loved the epilogue as the family is reunited.

I enjoyed the occasional update on the other sisters as they waited to hear that Josie has been found and is on her way home. I also liked Marcus's sisters and their immediate acceptance of Josie into the family. There is a good secondary storyline involving one of those sisters that shows Marcus's love and protectiveness for his family, even though he sometimes has a hard time showing it. show less

Title: Sullivan's Promise
Author: Joan Johnston
Publisher: Random House Publishing Groups - Ballantine
Series: Bitter Creek # 12
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:

"Sullivan's Promise" by Joan Johnston

My Rationalization...

This was quite a gratifying story that was not only caught up in drama but also emotional, sexy, with unexpected twists and most of all a heartfelt read. Add in a little mystery with some suspense and you have one heck of a good read that will keep you turning the show more pages to see what was coming next. Get ready for some interesting characters as the storyline is woven in from the families of the Sullivan's Grayhawks, and the Flynn throughout the read. Be ready for some romance that will put a smile on your face. I loved how this author was able to tie this series all together answering lots of questions and even though I know this is the last of the Bitter Creek Series it still would be good to see what happens with Ryan's brother Mike. show less

For a short novel, Honey and the Hired Hand was a surprisingly enjoyable read that kept me very emotionally engaged. Joan Johnston seems to have a talent for expressing a great deal using an economy of words. The pace moves along very quickly yet the story never felt rushed. Even though it takes place over the course of only a few weeks, there is an intimacy to Jesse and Honey's relationship that makes it seem like they've known each other forever. The sexual tension is deliciously taut show more right from the start, but I could sense more passing between then than mere lust. The love scenes are very sensual in spite of not being overly long and only moderately descriptive. Overall, Ms. Johnston did a great job with taking me through the emotional ups and downs of this couple's relationship and convincing me that they were absolutely perfect for one another.

Jesse is one sexy, alpha cowboy. He is also a Texas Ranger working undercover to break up a ring of cattle rustlers. Jesse exhibits a self-confidence and a sort of lazy arrogance that can be very charming in a cowboy hero. When his alpha-ness comes out, he can be just a little caveman-ish which would normally bother me, but here the author deftly expresses that side of him with a certain tenderness and lightheartedness that made him very appealing. I really liked that Jesse was a gentleman and expected Honey's oldest son to treat her with gentlemanly respect too. He is also very good with her boys and with getting them to warm up to him. All in all, Jesse was a wonderful hero who absolutely oozed sex appeal, and it certainly didn't hurt that he was part Native American too.;-)

Honey was a woman whose heart had been broken when her husband died in the line of duty. She swore she would never fall in love with or marry another man who was a Ranger or who courts danger like he did. Even when her husband was alive she didn't exactly have it easy. Because he was frequently away on assignments, she had to shoulder the burden of running the ranch all by herself. Now she just wants a dependable guy, but quickly discovers that dependable is also rather boring. I could sense right from the beginning how Jesse completely disarms Honey. She doesn't want to be attracted to him, but can't help being drawn to him like a magnet. Even before she finds out about Jesse being a Texas Ranger, she senses danger lurking around him. She is frightened by how strong her feelings are for him, and tries to break things off with him more than once so that she won't get hurt again, but soon realizes that her life would be empty without him around.

With the limited length of the story, there isn't a lot of room for secondary characters, but there were still a couple of stand-outs. Honey's oldest son, Jack, is very protective of his mother and not too keen on her having relationships with guys who he views as vying to replace the dad he lost. He manages to get himself into some trouble, but his heart was in the right place. The book opens with Honey dating Adam, a doctor and ranch owner who has just proposed, but deep down she knows she doesn't love him and he deserves better. Unfortunately, she breaks his heart, but Jesse's little sister gets to help him pick up the pieces in the next book of the series, The Rancher and the Runaway Bride. Jesse and Honey also share a couple of mutual friends, Dallas, another Texas Ranger, and his wife, Angel. From the moment they popped up in the story, I had the feeling I was supposed to know them from somewhere, and after doing a bit of research, discovered that they had appeared as the hero and heroine of a previous book, A Little Time in Texas. I was a bit surprised that their book wasn't mentioned anywhere as being part of the Hawk's Way series or even a prequel or sorts, but I guess it wouldn't be necessary to read it first. I'll definitely be interested in checking it out sometime though.

Honey and the Hired Hand was my first read by Joan Johnston and also the first volume in the Hawk's Way series, named after the Whitelaw family's ranch. It was originally published as a Silhouette Desire title. It was later reprinted along with two other books from the series as part of the anthology, Hawk's Way Rogues, and again as a single-volume HQN special release. Overall, Honey and the Hired Hand was an excellent introduction to both Ms. Johnston's work and the Hawk's Way series. I'll definitely be looking forward to reading more from this author. show less

I waited a looooooooong time for this story and I can only say this: It was damn worth it!

This is the fourth book in Mail-Order Brides series (‘Texas Bride’ by Joan Johnston, ‘Wyoming Bride’ by Joan Johnston, and ‘Montana Bride’ by Joan Johnston I loved), and it was worth the wait.

I know that mail-order bride tropes are dime-a-dozen out there and sometimes I’m really skeptical about them, but this series in this authors hands was one of the best I’ve ever read. The reason for show more it is because the trope takes second place to the characterization, so that the story is character-driven.

To better understand the character and story of Josie, the youngest Wentworth sister, I highly recommend you read all three books before this one. I think you’ll get the dynamic of this family and their history much better. You’ll find out what happened to Josie and what shaped her character. As heroines go, she was everything we can only dream of being, smart, strong willed, loyal and witty. My heart went out to this young woman who has endured so much heartache yet remained optimistic and hopeful.

Our hero, Marcus, was a complex man and I needed some time to fully warm up to him, even though he’d exhibited plenty of good qualities.

I was truly happy to see the ending included all the Wentworth’s and their families. It was like a cherry on top of my sundae!

If you like western romance then this author and her books, this series included, must be on your list.

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher show less