The Next Mrs. Blackthorne: A Bitter Creek Novel

The 6th novel in Joan Johnston’s Bitter Creek Series, The Next Mrs. Blackthorne was pretty much what I expected it to be. I enjoyed the story, found it somewhat entertaining, and finished it quit quickly. The book doesn’t stand on it’s own, you will definitely have to read the previous book in the series, The Rivals, to fully grasp the story, and the characters involved.One thing I didn’t like about the book was the character Clay. For such a strong, proud man he actually tells Jocelyn that he’ll wait for her, after she’s already turned to North. That just seemed out of character of him. Apparently the next installment of this series, the title is not available yet, features Kate Greyhawk; Libby, and Clay’s daughter.

Jocelyn may have offered her body to save the ranch for Clay, but it was obvious she had serious feelings for North. Clay seemed staunch even upon discovering he really loved his high school sweetheart instead of Jocelyn. clay's daughter was extremely spoiled and I was surprised when Jack put her in her place (age wise). I felt awful for North's brother, that he was not recognized as "true" indian and therefore treated like a worker.

Overall Rating: 4.75
Action: 3.0 / Emotion: 4.75 / Romance: 5.0 / Sensuous: 2.5 / Suspense: 3.5 // Laughter: 2 / Giggle: 2 // Tears: 2 / Teary: 1

The Next Mrs. Blackthorne: 4.75:
Since Joan Johnston is a favorite author, it was no surprise to find this book to be an enjoyable, easy, entertaining read. The story contained plenty of romance, action, and suspense to keep one tied to most of the characters from beginning to end.

Hero One: 4.5:
North Grayhawk: Although North was portrayed as a man with ice cold blue eyes who showed absolutely no emotion, Johnston did a fantastic job of revealing that underneath that cold facade beat the heart of deeply caring man, who protected those he loved. Just wished that North had been given more story show more time.

Heroine One: 4.5:
Jocelyn Montrose: What a perfect mate for North. A beautiful, stunning woman with a kind, compassionate heart, who was willing to make any sacrifice to save the man she loves. Jocelyn may have been soft and sweet, but she was strong enough to stand up to the arrogant, determined North. Not enough time was given to North and Jocelyn's story.

Hero Two: 4.5:
Jack McKinley: Although Jack was a very under-developed character, you could not help but love this charming rogue. Johnston gave readers a lot of Jack's history, revealing that this fascinating man has had a lot to overcome to be as successful as he was. And yet there are still roadblocks in his path he has to overcome every day. Can't wait to read his story.

Heroine Two: 4.5:
Katherine "Kate" Grayhawk: What a fun, spontaneous, open-hearted character. Kate was, basically, the main character in this story in that she was given the most point of view time in the book. Loved the way Johnston made Kate feel real and had readers experiencing her love and frustration right along with her. Can't wait for her to mature so Johnston can tell her story.

Hero Three: 2.5:
Clayton "Clay" Blackthorne: Although Clay is perfect hero material -- handsome, successful, strong, determined -- Johnston really failed to reveal his personality because she spent so much time detailing his history as a man groomed to be president and his disastrous love affair with Libby twenty years ago. Clay was not a fully developed character and that was a major disappointment in what was supposed to be his story.

Heroine Three: 1.5:
Elsbeth "Libby" Grayhawk: The most under-developed main character in the book. Again, Johnston just revealed that this Jackson Hole, Wyoming wilderness guide regretted the loss of the love of her life and struggled to be reunited with the father of her child. It was like, I love Clay, I want Clay, I desire Clay, Clay, Clay, and then when Clay came to heel, she wanted "time to think about it." What!

Story Line: 4.0:
Johnston told a fascinating and intriguing tale about a daughter who wanted to find a way to get her estranged father and mother to admit they loved one another and get married. The story was told against the backdrop of a high-profile, high-security trial of a serial bomber, over which the father presided. Johnston, again, put too many main characters in the story, which resulted in a lack of deep, rich character development.

Action: 3.0:
Plenty of action moved the storyline along at a quick, steady pace. A high-profile trail, with every effort being made to protect the family of Judge Blackthorne. An effort by a loving fiancé to save the Blackthornes from a hostile takeover from an enemy buying up Bitter Creek Cattle Company stock. A suspect protector for Judge Blackthorne's daughter.

Emotion: 4.75:
Although several of the main characters were lacking in character development, Johnston did such a great job of emotionally tying the reader to the other main characters that she brought forth laughter and tears.

Romance: 5.0:
The romance in this book was front and center as three couples revealed their feelings for the other through action and deed. The desire and attraction between these three couples was powerful and potent.

Sensuous: 2.5:
Johnston displayed her skill at writing incredibly moving love scenes that, while not graphically detailed, were filled with passion, heat and sizzle. North and Jocelyn's love scenes were particularly sensual.

Suspense: 3.5:
Johnston definitely keep the readers guessing when she introduced Jack and the serial bomber's son, young Donnie Brown, into the story. Although the suspenseful aspect of the story was not kept at an intense level, there was just enough going on to keep the reader intrigued. And Johnston closed with a thrilling, exciting finale.

Secondary Characters: 4.0:
Because she included so many main characters, there were very few secondary characters introduced into this story. However, when Johnston introduced Breed Grayhawk, she moved readers to tears for this neglected boy. And even though Donnie Brown was minimally developed, his addition to the cast of characters added more intrigue to the plot. As expected, Jackson "Blackjack" Blackthorne and Lauren "Ren" Creed Blackthorne made several cameo appearances in this book.

A more in-depth, detailed, spoiler-ridden review of The Next Mrs. Blackthorne appears at Wolf Bear Does Books (http://goo.gl/umZwzT). show less