Big Sky Country - Book Review

Book Synopsis:

Two hostile half brothers—one legitimate and one not—are each left half of their deceased father’s prosperous ranch, but even this sprawling estate isn’t big enough for these two feuding cowboys. They’re headed for one big final showdown—winner takes all. BIG SKY COUNTRY (Harlequin HQN, June 2012, $7.99 U.S./$9.99 CAN.), is the first book in the new series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller, set in Parable, Montana—where rugged cowboys and feisty cowgirls abound.

It’s the secret that’s not much of a secret in the small rural town of Parable, Montana—that County Sheriff Slade Barlow is the illegitimate son of wealthy rancher John Carmody. But Slade’s existence has never once been acknowledged by his father, who lavished all his resources and attention on his legitimate son, Hutch Carmody, while Slade grew up barely scraping by with his mother in a small trailer attached to her hair salon, the Curly Burly. With the town’s whispers fueling their hatred, Slade and Hutch have spent their whole lives brawling with each other.

So when the half brothers are notified upon their father’s passing that according to his wishes the very profitable Whisper Creek Ranch and the fortune that goes with it is to be divided equally between them, both are left stunned.

But Hutch has no plans of sharing anything with his half brother. After all, he’s the golden boy who’s been groomed since birth to become master of Whisper Creek and he’s determined to get his way. He makes Slade a whopper of an offer for his share of the ranch, but Slade is in no hurry to give in to Hutch, who’s always had everything handed to him on a silver platter, including the attention of the beautiful Joslyn Kirk, former town prom queen and spoiled brat who slunk out of Parable years ago in disgrace but now is back….

Parable is the one place Joslyn Kirk swore she’d never set foot in again. She was a self-centered little rich girl back then until her stepfather cheated everyone in town out of their savings and she and her mom were forced to slink out of Parable in the middle of the night like criminals. But Joslyn spent years working to secretly pay back—out of her own hard-earned money—everyone her stepfather had bamboozled. Now Joslyn is home to face the people she ran away from years ago. But people in Parable haven’t forgotten the past and aren’t so accepting.

Slade wants to convince Joslyn that she’s not responsible for her stepfather’s mistakes. She has nothing in her past to apologize for. But Slade isn’t so comfortable with his own family issues.

Why doesn’t he sell the ranch to Hutch? Is it because he wants to claim his birthright, or is he just making things difficult for his half brother? Either way, Hutch is going to force Slade’s hand. These cowboy brothers are heading for a final Wild West showdown in front of the whole town with everything riding on the outcome.

About the Author:

Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than one hundred historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West. Raised in Northport, Washington, the self-confessed barn goddess now lives in Spokane, Washington. Linda hit a career high in 2011 when all three of her Creed Cowboys books—A Creed in Stone Creek, Creed’s Honor and The Creed Legacy—debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. To learn more about Linda, visit www.LindaLaelMiller.com.

My Review:

Part of a new series written by Linda Lael Miller, Big Sky Country has the romance you'd expect from Harlequin and a plot to keep you engaged.  With a Western setting, several characters are introduced and relationships between them are explained.  The main characters, Joslyn and Slade, have conflicts to resolve and secrets to discover.  The author writes the book in a way that you become involved in the characters' lives and want to know what happens next.  I'm anxiously awaiting the second book to the series, Big Sky Mountain.

I received book for review.  The opinions within this post are of my own and I was not influenced in any way.  Please do your own research before purchasing products.  Your opinions and results may differ.