THE GREAT WESTERN DRIVE DAY 5

Read a Western; Calvary Officers Need Love Too

I'm keepin' it simple with this post. I'm on the afternoon shift this week and too many late nights planning things out and the flurry of excited emails with Sybil and Wendy. I was going to go all out - but now I think I'll save that for Saturday - cause I am tired.

So instead you get a




Recent Read


Mountain Wild by Stacey Kayne

Why This One: I've only recently discovered her and I'm lovin' her books And - heh - it's a Western

Steam Level: Makes for a very nice drink

Author Website Blurb:

In the midst of a range war, Garret Daines is dead-set on keeping his ranch from greedy local cattle barons. An attempt on his life during a winter storm lands him in the healing hands of a mountain recluse. He can hardly believe the youthful beauty he discovers hidden beneath her mountain woman attire or the passion unleashed by her tender touch.

When "Mad Mag" pulls the handsome rancher from the snow she has no idea he'll be the man to thaw her wounded heart. But Maggie is hiding a mess of secrets in her mountain sanctuary, none of which she’s willing to share. Murderous cattlemen threaten their fragile bond and Maggie has to face the fears of her past or risk losing her hope for the future. Garret will defend his wild woman at any cost, but can he convince her their love is worth the risk?

My Thoughts: When I went to Washington, I took two books; Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh and Mountain Wild by Stacey Kayne. Now as anyone who has been to a RWA conference knows, reading time is severely limited and the little bit of reading I did get done was Branded by Fire. I had barely started Mountain Wild and was distracted by other books when I got back. But as luck would have it, this one started calling to me. The only problem - I couldn't remember where I put it. While searching in my luggage that is STILL not totally unpacked, this one was in a seldom used pocket of my luggage and what with it being The Great Western Ride, what better time to settle down in what little time I seem to have and give it a read.

This one is the third in a trilogy. I read the second one, Maverick Wild (and yes - part of the appeal was the cover) and quite enjoyed it. So it was a no brainer when Mountain Wild came out that I would get it. The heroine of this one made a brief appearance in MW and to be honest, I was kind of leery. See - I don't really care for Westerns where the heroine wears pants so to speak and Maggie - or Mad Maggie as she is called seemed to be more then most.

But you know - a funny thing happened while reading this book. I liked her, a liked her quite a bit!! She had a sad story as to how she came to be the loner she was and I really bought into it. And while she was tough, it wasn't in a tough kind of way. She didn't chew tobacco or swear or any of those things. Instead her persona was more of a disguise and a way to hide from the villain and I totally bought it. She made for a strong on the outside but tender on the inside heroine and I really warmed up to her!

And what are 'my thoughts' without mentioning the hero? Garrett was an equally enjoyable hero. He had been unlucky in love - but wasn't bitter about it. He was totally accepting of Maggie and her 'different' ways. Gotta love that in a hero.

And in a nice change of pace, it was Maggie who saved Garrett - more then once. That's two books in a row where the heroine does the saving and I like it.

For those wondering if this can be read on it's own without having read the first two - the answer is yes!! The previous characters are in this one, but not in a way that makes you regret not reading the first two. The 'unlucky in love' situation with Garrett happened between Maverick Wild and Mountain Wild so nothing was missed there.

So the fact that this one surprised and delighted me is a Very Good Thing. I kind of expect I told you so from Wendy, who also read and reviewed this on TGTBTU.

Now I'm going to be sure to get the first one - though I'm pretty sure I already do!

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

And because this is The Great Western Ride - I really have to hand it Harlequin. I love the fact that they publish Westerns every month; good quality Westerns. I don't always purchase all the Harlequin Historical line - but I do buy just about every Western I see!! So they too get the