Hawk's Way Bachelors (Trade Paperback): The Rancher and the Runaway Bride/The Cowboy and the Princess/The Wrangler and the Rich Girl

The Rancher and the Runaway Bride" by Romance novelist Joan Johnston is the second in her 'Hawks Way' series. It follows "Honey and the Hired Hand", in which we met the first of the Whitelaw siblings, the second oldest brother, Jessie. Now we meet the rest of the clan. Two more brothers, Garth and Faron, both handsome, big and brawny, and over protective of younger sister, and still virgin at 23 years old(no one could get near her with her brothers around), pretty Tate. The Whitelaw clan lost their parents when Tate was just a baby. The older brothers have taken it upon themselves to play mother and father to Tate. They just over do it. Tate is suffocating under their guardianship and wants to spread her wings. She's ready for love, but is never going to find it with Garth and Faron, scaring off anybody that comes near her. She hops in the old pick-up truck and heads out.The brothers are frantic to find her. When the old pickup breaks down, Tate accepts some help from a Rancher who happened by. Right off the bat, you can feel the sparks flying between the two. The Rancher it turns out is Adam Philips, who we weren't all to fond of in "Honey and The Hired Hand", as he loved Honey, and was bitter that Jessie stole her away. He also seemed like quite an unsavory character in the first book, but now in bits and pieces, we get more of his story. Adam could not leave young Tate on the road to nowhere. He gives her work on his ranch, and the more these two try to deny their feelings, the more they want each other. And as always in a good Johnston romance, things heat up and only get hotter. But uh-oh, the Brothers(all three) are on the trail, and it looks like a shot gun wedding is in Adam's future. I enjoyed the style of this story. It reminded me very much of those wonderful screwball comedies from the 40's, as through as series of miscommunication and conclusion jumping, the two lovers kept each other at bay, until their passion gets the best of them. And of course, when it did, it was quite a bit steamier then those 40's films. "The Cowboy and the Princess" is the 3rd in the Hawk's Way series. It is Faron's story the youngest of the brother and quite the ladies man. Faron's story unfolds into a love like a fairy tale(but not for kids!). Faron gets the news. A letter from a woman claiming to be his step-mother. Seems Mom Whitelaw had herself a little affair, and Faron was the result. This was the first he heard that he was not a full blooded Whitelaw. He is quite upset by the news, and takes off for Wyoming to confront his horrid stepmother who says he is in the will. He's not a happy camper. While scouting across the land he is to inherit, he runs into the most gorgeous creature he has ever seen. A beautiful blonde who looks like a princess.And By the way, Faron is no slouch in the looks department as well. Johnston doesn't make us wait too long for the first scene of passion. As these two find something in each other's arms they both need

Joan Johnston has shot these bachelors with cupids arrown straight through the heart. Nobody can do western romance like Joan Johnston.