Secondhand Bride

i enjoyed this book - it had it ups and down - which is how life is anyway. Glad they got together in the end.

I just love Linda Lael Miller. For the handful of books I've read of hers that I haven't cared for, there are ones like this that more than make up for it!! Who couldn't fall in love with Jeb and his carefree, reckless, wild ways? He reminded me of Jesse in the McKettrick contemporary series, and if I go back and look, it wouldn't surprise me if he's a descendant of Jeb's. The book started out lively, and stayed that way until the end. Chloe was a perfect compliment to him and I loved the relationship between all the brothers, including Holt. Miller has such a way of writing that makes you feel as if you're living right back in those times too, and I love some of her phrases, such as when Jack wants to bait Lizzie with a doll, and Sue Ellen tells him that would be akin to teasing a wildcat with a stick. It gives you such a great insight into what these characters are really like. I did, however, have just a couple problems with the storyline. First, if I remember correctly, in Shotgun Bride, Emmeline had a miscarriage somewhere in the story, and it was devastating to both her and Rafe. But yet, in Secondhand Bride, Angus keeps harping on his boys to produce grandchildren, wondering why nobody has. I thought that was just a tad callous, given what happened to Rafe and Emmeline. My second problem is that, while I know Miller likes to produce brave and strong heroines, but given that Jack knew where Chloe was, and that she was living alone in a little cottage at the edge of a barren little town, and knowing that he was after her, threatening her, frightening her, it just doesn't seem conceivable that she would have stayed there alone at night. And then slept. I can't imagine anyone being that brave, particularly when she knew how dangerous he was. And why was it that her and Jeb's divorce was going to take a year, but she divorced Jack much more quickly? All in all, however, it was a really good read and I stayed up half the night to finish it. Being tired at work today was worth the read.

Arizona Territory, 1885 SECONDHAND BRIDE is the third book in the McKettrick Cowboy's series and it's a winner! Be sure to start the series with HIGH COUNTRY BRIDE, then SHOTGUN BRIDE, then SECONDHAND BRIDE and end with MCKETTRICK'S CHOICE!

This was the perfect story for curling up on the sofa with a cozy blanket, and a sleeping cat or dog at your side. Jeb and Chloe's story was heartwarming. I enjoyed that their story began after things between Jeb and Chloe had already become very developed. I felt as though I was thrust right into the story from the very beginning, and couldn't put it down for very long until the last page. Jeb and Chloe are head strong, yet you can't help but fall in love with them. I'm looking forward to reading the other novels in this series. And I'm hoping that I will get a change to read Holt's story as well. He's such an interesting character, I think his would be a wounderful tale.

This is the first book I've read by Linda Lael Miller. I enjoyed it immensely. Although for me I think I will be enjoying Holt's story more, as I was imagining myself there with the McKettericks I would have fallen face first for Holt. But none the less I still love Jeb and Chloe's story. What I really enjoyed was the focus was not on their in bed experiences since they had already covered that before we even enter the story. Rather the focus was on their mistrust in one another and the need to overcome those issues and figure out that they do in deed love one another.

This was a truly enjoyable book. Thanks again Linda Lael Miller! The characters aggravated me sometimes with their childishness, but that, I believe, is the intention of the author. They do have some growing up to do, and it was worth reading to watch them do it. So o.k. I'm ready for Holt's story. He's a complicated character, and I'm looking forward to hearing his side of things.