The Man from Stone Creek

If the name Linda Lael Miller is given as the author, you can be sure you are in for a good read.

Another hit for Lael Miller. I have read all of her books and I have to say this is one of my favorites. the blend of humor and passion in this book is unbelievable. A Wanted Man and The Rustler follow this well. She ties her characters in deliciously with lots of humor and hunkiness with strong female characters as well. No one likes a simpering woman who can't stand alone if need be. Praise to Lael Miller. Cant wait for the Bridegroom (Gideon's Story)

Back of book: There was trouble in Haven, Arizona, and Ranger Sam O'Ballivan was determined to sort it all out. Badge and gun hidden, he arrived posing as the new schoolteacher, and his first order of business was to bring the rough ranchers' children under control. To that end, he called on Maddie Chancelor, the local postmistress, whose young brother was in firm need of discipline. Sam wasn't sure what to expect, but it was definitely not this graceful woman whose prim, proper stance was so at odds with the fire in her eyes. Working undercover to capture a dangerous band of rustlers and train robbers was a job that had always kept him apart from other people. He was a man with his heart firmly in check, until Maddie. Now she was unwittingly tempting him down a path he'd sworn he'd never travel. This story has some wonderful twists and turns that are not expected. It has a very sweet and touching love story. The main characters are well developed and interesting. Hard to put down, once you start reading.

I read one of Ms. Miller's McKettrick books last year and found it ok. I picked up "The Man from Stone Creek" a couple of weeks ago, in the need for a good book on a long weekend (and I love historical Western romances) but couldn't find anything in the bookstore that really caught my eye. This book is a definite winner. The build up to the main conflict and the character development are great, including the conflict that builds between the main characters. I can't wait to read the sequel to this one!!

There's a new schoolmaster in Haven, Arizona, and he's making waves. While the current teacher is the bookish wimp of a man the residents of Haven expect to find doing woman's work, his replacement is something else altogether. Sam O'Ballivan may be a schoolmaster but he's not like any this town has ever seen. In fact, he's big and he's broad and he's armed and he has the women of Haven, from housewives to ladies of the evening, swooning. One woman who is immune to his sterling qualities, however, is postmistress and merchant Maddie Chancelor. Already overprotective of her younger brother, Terran, Miss Chancelor doesn't take kindly when the new schoolmaster upbraids him for a boyish but potentially harmful prank within minutes of riding into town. Maddie is determined to keep the undercover lawman at arm's length, but that proves harder and harder to do as they are repeatedly thrown together. While Sam is taking on the local children as well as working undercover to round up a local band of train robbers and rustlers, Maddie Chancelor is a complication he didn't anticipate. He may be engaged to the girl back home, but it's Maddie who fills his mind and heats his loins even as she's railing at him for his shortcomings. He can't help but be enchanted by this woman's beauty and personality even as she hides her inner tenderness under a tough exterior designed to help her provide for herself and her brother in a man's world. It doesn't take long for Sam to hone in on possible suspects for wrongdoing when he encounters the wild and wanton Donagher family. The patriarch, Mungo, is a stern and scowling man who keeps his four sons in line with fear and physical violence. Too bad he doesn't have the same effect on his hot-to-trot wife, Undine, who has developed a strong attraction to Sam. It's hard for a man to get any work done, however, when there is a constant stream of the needy dropping in on him in the schoolhouse. From little Violet Perkins who needs to be taught to bathe and could use some new clothes, to Oralee Pringle, the proprietress of the Rattlesnake Saloon and a puppy in need of a home, everyone seems to need a piece of Sam's time. Even fancy woman Bird of Paradise comes bearing food and offers of other sensual delights enough to tempt a man. Somehow though, Sam manages to stick to his business even if his mind tends to wander to more pleasurable pursuits. THE MAN FROM STONE CREEK by Linda Lael Miller is an absolutely delightful romance with plenty of action that transported me to the Old West and kept me there page after page as I got to know the endearing residents of Haven. It's a definite keeper for my bookshelf and one I'll take time to reread even when I'm tempted by the plethora of new books that constantly vie for my attention. It's one of those books that makes you wonder, long after you've read the last page, what the people you've come to know and love are doing. --- Reviewed by Amie Taylor