Book Review: Montana Rose by Mary Connealy/4 Stars

About the book:

Fire up your love of romance with Montana Rose, where Cassie Griffin, a seemingly spoiled pregnant woman, is widowed one day and wedded the next. Marrying handyman Red Dawson seems the only alternative to Cassie’s being hitched to a brutal rancher. But can this “china doll” bear exchanging smooth silk for coarse calico?

Red was reluctant to be yoked to an unbeliever, but sometimes a man has no choice. Will Red change Cassie’s heart by changing her name?

Wade Sawyer is obsessed with saving Cassie from a marriage of convenience. How far will he go make her his own?

My thoughts:

Mary Connealy's books always have a way of pulling me in and getting under my skin. Montana Rose was no exception at all! She took a seemingly ordinary setting out West with every-day people, and turned it into a story that was full of emotion. I connected with these characters in a way that hasn't happened to me in a very long time, so much so that I felt like I was a small part of their community.

I loved the compliment at the very beginning of the book that stated this was a tribute to Janette Oke's famous book, Love Comes Softly. It's been years since I read that book, but the story is one that I'll never forget. I thought Mary's take on this very similar story was done so very well that I never once compared the two. Mary's story stood apart and had it's own personality, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

I cannot wait to read the rest of this series, and I have no doubt that I will fly through it! Book 2, The Husband Tree, looks to be a continuation of Belle's story that was featured in Montana Rose. Hopefully, she'll be able to do something with that dead-beat husband of hers, other than hit him upside the head with her skillet. :o)

4 Stars

Southern?  No
Sass?  Yes; it took awhile, but Cassie found some.  :o)

**Many thanks to Barbour Books through NetGalley for providing a copy for review.