The Loner

Rating:
Summary: AuthorZone.Com Book Review
Review: A must read! Pure and simple!

Rating:
Summary: THE LONER-Stone and Annie-SPOILERS
Review: favorite scene with annie-
her talk with clare.

stone-
clare making her move on him.

together-
arguing after the saloon incident.

Rating:
Summary: At last Stone's story!!!!!
Review: I have waited for this conclusion to the McBride saga, and believe me, Evelyn Rogers did not let me down. You tied everything into a neat bow and gave a truly magnificent ending to a wonderful saga. Your talent is awsome!!!! I can't wait to see if the four of you write other books on the McBrides. I you will.

Rating:
Summary: Huge disappointment!
Review: I read (and loved the halfbreed by bobbi smith) and had great
expectations from this sequel. It was an enormous let down.
Stone and Annie don't grab the reader in and of themselves. The story itself is one continual nothing........waiting for "pa" to die...and watching the evil stepmother do her thing. There's no depth to the characters.The ending is anit-climatic and I couldn't wait for the book to end. Enjoy halfbreed but leave this series there. I haven't read Evelyn Rogers much but the writing doesn't , at least in this, match up to the other 3 writers doing this series of books. sorry ms rogers.

Rating:
Summary: SOMETHING OF A LETDOWN
Review: I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THIS SERIES, EACH AUTHOR BROUGHT A DIFFERENT EDGE TO EACH BOOK, BUT STAYED CONSISTANT WITH THE CENTRAL STORY. I COULD NOT WAIT FOR THE FINALE. I HAVE TO SAY THAT I FOUND THE ENDING ANTI-CLIMACTIC. THE STORY OF STONE AND ANNABELLE JUST DIDN'T MATCH UP TO THE PREVIOUS COUPLES, EVEN THOUGH THE PREMISE WAS COMPELLING. IT SEEMED THAT MS. ROGERS WAS IN A HURRY TO FINISH UP THE SERIES. I HOPE TO SEE MORE SERIES LIKE THIS ONE IN THE FUTURE, THOUGH

Rating:
Summary: Myshelf.Com Book Reviewer
Review: In Evelyn Roger's THE LONER, readers will find a highly descriptive tale, which will quickly transport them back to the exciting life and times that only existed in the Old West. This poignant tale is overflowing with sizzling excitement, passion, and turmoil and will remain in your memory long after you turn the last page. As his name suggests, Stone McBride's heart has been hardened against the cruel injustices fate has unmercifully dealt to him. Living his life as a gambler, he is unprepared when word arrives informing him his father is on his deathbed, and has summoned for him to return to the Circle M to claim his inheritance. To ignore his father's request, would force him to forfeit his share of the ranch to his resentful brother, sister, and manipulative stepmother. Upon his return to the town of Sidewinder, he is unprepared to see his former fiancée, Annie Chapin. Will he be able to live with himself knowing he alone caused the pain which is present in her eyes?
Four years ago, Annabelle 'Annie' Chapin, gave her heart and soul to Stone McBride. What she received in return was enough heartache to last a lifetime. Still suffering from her last encounter with Stone, she is shocked to learn she still has feelings for the man who cruelly broke her heart. Will she have the power this time to chisel away the hard exterior surrounding his cold heart? Evelyn Rogers masterfully crafts stories where the characters are so real they seem to leap off the pages. Stone and Annie are two memorable characters, who finally realize when they are able to trust in the power of love as only it alone would be able to heal and erase the pain of their past.

Rating:
Summary: Great ending to the series!
Review: Stone McBride left his family, the Circle M ranch, and his fiancé, Annabelle Chapin, during a fit of anger! His mother had been hardly set in her grave when his father, Tom McBride, married Clare (his mistress). Clare was very young and cruel. She delighted in keeping each family member apart. (Each sibling has their own book.) Four years pass ...

The letter from Tom's lawyer caught up to Sone in Fort Worth. Each child must return to the ranch within a short amount of time to claim a portion of the inheritance. Being broke, Stone was forced to return. He was the last to show. His other siblings, including a half-brother he had not known existed, was already gathered. Each were happily married and had made new lives for themselves. Tom was on his death bed, but just as mean as ever. Facing his family was heard, especially the hateful and scheming Clare, but not nearly as hard as seeing Annabelle again!

Annie was alone in the world now. She owned a boardinghouse for her meager living. She had three workers, a cook and her daughter (Josefina and Carmen) and Henry (a crippled ex-ranch hand). Having Stone rent room and board from her was difficult since she still cared for him. But she needed the money. The fire that had been between them was still there and getting hotter!

***** An excellent conclusion to this series! This is not a story that readers will find able to set aside. Overflowing with lies, scandals, and romance that grabbed me from page one! Don't miss out on this one! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful western romance
Review: The lawyer's letter announced that his odious father Thomas McBride was dying and demanded his family come home to the Circle M Ranch in nearby Sidewater. If Tom's oldest son Stone wants to inherit anything, he must return to this place he hates. Since he just lost his last coin in a poker game, Stone decides it is time to go home. Instead of staying at the family spread, Stone rents a room at Annabelle Chapin's boarding house even though she is the woman he once loved.

Stone constantly squabbles with his two brothers and sister, but also shares with them the distrust of Tom's second wife Clare. While struggling with his family and his stepmother, Stone skirmishes with his own treacherous heart that beats faster and louder every time he sees Annabelle. There is also his father o worry about him, a man who has hidden the truth about Circle M from his children.

The final novel to the Secret Fires miniseries ties up all the questions left from the three previous novels while telling a wonderful western romance. The story line is loaded with action and a twist or two. The lead couple is a cute duo making up for a decade of separation while the support cast includes family members and their spouses returning for the final engagement. Though THE LONER lives up to its name and can stand alone, new readers will find better appreciation of Evelyn Rogers' talent by reading the previous three stories first, written by other authors. By keeping the persona of previous lead couples consistent inside her plot, Ms. Rogers successfully closes with one of the year's best Texas romances.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful western romance
Review: The lawyer�s letter announced that his odious father Thomas McBride was dying and demanded his family come home to the Circle M Ranch in nearby Sidewater. If Tom�s oldest son Stone wants to inherit anything, he must return to this place he hates. Since he just lost his last coin in a poker game, Stone decides it is time to go home. Instead of staying at the family spread, Stone rents a room at Annabelle Chapin�s boarding house even though she is the woman he once loved.

Stone constantly squabbles with his two brothers and sister, but also shares with them the distrust of Tom�s second wife Clare. While struggling with his family and his stepmother, Stone skirmishes with his own treacherous heart that beats faster and louder every time he sees Annabelle. There is also his father o worry about him, a man who has hidden the truth about Circle M from his children.

The final novel to the Secret Fires miniseries ties up all the questions left from the three previous novels while telling a wonderful western romance. The story line is loaded with action and a twist or two. The lead couple is a cute duo making up for a decade of separation while the support cast includes family members and their spouses returning for the final engagement. Though THE LONER lives up to its name and can stand alone, new readers will find better appreciation of Evelyn Rogers� talent by reading the previous three stories first, written by other authors. By keeping the persona of previous lead couples consistent inside her plot, Ms. Rogers successfully closes with one of the year�s best Texas romances.

Harriet Klausner