Montana Born and Bred

Rating:
Summary: Great Western Romance!
Review: I have been reading Alexis Harrington's books for the past several years. Each one just gets better than the last. MONTANA BORN AND BRED tops them all. I was thoroughly engrossed in the story and the deep emotional drama between the characters. Alexis Harrington has a way with words and understands the complex emotions between men and women. This book is a keeper!

Rating:
Summary: Great Western Romance!
Review: I have been reading Alexis Harrington's books for the past several years. Each one just gets better than the last. MONTANA BORN AND BRED tops them all. I was thoroughly engrossed in the story and the deep emotional drama between the characters. Alexis Harrington has a way with words and understands the complex emotions between men and women. This book is a keeper!

Rating:
Summary: Not up to the authors usual standards
Review: I have liked most of Ms. Harrington's books but I can find nothing to recommend her latest "Montana Born and Bred." I had a hard time having any sympathy for Sarah or Zach.

I didn't find either one of them to be interesting characters. Zach's many stories of his childhood seemed contrived and if they were meant to make the reader like him more, it didn't work. His motivations got especially fuzzy near the end. His desire to get his land back (because of his lack of a childhood home) wavered unconvincingly back and forth.

Sarah was a weak character and it was never clear why she had to tell everyone the baby was her nephew when all she had to do was say her husband had died. How she got into the whole situation of being pregnant and unmarried only made her more unlikeable.

The villains of this story are so way over the top they are a joke. It wasn't enough to make Priscilla, the woman who wants Sarah's baby, crazy, she's cruel to small animals, a murderer and a lesbian too! Her character just kept getting more ridiculous as the story progressed. The contemporary issues of adoption and the rights of the birth mother could have been so much more compelling if the author had used her abilities to write deeply emotional stories. Instead, she presents characters that could be rejects from a bad soap opera. This story is not up to the usual quality of Ms. Harrington's previous books and I hope this book is not a sign of what is to come.

Rating:
Summary: Not up to the authors usual standards
Review: I have liked most of Ms. Harrington's books but I can find nothing to recommend her latest "Montana Born and Bred." I had a hard time having any sympathy for Sarah or Zach.

I didn't find either one of them to be interesting characters. Zach's many stories of his childhood seemed contrived and if they were meant to make the reader like him more, it didn't work. His motivations got especially fuzzy near the end. His desire to get his land back (because of his lack of a childhood home) wavered unconvincingly back and forth.

Sarah was a weak character and it was never clear why she had to tell everyone the baby was her nephew when all she had to do was say her husband had died. How she got into the whole situation of being pregnant and unmarried only made her more unlikeable.

The villains of this story are so way over the top they are a joke. It wasn't enough to make Priscilla, the woman who wants Sarah's baby, crazy, she's cruel to small animals, a murderer and a lesbian too! Her character just kept getting more ridiculous as the story progressed. The contemporary issues of adoption and the rights of the birth mother could have been so much more compelling if the author had used her abilities to write deeply emotional stories. Instead, she presents characters that could be rejects from a bad soap opera. This story is not up to the usual quality of Ms. Harrington's previous books and I hope this book is not a sign of what is to come.

Rating:
Summary: Great read by a real talent
Review: In 1890 Lame Horse, Montana, Zach Garrett arrives to escort Sarah Kincaide and her son Danny back to Helena. Sarah signed a contract with wealthy Ethan Pembroke in which the single schoolmarm gave up her newborn in exchange for some money. Ethan and his wife Priscilla plan to adopt the infant. Zach, who believes he has no conscience, thinks Ethan is being charitable.

Sarah realizes her quest to hide with her beloved Danny is over. On the trail, she thinks back to when Ethan courted and seduced her, a naive teacher. She thought they would marry and even gave him access to her bank account, which he stripped bare. When she told Ethan she was pregnant, he, accompanied by Priscilla, explained the trap they set for her. They offered her cash and her reputation plus a home for the child. Sarah signed the contract, but fled with Danny three days after the lad was born. Meanwhile, Zach feels two new emotions, guilt and love, but still feels he must complete his obligation to Ethan.

MONTANA BORN AND BRED is an entertaining and exciting western romance starring two wounded characters healed by love. The story line is very exhilarating especially on the trail, but the ending is a major stretch. The lead couple is a pleasant duo healing through love. Alexis Harrington has written a thrilling western romance that sub-genre fans will fully enjoy. Readers will get lost into the fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: A great read
Review: The story is about a woman (Sarah) with a newborn son (Danny)who is hiding in a small town in Montana, trying not to be found by her son's father. We learn fairly early on why she's hiding and we can feel her pain at the thought of losing her son to the boy's father. Unfortunately, early on in the book, a bounty hunter that was hired by Ethan (the father) named Zach, arrives on the scene and the story takes off from there. Ethan is ruthless, deceptive and cold hearted and the story that comes out about Ethan and Pricilla (you'll learn about her in the book) will have you wanting to hide Sarah and her baby from them. Zach was orphaned at an early age and lived on the streets until he ended up on one of the "orphan trains." He's never cared about anyone and the only thing he ever wanted in life was to own his own land and to have something of his own. He won't let anything stop him from achieving his goals and tries to keep his conscience and his morals buried deep inside where they won't stop him from doing what he has to do to survive and achieve his goals. If anyone dislikes children in books, don't let that stop you from reading this one. Danny is a major character, but you will find your heart warming to him and he will not distract from the romance. All in all, it's a great story and one that fans of the author will want to read!