Rating: 
Summary: Ho Hum
Review: I am sorry, but I have read this premise time and again. A mail order bride from the Coast of Maine arrives in Texas to find that the Ranger who supposedly placed the ad, in reality did not. He is wounded in a Comanche raid. She ends up taking care of him and his son who was stolen by the Comanche but is rescued and brought home. Only Kate and the cook seem to be able to handle this 8 year old. But love wins out!This is a first read of Landis' writing. I would have enjoyed more historical material. Altho it was a cozy romance, I cannot see giving it a 4 and 5 star review. But then, I just finished a Diana Gabaldon novel and Summer Moon pales by comparison. Hey! I cannot write a fluffy novel like this and get it published!
Rating: 
Summary: Tug your heartstrings in Texas
Review: I enjoy a quality romance novel as well as I do any other well-written, creative book with memorable characters. Unfortunately, Summer Moon does not totally fit my bill. It will, however, likely satisfy avid readers of formula mass-market romance paperbacks. Kate Whittington, a prostitute's daughter raised in a Catholic orphanage in the late 1800s, answers a "wife wanted" ad and finds herself living in Texas with a landowner who may or may not actually be her husband. She is also charged with raising and taming the landowner's Comanche-raised son. Throw in sideplots involving a reforming prostitute, the landowner's best friend, and the town minister who falls in love with Kate and the book falls into a comfortable, predictable, formula romance. While Landis obviously knows how to write (the plot moves smoothly from event to event and her structure is clear), creativity does not seem to be her strong suit here. All her characters are predictably gorgeous, ruggedly handsome, sexy, and/or heroically beautiful. The plot is as predictable as a hot Texas summer, replete with cowboys and indians. Despite these negatives, Landis admirably limits the novel's most intimate moments to suggestively sexy scenes that stroke the libido without resorting to the graphic anatomical grossness so prevalent in today's romance books. And in the end, she deftly weaves her swooning prose into a predictable but romantic payoff that will please avid romance fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: I enjoyed Summer Moon very much. Jill Marie Landis is a wonderful story teller - she keeps you captive with her great plot, and with her fabulous dialogue makes you feel her stories. I especially enjoy her historical facts that must require a lot of research, but are so woven in the story that you just get swept away. This novel made me feel a part of the Texas history, and I loved the main characters! I have read ALL of her books, and recommend them highly. Curl up, and enjoy her amazing ability to weave a romantic tale.
Rating:
Summary: Jill Marie Landis is a wonderful author
Review: I found the book to be absolutely wonderful. How Kate struggled to get what she really deserved in life and almost lost it. How she kept true to herself when it came to the preacher. The little boy just broke my heart. How he became the commanche then at the end finally started excepting his life as a white boy. How touching. Reed struggled with his feeling and finally decided that he couldn't be without Kate. I was thinking it was about time he woke up. :) I was never a book reader but thought I'd give it a whirl. By chance I purchased Magnolia Creek and read it in no time. I got this one next. I have already finished it as well. I never knew I could enjoy reading so much. I haven't found an author that would just want me to keep reading. Thank you Jill for being such a spectacular author.
Rating:
Summary: couldn't put it down
Review: I traditionally read books by Grisham and Koontz but was drawn to this book while browsing the local bookstore. I usually do not read "romance" novels however once I began this I had a hard time finding a place to stop and put it down and finished it in a mere 3 days. I liked the historican aspect of the book and the fact that the author told the story through a variety of perspectives, unlike most books I read. When i finished reading I was disappointed that I would no longer be reading about these interesting charachters. I would be willing to read other books by the same author after experiencing this story.
Rating:
Summary: exciting Americana romance
Review: In 1851 Maine, Kate Whittington's mother, a prostitute, leaves her at an orphanage where she stays for the next eighteen years until the school closes. With no place to go, Kate reads an ad from a Texas rancher wanting a wife, so she corresponds with him. She and Reed Benton hit it off by mail, marry by proxy, and she heads to his ranch. When Kate arrives at his ranch, she finds her father-in-law has just died. Her husband is recovering from a bullet he received during a Texas Ranger raid on a Comanche camp. His son Daniel behaves more like an Indian because that is where he has been raised for five years. Everything is a shocker to Kate, but she and Reed make love that night. The next day, Reed asks Kate who she is? Kate says they wed by proxy, but they conclude that his deceased father forged his signature. Reed keeps Kate as a temporary housekeeper to help him with Daniel, who wants to return to his tribe. She falls in love with the father and his son, but Reed refuses to acknowledge his love for Kate. SUMMER MOON is an exciting Americana romance that stars strong realistic characters struggling to do the right thing especially for Daniel. The story line is interesting as the reader becomes very familiar with Kate, Reed, and Daniel, which in turn allows understanding of each one's motives. Award winning Jill Marie Landis shows why she is held in high esteem by sub-genre fans and who adore a strong mid-nineteenth century tale of love.
Rating: 
Summary: Tug my heartstrings just one more time Jill
Review: Kate has been brought up in an orphanage in Maine, and now finds herself in search of her purpose in life, as well as the family she never had. After answering an ad placed by a Texas rancher she decides to move to Texas and become his wife. There is a glitch in the works when she arrives and the man she has poured her heart out to in the many letters she has written doesn't even know of her existence. Add a wild young boy brought up by the Comanches and life takes an unexpected turn for our Kate. So begins her great adventure to finding true love, and the family she has always dreamed of. This was a great summer romance a light fun read, perfect for the beach. Kelsana 8/06/02
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Landis Novel
Review: Summer Moon is the story of Kate Wittington, a woman who at the age of nine was dropped off at an orphanage by her prostitute mother. When Kate is twenty-nine the orphanage closes and she must decide what she's to do with her life. She answers an ad in the newspaper for a woman to be a mail-order bride. She takes a chance and answers the ad and is the lucky woman who is chosen to be the wife of Reed Benton. When she arrives in Texas she finds out the shocking truth. She married Reed Benton by proxy but he knows nothing of their marriage. It seems they were both tricked by Reed's father, Reed Benton Sr., a devious and scheming man who devised a plan to get his son back home to the Lone Star Ranch. When Reed Jr. returns to the ranch, wounded, and with his son who has been raised by the Commanche for the past six years he finds out he's married to Kate. Since he's wounded and can't care for his son he hires Kate on as his housekeeper and caregiver to his son Daniel. This book was very entertaining and very easy to read. The characters were very life-like and well developed. Every character in the book has a purpose and they serve their purpose well. Ms. Landis seems to have thought out her character before she began writing. Even the secondary characters are well rounded. They all add to the story in their own way. Summer Moon moves along at a steady pace. Again, the storyline seems to have been well thought out before the book was started. The author clearly had every scene planned out and this makes the book very enjoyable to read. The book doesn't seem choppy or hurriedly put together. It just seems like a well planned book about everyday characters on the Texas frontier. Summer Moon is an excellent read. I was able to finish this book in just two days. I couldn't put this book down. I wanted to find out what was going to happen but at the end didn't want the book to end. I felt like I personally knew the characters and could feel their emotions. Summer Moon is a great book and will make a great addition to any romance lover's or Western romance lover's library.
Rating:
Summary: Jill Marie does it again
Review: Summer moon is the story of Kate, an orphan turned schoolteacher and the love she has for Reed an ex-Texas ranger. Corresponding with Reed via letter she falls in love with him and agrees to a marriage by proxy. Little does she know that Reed knows nothing about the letters, and the letters were truly written by Reed's aging father in an elaborate scheme to get him to finally marry. While this plot is certainly nothing new, Jill manages to breath new life into an otherwise tired plotline, with her clear writing style and attention to historic detail. What I like most about Jill's writing is she manages to portray the predjudices and attitudes of the time without the 'politically correct' glasses worn by many romance authors. She simply states things as they are without making the heroine a radical reformer or an instrument of social change. My only real quibble with this book was I thought the hero Reed was a little to self-pitying as a character. If he isn't running away from his problems... IE, his dominating father, his wife who used him for his money, his son's problems acclimating to Anglo culture. He stands around making frustrating 'noises' and using the heroine. I would've much preferred the hero to be more mature and responsible. Surprisingly, the story is interesting enough to read, despite the under whelming hero. I would recommend this book to all Landis fans!
Rating:
Summary: Not what i first thought.
Review: This was my first book by this author and I am not sure what to think. There are parts that I really really liked, and parts that I didn't. I would have liked to see more at the end. It was a good, heart warming read, but not a Stash Keeper.
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