Amazon.com
As a photojournalist, Bess Grady is far more comfortable viewing life through her camera lens than firsthand; the extra distance makes it easier to accept life's atrocities. Still recovering from an assignment on which she witnessed the massacre of an entire Croatian orphanage, Bess accepts an easy assignment from a travel magazine to photograph a small village in Mexico and brings her sister along for fun. What awaits her is worse than she ever could have imagined:everyone in the village has been killed by a deadly poison. After rescuing the only survivor, Bess and her sister split up. Bess finds herself captured by thevillain who seems to have plotted the horrible destruction. Her sister has disappeared, and the only hope Bess has to save her is to trust a man she believes to be a murderer. Book Description
When photojournalist Bess Grady arrives in Tenajo, Mexico, with her sister for a well-deserved vacation, the scene that greets them comes straight from hell. Everyone in the village is dead, as if they suddenly became ill and collapsed. Just as frightening is the sight of army trucks filled with soldiers dressed in decontamination suits driving into town. One of them knocks Bess out, and later she awakens to find herself strapped to a hospital bed. Her sister is nowhere to be found. With the help of a mysterious agent, Bess escapes and returns to America. There she learns that what she had witnessed in Tenajo was a nightmarish experiment conducted by international conspirators. Now, even as those conspirators are after her, Bess will do whatever it takes to stop them from continuing their experiments before they achieve their goal -- the perfection of the ultimate deadly weapon.Download Description

She expected sunshine and balmy breezes. What she saw was everyone's worst nightmare.

Bess Grady has heard the unmistakable sound before. She knows what it means. But not even the eerie lament of the howling dogs can prepare her for what has taken place in the small village. The seasoned photojournalist had been sent there on an easy assignment, and now she has stumbled upon something she was never meant to see. Amid chaos and fear, she joins forces with an intimidating stranger, a man whose alliances are unclear but whose methods have a way of leaving bodies in his wake. For what she has witnessed is only the first stage in a plan of terror that may kill us all. And she has no choice but to stop it -- or die trying....

Customer Reviews (95)

Crazy
I have a problem with all Iris Johansen books. It's the same with this one. The story may create an interest, but the writing is so bad that at times I cringe. What is awful is that I will look at and buy another one of her books hoping that it will be worth reading.

LOVE IT
I LOVE IRIS JOHANSEN!!!! ALL OF THE BOOKS I HAVE READ OF HERS ARE GREAT!!!!! READ THEM, YOU WON'T BE DISAPOINTED!

Entertaining read
I was in the mood for an fast entertaining read, and this book filled the bill. Actually, I read it years ago, and recently re-read it.It's suspenseful with a nice touch of romance.I am not going to argue with other posters who say the characters were not fleshed out or the plot was unbelievable.I enjoyed the story and the resourcefulness of the characters, and the constant sense of impending danger.I wasn't looking for a literary exploration of the human condition, just a fun read with likable characters and a fast-paced plot, and this is it.

Unbelievable plot, unlikable characters
I just want to say, do not judge the author by this book.I loved Ugly Duckling and many of her romance novels, but this one was terrible.The hero of the novel starts out being strong and interesting, but for no aparent reason turns into a spineless idiot.Bess, the heroine, acted like a selfish, hypocritical child and was never once brought to task for her stupidity.She spends half of the novel blaming Kaldack for risking her life for the good of many, but spends the entire novel risking not only herself but everyone else for more selfish motives.As the bodies pile up as a result of her actions, she never acknowledges any culpability.I completely agree with every bad review that has been written.

Awful
I am usually a very patient reader, but this book was simply unnerving. The plot is disorganized, the caracters nothing more than stereotypes, the writing erratic, to put it mildly. The main character's (Bess) behavior is so irritating that it makes one wonder why would anyone ever want to be around her, yet she is not only being assisted and protected but manages to order around what are supposed to be seasoned CIA professionals - one of whom is a "man with the past", a killer, rugged on the outside and soft-hearted inside...blah. The author mixed a whole lot - war/slaughter in Croatia, bioterrorist attack in Mexico and the US, middle east fanatics. Knowing that the book was published in 1998, the plot may have even sounded prophetic at times, if the writing was better and the story compact. Moreover, the author seems to have real problems with facts - in example, there is no Danzar village in Croatia, nor Tenajo in Mexico (I don't know if this was intentional, although I do not see a reason for imaginary place while the other places in the book are factual - Atlanta, New Orleans etc). Is this book readable....yes, barely...in my opinion this is a bunch of badly written mumbo-jumbo hastily put together. I am giving this book a star only because it still took some work to put together 300+ pages of this nightmare. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Cole Clayborne has been tricked into accepting a badge and thetitle of U.S. Marshal by Sheriff Marshall Ryan. He would refuse thebadge if he could, but the Blackwater Gang is up to no good and Colefeels compelled to help. Sheriff Ryan has been chasing the gang for twoyears--ever since they murdered his wife and daughter during a bankrobbery--and he needs Cole to help him solve the case. When theRockford Falls bank is robbed, only one witness is left alive.Terrified by the ordeal, the lone survivor won't come forward totestify; Cole and Daniels's only clue to her identity is a list thatincludes the names of three women who conducted business at the bankthat afternoon. Is the eyewitness the beautiful, aristocratic RebeccaJames or the exquisitely lovely Grace Winthrop? Could it be theseductive Jessica Summers? Somehow, Cole and Daniel have to keep thethree women safe while solving the bank robberies and tracking down thekillers. But the biggest danger of all may be the threat of losingtheir hearts to one of the beautiful women. Book Description

In Come the Spring, the Clayborne legend continues -- as Julie Garwood weaves together their magnificent tale with a touching new love story.

Adam, Douglas and Travis Clayborne are each happily married, and their beloved Mama Rose is overjoyed with the wonderful ladies who have joined the family.But all the Claybornes wonder on which side of the law their restless brother Cole will land.

Now, Julie Garwood brings her irresistible mix of heartwarming wit and thrilling sensuality to a memorable Clayborne reunion...and at last we meet the elusive stranger who has slipped in and out of their lives, a man who lured Cole Clayborne in to a shadowy chase, and who will now bring unexpected turns to Cole's uncertain future.

In the wonderful storytelling tradition of her acclaimed Clayborne tales, Julie Garwood brings to unforgettable life "a family whose love and loyalty will truly inspire" (Romantic Times).Come the Spring confirms once more why she "attracts readers like beautiful mermaid heroines attract dashing heroes" (USA Today)". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (71)

I Think It's Great
I'm surprised ar some of the two or three stars for this awesome ending to such an amazing fictional family series.I've had this book for years now and I know that I can always go back and read this and not be disappointed.

I think she spaced out the dual romances very well and I think it helped that each couple is on their own journey in a way.I love a story with a cute child or baby in it and I just think that Caleb is a delight to read about and imagine.I have to say I am more interested in Cole's part of the story than Ryan but that's mainly because I knew him from the other novels in this series.

I think that the murder mystery was very well done and well described and I think most readers will be surprised by some of the twists and turns in the mystery.

My only quibble with the series is how little Mama Rose got to say in all of the novels not just this one.

I think Julie Garwood is one of the best writers in the field of historical romances and if you want a sexy, funny, romance with history and a little of her more murder mystery inclined stories then I think you should give this novel and the other novels in this series a shot, you won't be disappointed.

Not like her at all
Usually Julie Garwood makes you laugh and warms your heart. She delved into the arena of thriller as early as "Castles" and came along nicely with it in the opening of "Come the Spring". Sadly, she seemed to forget how to write her humorous and charming relationships along the way.

Trying to do a dual romance in this novel was a mistake. Time was taken away from both relationships such that one loses interest in either one. That leads a lacking dramatic finale because you just don't care.

The writing appeared exceptionally juvenile in places where humor was intended.

It was a nice try and I applaud an author wanting to grow her talent, but this Clayborne series never should have left the editor's desk. "Come the spring" was half-baked at best.

Audio book review
I have enjoyed many of Julie Garwood's novels, including "For the Roses", the beginning of the Clayborne series. While I have to admit that I skipped "One Red, One White Rose", etc. about the other brothers; this one interested me because it was about Cole. He was my favorite brother in the original book. Unfortunately, "Come the Spring" is very drawn-out and predictable. The title doesn't even apply to anything, except a quick statement made in the last chapter (an after-thought?) Maybe it was just the narration by Richard Ferrone that turned me off, but I found my mind wandering. It was clear to me who the female villain was from early on. While Cole and Daniel were compelling in their parts as lawmen, the romance part of the book is disappointing. After all the passion in "For the Roses", this book was just lukewarm in that category. Maybe it was because there were too many characters. Oh well, Julie is still one of my favorite authors, but this one is not up to par with her others.

Okay Ending to the Claybournes
Let me tell you up front, if you are looking for more of the Claybourne's in this book, you will not get it.The focus of "COMES THE SPRING" is capturing the Blackwater Gang.We start off with the bank robbery scene, and the identity of the witness is a mystery.Julie does a very good job in hiding who the witness is, until it is revealed.

We finally get the story of Cole Claybourne, the most "rough" of the Claybourne brothers.Cole is made into a U.S. Marshal by Marshal Daniel Ryan, who supposedly stole his compass from Mama Rose.Little is known about the compass that causes Cole to search for Ryan, and this plot does not follow in the book.

I thought Jessica and Grace were very good heroines.Jessica was really the perfect match for Cole, loving and in need of his care.The baby, Caleb, was also very adorable throughout the book.Grace was the exact opposite of Daniel Ryan's first wife, which proved to be a challenge to the Marshall to figure her out.While I enjoyed the chemistry with Grace and Daniel, I was a little disappointed that Cole did not have a story all to his own.I thought his character deserved more.

Overall "COMES THE SPRING" is a good end to the series.I would recommend it to anyone who has followed the Claybournes since "FOR THE ROSES."Mama Rose's speech at the end did not bother me, as it did some reviewers, because we really don't hear a lot from her, but we know she has been behind the meddling.Definitely read this book, it's worth the time.

so enjoyable!
I really enjoyed the character of Cole from the first books.I am glad I have my own copy of Come the Spring in hardcover.It is just so enjoyable.I am pleased.The only reason I do not give it a five is there are a couple of predictable moments, but they are enjoyable. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Newport, Rhode Island:a world of old money, old names, and sinister secrets.Maggie Holloway, a fashion photographer, goes to visit an old friend -- but when she arrives, the friend is dead, the victim of a violent robbery.Maggie is stunned when she learns that she's the beneficiary of the will -- and even more stunned when she recognizes a pattern of murder in Newportsociety that will lead the killer straight to her. Book Description
A tale of brilliantly sustained terror from america's "queen of suspense"

Set in Newport, Rhode Island, Moonlight Becomes You has as its center Maggie Holloway, an independent young woman who has put personal tragedy behind her and become one of the fashion world's most successful photographers.

While accompanying her date to his family reunion, Maggie is reunited with a woman who had once been her stepmother. Nuala, now widowed, invites Maggie to visit her, but when Maggie arrives, she finds Nuala dead -- the victim of an apparently random break-in.

Maggie is stunned when she learns Nuala had changed her will, leaving her Victorian house to Maggie -- the only proviso that she occasionally visit her old friend Greta Shipley. When she accompanies Mrs. Shipley to the cemetery to visit Nuala's grave -- as well as those of other friends recently lost -- Maggie discovers that something is terribly wrong. Using her skills as a photographer to aid her in uncovering the secrets hidden on the gravesites, she realizes that these deaths may not have been random, but part of a diabolical scheme. What Maggie doesn't realize is that she too has become a target -- and each clue brings her closer to a shocking, unimaginable fate.

With the sense of swiftly mounting danger that has made all of Mary Higgins Clark's works major bestsellers, Moonlight Becomes You is enthralling suspense.Download Description
Set in Newport, Rhode Island, in a world of old money and proud names, Moonlight Becomes You has at its center Maggie Holloway, an independent young woman who has put personal tragedy behind her and become one of the fashion world's most successful photographers. Accompanying her date to a party in Manhattan - a kind of family reunion for the Moore clan of Newport - Maggie is reunited with a woman who had once been her stepmother and who remains one of her fondest childhood memories. Nuala, now widowed, invites Maggie to visit her in Newport, and when Maggie readily accepts, Nuala plans a dinner for a group of friends so they can meet her long-lost stepdaughter. But when Maggie arrives, she finds Nuala dead, the victim of an apparently random break-in and robbery. Maggie is heartbroken at the loss and further stunned when she learns that, only days before her death, Nuala had changed her will and left her charming Victorian house to her stepdaughter, the only proviso being that Maggie occasionally visit an old friend, Greta Shipley, who lives in Latham Manor, an elegant retirement home in Newport. It is when she accompanies Mrs. Shipley to the cemetery to visit Nuala's grave, as well as those of other friends Mrs. Shipley has recently lost, that Maggie discovers that something is wrong. Using her skills as a photographer to aid her in uncovering the secrets hidden on the gravesites, she soon realizes that Nuala's death may not have been a random killing at all but rather part of a diabolical plot conceived by a twisted and unfeeling mind. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (88)

The characters were developed? I missed that...
I am finally on the last chapter. I have been using this book for two weeks now, to put myself to sleep at night. While there seems to be an interesting plot beneath the surface, the surface is cluttered with two-dimesional cliched "nice" and "not nice" characters. I was surprised at the occasional sterotypical ignorant way charaters viewed people working in the funeral business - I don't think all people view them as creepy, etc., I think a certain percent realize what they do for society and are grateful some people take on the job of taking care of our loved ones after death. The one actually interesting charater in the book is from a family of morticians and is interested in death as it pertains to various cultures. Unfortunatley, he is pretty much dismissed as a creepy red herring. The other male characters are so bland I had a hard time telling them apart the first few chapters. The heroine is incredibly banal and perfect. I am to the point where every time I read about her sipping at her non-fattening drink (tea, etc.) and "nibbling" at her food it makes me roll my eyes. Of course she is thin, beautiful, wealthy, and incredibly talented. And apparently sexless. The plus is its a formulaic read - I've read at least two books by this author before and from what I can recall they are indeed great for a light pleasant read inbetween more meaty, absorbing and memorable books. I strongly recommend you check books by this author out from the library and spend your money on something with more depth like "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time". Now that is a book that stays with you.

Still Good Second Time Around
This is the second time that I read this book and found it well written and a quick read.Unfortunately, I remembered the identity of the killer halfway through the book but I still enjoyed it.Mary Higgins Clark is an excellant mystery writer and seldom disappoints.It is good enough not to be ready to put into the donation pile.

Good, but not exactly a page turner
After the terrible, terrible experience I had with Eleventh Hour (overall assessment: don't read that book even if you are forced to), I had to come back with a decent mystery.I had read Where are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark a while back and greatly enjoyed it so figured this one would redeem the genre.

Plot:
Maggie Holloway is a successful photographer in New York.She reunites with her beloved step-mother, Nuala Moore, at a family reunion and is invited to spend two weeks with her step-mom in Newport, Rhode Island.However, just as Maggie comes, Nuala is murdered.As Maggie settles into Nuala's home, she begins to realize that maybe the murder wasn't random and that maybe it was connected to the death of Great Shipley, one of Nuala's friends living at a retirement center, Latham Manor.

Good:
Mary Higgins Clark writes and writes well.In Eleventh Hour, there were so many writing issues--missing transitions, juvenile writing--that are pleasantly absent in Mary Higgins Clark's writing.Her characters are real and not cardboard cutouts.The dialogue they speak makes sense given their personality, education, background, etc.She describes the surroundings well and knowledgeably (particularly when relating to the eccentric professor, Earl Bateman, and his monologues about death and its rituals).
Further, Moonlight Becomes You begins with an absolutely heart-stopping foreshadowing.I cannot see how anyone could read that beginning and not want to continue reading.I was a little hesitant about a mystery, but after that beginning, I was hooked.The middle was kinda slow (see below), but took off after the 250 page point and didn't stop until the very end.And the end--wow!I had predicted who one of the perpetrators was but the other was a complete surprise.
My favorite character is a tie between Neil and Earl.It was sweet to see how Neil liked Maggie and tried hard to find where she went on vacation.Then, to see Neil and his father hunt for Maggie--it was great and completely genuine.Also, I loved the relationship he had with his parents.And Earl Bateman was so different from the average man.His obsession--death--may seem odd (as every character mentions in the book), but is it that much different from people who are obsessed with video games?Comic books?Trading cards?Food?Cars?(You get the point.)

Bad:
Overall, a good book, but I still have a few complaints:
1. Slow plot.After the heart-racing beginning, it takes almost 2/3 of the book before the mystery really advances (of course, when it does, it is *awesome*!).In the meantime, we have two people get murdered and a woman who continually is too tired to investigate the things she comes across until the very end.I mean, if I heard something fall on the floor, I would hunt around until I find it not go "Oh, well, I'll get that later".Or when I find dirt in a pocket, not say, "Hmmm, better leave it there".Had Maggie been half as curious as she becomes in the end at this time, the book would have lost about 100 senseless pages that don't really go anywhere other than elaborate what the reader already knows (that someone is scamming people out of money, Latham Manor is creepy, the enormous cast, etc.).
2. Maggie Holloway.Our heroine is great, but not that awesome.She is rather stoic (somewhat understandable to others as she lost a spouse, but to the reader?) and icy.I don't see why she gets so chummy so quickly to Greta Shipley or to Laura Bainbrigde.I have no clue why Greta takes such a shine to an aloof, somewhat pleasant (when in social situations) woman.I mean, Greta meets Maggie twice and says, "I can see why Nuala was so excited to see you again".I just wished Clark would have told the audience how Greta knew this after two meetings.I see nothing particularly out of the ordinary about this woman.She got better at the end, but I really didn't care much about her at all.
3. Too many characters.While it is kinda neat to do the whole Murder on the Orient Express thing, I think that the number of viewpoints should have been halved.It is too hard to balance all that is going on and to bebop from Maggie to Greta, to Douglas to Janice to Dr. Lane to Neil to Neil's dad to Malcolm...I liked thinking, as I read the viewpoints, "Now, who is the bad guy?" but did Clark have to have almost a dozen different character viewpoints?

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Very extremely minor (one or two d*** and other crass words).I didn't perceive anything sexual in nature (other than a mention that Odile Lane, Dr. Lane's wife, had a boyfriend).Violence includes a woman bludgeoned to death and five women dying in their sleep.A woman is buried alive.

Overall:
Much better than Eleventh Hour but too slow.It takes too long to get to the mystery part, and there are too many characters.Also, the heroine was rather shallow, making it hard for me to be that invested in her.Probably a 3.5 stars, but since I can't give half stars, I'll be kind and round up to 4.

Great as ever
Enjoyed this book.She is an excellent writer and did not read a book I did not like.She is up to standard on this book also.

Moonlight Becomes You
Moonlight Becomes You is full of high suspense, spooky highlights and romance.Just what you would expect from the Queen of Suspense.
This is one of Mary Higgins Clark's top thrillers I've read in a while, and I have read almost all of her books.
You will not be disappointed in the twist and turns in this book nor the outcome.In fact, the only time you will be disapointed is when you finish the book. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Setting: contemporary Virginia, France, Iran
Sensuality: 7

CIA agent John Medina and electronics expert Niemi Burdock share a violent past: the two were part of a covert operation that went tragically wrong, resulting in the death of several people. Now, five years later, their paths cross again and John, whose love for Niemi has only grown over time, is determined to keep her in his life for good. Having spent the intervening five years living a solitary, staid existence--due to feelings of guilt over the ill-fated operation--Niemi is somewhat reluctant to reenter the shadowy world she once inhabited. Still, she can't resist the lure and excitement of danger when John asks her to join him on his latest mission to discover the origins of a deadly new explosive already in use by terrorists.

Concocting a plan to reveal the source of the explosive, the two enter into a dangerous masquerade, walking a tightrope between safety and death, while passion boils beneath the surface. Unaware of John's feelings, Niemi fights her physical response to the legendary agent as her emotions, in frozen limbo for the last five years, thaw with astonishing speed.

First introduced in Kill and Tell, agent John Medina is as intriguing as the perilous world he operates in. Watching him in action, à la James Bond, is exhilarating--as is the single-minded intensity of his feelings for Niemi, whose ability to hold her own with John--on both a personal and professional level--and with the host of terrorists, spies, and double-dealers the pair encounter is impressive to say the least. Throw in a couple of chilling chase scenes, some romantic interludes hot enough to peel paint from the walls, and one or two bigger-than-life internationally connected characters, and you've got the latest from Linda Howard--a romantic thriller that's sure to be coming soon to a bestseller list near you. --Lois Faye DyerBook Description

No one can get close to John Medina, the CIA's legendary Black Ops specialist who works in the shadows of the government's deadliest missions. He is a virtual invisible man, with no friends, many enemies, and a cloud of suspicion surrounding the death of his wife. And no one knows the dangers better than Niema Burdock. A sharp, steely-nerved communications expert, Niema and her husband, Dallas, worked side by side with Medina on an explosive mission that went tragically wrong.

She could hear it all play out, horribly, on the radio: Dallas set off the detonators at John Medina's command -- and found himself trapped in the crossfire. In a shattering blast, Niema's hope and her love were destroyed....

Now Niema has withdrawn to a quiet Intelligence position, and a safe -- if predictable -- existence that has helped her heal her scars from five years ago. And she never planned to see Medina again. But now John Medina needs her....

A French arms dealer is supplying international terrorist units, and John Medina must infiltrate his compound and crack the deadly ring. But only Niema can plant the undetectable bugs needed to nail the dealer -- a feat that begins by going undercover and winning his trust. But when their careful strategy begins to crack, Niema and John take flight -- and find their partnership sparking with an erotically charged, unquenchable electricity. In a world of deception, one thing is clear: John Medina has once again set Niema on a freefall into danger and desire -- and one can't exist without the other. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (163)

Actually enjoyed the read...
Although I did not read the book that this is sequel to, I have to say overall I enjoyed it. John Medina was a great hero and his love for Neima was touching. The story was fun and fast paced, and it definitely had a suspense, on-the-edge-of-your-chair element to it that worked. Wasn't her best, but good nonetheless.

Yay linda
All the Queens Men surprised me, i didn't expect to enjoy it so much. Its an extreme guilty pleasure to read the happily ever after love story of the alpha hero who suffers for his love and the hurting heroine who needs to fall in love again.
Linda Howard at her best!

Not one of my favorite Linda Howard books, but still a good story.
Characters were good.The plot is a long slow build up of two people going undercover to get information from an arms dealer in France.Some parts were a little slow, but other parts very good.

CAUTION SPOILER:I did not like the part of the story in which the two main characters made a stupid decision.They had been fleeing from the bad guys and finally got away.After a short while being safe, they decided to treat themselves to a tourist-style walk in a nearby town.This was stupid because the bad guys were still searching for them in that areaAs a result, they got caught and then hurt by the bad guys.I did enjoy John's desperate weakness when having sex with Niema the first two times.It was different from what I expected.

Sexual content: moderate.Setting: current day Iran and Europe.Copyright: 1999.Genre: contemporary romantic suspense.

Gripping from the first page
This is one of the best books I have ever read. Itis gripping from the very first page. There is the perfect amount of suspense and romance. The characters are complex, witty and easily connect to the reader. I wont go into plot details because there are plenty of reviews for that but I can't urge any romantic suspense fan enough to go out and buy this book!

First and Favorite LH Novel!
This book was exciting, a little gritty, sexy, and fun. It was my first by this author, (I have read many since), but it remains my absolute favorite. I normally avoid most romantic suspense because there is just not enough excitement and the characters are often shallow and unbelieveable. That is not the case here. As a lover of Vince Flynn and Brad Thor, I am obviously not a fluff/chick lit kind of girl. Linda Howard is now a new favorite author of mine. By the way, John Medina is the coolest hero in a long time. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Mary Rose Clayborne is as well-protected by her four adoptive brothers as any woman in Blue Belle, Montana could be--until Lord Harrison Stanford MacDonald comes to town and she finds herselffalling in love. How can Mary Rose keep her family together and learn to accept Harrison's questionable past?This story of love and adventure in the Old West will keep you turning the pages.Book Description
No one ever knew what kind of strays, from animals to weary travelers, Mary Rose Clayborne would bring home next. Sometimes her four brothers? runaway slave Adam, ax-pickpocket Douglas, gunslinger Cole, and con man Travis -- wondered whether her boarding school education did a lick of good now that their beautiful, impulsive little sister was back in Blue Belle, Montana.

Of course, everyone in town knew better than to mess with the Claybornes. The brothers, four of the toughest hombres in the West, had once been a mismatched gang of street urchins. But they had found an abandoned baby girl in a New York City alley, named her Mary Rose, headed West, and raised her to be a lady. Through the years the Claybornes had become a family, held together by loyalty and love if not by blood -- when they suddenly faced the crisis that could tear them apart.

That crisis came to town with Lord Harrison Stanford MacDonald. In his fine clothes, he looked every inch a dude. Mary Rose figured that if she didn't interfere, this handsome Englishman would get himself killed, so she took him home to the Clayborne ranch to ask her brothers to turn him into a cowboy. She didn't suspect MacDonald was a chameleon, not the greenhorn he appeared to be. He'd prove fast with a gun, quick with his fists, and capable of commanding the Claybornes's respect -- if not their trust. He'd also soon be desperately in love with Mary Rose. She returned his affection blissfully and wholeheartedly...until MacDonald revealed a secret that challenged everything she believed about her love, herself, and her life.

Now Mary Rose's search for identity and meaning would begin, sending her to England, to the family she lost long ago. Her soul hungered for the freedom of the American West, but she was being drawn away from all she cared about by the need to know her past...and by her uncertain but still potent love for MacDonald. Torn between conflicting loyalties, Mary Rose wasn't sure who she really was, or where she belonged...questions that could only be answered if she listened to the truth within her heart. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (71)

It Made Me Laugh
For The Roses starts out as one of the best of Ms. Garwood's novels.I found myself laughing out loud a number of times as the charachters were introduced.The fiery interaction between family members was easy to imagine and enjoy.However, about three-quarters of the way through I began to get frustrated with the main charachters.A change in setting brought such a significant alteration to their personalities that I found myself hurrying through to get back to the "good stuff".Overall I enjoyed this novel, though it doesn't follow the format of a typical romance.Readers should be prepared for absence of the expected societal scandal and heroine in distress scenarios that come with most novels of this genre.

It was a rose.....
I really enjoyed this book.I loved the detailed character development. I felt as if I could identify with each brother and their personalities.I loved Mary Rose and Harrison together. I loved their love!!! Just a really good book.

Recommended Read!
Night Owl Romance Reviews: http://www.nightowlromance.com

For the Roses by Julie Garwood
Score: 4.5 / 5
Clayborne Series
Reviewer: Deidre Sine

Mary Rose is the beloved sister to the Clayborne's. The Clayborne men protect their family and friends with a vengeance and have become a force not to be reckoned with in Montana. Only this family is different than most, the men aren't a blood family but they have forged their family for Mary Rose. The men were a rough gang of street kids in New York, who fought together to stay alive. One night they saw a parcel discarded and in that parcel they found a beautiful baby girl. That girl was Mary Rose and they decided to move to Blue Belle, Montana and raise her as a lady. Well, Mary Rose is now a well-behaved, independent, beautiful young woman who has returned to Blue Belle after her schooling. All goes well until Mary Rose meets a stranger in town.

The stranger is Lord Harrison Stanford MacDonald. He is a gentleman through and through; however, he needs help to learn frontier survival. While the Clayborne's teach Harrison about survival he falls in love with the strong woman Mary Rose is. Harrison carries with him a secret, a secret that could destroy his newfound love with Mary Rose. Mary Rose must deal with the past before she can have a future.

For the Roses is a wonderfully written book by Ms. Garwood, which I have read, and reread. I find Ms. Garwood's ability to create such fantastic and real characters a tremendous gift to her readers. Readers who enjoyed the Clayborne family can read more in the rest of the Clayborne Bride series.

Boring!
I usually love Julie Garwood's books but this one I'm having the hardest time finishing. It's just dragging on and on. I like it better when an author really focuses on the main characters story but this has all her brothers piping in and it just bugged me after about 50 pages.

Lost Lots of Sleep
This book was amazing. It was the first book I read from Ms. Garwood, and I have been a fan ever since. The story was driven by love and loyalty. The twists and turns, and the very reality of slavery and how it tore families apart was heartwrenching. The fact that something that bleak brought a bunch of young boys together and made them a family was very lovely. Ms. Garwood captured the essence of love and family. This book is truly magical. ... Read more

Product Description
Dr. Abby Dolan was on the fast track at a major San Fran. hospital when she made a critical choice: to follow her fiance, Josh, to the picturesque California town of Patience, where he has a new job. Working in a small town emergency room, knowing that her every move sparks gossip, Abby nonethless begins to feel at home - until the first undiagnosable patients start showing up...Her most dangerous enemy is far closer than she thinks... ... Read more