Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Barbour Books (2010), 322 pages
Description
"Standing over her third no-account husband's grave, Belle Tanner makes a vow--no more men. Now all she needs to do is get her cattle to market before winter sets in. But there's no one around except the drifter Silas Harden, and Belle is such a poor judge of men that she can't decide if he is worth hiring on. Silas just escaped a shotgun wedding--only to lose his money, his ranch, and his pride. Although he's determined never to get tangled up with womenfolk again, Belle and her four daughters seem to bring out the protector in him. And he can't seem to stop kissing Belle senseless. When a group of cowpokes, along with a white woman raised by the Shoshone, show up along the drive, Belle has her hands full. Can she keep her oldest daughter and Glowing Sun away from no-good cowhands--and herself out of Silas's arms? Will anyone get through this treacherous cattle drive unscathed and unhitched?"--P. [4] of cover.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member cherryblossommj
It is quite a fact that I have yet to come across a book by Mary Connealy that I did not like. I loved the Lassoed in Texas series and I am enamored with the Montana Marriages series. It is baffling to me how each and every story can grip you further. The catty whit is so amusing and the characters
Belle Tanner is not your average western woman, but a woman not to be challenged. She has had her fill of husbands, as is shown by the occupied dirt surrounding three sides of the Husband Tree. The last thing that she wants is another husband nor a romance that leads that general direction. Silas is man with two near misses when it comes to marriage and not looking for another chance. When time has run out and a cattle drive has to be made by Belle and her four daughters, the drifter Silas is her only hope. What God brings together, let no man put apart.
As a mother of a new baby reading and watching Belle's days with her girls especially her infant is amazing. I cannot imagine nursing while riding on horseback, much less changing a diaper in mid gallop without missing a beat. I am thrilled and enchanted to the bone by the tale devised by Mary's imagination and I cannot wait for the third installment in the series The Wildflower Bride. In this book you get a taste for what might be in for Wade Sawyer and Abby Lind. *sigh* Anticipation.
Show More
are lovely. The issues dealing with real world problems are incredibly woven in a western historical standpoint and cause a reader to truly think. The growing love between protagonists is breathe taking and palpable.Belle Tanner is not your average western woman, but a woman not to be challenged. She has had her fill of husbands, as is shown by the occupied dirt surrounding three sides of the Husband Tree. The last thing that she wants is another husband nor a romance that leads that general direction. Silas is man with two near misses when it comes to marriage and not looking for another chance. When time has run out and a cattle drive has to be made by Belle and her four daughters, the drifter Silas is her only hope. What God brings together, let no man put apart.
As a mother of a new baby reading and watching Belle's days with her girls especially her infant is amazing. I cannot imagine nursing while riding on horseback, much less changing a diaper in mid gallop without missing a beat. I am thrilled and enchanted to the bone by the tale devised by Mary's imagination and I cannot wait for the third installment in the series The Wildflower Bride. In this book you get a taste for what might be in for Wade Sawyer and Abby Lind. *sigh* Anticipation.
Show Less
LibraryThing member tbsomeday
I love this author's writing style...funny mixed in with lots of entertainment and people you feel like you really know with a message that makes you stop and think about your own life.
I love Belle, you'll find no harder working momma anywhere. She takes care of four wonderful girls and a ranch, no
Silas has his own troubled past with women and is as equally against marriage as Belle. But with their matched devotion to getting the job done they can't help but be drawn together.
The entire book kept my attention and this is a lot of book, I would say 2x the word count you would get with a typical novel (just my guess). Not only do you get Belle and Silas's story, but also some of Wade's story. If you haven't read book 1 in the series, Montana Rose, it's totally worth your time but this one can stand on it's own. However...it'll make book #3, Wade's story much better if you have read the other two.
I loved every page and this book had 5+ stars in my head all the way up until the very end.
Not hoping to give anything away....but wanting to explain what I didn't like-- at the end of the story Silas seems to take joy in "breaking" Belle's independent nature by finally getting her to say she'll obey him. He finds humor in it and his thoughts are saying that he doesn't want to "break" her...but to me, that's what he does...and since there is no more discussion between them where he clears the air or discusses with her that the decisions he made are actually both of those...I'm left with a really bitter taste in my mouth. It is far from the use of "obey" Mary uses in book #1.
I still think you'll love the book and I'm probably the only one with this hang up...but I had to mention it.
Go ahead and buy it...you won't regret it!
I love Belle, you'll find no harder working momma anywhere. She takes care of four wonderful girls and a ranch, no
Show More
thanks to 3 worthless husbands she's had to bury. After swearing off men forever and promising her daughters the same she finds herself stuck with Silas on a cattle drive.Silas has his own troubled past with women and is as equally against marriage as Belle. But with their matched devotion to getting the job done they can't help but be drawn together.
The entire book kept my attention and this is a lot of book, I would say 2x the word count you would get with a typical novel (just my guess). Not only do you get Belle and Silas's story, but also some of Wade's story. If you haven't read book 1 in the series, Montana Rose, it's totally worth your time but this one can stand on it's own. However...it'll make book #3, Wade's story much better if you have read the other two.
I loved every page and this book had 5+ stars in my head all the way up until the very end.
Not hoping to give anything away....but wanting to explain what I didn't like-- at the end of the story Silas seems to take joy in "breaking" Belle's independent nature by finally getting her to say she'll obey him. He finds humor in it and his thoughts are saying that he doesn't want to "break" her...but to me, that's what he does...and since there is no more discussion between them where he clears the air or discusses with her that the decisions he made are actually both of those...I'm left with a really bitter taste in my mouth. It is far from the use of "obey" Mary uses in book #1.
I still think you'll love the book and I'm probably the only one with this hang up...but I had to mention it.
Go ahead and buy it...you won't regret it!
Show Less
LibraryThing member ReviewsbyMolly
Confession time. I was perturbed at Belle when I met her character in Montana Rose, book 1 of the Montana Marriage series. I mean, come on now! Good, honorable guys wanting to be a family man and she was choosing the bums! When that happened, I honestly was a little reluctant to read her story in
From page one, we get a great dose of that territory humor and a fabulous trip into history. It pick ups right where book 1 left off, taking us into the crazy ranch life of 3x's a widow, single mother of 4 Belle, who wants nothing more to do with men. I love how I saw myself in Belle! But then she meets Silas and woowee! Out comes the humor and the sparks start to fly! Now Silas, I will admit, is a man that any woman would love! (Can you make him real, Mary? )
I can't even begin to tell you the number of times I found myself laughing out loud at this entire story! It's messages stand out of letting go of the past, moving on, trusting and forgiving. They are absolutely amazing! God's love really shines in this book.
What are you waiting for?! GET A COPY OF THIS FABULOUS 5 STAR BOOK RIGHT NOW! Especially if you've read Montana Rose. I can't wait to dive into Wildflower Bride...these books just get better and better!
Show More
The Husband Tree and was highly tempted to skip straight to Wildflower Bride, but since I'm a complete sucker for reading a series in order, I gave it a go. Mary Conneally is such a talented, fantastically seasoned, witty author that she turned an unlikable character into a completely likeable-no, loveable- character. Now that's FANTASTIC! From page one, we get a great dose of that territory humor and a fabulous trip into history. It pick ups right where book 1 left off, taking us into the crazy ranch life of 3x's a widow, single mother of 4 Belle, who wants nothing more to do with men. I love how I saw myself in Belle! But then she meets Silas and woowee! Out comes the humor and the sparks start to fly! Now Silas, I will admit, is a man that any woman would love! (Can you make him real, Mary? )
I can't even begin to tell you the number of times I found myself laughing out loud at this entire story! It's messages stand out of letting go of the past, moving on, trusting and forgiving. They are absolutely amazing! God's love really shines in this book.
What are you waiting for?! GET A COPY OF THIS FABULOUS 5 STAR BOOK RIGHT NOW! Especially if you've read Montana Rose. I can't wait to dive into Wildflower Bride...these books just get better and better!
Show Less
LibraryThing member StefH
I really enjoyed this! I love a good old cowboy romance, well this was that and then some. A whole new take on the idea, in fact. You'll be pleasantly surprised by how honest and real the characters are. No over-the-top drama of people trying to hide their true feelings or impress each other. There
Show More
is a little of that, some arguments and a little denial, but in an honest, down to earth way. It was a good read that I highly recommend. (Now I need to go out and get the first book. I didn't realize until I got it home from the library and saw the cover that it was the second and I don't think it hurt the read at all, I just enjoyed it so much I want to read more!) Show Less
LibraryThing member rsstick
Bright flashes of humor sparkle throughout this tale of frontier Montana. Belle Tanner and her four daughters have been let down by men again and again. They are courageous, hard-working ranchers who have learned never to trust men. Silas Harden is a hard-working man who has carved out two ranches
The Tanner family and Silas are brought together by Belle's desperate last-minute cattle drive over mountains to Helena in a race against winter. Hardship on the trail give this deserving, hard-working man and woman a chance to build trust and develop a relationship that will hold true for a lifetime.
This book was enjoyable. It started out with strong humorous telling of the pathos of Belle's life with her former no-good husbands and Silas's attempted entrapment by a southwestern lady that ends up costing him the ranch he had spent 15 years buidling. The story was well developed, except the side story of Wade and Glowing Star was left dangling. They are the subject of the next novel, but I was never clear why they were included in this novel. I liked the book.
Show More
in his lifetime and lost both through no fault of his own. He has been surrounded by women all his life and has been let down or betrayed repeatedly. He plans to marry--NEVER. The Tanner family and Silas are brought together by Belle's desperate last-minute cattle drive over mountains to Helena in a race against winter. Hardship on the trail give this deserving, hard-working man and woman a chance to build trust and develop a relationship that will hold true for a lifetime.
This book was enjoyable. It started out with strong humorous telling of the pathos of Belle's life with her former no-good husbands and Silas's attempted entrapment by a southwestern lady that ends up costing him the ranch he had spent 15 years buidling. The story was well developed, except the side story of Wade and Glowing Star was left dangling. They are the subject of the next novel, but I was never clear why they were included in this novel. I liked the book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member judyg54
Mary Connealy does such a good job of writing lighthearted romantic and fun stories. I always come away feeling refreshed from reading one of her books.
This story is about Belle Tanner, a hard working woman, who has married and buried 3 lousy husbands and has no intention of marrying again! She
The problem; Belle has to take 1,000 head of cattle to market and she and her girls can't do it alone, so she needs to find some cowpokes. This is where Silas Harden comes into the picture. He has been twiced burned by women and has no desire whatsoever to get involved with them again. But he needs work so signs up for the cattle drive (not realizing the other workers on this drive are Belle and her daughters!) Belle soon learns she needs and can trust Silas and Silas soon learns he needs and wants to protect Belle and her daughters from danger.
The way these two argue, fight and solve their disputes is always fun to read. The trials on the trail and the adventures will make you want to keep reading until the book is done, and then wishing is wasn't.
There is another story going on in this book with a captured Shoshone woman, who is white, and the cowhand, Wade, who wants to rescue her if only she would let him. This story I believe will be the focus of book #3.
This story is about Belle Tanner, a hard working woman, who has married and buried 3 lousy husbands and has no intention of marrying again! She
Show More
has 4 daughters who can handle the ranch as good as any man and who are out to make sure their mother doesn't marry a no-good lazy husband again. The problem; Belle has to take 1,000 head of cattle to market and she and her girls can't do it alone, so she needs to find some cowpokes. This is where Silas Harden comes into the picture. He has been twiced burned by women and has no desire whatsoever to get involved with them again. But he needs work so signs up for the cattle drive (not realizing the other workers on this drive are Belle and her daughters!) Belle soon learns she needs and can trust Silas and Silas soon learns he needs and wants to protect Belle and her daughters from danger.
The way these two argue, fight and solve their disputes is always fun to read. The trials on the trail and the adventures will make you want to keep reading until the book is done, and then wishing is wasn't.
There is another story going on in this book with a captured Shoshone woman, who is white, and the cowhand, Wade, who wants to rescue her if only she would let him. This story I believe will be the focus of book #3.
Show Less
LibraryThing member halo776
I fell in love with Belle's character in Montana Rose, the first book in the Montana Marriages series. She was a strong, stubborn woman who had no affection for the men in her life. She had married three worthless husbands; each one was either unfaithful, abusive, or lazy (or in some cases, all of
When this story begins, Belle has just "planted" Anthony and now must begin a cattle drive before the winter sets in. She and her girls are able to do most of the work, but she really needs a few extra hands. Few men are willing to sign on to help a woman on a cattle drive, but she finds a helpful hand in Silas Harden, a drifter who happens to be in the right place at the right time. They are perfect for each other, since neither is interested in marriage. You can probably guess the basic story, but rest assured that there are plenty of interesting turns along the way. Silas does indeed prove himself worthy of Belle and her girls, but the journey to that point is both tender and hilarious.
Wade plays a minor role as well, setting up the events that will take place in the third installment. He rustles up a few extra hands to help Belle, and along the way he becomes entangled with a beautiful young woman who has been raised by American Indians.
This series just gets better and better. I can't wait to read book 3!
Show More
the above). As each one died, she buried him beneath the "husband tree." (I love how she uses the word "plants" instead of "buries." It's hilarious when she talks about planting her worthless husbands. Belle insists the only thing her good-for-nothing husbands gave her was her daughters--3 of the hardest-working, beautiful girls in Montana and one sweet baby girl. When this story begins, Belle has just "planted" Anthony and now must begin a cattle drive before the winter sets in. She and her girls are able to do most of the work, but she really needs a few extra hands. Few men are willing to sign on to help a woman on a cattle drive, but she finds a helpful hand in Silas Harden, a drifter who happens to be in the right place at the right time. They are perfect for each other, since neither is interested in marriage. You can probably guess the basic story, but rest assured that there are plenty of interesting turns along the way. Silas does indeed prove himself worthy of Belle and her girls, but the journey to that point is both tender and hilarious.
Wade plays a minor role as well, setting up the events that will take place in the third installment. He rustles up a few extra hands to help Belle, and along the way he becomes entangled with a beautiful young woman who has been raised by American Indians.
This series just gets better and better. I can't wait to read book 3!
Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2010