ARC Review: Big Sky Summer by Linda Lael Miller

Blurb:
With his father's rodeo legacy to continue and a prosperous spread to run, Walker Parrish has no time to dwell on wrecked relationships. But country-western sweetheart Casey Elder is out of the spotlight and back in Parable, Montana. And Walker can't ignore that his "act now, think later" passion for Casey has had consequences. Two teenage consequences!

Keeping her children's paternity under wraps has always been part of Casey's plan to give them normal, uncomplicated lives. Now the best way to hold her family together seems to be to let Walker be a part of it-as her husband of convenience. Or will some secrets-like Casey's desire to be the rancher's wife in every way-unravel, with unforeseen results?


Linda Lael Miller has been a long-time favorite author of mine, from the time I glommed every romance I could get my hands on through middle and high school. Though I prefer science-fiction and fantasy genres overall now, there is something really nice about reading a well-written contemporary romance. Especially right at the beginning of the summer, when the days are longer and I can sit on the front porch with a glass of iced-tea. In fact, this is the feeling Miller's books invoke in me. The modern western settings, the blossoming romances between mature adults and the sense of community that comes across in each novel, that's what made BIG SKY SUMMER so enjoyable.

Walker and Casey have an interesting relationship. I secretly love when a heroine/hero get together over an unexpected pregnancy, find a deeper love, and make a real family. Miller took this same idea, except the pregnancy is in the past, the children are older, and the father has already figured out the "shocker" that he's a "dad". I really liked Miller's approach in BIG SKY SUMMER. Neither of the main characters have made perfect choices in regards to their children, and supposed shared responsibilities. However, the journey of all the characters in the book echo and resonate as more than just a novel.

Walker and Casey's children are also very well-fleshed characters. One of the things that I like about authors like Miller (Robyn Carr, especially) is that the setting and the community are just as important as the individual main characters. Returning to the series means that, though the spotlight might be elsewhere, the characters that I have been introduced to previously won't be abandoned. There's a growth that happens, and the reader gets to see this every step of the way.

My Rating:
12.5/15
Highly Recommend
4 star
A-


I obtained this book from Little Bird Publicity. No other compensation was given for the expectation of an honest review.

VBT: Fateful Waters by J.M. Anton (with giveaway)

Welcome J.M. Anton! As part of the VBT (Virtual Book Tour), organized by Goddess Fish Promotions and the author, Read My Mind is promoting FATEFUL WATERS today. This is a contemporary western that incorporates suspense, friendship and a hero/heroine HEA.

About The Author:
Jackie Anton is the author of Backyard Horse Tales: Sox 2nd Edition, recepient of the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award. She makes her home in Northeastern Ohio.
Mother of two adult Children and a Grandmother she and her husband of forty-one years live on a small farm in Medina Township. As author of the family friendly series Backyard Horse Tales (readers age 8-adult) her adult novels are written under the pen name J.M. Anton.

An avid horseperson she and her husband continue to ride daily. She loves a good mystery as well as working out the day-to-day struggles and complexities of human relationships. Find out more about the author on her blog “Writing for readers in a .com world.

Website


Special or surprising information uncovered while researching “Fateful Waters.”
by J. M. Anton


One of the many surprises came as I was researching the use and function of GPS and smart phones. My daughter who lives in Virginia kept me straight on all the technological references, as well as pointing out blackouts on phones, and the limitations of GPS devices. The story required that the heroine and her sidekick be out of touch for periods of time.

Another area of research brought in the linguistic talents of my other daughter who lives in Texas. My heroine is inclined to periodically revert to her maternal grandmother’s German language. I did some research online and found that my German was extremely rusty, but I translated the phrases that I wanted for the book and sent the English and German translations to Houston. After checking her conjugation with her German Professor, my daughter returned my German phrases. That was indeed a special undertaking that unleashed a series of harrowing events for our heroine, Lexie.

My memories of the Texas Panhandle are several decades old. As fate would have it there are family and friends who still reside in Texas. The drought was so wide spread that is was not difficult to get first hand observations of living with the heat and lack of rain. I was in the middle of a rewrite when my daughter told me that she was traveling to Lubbock and catching a flight to California. “Please take some notes while you are there, pay attention to the airport and the view from the plane.” I pleaded.

As a result of the interview at the completion of my daughters business seminar, I was able to put Lexie on a plane and share the devastating landscape from a birds eye view. The view from the plane on landing in Cleveland was from my personal observations, but I feel that the view of the Texas Panhandle from in high had much more impact.

The following excerpt is of Lexie’s return home in Chapter 10 of “Fateful Waters:


***

Lexie carted her luggage out to the porch, then returned to her room to make one last sweep. She picked up her handbag and her laptop, before closing the door behind her. She made the long walk down the hall and closed the door on this chapter of her life. She breathed a huge sigh of relief when Booker arrived in the same long sleek black car. Her belongings loaded in the trunk, and securely belted in the passenger seat she said goodbye to the Rocking R. As she stared blankly at the parched landscape she began to envision green rolling hills, sparkling rivers, and the vast waters of Lake Erie. Ohio beckoned to her wounded soul.

Booker didn’t chauffeur her to the rental car dealer, but to Lubbock’s rendition of an International airport. Mel’s dad refused to let her make the long drive back home alone. Instead, he booked a first class ticket for her to Hopkins airport. She would have a short layover to catch a connecting flight home, but she didn’t mind a delay once she was well out of Texas. Mrs. Potter was to meet her in Cleveland.

Once she was safely in the air, tears flowed like the much prayed-for rain in this part of the country. Waves of heat rose from the tarmac as the small commuter plane took to the sky and circled the airport to head east. Lexie gazed through her veil of tears at the scarred and desolate view beneath her. The largest scars on the land below looked to be natural riverbeds, now bone dry, and the larger indents could have been man made quarries, but they were now barely discernible mud puddles.

***

Blurb:
Follow Melinda Potter and Alexandra Parker, across the country, as the friends travel from their home on the shores of Lake Erie to the drought-stricken state of Texas. After graduation from The Ohio State University, Melinda has a date with an online Romeo. Lexie, who is supposed exert a moderating influence on her impulsive friend, winds up in a hospital where she wakes to everyone calling her Mrs. Ross. She doesn’t have a clue how she got there, or who Mr. Ross is.

Goodreads
Dog Ear Publishing


DON'T FORGET! J.M. Anton is also giving away a $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card to a random commenter during the course of the tour. Leave a comment at Read My Mind with a favorite Western romance to be entered.

Make sure you check out the other tour stops HERE