This Calder Sky

Calder Saga #3

by Janet Dailey

The great Calder empire stretched across the Montana plains as far as the eye could see. Everyone knew a Calder's word was law and that one day Chase Calder would carry the family name to new glories. But for handsome, arrogant Chase Calder there was also beautiful Maggie O'Rourke, who came to him in innocence and stirred in him a deep, insistent longing. But Maggie was determined to be free from the harsh codes of hard men. And even Chase Calder's strong arms couldn't keep her. Still, in them both burned the raw passion of the land...where even the greatest love must fight to live beneath This Calder Sky.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Westerns, Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Western Romance

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Janet Anne Haradon Dailey was an American author of numerous romance novels as Janet Dailey (her married name). Her novels have been translated into nineteen languages and have sold over 300 million copies worldwide.

Born in 1944 in Storm Lake, Iowa, she attended secretarial school in Omaha, Nebraska before meeting her husband, Bill. Bill and Janet worked together in construction and land development until they "retired" to travel throughout the United States, inspiring Janet to write the Americana series of romances, where she set a novel in every state of the Union. In 1974, Janet Dailey was the first American author to write for Harlequin. Her first novel was NO QUARTER ASKED.

She had since gone on to write approximately 90 novels, 21 of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List. She won many awards and accolades for her work, appearing widely on Radio and Television. Today, there are over three hundred million Janet Dailey books in print in 19 different languages, making her one of the most popular novelists in the world.

Janet Dailey passed away peacefully in her home in Branson on Saturday, December 14, 2013. She was 69.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure why I finished this book except possibly for sheer, morbid curiosity. Chase Calder is an awful, arrogant, bully of a man. The book starts when he is 22 and she is 15, so their first encounter is statutory rape and I'm afraid I can't just mean that in a legal sense. She was immature (all the more so for not recognize how immature she was) and he seduces her, knowing better. I'm not sure why she let him, since he'd just bullied her by stealing her clothes while she bathed in the river, but let's just pretend for a moment that I buy the whole intense physical reaction thing for a moment and move on.

Her father gets angry with his father, who buys him off after not-so-subtly pointing out that a statutory rape charge would hurt her more than his son, especially since they have lots of money and have bought off all the local law enforcement. Her father starts stealing his father's cattle, which he probably shouldn't have done, but her father decides he's his own law and hangs the man. Chase is right there, watching, not doing anything. Not that there was much he could have done, but he certainly inherited his father's beliefs that they're better than everyone else because they own a cattle ranch the size of Rhode Island.

I think this book was trying to paint a picture of wealth and power that rubbed me entirely the wrong way, suggesting that the Calders really were better than their neighbors because of hard work and dedication (compared with the neighbors' laziness). And maybe there's some truth to that, but it doesn't justify buying off senators and law enforcement officers and becoming a law unto oneself. It doesn't justify being a bully.

[Chantal ❤️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is forever ruined for me because I know poor Maggie dies in a plane crash leaving a devastating family trying to recover. In the book Calder born Calder breed. It was too hard to read and pointless cause she dies early in her 40. He is left alone again and I am so mad that I read this at all. So sad when authors kill off a main character in a series. Their relationship was stupid and pointless and he was one sick mother!!! I mean gross I don't want to let someone read this who is not prepared for the sick mind games played in this book.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yee haw! What a story. So cinematic and epic. I loved Maggie’s character and how she was the center of all the drama, however I had to take it a star down because I can’t forgive one of the choices she made in this book. However the sheer years covered and the second-chance romance was enough to keep me turning the page, wanting to know what’s next for Chase & Maggie. If you are looking for a Yellowstone-esque series, this is IT!

[Tonya Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Calder Sky is the patriarch book for this series, in my opinion.
It’s depth and plot is what sets the tone for the rest of the series.
Chase Benteen Calder has grown into a young man, he only knows the land and sky under the Triple C, his future legacy.
Maggie O’Rouke, a beautiful strong willed neighbor has piqued his interest, but the feud between their dad’s run deeper than just revenge.
Chase and Maggie must decide what’s best for each of them, if they can survive in an unforgiven land.
Secrets, deception, murder, and legacy dominants and fuels this phenomenal book.
Times have changed and a new man is at the helm of the Triple C, a man who will rule for many decades and make The Calder’s, a Ranching Family known worldwide!
I’m so glad I’m revisiting this series. It’s the Calder’s that grew my love and curiosity of Montana.

[Karen Rice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I need to preface this with: there are very few books in the romance genre that intrigue me enough to read them *at all* - let alone multiple times, as I have done with the first 4 books in the Calder series. I am going to read the entire series. I do think that *overall* it is a well done romance /adventure series, at least the first 3 books in the series were adventurous. I thoroughly enjoyed This Calder Range, the first book, and feel it is probably the very best, with Stands A Calder Man ranking close to it.

This Calder Sky, unfortunately, falls short for me for various reasons - the first one being the absolute bizarreness of the timeline. Following on the heels of This Calder Range and Stands A Calder Man, Chase Calder should be an adult somewhere in the 1940s, no later than the 1950s...yet this novel is obviously set much much later than that, more like the 1970s perhaps. This type of inconsistency really bothers me.

Furthermore, I am not sure why I didn't "pick up" on the sheer disgusting aspect of the statutory rape of Maggie the 2nd time I read it. The first time I read it, I was just a teen myself and thought it was awfully awesome and romantic to have an older man be smitten with you like that. Like Maggie, I did not have a good father figure, I had poor self esteem, and would have thrilled at Chase's attention as a teenager. The 2nd time I read the book I was much older - in fact, was a mother of two daughters. Not sure how I skimmed over that and forgot about it....this last time I read the book, I was quite appalled at not only Chase, but Philip being sexually attracted to young Maggie, but at least Philip respected Maggie enough to tell her to wait until she was finished with college before considering a relationship with him.

The aspect of taking the law into their own hands didn't bother me so much either until this last time I read it - I guess since I grew up watching Westerns and knew what fate awaited horse thieves and rustlers, I didn't see anything wrong with it the first two times I read this book. Now, again, I am appalled - mainly because the setting and culture was not the Old West, but modern day....

The Calders somewhat remind me of the Ewings of DALLAS (giving away my age) ...yet nastier than Bobby, but way nicer than JR.

[Chels]

I don't know what to make of this yet but it was certainly memorable. This Calder Sky is the third book in the series but it was the first Dailey wrote and published, so she starts the clan off in (what I thought to be 1960s?) Montana. The Calder Ranch (Triple C) is owned and run by Webb Calder, a despotic man's man who is trying to teach his son Chase about his responsibilities. He cares about land, power, and legacy in that order.

A nearby ranch is owned by Angus O'Rourke and his children, Maggie and Culley. Maggie is only fifteen and is the heroine of the story, and if you're getting the ick right now that's kind of the point. Chase begins an affair with Maggie and everyone comments on how weird it is, how he should know better. He does it anyway because he's a Calder and he can.

Angus O'Rourke is set up as a kind of foil to Webb Calder -- he had big dreams but no follow through. Even though Dailey would interject through Maggie's point of view to say that O'Rourke is a weak mean, he's much more sympathetic than I get the impression Dailey intended. Escaping poverty isn't just a matter of wills, and the Calder's brutal and violent methods of maintaining power and wealth is, frankly, sickening.

I was caught off guard by how violent this book is. I imagine you could easily adapt that series to a gritty, prestige TV miniseries. There's this one part that will stay in my brain forever, where Chase Calder steps into his father's gore-filled boots: The king is dead. Long live the king.

[Eulalia Mira · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5*****

[Nikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was turned onto this book by a coworker who was named after the 'hero' of the story. And I gotta say his mother is NUTS. This book is crazy boring and the most sexist thing I've read in a while. Chase gropes/rapes the heroine who is 15 and he is 22-25ish, unclear! Oh but she 'wanted it'...no. Hell no. Then stands by when her father is MURDERED in front of him. Knocks up Maggie (still 15) and was going to lie to her face about her dad's 'suicide'.
Whoa, kid grows up and wants to meet his dad, heroine follows him, gets blackmailed into marrying the hero, who says that her dad's murder was a mercy killing....to clarify this is all suppose to be ROMANTIC? The heroine never stands up for herself. And why would a mother allow her child to hang around with an accessory to murder? No. No mother would allow that.
I hope the author got better because this being the first book I've read by her...this is terrible. Skip this.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

In high school I read most of the books in the "Calder" series. I got sucked into the family saga. Don't know how quality it is, but it certainly peaked my interest enough at the time to make we want to read the others (and quite frankly, I was not a voracious reader, so it was impressive to get me to read anything at all). I have a feeling if you like Danielle Steele then you would like this series. Fortunately, as I aged my tastes evolved.

[Tracy Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

The story was a little long winded in places but overall it was very good. Having read the story about 15 years ago I remembered some but not all of the outcomes. I enjoyed it just as much the second time around.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is #3 in the Calder series. Chase Calder is the latest in the dynasty of Calders. He has grown up knowing he will inherit the ranch and the acres and acres of land. Maggie O'Rourke is a neighbour. She lives on a small ranch and her father and brother are extremely envious of the Calders. Chase takes Maggie's virginity and innocence. Maggie's father loses it and starts rustling Calder cattle. What results is an action that may never be forgiven. Maggie also doesn't want just the ranch life, she wants to make something of herself.

I found Chase to be extremely arrogant, almost to the point of wishing the bad guys would win out. I was very sympathetic to the criminals which I don't think was the desired result of the book. The romance part of the story was a little slow at times but still kept me interested enough to finish the book

[iStarr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs revision.

Because this is actually the first book written in the Calder series, the book lacks continuity with the ‘prequel’ books This Calder Range (Chase Benteen Calder & Lorna) and Stands A Calder Man (Webb Calder & Lilli) and refers to Benteen Calder as the “Texas ancestor” rather than Webb’s father and Chase’s grandfather. There seems to be a distinct time warp that doesn’t fit. WWI was happening in Book 2 and this book fast forwards to computers, air planes, and hippies, without any mention of WW2 etc.

The plot is otherwise good, but somewhat predictable in who the villains are revealed to be.

The fifteen year gap from the beginning relationship between Chase and Maggie to their reunion was somewhat boring and not at all interesting. The story plods along for 2/3 of the book with the last third being the best.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

A family friend suggested I read this book because it is her favorite romance of all time. Hmmm. Not seeing it. It is suspenseful, and the early heat between the lovers is good, but the rest of the novel leaves the love aspect way underdeveloped. Love scenes --in fact, most moments between the couple-- are fleeting and then rushed through. And the ending was very abrupt. Not a cliffhanger, just rushed.
Giant bummer.

[Amy Nolte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I generally like this series, but this book was far from the best. I could not get past their ages at the beginning. At 22 he should have known better than to seduce a 15 year old. I was glad she went away and made something out of her life.

[Debra A. Shover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

Love this series of books because I love the state of Montana. Comes with some history and knowledge of how the west was won. Can’t wait to read the next book. Just wish. Y local library had theses books.

[T'Odes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it as a teen and it was good...as an adult...not so much ..reduced the rating by half.

[Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The continuing Calder series which I really enjoy. This one revolves around Chase Calder, son of Webb Calder and their ranch in Montana. Recommend for those who like westerns.

[Catherine House · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can Chase Calder, born in the 1920s in Stands a Calder Man, be only 22 at the beginning of This Calder Sky????

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

*CONTÉM SPOILERS*
Primeiramente: Chase mocinho perfeito, e segundo: Como alguém pode ter gostado da mocinha Maggie??? Puts, o livro perdeu o favorito por conta dela, pra ser sincera ela só foi me descer a partir de 95% do livro, e outra grande questão que me fez não dar o fav foi que eu não senti que os protagonistas se amavam, só senti isso também a partir dos 95% do livro, e isso foi péssimo. Claro que o relacionamento deles começou super precoce e baseado somente em atração sexual (a mocinha tinha 15 anos quando se envolveu com o Chase, e mesmo eu não curtindo isso, ela é bem avançada pra idade, então no final acabou meio que sendo um detalhe), e o casal não tinha uma base sólida para desenvolver um relacionamento, com ambas as famílias sendo rivais, e cada um deles tendo ideais diferentes, e ainda acontece um fato que os fazem se distanciar, daí diminui mais ainda a chance de ter algo sólido para eles construírem um sentimento de amor. Durante todo o livro só senti que eles tinham muita química, inclusive a cada livro a autora vai 'ousando' mais nas cenas sensuais, e mesmo não sendo muito explícitas, já é uma melhora em relação aos anteriores.
Outra coisa que me incomodou mais ainda é sobre o tempo que eles ficaram separados, o fato da mocinha até ter se casado com outro homem e o amado, eu confesso que não curto isso nos livros, seja com o homem ou com a mulher, quando eles se envolvem seriamente com outra pessoa, parece que nunca amaram de verdade seu cônjuge anterior. Eu até entendo que o casal principal não teve tempo e chances para se apaixonarem, não foi culpa deles, mas mesmo assim acho que poderia ter sido melhor.

Eu adorei o Chase, diferente do seu pai Webb, desde jovem ele já sabia o que queria, tinha na cabeça o foco e trabalhava arduamente para merecer o papel de herdeiro do legado Calder, e achei ele tão sensato, um homem forte e leal, intenso, sincero, muito maravilhoso! Sua relação com seu pai também era ótima, e aqui eu caí de amores pelo Webb, finalmente ele amadureceu e vi um verdadeiro Calder nele. Amei que a Lili foi citada algumas vezes aqui, e fiquei feliz que ao fim o Webb 'superou' a morte dela e conseguiu acalentar um sentimento de amor pela Ruth (sempre a achei injustiçada, eu torcia pelos dois desde o começo), porém o final me partiu o coração novamente, ambos mereciam mais.

Eu não curti a Maggie por que a achava muito ambiciosa, mas não uma ambição de quem quer ser alguém na vida, valorizada, mas sim também uma ambição supérflua, de querer ser rica, invejada, e isso não me desceu..acho que peguei ranço dela mesmo, por que pra ser bem sincera, só gostei da relação dela com seu filho Ty, para mim ela foi uma ótima mãe e irmã, porém tirando isso, não a curti.

Enfim, mesmo não ganhando meu fav, esse livro é ótimo, enredo muito bem escrito,um livro que nos faz mergulhar na história da fazenda Triplo C, cheio de emoção e acontecimentos surpreendentes. Leitura obrigatória para quem curte a série.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this many many moons ago. It was my first romance book obsession. I found the book second hand either at my grandma's church rummage or I picked it up at either a Salvation Army or a garage sale. I was still really young. It came out in '81, and at the time, was the first book in this series.

It has some of the enemies to lovers vibe, which may be where my love of that trope started.

I see some commentary on this book is definitely colored by now. Chase is definitely the bossy alpha type. I remember Maggie being fiery and feisty.

She's also a teen and he's a young adult when they first hookup. Although, a lot of the older romances tend to have this kind of age gap. She's also the poor neighbor on the ranch that abuts the Calder land.

I remember cattle rustling, a secret baby, lots of heat.

I may need to revisit this now to see if my view of it has changed. After all, I may have been 10 or 11 when I read this. I was a precocious reader.

[Priscilla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Os Donos da Terra foi o primeiro romance da saga dos Calder e tem como personagem principal não um membro da família supracitada, mas seu par romântico, Maggie O'rourke - a filha de um pequeno estancieiro que sofre preconceito por seu status e mais tarde, pelos atos de seu pai.

É basicamente uma história de superação feminina envolvendo os temas básicos de grávidez, recomeços, novos amores, conflitos familiares, velhos amores, etc. No entanto, não é um livro ruim. A autora se esmerou ao recontar a vida de Maggie e o resultado foi uma saga que contabilizou onze livros.

Não sei exatamente como recomendar esse livro já que hoje esse tipo de história está batida e os temas se tornaram clichê. Deixo então para aqueles que gostam do estilo da escritora.

[Atlantis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, this was a weird one for me. This was a donation to my LFL. I didn’t read the whole thing because it was a little creepy and very graphic. I like romance and if it gets too graphic I usually just skip that part but this was creepy because it involves a 15yr old girl and a. 22 yr old. They do eventually get married, but...It was published in 1981 so it’s dated. It involves cattle-ranching and the complexity of that life as well as two lovers growing up without a Mother. Definitely an adult read.

[Patricia Wchman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The land is hard, the life is hard, the people, especially the men are hard. They had to be to survive. So I have no problem with the hard decisions they made. I like these books and the characters. There is no room for weakness. These are the people who built our country.
We are the ones who have become soft in our comfortable lives.
Some reviewers have said Dailey has written a Hallmark story here. I don’t think so.

[Wistful Sage · Rating 1 out of 5]

God what a terrible book. There was actual rape by the villain of the heroine. There was a terrible villain who murders people. There was domestic violence perpetrated by the villain on the heroine. Oh, and the villain was also the 'hero' of the story. So read at your own risk.

#villaingetsthegirl #paedophilehero

[Richard Guerrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, I did realize that I have read this book many years ago. It’s been long enough where I forgot enough to be able to read again. these books do have a lot of drama and romance. What a way to reunite with a 15-year-old son and getting married.

[Nathalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amo de paixão

[Amber Rangel]

good quick read

[LHC Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Story

Parts a little sad but all in all a beautiful story. Shows how strong you need to be to manage a ranch that size.

[Christy Copeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story from Janet Dailey!

[Yvonne Meier · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I loved the story of the couple, but was irritated by the timeline, which didn’t add up. There was also too much time spent on the heroine being away.