Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Wyoming Frontier #3

Sins of Summer

Rate this book
A sizzling novel of love and revenge on the wild frontier. In an Idaho logging camp, Dory bears a child by the handsome son of a rival mill owner--but the child's father dies before they can be married. Then rugged Benton rides into her life, a man who ignites both gunfire between the feuding families and passion in Dory's heart.

416 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1994

58 people are currently reading
231 people want to read

About the author

Dorothy Garlock

88 books387 followers
Dorothy Garlock was a best-selling American author of over 60 historical romance novels, most of them set in the American West. More than 20 million copies of her books are in print, in 18 languages. Her books have been on the New York Times best seller list seven times. She was named one of the 10 most popular writers of women's fiction four years in a row, from 1985-1988. In 1997, she was awarded the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award. Garlock is also a member of the Romance Writers Hall of Fame.

Garlock worked as an editor, agent and publicist for most of her writing career. She was a native of Texas who grew up in Oklahoma then married and moved to Iowa. Garlock donated many of her manuscripts and other unpublished writings to the University of Iowa libraries.


Pen names include:
Johanna Phillips
Dorothy Phillips
Dorothy Glenn

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
169 (39%)
4 stars
140 (32%)
3 stars
101 (23%)
2 stars
12 (2%)
1 star
7 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for Pepa.
1,058 reviews289 followers
September 25, 2020
Reseña completa: https://masromance.blogspot.com/2020/...
Me ha gustado mucho, más que por la historia que cuenta, por lo visual de la novela y la forma en la que está escrita. Tanto, que parece que estás viendo una película clásica del oeste
Por lo demás, la historia con malos y buenos muy marcados, traiciones, personajes complejos y situaciones que al final, creo que la autora resuelve demasiado fácilmente, con ese final me siento un poco defraudada
Aún así, me ha sorprendido, y más siendo tan viejuna
Una buena lectura, eso sí, se necesita lupa para estas publicaciones de «cisne rosa»
Profile Image for Elsa Bravante.
1,177 reviews198 followers
November 20, 2015
Entre el 3 y el 4. Es un libro bonito, tierno, con personajes que se enamoran en un ambiente lleno de violencia. Es una historia bien narrada que huele a libro antiguo, a película de los años 40 y 50, con amor, violencia, relaciones complicadas, secretos... Mucho sentimiento, le falta algo de tensión sexual y en ocasiones consolidad la historia de amor. La autora es muy clásica, con una atención a los sentimientos, la ternura, que recuerda mucho a Lavyrle Spencer.
Profile Image for Lucimar.
569 reviews14 followers
October 28, 2025
Dorothy Garlock conseguiu juntar neste romance preconceitos, amor, ternura e confiança. Este livro relata histórias de sofrimento e solidão, às vezes, a solidão e o sofrimento são tão palpáveis que sentimos isso na pele. A autora destaca como determinados caminhos que tomamos - até mesmo inconscientemente - pode nos levar ao sofrimento, e como é triste a solidão e até onde vai a maldade de uns. É uma eterna luta do bem e do mal.
Ben sempre foi sozinho desde os momentos que os pais morreram e foi criado de maneira fria pelos tios e quando este é assassinado, ele é acusado injustamente e fica preso até descobrirem que ele é inocente. Ao sair da prisão, recebe um recado que teve uma filha com uma prostituta, que já estava com treze anos e é surda. Quando ele chega na madeireira, um mundo selvagem de homens brutalizados pela vida árdua para trabalhar para os irmão Callahan - que disputam com os Malones o poder no lugar -, encontra Dory, a meia-irmã de Milo e Louis, uma mãe solteira que é desprezada e maltratada pelos irmãos, menos por James, que como ela é filha do segundo casamento do pai.
Ben, apesar de nunca ter sido amado por alguém é um homem carinhoso e que não suporta ver alguém ser espancado ou maltratado. Dory sofre com o desprezo dos meio-irmãos que a chamam de prostituta. Suporta todo sofrimento por causa da filha Jeanmarie de 4 anos(que tem papel relevante na história) e pelo irmão, James.
Sua vida muda a partir da chegada de Ben com a filha agora com 16 anos.Ela agora se sente menos só, porque tem alguém para conversar e dividir sua solidão. A filha de Ben, é uma garota linda, cuja beleza, provocará diversas situações assustadoras, e apesar de surda, é inteligente, faz leitura de lábios e adora ao pai.
Dois casais vão se formar, Ben e Dory e James e Odette.
É bonita a maneira como o amor vai sendo construído através da confiança, destes seres tão infelizes que nunca tinham conhecido o companheirismo e o amor. Não é uma história cheia de cenas apaixonadas, há situações de profunda violência, mas é recheada de sentimentos que te deixam engasgada em alguns momentos e com revelações surpreendentes e um leve suspense.
Profile Image for NatalyaVqs.
1,127 reviews32 followers
September 30, 2012
This one was Extremely hard going, dark side of all Garlock novels all rolled into one. I enjoyed the twist at the end with James, as I had no idea how the author was going to resolve that particular problem towards a happily thereafter. I liked the Chip side story, Garlock writes such realistic story telling, this relationship is so real-life-like in its awkwardness, not smooth sailing like other romance novels. Good book but too depressing to reread again.
Profile Image for Sarah.
420 reviews2 followers
June 5, 2014
This was not one of Mrs. Garlock's best. The idea for the story was good and there were some really good parts, but overall the story just felt flat. There were too many plot lines running at the same time, a lot of repetitive dialogue, and after reading for what seemed like forever, the ending was abrupt. It was ok, just not great like most of Dorothy Garlock's other books.
Profile Image for Galena Sanz.
Author 0 books122 followers
December 30, 2014
Una historia un poco dura ambientada en el lejano oeste. Es un poco dura por la rudeza de algunos de sus personajes, por el tipo de vida que lleva la protagonista, pero me ha gustado, aunque el romance no lo veo muy consolidado los personajes femeninos me han gustado.
Profile Image for Stormy.
1,374 reviews
March 16, 2026
A new setting for me, the Pacific Northwest and the logging industry. I really enjoyed Garlock's writing style, in how she describes the daily life so well, but not with too many facts to bore you.

Besides many side stories happening, this story had the main love story going on btwn Dory and Ben, but also a secondary love story in the background... and I found myself more drawn to the secondary love story and I was most interested to see how their happily-ever-after would work out. (and it was an ending that I didn't guess until the very end, and even then I was surprised at how it went)

I know a lot of readers do not like children in the story, this book had a little curly red-headed 3-4 year old that was super cute and charming. Nothing bratty or irritating at all.

As for Odette, when she was introduced into the story in the beginning, she came across as a deaf 10 year old girl. But as the story goes along, you realize she is more so a 16-17 year old, so that was odd to have such a change in character description. I felt that she was able to read lips a little too perfectly at some points, but overall her deafness was handled well.

But the biggest thing that stood out with this story was the hatred and violence that was experienced btwn the 4 siblings. I felt the villains were pure nastiness in their repetitive hate speech and actions against their sister and I couldn't believe it was tolerated as much as it was by Dory's friends that witnessed it. Even when there was physical violence happening, her friends would just use the same threat of "don't let me hear you say or do that again or I will bust your head off!" and let the bad guys go free, continuously. Even Dory would make excuses for them, "that they are her half-brothers, and family sticks together, so..."

As for Dory, not that the violence against her was her fault, but she intentionally pissed off her rotten brothers whenever they came around. If she was going to insist on living with them (instead of leaving with James to live somewhere safer for her little daughter), then she needed to stop intentionally starting arguments with them. James was just as much of an argumentative ass with their neighbor, Chip. I never could really figure out where his hostility came from...

Steam level: not steamy. There is steam, but by the time it finally happened, I just wanted to see how the HEA was going to play out and didn't care about other details at that late point.
Profile Image for Gina Ann.
556 reviews2 followers
October 15, 2020
Sins of brothers.....

Couldn't stop reading this one, some of you will not like the derogatory comments about Dory, the sister in this dysfunctional family storyline. There is violence and attempted rape, if this is sensitive to you then you wouldn't like this read. On the other hand, it was an intense storyline that had me in tears, especially when Jeanmarie was in the picture.....ending seemed rushed, don't know what happened too Milo. Would still recommend this author, one of my favorites 😄
Profile Image for Aimee M..
90 reviews
October 30, 2017
I liked how Ben came into Dory's life and swept her off her feet. Ben showed Dory what it truely is to love a person. That no matter what your status is in life, as long as you love with your whole heart, like Ben and Dory, and show other people all the love that you have, you will be loved back also!!
Profile Image for Clem Noria.
Author 1 book1 follower
March 31, 2019
La novela te sumerge en una historia de amor y de pasiones. Las escenas de erotismo por lo menos se llevaron con más o menos sobriedad y es algo que le agradezco a la autora.

Las descripciones fueron muy bien llevadas, pero en algunas ocasiones se sentía que la trama iba muy lenta por algunos diálogos innecesarios.

El final no me convenció demasiado ya que salió a pedir de boca.
15 reviews
November 15, 2018
Not sure

A little too psychotic for me. The brutality was more than I felt like reading and although I'm not afraid of bad language, it felt over used.
Profile Image for Linh.
709 reviews4 followers
Did Not Finish
March 22, 2026
I read 60 pages of just nasty abuse from Dory’s brothers and was sick of it. I couldn’t imagine reading more.
4,031 reviews22 followers
June 11, 2019
This book didn’t reel me in from page one; it was hard to get into the story because of the hate and malice dripping off the opening pages. This is definitely not the fare one expects from Dorothy Garlock.

The animosity between the sets of half-siblings is realistic; I can certainly see that one set of children could hate the other set. After all, there was a large lumbering company that belonged to all 4 of them.

Dory, youngest of the 4, became pregnant and her intended was killed before they could marry. Her half-brothers Milo and Louis do not let her forget it – and they constantly remind everyone they know of her shame.

Dory is closest to her brother James; he’s a 24-year-old crack lumberman. It’s the only reason Milo and Louis tolerate him; they could not operate the business without him. He gets more work out of 10 of his men than they can get out of 20 of theirs.

Ben Waller sets the story in motion by arriving at the Callahan home; he’s been hired by Louis to set up and train others to run a steam donkey. He arrives during a storm with his 16-year-old daughter in tow. Odette, a blond, blue-eyed girl, is deaf – and extremely shy.

This is a dark and complicated storyline. It isn’t one of my favorites, but it is a page-turner. Everyone has secrets and Dory’s is the only one out in the open; we learn others as the story continues.

I learned to admire Dory’s ability to live in such horrible surroundings; however, she really had no other choice. If you have any doubt as to the meaning of ‘dysfunctional family’ – read this book; you will have no lingering doubts after finishing it.

Wyoming Frontier
1. Midnight Blue (1988)
2. Nightrose (1990) VG
3. Sins of Summer (1994)
4. The Listening Sky (1994)
5. Larkspur (1997)
6. Sweetwater (1990)
21 reviews1 follower
March 7, 2009
one star for being historically accurate about early logging in the pacific northwest - use of steam donkeys and so on. Otherwise this was a book read our of necessity - - swapped for on vacation with no other books in site. It was a romance novel and not really a good one. Love scenes were laughable. But I did keep reading. Predictable ending. Sigh.....
Profile Image for Connie.
308 reviews5 followers
January 24, 2009
This book was really good. It was quite graphic and almost brutal in the way of life in a loggers world. The conditions were harsh and the people almost cruel But of course you need a balance of good and evil and this story has it.
Profile Image for Christel.
343 reviews19 followers
March 24, 2008
For some reason I just did not like this one of hers. Whichis a complete shock to me. I normally love her books but this one just did not get me in the mood for reading
1,024 reviews12 followers
April 19, 2008
A nice old fashioned story -- romance -- suspense -- typical Garlock. I enjoyed it!
I found the name of it kind of weird -- had nothing to do with the book -- but whatever - - -!
Profile Image for Rosemary Willis.
46 reviews1 follower
July 26, 2014
I like Dorothy Garlock stories, and this is one is a little unusual.
Profile Image for Sydnee Walsh.
1,335 reviews31 followers
September 29, 2018
This was an on the edge of your seat read. I loved all the drama and the plot twists.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews