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Song of the Willow
The Tomboy
Ladies didn't wear men's pants or herd cattle, nor did they curse or sneak whiskey, but Willie Vaughn did. Growing up in a household of five men, Willie could steal a base, rope a cow, and hold her own in a brawl. But she never thought she'd have to learn to seduce a man until she met the handsome and dangerous Rider Sinclair.
The Lieutenant
Going undercover to unmask the Vaughan's arms smuggling, Rider was prepared to romance their only daughter. But nobody warned him about the infuriating pixie with the luscious figure and stubborn temper. And nobody warned Rider he might fall in love. He'd have to separate duty from desire if he was going to nab the gang's ringleader but he hated to risk losing the fiery hellcat who'd stolen his heart.
Ladies didn't wear men's pants or herd cattle, nor did they curse or sneak whiskey, but Willie Vaughn did. Growing up in a household of five men, Willie could steal a base, rope a cow, and hold her own in a brawl. But she never thought she'd have to learn to seduce a man until she met the handsome and dangerous Rider Sinclair.
The Lieutenant
Going undercover to unmask the Vaughan's arms smuggling, Rider was prepared to romance their only daughter. But nobody warned him about the infuriating pixie with the luscious figure and stubborn temper. And nobody warned Rider he might fall in love. He'd have to separate duty from desire if he was going to nab the gang's ringleader but he hated to risk losing the fiery hellcat who'd stolen his heart.
364 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1993
2 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte McPherren
2 booksCharlotte McPherren is a pseudonym of Sharla Rae, an American author of humorous romance novels.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 26, 2010
Totally trashy, and I loved every minute of it. Willow Vaughn is tough as nails. A social misfit amongst the other girls in town. Willow's mother dies when she is very young. She and her twin brother are then raised by a gruff father and older brothers on their ranch.
Given to me as a gift by my grandmother after I spent every visit to her house rereading it. I love this book.
Given to me as a gift by my grandmother after I spent every visit to her house rereading it. I love this book.
August 5, 2013
I didn’t like that Willow went by the name Willie. Usually I like nicknames, but Willie was too much of a guy’s name. I also didn’t like how unpolished and hickish she was. I love tomboys, but this wasn’t just a tomboy. She was like a man, and not just any man, a crude, uneducated, loud, smart-mouthed, prickly, and just overall unlikable man with no manners. There’s a line between tomboy and this crap, and it’s a pretty big line. She spoke like an uneducated, unpolished country bumpkin and I didn’t like how candid she was. She cussed and said classless things like “in her mind she was a lady as long as she kept her legs closed” and “a woman is a lady as long as she keeps her distance from horny critters of the opposite sex.” Really, I think there’s a classier way to say that.
I really didn’t like how when this serving girl pours him a drink she asks if she can do anything else for him and raises her eyebrows suggestively, and he says maybe later, darlin’ an winks at her. Is that supposed to make me like him?
And then he smiles his most charming smile, (it was only at Miss Birgham), but he says it’s an attribute that hadn’t failed to win a woman yet. How nice.
Willow gets mad because her dad sent Hicks, an outlaw who tried to rape her, to her house with a message that he’d be staying there and running a cattle business, and so she grabs up a chicken and chops its head off. Then she says it’s too bad it wasn’t Hicks, and then realizes she’s getting bloodthirsty but looks for another chicken. I know that’s how they ate back then, and I know she was killing them for supper, but really? She’s getting satisfaction from chopping chicken’s heads off. That’s not a quality I want in a character. I like heroines that don’t kill animals for any reason, let alone take pleasure in the act. It’s making me like her even less.
Rider comes in the kitchen and they’re talking and everything, so she knows he’s still there, but she just unbuttons the top buttons on her shirt and wipes the top of her sweaty breasts. No one is that stupid. She’s made many comments indicating she knows what men want, and she almost got raped, so she should know better than to unbutton her shirt in the presence of a man and wipe her breasts off. She isn’t the innocent virgin who knows nothing, so why she did that is beyond me. It’s only making her come off as a slut, or a dense, unaware idiot.
I was really put off when both Rider and Willow referred to Taylor as a half-wit. That’s a cruel and mean thing to say, and I expect better from the main characters. That’s something the antagonists are supposed to say.
The storyline was very average. It’s a plot that’s been done a million times, and there was nothing particularly good about it. There were some cute and funny exchanges between them, but for the most part it was annoying. She had no qualms about Rider being asked to leave the military for smuggling in alcohol or whatever, and instantly adapted to him being at her house, a man that was a stranger to her. Just because she met him some months ago doesn’t mean they’re acquaintances. And Miss Birgham, or Miss Propriety as I see her, was really getting on my nerves. She pushed them together in the beginning, wanting Rider to accompany them to the social and then to church the next day, and even waved them off together when Willow gestured that they were going to go off outside together during the social, when he was a stranger and his background was bad. But then she comes down like a disapproving, judgmental teacher when he’s at her house. Which is it, lady?
Then there was some nonsense about the deer called Hairy that was obviously supposed to be funny but missed the mark by a landslide. Authors sometime have this reoccurring theme that’s funny, but a mangy deer with a curling lip that looks like a smile is definitely not the ticket. Rider saw it when he got there and talked about it. Juan agreed. Taylor said he liked it, Willow did too. Miss Brigham stared in shock, so did the man who drove her out to the place. I mean, really. That is a pathetic attempt at humor.
I kept wondering how old Rider was, because he kept calling her a girl, a young woman, little girl, and little one, and so I wondered how much older he was for him to call her such names. He even got mad and called her a child one time. I don’t like an age difference so great that he’d call her a child.
It wasn’t even a third into the book when the characters are making comments about love. Rider finds out that Willow tangled with a killer and humiliated him by making him strip and taking his horse, and he’s all worried, and makes the comment “didn’t she know that he loved . . . God, no! He didn’t love her, he didn’t. He just cared, that’s all.” They’ve only been together for like two days, 3 days tops, and he already loves her. Are you kidding me? All that should be happening is that they’re interested in each other or like each other. Love this soon is a joke.
There’s been comments that Rider is a young man, but so then why is he calling Willow a child if he’s so young himself?
“She was pretty, but he’d had prettier.” Oh, I just love when the men make those kind of comments. It’s so nice.
They kiss and touch each other in her room, and Juan knocks on the door and interrupts. Rider gets mad at his lack of control and so he doesn’t speak to her or help her down from the wagon for the next few days, ignoring her completely. Willow thinks he’s disgusted at her, and so she gets mad. She barely talks to him, and treats him exactly like she should. Then there’s a runaway wagon and Rider saves it. The woman is all over him, sobbing and leaning against him, and Willow gets jealous, but decides to turn herself into a lady, wanting to be like and befriend the very women who make fun of her. I was disappointed by that decision, but she does ask Mrs. Birgham to teach her to talk better, and she does need that. In the dress shop she even asks the two girls who had just been laughing at her which dress looked better on her. They laugh at her and make fun of her more, and she doesn’t even say anything to them or stick up for herself. The shop owner has to. I hate when characters do dumb, embarrassing things like reach out to the people that are mean to them. When she goes back to the ranch, Rider helps Mrs. Birgham down from the wagon and doesn’t help her down. He only looks into her eyes with a cold expression. It takes Mrs. Birgham’s reminder for him to do so. He says “you look real pretty, sweetheart. I missed you,” but it’s only to keep up the ruse that they’re married in front of the ranch hands. She gets mad and slaps him, which was good, but then he crushes her to him and kisses her and she responds and forgets all about her anger.
I hate when authors throw out seedy details about the side characters. Gavin gets some girl pregnant, one that he visits when he goes through that town, but he didn’t want to marry her. That was so disgusting, and I hated hearing about it.
The way her family carried on was disgusting. Gavin commented that Willow was a double-breasted creature that had to wear dresses, and Carter says Mrs. Birgham was there so people wouldn’t think Willow was a slut. I mean, really. What kind of family talks like that? Then Willow leans down and kisses her dad’s cheek, and after she leaves he makes the comment, “Damn, but she smells good.” Wtf?
When Willow found out Gavin got a girl pregnant, and there’s no shock, no censure, no thoughts on the carelessness and disgustingness of such a situation. She’s just elated because she’s gonna be an aunt and she wants to know where the woman is and if they’ve gotten married and all that, and even jokes about it like it’s funny and there’s nothing wrong with it. That speaks volumes.
When Willow started wanting to be a lady she lost a lot of her fire. She even became boring and too mild for my tastes. She goes to see Andy in his room and is asking about how he got hurt and about the stolen cows, and Andy snaps at her to ask their dad instead. Her eyes tear up but she apologizes and then says she’ll bring him a special treat later. Wtf? Be mad at him.
All of her family is refusing to tell her anything so she goes for a ride on the wild horse and Rider comes after her. She gets all frustrated, and when she finds Rider right behind her, she goes and hits his chest. I hate when women do that. It’s crazy and hysterical and it’s no wonder men think women are emotional and can’t handle things when they do things like that.
Then we’ve got her dad and Mrs. Birgham liking each other, which I guessed way early on in the game. They’re looking at each other and sizing each other up. She’s thinking he’s a big brawny guy with a ruddy complexion that can’t be considered handsome, but for some reason she likes him, and he’s thinking he likes big women and she’s got meat in all the right places. I’m sorry, I thought I was reading about Willow and Rider, not the sordid sex life of her brother and the little attraction between her dad and the widow. Why is this in here?
Her dad’s about to leave to go freighting again, and tells her to watch out for outlaws, because they know she’s a woman now, and he says, and I quote, “You’re a damn good-lookin’ woman.” WTF? Ew. Hello, McPherren, no one wants their dad say something like that. We get it, she’s hot and every guy that gets wind of her will go after her and try to rape her whether she’s in men’s clothing or a dress because she’s so good-looking, but her dad wasn’t the one that should have made that comment. That’s creepy.
Andy makes a comment that she doesn’t have a gun on her, and instead of just telling him she does or saying where, she asks for his hand and directs it to the gun on her thigh. Cuz that isn’t weird at all. Who wants their brother’s hand anywhere near their thigh?
When Willow was thinking about having sex with Rider, she knew she never wanted to get married and thought of preventative methods of pregnancy. When they have sex it’s spontaneous, outside behind some bushes near the river, and they didn’t use protection. They end up having sex twice then, and he asks what she’s going to do if she got pregnant, like it’s all on her, which didn’t set right with me, and she doesn’t even bat an eyelash, but in typical hick fashion says “I reckon if that happens, I’ll just have to love the little feller enough for both of us.” So instead of using protection, you just have sex with a devil-may-care attitude that you might get pregnant and raise the kid alone because he’ll be skipping outta town just as soon as he takes a notion. And he would leave her alone with his kid? That says a lot.
It’s almost comical how ladylike Willow was being when she was married. She was speaking perfectly and was acting just like a lady. What a total 360 she pulled. That was completely unbelievable and unrealistic how she managed to transform herself into an eloquent, prim and proper lady in the matter of a few days.
It was so disgusting and disturbing when Willow and Rider arrive at the ranch after their honeymoon, and her brothers are waiting at the door grinning and winking. Gavin says “You look a little tired sister. And poor Rider here looks plum worn out!” Then they all laugh and slap Rider on the back. Ew!
“Rider draped his arm around her shoulders, a prideful, male grin on his face. “Being married isn’t so bad, boys,” he said. “It’s kind of convenient having your woman handy, whenever you get ra—”
Willow slugged his arm.
The brothers broke into wild laughter. Owen guffawed at his son-in-law. “You just might fit into this here family after all, son!”
What is up with this author and perverted comments/action between siblings and parents? That is so sick! That’s a line you should never cross.
Idk why the author would choose to incorporate real-life people in her story, and then surround them with fictional characters. Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp and the Clanton gang were in there, and that just seemed strange to me, since they weren’t the central characters and the story wasn’t about them.
It was really sick and disgusting when Willow was discussing Francisca and Gavin’s love life, buying lotions and soaps for her, and satin and silk underwear, and telling Francisca to jump Gavin in bed. Wow. That’s a conversation that most people wouldn’t want to have about their brother, but this author knows no bounds.
I applauded Willow for being hurt and mad at Rider for lying about his identity and purpose, and on the last night he was gonna be at the ranch she tells him Mrs. Brigham is sleeping with her and he has to sleep with one of her brothers. And then she stayed at the boardinghouse for a week. I really liked when she went to the fort disguised as a maid to see Haggerty, finding out the date for the meeting with El Jefe. And I liked when she took Sultan, Rider’s horse, to go back to the fort. I love when the characters take charge, and it’s about time there was some action.
I had guessed early on that Taylor wasn’t really mentally challenged, when he reacted so angrily to Rider, and I wished it hadn’t taken 10 years for the rest of them to figure out. Rider was suspicious, but then just gave it up when Willow didn’t like it. And I wish the author hadn’t waited so long for Willow to find out Rider’s betrayal. I hate when things are dragged out, and I feel like she didn’t have enough time to feel properly betrayed. She just got over it very quickly, and after Hicks tried to rape her and Rider saved her she’s begging him to hold her tightly. She stayed mad a little after that, but then when Rider took the bullet for her she just miraculously realized that he loved her.
There were quite a few historically inaccurate sayings that were used:
you’re not off the hook yet
stick in the mud
buss on the cheek
you’re joshing me
guilty as charged
birthday suit (as in naked)
hunk
chump
pranksters
break the ice
hangover
bull (as in bullcrap)
pain in the fanny
That always takes away from the story when authors throw out modern terminology and ideas. It jars me right out of the timeframe and back into my own. That shouldn’t happen.
I really didn’t like how when this serving girl pours him a drink she asks if she can do anything else for him and raises her eyebrows suggestively, and he says maybe later, darlin’ an winks at her. Is that supposed to make me like him?
And then he smiles his most charming smile, (it was only at Miss Birgham), but he says it’s an attribute that hadn’t failed to win a woman yet. How nice.
Willow gets mad because her dad sent Hicks, an outlaw who tried to rape her, to her house with a message that he’d be staying there and running a cattle business, and so she grabs up a chicken and chops its head off. Then she says it’s too bad it wasn’t Hicks, and then realizes she’s getting bloodthirsty but looks for another chicken. I know that’s how they ate back then, and I know she was killing them for supper, but really? She’s getting satisfaction from chopping chicken’s heads off. That’s not a quality I want in a character. I like heroines that don’t kill animals for any reason, let alone take pleasure in the act. It’s making me like her even less.
Rider comes in the kitchen and they’re talking and everything, so she knows he’s still there, but she just unbuttons the top buttons on her shirt and wipes the top of her sweaty breasts. No one is that stupid. She’s made many comments indicating she knows what men want, and she almost got raped, so she should know better than to unbutton her shirt in the presence of a man and wipe her breasts off. She isn’t the innocent virgin who knows nothing, so why she did that is beyond me. It’s only making her come off as a slut, or a dense, unaware idiot.
I was really put off when both Rider and Willow referred to Taylor as a half-wit. That’s a cruel and mean thing to say, and I expect better from the main characters. That’s something the antagonists are supposed to say.
The storyline was very average. It’s a plot that’s been done a million times, and there was nothing particularly good about it. There were some cute and funny exchanges between them, but for the most part it was annoying. She had no qualms about Rider being asked to leave the military for smuggling in alcohol or whatever, and instantly adapted to him being at her house, a man that was a stranger to her. Just because she met him some months ago doesn’t mean they’re acquaintances. And Miss Birgham, or Miss Propriety as I see her, was really getting on my nerves. She pushed them together in the beginning, wanting Rider to accompany them to the social and then to church the next day, and even waved them off together when Willow gestured that they were going to go off outside together during the social, when he was a stranger and his background was bad. But then she comes down like a disapproving, judgmental teacher when he’s at her house. Which is it, lady?
Then there was some nonsense about the deer called Hairy that was obviously supposed to be funny but missed the mark by a landslide. Authors sometime have this reoccurring theme that’s funny, but a mangy deer with a curling lip that looks like a smile is definitely not the ticket. Rider saw it when he got there and talked about it. Juan agreed. Taylor said he liked it, Willow did too. Miss Brigham stared in shock, so did the man who drove her out to the place. I mean, really. That is a pathetic attempt at humor.
I kept wondering how old Rider was, because he kept calling her a girl, a young woman, little girl, and little one, and so I wondered how much older he was for him to call her such names. He even got mad and called her a child one time. I don’t like an age difference so great that he’d call her a child.
It wasn’t even a third into the book when the characters are making comments about love. Rider finds out that Willow tangled with a killer and humiliated him by making him strip and taking his horse, and he’s all worried, and makes the comment “didn’t she know that he loved . . . God, no! He didn’t love her, he didn’t. He just cared, that’s all.” They’ve only been together for like two days, 3 days tops, and he already loves her. Are you kidding me? All that should be happening is that they’re interested in each other or like each other. Love this soon is a joke.
There’s been comments that Rider is a young man, but so then why is he calling Willow a child if he’s so young himself?
“She was pretty, but he’d had prettier.” Oh, I just love when the men make those kind of comments. It’s so nice.
They kiss and touch each other in her room, and Juan knocks on the door and interrupts. Rider gets mad at his lack of control and so he doesn’t speak to her or help her down from the wagon for the next few days, ignoring her completely. Willow thinks he’s disgusted at her, and so she gets mad. She barely talks to him, and treats him exactly like she should. Then there’s a runaway wagon and Rider saves it. The woman is all over him, sobbing and leaning against him, and Willow gets jealous, but decides to turn herself into a lady, wanting to be like and befriend the very women who make fun of her. I was disappointed by that decision, but she does ask Mrs. Birgham to teach her to talk better, and she does need that. In the dress shop she even asks the two girls who had just been laughing at her which dress looked better on her. They laugh at her and make fun of her more, and she doesn’t even say anything to them or stick up for herself. The shop owner has to. I hate when characters do dumb, embarrassing things like reach out to the people that are mean to them. When she goes back to the ranch, Rider helps Mrs. Birgham down from the wagon and doesn’t help her down. He only looks into her eyes with a cold expression. It takes Mrs. Birgham’s reminder for him to do so. He says “you look real pretty, sweetheart. I missed you,” but it’s only to keep up the ruse that they’re married in front of the ranch hands. She gets mad and slaps him, which was good, but then he crushes her to him and kisses her and she responds and forgets all about her anger.
I hate when authors throw out seedy details about the side characters. Gavin gets some girl pregnant, one that he visits when he goes through that town, but he didn’t want to marry her. That was so disgusting, and I hated hearing about it.
The way her family carried on was disgusting. Gavin commented that Willow was a double-breasted creature that had to wear dresses, and Carter says Mrs. Birgham was there so people wouldn’t think Willow was a slut. I mean, really. What kind of family talks like that? Then Willow leans down and kisses her dad’s cheek, and after she leaves he makes the comment, “Damn, but she smells good.” Wtf?
When Willow found out Gavin got a girl pregnant, and there’s no shock, no censure, no thoughts on the carelessness and disgustingness of such a situation. She’s just elated because she’s gonna be an aunt and she wants to know where the woman is and if they’ve gotten married and all that, and even jokes about it like it’s funny and there’s nothing wrong with it. That speaks volumes.
When Willow started wanting to be a lady she lost a lot of her fire. She even became boring and too mild for my tastes. She goes to see Andy in his room and is asking about how he got hurt and about the stolen cows, and Andy snaps at her to ask their dad instead. Her eyes tear up but she apologizes and then says she’ll bring him a special treat later. Wtf? Be mad at him.
All of her family is refusing to tell her anything so she goes for a ride on the wild horse and Rider comes after her. She gets all frustrated, and when she finds Rider right behind her, she goes and hits his chest. I hate when women do that. It’s crazy and hysterical and it’s no wonder men think women are emotional and can’t handle things when they do things like that.
Then we’ve got her dad and Mrs. Birgham liking each other, which I guessed way early on in the game. They’re looking at each other and sizing each other up. She’s thinking he’s a big brawny guy with a ruddy complexion that can’t be considered handsome, but for some reason she likes him, and he’s thinking he likes big women and she’s got meat in all the right places. I’m sorry, I thought I was reading about Willow and Rider, not the sordid sex life of her brother and the little attraction between her dad and the widow. Why is this in here?
Her dad’s about to leave to go freighting again, and tells her to watch out for outlaws, because they know she’s a woman now, and he says, and I quote, “You’re a damn good-lookin’ woman.” WTF? Ew. Hello, McPherren, no one wants their dad say something like that. We get it, she’s hot and every guy that gets wind of her will go after her and try to rape her whether she’s in men’s clothing or a dress because she’s so good-looking, but her dad wasn’t the one that should have made that comment. That’s creepy.
Andy makes a comment that she doesn’t have a gun on her, and instead of just telling him she does or saying where, she asks for his hand and directs it to the gun on her thigh. Cuz that isn’t weird at all. Who wants their brother’s hand anywhere near their thigh?
When Willow was thinking about having sex with Rider, she knew she never wanted to get married and thought of preventative methods of pregnancy. When they have sex it’s spontaneous, outside behind some bushes near the river, and they didn’t use protection. They end up having sex twice then, and he asks what she’s going to do if she got pregnant, like it’s all on her, which didn’t set right with me, and she doesn’t even bat an eyelash, but in typical hick fashion says “I reckon if that happens, I’ll just have to love the little feller enough for both of us.” So instead of using protection, you just have sex with a devil-may-care attitude that you might get pregnant and raise the kid alone because he’ll be skipping outta town just as soon as he takes a notion. And he would leave her alone with his kid? That says a lot.
It’s almost comical how ladylike Willow was being when she was married. She was speaking perfectly and was acting just like a lady. What a total 360 she pulled. That was completely unbelievable and unrealistic how she managed to transform herself into an eloquent, prim and proper lady in the matter of a few days.
It was so disgusting and disturbing when Willow and Rider arrive at the ranch after their honeymoon, and her brothers are waiting at the door grinning and winking. Gavin says “You look a little tired sister. And poor Rider here looks plum worn out!” Then they all laugh and slap Rider on the back. Ew!
“Rider draped his arm around her shoulders, a prideful, male grin on his face. “Being married isn’t so bad, boys,” he said. “It’s kind of convenient having your woman handy, whenever you get ra—”
Willow slugged his arm.
The brothers broke into wild laughter. Owen guffawed at his son-in-law. “You just might fit into this here family after all, son!”
What is up with this author and perverted comments/action between siblings and parents? That is so sick! That’s a line you should never cross.
Idk why the author would choose to incorporate real-life people in her story, and then surround them with fictional characters. Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp and the Clanton gang were in there, and that just seemed strange to me, since they weren’t the central characters and the story wasn’t about them.
It was really sick and disgusting when Willow was discussing Francisca and Gavin’s love life, buying lotions and soaps for her, and satin and silk underwear, and telling Francisca to jump Gavin in bed. Wow. That’s a conversation that most people wouldn’t want to have about their brother, but this author knows no bounds.
I applauded Willow for being hurt and mad at Rider for lying about his identity and purpose, and on the last night he was gonna be at the ranch she tells him Mrs. Brigham is sleeping with her and he has to sleep with one of her brothers. And then she stayed at the boardinghouse for a week. I really liked when she went to the fort disguised as a maid to see Haggerty, finding out the date for the meeting with El Jefe. And I liked when she took Sultan, Rider’s horse, to go back to the fort. I love when the characters take charge, and it’s about time there was some action.
I had guessed early on that Taylor wasn’t really mentally challenged, when he reacted so angrily to Rider, and I wished it hadn’t taken 10 years for the rest of them to figure out. Rider was suspicious, but then just gave it up when Willow didn’t like it. And I wish the author hadn’t waited so long for Willow to find out Rider’s betrayal. I hate when things are dragged out, and I feel like she didn’t have enough time to feel properly betrayed. She just got over it very quickly, and after Hicks tried to rape her and Rider saved her she’s begging him to hold her tightly. She stayed mad a little after that, but then when Rider took the bullet for her she just miraculously realized that he loved her.
There were quite a few historically inaccurate sayings that were used:
you’re not off the hook yet
stick in the mud
buss on the cheek
you’re joshing me
guilty as charged
birthday suit (as in naked)
hunk
chump
pranksters
break the ice
hangover
bull (as in bullcrap)
pain in the fanny
That always takes away from the story when authors throw out modern terminology and ideas. It jars me right out of the timeframe and back into my own. That shouldn’t happen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2021
this is one of those books where it's pretty slow paced, nothing of consequence happens and then in the last thirty pages of the book things start taking off and happen so fast that you feel like you've been cheated on the ending of the story.
she left some of the things unresolved-like between Gavin and his wife.also,they never really discussed the true identity of the bandito and how they all had been tricked.it was also pretty frustrating that neither rider or willow ever figured out who the secret identity was until the very last.
can i just point out that 'sheep dung' and 'beefwit' aren't insulting.at all.
the whole 'er,ah' thing was really annoying.
"a body would think.." was kinda stupid.
the author threw a lot of explanation points out there makin ppl sound a lil stupid.
the whole gavin baby deal really didn't need to be in there.not even gunna get started on how bad/trashy that was!
Willow(the main character) alternated between sounding like a little kid and a grown lady.
she's illiterate sounding one minute and prim and proper the next.
example-'nice to see you.perhaps you could help me decide about this dress.do you think it suits me?" then she went right back to ""that's shore enough true, Harmony.&since you know so much about these things,I thought you might help me,being raised by men,I ain't had much learning 'bout such things."
her 'big speech' to her dad turned out to be a crap pile.
'it's no longer fair for you to lump me in with the boys,Pa.im a woman &theres rules a woman has to abide by if she wants to be thought of as respectable and i do.do you think any decent woman is goin to be friends with someone everbody's gossiping about? when you and the boys are off drinkin at the Crystal Palace,did you ever once consider that I might enjoy passing the time of day with a lady friend? well,did you?"she asked vehemently. (vehemently doesnt really fit there) Willow brushed at the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks."You ain't been fair,Pa.Whether you like it or not,im a woman!"
all of this was so NOT warranted after her lil 'speech'-"Bravo!"Carter shouted,clapping his hands.Owen sat in stunned shock.Gavin wore a begrudging smile of respect,and nick looked as pleased as a pup with two tails.Rider winked.'
1st of all,could you get a better saying there.like 'as pleased as a pup with a bone' two tails brings forth a somewhat gross image.
she manages to get herself into these predicaments at least two times where shes almost been raped.&killed once.you think someone as 'tough' as 'ol willow would be able to handle herself a lil better than that.
this book was trashy at times and i think a lot of that should have been left out.like the whole almost rape stuff that happens in here after she's married.&willow didn't even try to fight back.
-&that "girl" on the cover is 17 like i am.seriously, she looks like she's in her 30s.&why do authors have their characters look like floozys.&cheap ones at that. the character didn't even dress like that. it also makes the book look cheap&trashy. which it was trashy in places.but i wouldnt wanna make my book look tasteless.
rider &willow sounded completely stupid sometimes.
-i dont remember things happening so fast in here when i read it the 1st time. like the characters feelings for each other,or their ruse of bein a couple.
she's one of the girls,who, after the guy mentions women he's been with, has no reaction whatsoever. who wants to hear the guy they like talk about other girls?! -"ive chased women out of my bed but ive never forced any into it."
one second her hair is strawberry blond,the next its red or orange. then she has auburn lashes. wth? pick a color &stick with it! &the girls hair on the cover is clearly blond. &riders hair is supposed to be jet black, but that guys hair is most definitely not black on the cover. why do covers hardly ever match the characters??
only 100 somethin pages in at the word love is bein thrown around.
Even after explaining why she helped the mare birth she has juan explain it to rider again. There’s nothin2 explain, anyway. &do you seriously think that’s why he’s mad?
Its 1 of those books that almost immediately grab you and you can’t put it down until the very end.
It was kinda weird to have a private discussion after everyone found out about them getting together &then start making out &undoing her dress.
I hate when the guy bullies the girl into sayin she loves him. willow was doin good for a while, but of course he had to have his way. &I wasn’t crazy about the way she said she loved him. &she adamantly stated she never wanted to be married cause she didn’t want anyone bossing her. After a lil statement from rider that they would be equal she’s all gung ho.
She suddenly gets prim &proper at their wedding, sayin “darling” when she’s never called him that.
Some of this book was better the first time I read it.&other parts were better the 2nd time.
I don’t like that the author skipped over the actual wedding. Or didn’t tell of rider how rider felt/or looked at her. Usually in a book, they tell that the guy looks at her with admiration or something. but in here we got nothing. I also didn’t like that they spent their weddin night in a hotel. The weddin dress also sounded cheap &tacky.
I know the guy had been naked in the sun for a long time, but it was weird that rider was so nice to him considering hes bad.
No one would be that happy to find out that their brother got some girl pregnant. I mean, for all willow knows, shes some slut. &who wants that in their family? Was she that desperate to be an aunt and have another girl in the house?
I know marriages back then technically weren’t legal until it was consummated but gavin &francisca had already done it. she’s pregnant, for goodness sakes, I think we’re past the consummation part.
&I don’t like when people tell others that a guy loves them. Willow had no right tellin francisca that gavin loves her. &does anyone else find it weird that she’s tellin francisca how to seduce her brother?!
When willow hears them talkin in the barn the first time she comes out, startin to make a good stand, but was totally ruined with “criminey, there must be a fortune in here.” She finally overhears the truth about rider and the government &that he was sent purposely to seduce her &yet she cries because he works for the government. Doesn’t even mention the deliberate romance part.
I cant stand when characters tell someone of their husbands deception &they basically take the guys side. When willow told Miriam everything, Miriam didn’t believe it of rider.i wanted miriam to join forces w/willow &give rider the what-for,which is what she said she'd do if rider ever hurt willow.
Everyone says willow is tough and can handle herself but she lets herself almost have sex with hagerty. All for the sake of info. I mean she overheard rider say that he didn’t want her goin there cause hagerty is a womanizer.
&then hes like “freckles wouldn’t stoop so low. She was a proud and moral woman.” If she hadn’t gotten sick, just how far was she gonna let hagerty go?! &that’s complete cheating btw. Hicks kissed her. Hagerty kissed &mauled her. Then hicks kisses and mauls her again. Total cheating!
Rider says “his supposed betrayal.” Theres nothing supposed about it.
Books are always so unrealistic when they have the guy come in the nick of time to save the girl. It’s a little incredible the first time, much less the second and third time.
I wished rider and willow could have stayed on the ranch. I don’t like the idea of them living far away.
This is a regular romance book-everythings going good &then a misunderstanding/fight/secret ruins everything towards the ending of the book. They stay mad/away from each other and don’t reconcile til the end. I used to really like those storylines, and I still do depending on how its done. But I think sometimes its taken a little too far and it happens too close to the end of the book. I like a very well done, happy ending, and sadly that isn’t the case here. Think the book could have ended a little bit better.
while funny,some of the things said/done in front of your brother/sister/dad shouldn't be said/done.
&why would the dad offer his bed knowing what they were gunna be doin in it? &why would they accept, knowin its her dads bed? yikes!
i also dont like how rider agreed when that guy said take one of those girls for a romp in the sack..or however he termed it.he shouldnt feel ashamed/wrong in telling his friend no.
reading this book, it leads to a whole other world that you definitely dont wanna get out of.its kinda sad ending the book, because finding a book you like, especially one you really like,is hard to find. im disappointed to be done with this well-written book and move on to the books i have from the library.most books pale in comparison to this.
i lucked up finding this.i think the library had it for sale for a dollar. its a rare find and im glad i decided to purchase it.
i wish books like this could be found more often!
she left some of the things unresolved-like between Gavin and his wife.also,they never really discussed the true identity of the bandito and how they all had been tricked.it was also pretty frustrating that neither rider or willow ever figured out who the secret identity was until the very last.
can i just point out that 'sheep dung' and 'beefwit' aren't insulting.at all.
the whole 'er,ah' thing was really annoying.
"a body would think.." was kinda stupid.
the author threw a lot of explanation points out there makin ppl sound a lil stupid.
the whole gavin baby deal really didn't need to be in there.not even gunna get started on how bad/trashy that was!
Willow(the main character) alternated between sounding like a little kid and a grown lady.
she's illiterate sounding one minute and prim and proper the next.
example-'nice to see you.perhaps you could help me decide about this dress.do you think it suits me?" then she went right back to ""that's shore enough true, Harmony.&since you know so much about these things,I thought you might help me,being raised by men,I ain't had much learning 'bout such things."
her 'big speech' to her dad turned out to be a crap pile.
'it's no longer fair for you to lump me in with the boys,Pa.im a woman &theres rules a woman has to abide by if she wants to be thought of as respectable and i do.do you think any decent woman is goin to be friends with someone everbody's gossiping about? when you and the boys are off drinkin at the Crystal Palace,did you ever once consider that I might enjoy passing the time of day with a lady friend? well,did you?"she asked vehemently. (vehemently doesnt really fit there) Willow brushed at the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks."You ain't been fair,Pa.Whether you like it or not,im a woman!"
all of this was so NOT warranted after her lil 'speech'-"Bravo!"Carter shouted,clapping his hands.Owen sat in stunned shock.Gavin wore a begrudging smile of respect,and nick looked as pleased as a pup with two tails.Rider winked.'
1st of all,could you get a better saying there.like 'as pleased as a pup with a bone' two tails brings forth a somewhat gross image.
she manages to get herself into these predicaments at least two times where shes almost been raped.&killed once.you think someone as 'tough' as 'ol willow would be able to handle herself a lil better than that.
this book was trashy at times and i think a lot of that should have been left out.like the whole almost rape stuff that happens in here after she's married.&willow didn't even try to fight back.
-&that "girl" on the cover is 17 like i am.seriously, she looks like she's in her 30s.&why do authors have their characters look like floozys.&cheap ones at that. the character didn't even dress like that. it also makes the book look cheap&trashy. which it was trashy in places.but i wouldnt wanna make my book look tasteless.
rider &willow sounded completely stupid sometimes.
-i dont remember things happening so fast in here when i read it the 1st time. like the characters feelings for each other,or their ruse of bein a couple.
she's one of the girls,who, after the guy mentions women he's been with, has no reaction whatsoever. who wants to hear the guy they like talk about other girls?! -"ive chased women out of my bed but ive never forced any into it."
one second her hair is strawberry blond,the next its red or orange. then she has auburn lashes. wth? pick a color &stick with it! &the girls hair on the cover is clearly blond. &riders hair is supposed to be jet black, but that guys hair is most definitely not black on the cover. why do covers hardly ever match the characters??
only 100 somethin pages in at the word love is bein thrown around.
Even after explaining why she helped the mare birth she has juan explain it to rider again. There’s nothin2 explain, anyway. &do you seriously think that’s why he’s mad?
Its 1 of those books that almost immediately grab you and you can’t put it down until the very end.
It was kinda weird to have a private discussion after everyone found out about them getting together &then start making out &undoing her dress.
I hate when the guy bullies the girl into sayin she loves him. willow was doin good for a while, but of course he had to have his way. &I wasn’t crazy about the way she said she loved him. &she adamantly stated she never wanted to be married cause she didn’t want anyone bossing her. After a lil statement from rider that they would be equal she’s all gung ho.
She suddenly gets prim &proper at their wedding, sayin “darling” when she’s never called him that.
Some of this book was better the first time I read it.&other parts were better the 2nd time.
I don’t like that the author skipped over the actual wedding. Or didn’t tell of rider how rider felt/or looked at her. Usually in a book, they tell that the guy looks at her with admiration or something. but in here we got nothing. I also didn’t like that they spent their weddin night in a hotel. The weddin dress also sounded cheap &tacky.
I know the guy had been naked in the sun for a long time, but it was weird that rider was so nice to him considering hes bad.
No one would be that happy to find out that their brother got some girl pregnant. I mean, for all willow knows, shes some slut. &who wants that in their family? Was she that desperate to be an aunt and have another girl in the house?
I know marriages back then technically weren’t legal until it was consummated but gavin &francisca had already done it. she’s pregnant, for goodness sakes, I think we’re past the consummation part.
&I don’t like when people tell others that a guy loves them. Willow had no right tellin francisca that gavin loves her. &does anyone else find it weird that she’s tellin francisca how to seduce her brother?!
When willow hears them talkin in the barn the first time she comes out, startin to make a good stand, but was totally ruined with “criminey, there must be a fortune in here.” She finally overhears the truth about rider and the government &that he was sent purposely to seduce her &yet she cries because he works for the government. Doesn’t even mention the deliberate romance part.
I cant stand when characters tell someone of their husbands deception &they basically take the guys side. When willow told Miriam everything, Miriam didn’t believe it of rider.i wanted miriam to join forces w/willow &give rider the what-for,which is what she said she'd do if rider ever hurt willow.
Everyone says willow is tough and can handle herself but she lets herself almost have sex with hagerty. All for the sake of info. I mean she overheard rider say that he didn’t want her goin there cause hagerty is a womanizer.
&then hes like “freckles wouldn’t stoop so low. She was a proud and moral woman.” If she hadn’t gotten sick, just how far was she gonna let hagerty go?! &that’s complete cheating btw. Hicks kissed her. Hagerty kissed &mauled her. Then hicks kisses and mauls her again. Total cheating!
Rider says “his supposed betrayal.” Theres nothing supposed about it.
Books are always so unrealistic when they have the guy come in the nick of time to save the girl. It’s a little incredible the first time, much less the second and third time.
I wished rider and willow could have stayed on the ranch. I don’t like the idea of them living far away.
This is a regular romance book-everythings going good &then a misunderstanding/fight/secret ruins everything towards the ending of the book. They stay mad/away from each other and don’t reconcile til the end. I used to really like those storylines, and I still do depending on how its done. But I think sometimes its taken a little too far and it happens too close to the end of the book. I like a very well done, happy ending, and sadly that isn’t the case here. Think the book could have ended a little bit better.
while funny,some of the things said/done in front of your brother/sister/dad shouldn't be said/done.
&why would the dad offer his bed knowing what they were gunna be doin in it? &why would they accept, knowin its her dads bed? yikes!
i also dont like how rider agreed when that guy said take one of those girls for a romp in the sack..or however he termed it.he shouldnt feel ashamed/wrong in telling his friend no.
reading this book, it leads to a whole other world that you definitely dont wanna get out of.its kinda sad ending the book, because finding a book you like, especially one you really like,is hard to find. im disappointed to be done with this well-written book and move on to the books i have from the library.most books pale in comparison to this.
i lucked up finding this.i think the library had it for sale for a dollar. its a rare find and im glad i decided to purchase it.
i wish books like this could be found more often!
May 3, 2020
Romance is not my typical genre. I tend to prefer suspense novels, but I gave this book a try because I wanted to try something new. I always imagined romance novels to be cheesy, and this one did live up to that expectation. However, the romance scenes were very steamy and I did actually enjoy this book overall. I think I’ll sit stick to my suspense novels going forward, but I think this author did a great job of luring you in for the fantasy of romance.
October 17, 2014
did not really enjoy
Read
October 25, 2015I loved this book wish it was on kindle
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews