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Just Kate / His Only Wife

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Ever since Kate Blake's sister died in a car accident, it's been just her. Just Kate to keep her family together. Just Kate to live up to her senator father's expectations and her mother's idea of perfection. But now, after a painful betrayal by those she loves, she decides it's time to live for herself and claim what she wants. And what she wants is Sean Harris. The only man she's ever loved. And her late sister's husband.

But years have passed since Abby's accident, and both Sean and Kate feel it's time to move on. Still, when Kate meets the rugged Australian on his home turf, she is surprised by what she finds with Sean--a sense of home and belonging that she's never known. And the one person who loves her for nothing else except being...just Kate.

Bonus book included in this volume!

His Only Wife by Cathy McDavid

Aubrey Stuart returns home to Blue Ridge, Arizona, only to discover that the boy she'd eloped with and hastily divorced ten years ago has matured. And now Gage Raintree is a man a thousand times more tempting...

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

222 people are currently reading
368 people want to read

About the author

Linda Lael Miller

553 books3,221 followers
The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West. Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a spacious property outside Spokane.
Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold Fletcher’s Woman in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, mysteries and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Long a passionate Civil War buff, Linda has studied the era avidly for almost thirty years. She has read literally hundreds of books on the subject, explored numerous battlegrounds and made many visits to her favorite, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where she has witnessed re-enactments of the legendary clash between North and South. Linda explores that turbulent time in The Yankee Widow, a May 7, 2019 MIRA Books hardcover, also available in digital and audiobook formats.
Dedicated to helping others, “The First Lady of the West” personally financed fifteen years of her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, which she awarded to women 25 years and older who were seeking to improve their lot in life through education. She anticipates that her next charitable endeavors will benefit four-legged critters.
More information about Linda and her novels is available at www.lindalaelmiller.com, on Facebook and from Nancy Berland Public Relations, nancy@nancyberland.com, 405-206-4748.

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Community Reviews

5 stars
184 (36%)
4 stars
158 (31%)
3 stars
117 (23%)
2 stars
33 (6%)
1 star
7 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for Denise.
4,119 reviews12 followers
July 8, 2013
Always a joy to read her books and in this edition it had a bonus story by Cathy McDavid an author I have never read before but will read again. Both stories were the type once you start you don't put down until finished. With Just Kate you root for her and her quest and hope it comes true for her finally that she will get her love-minus the ghosts. And His only Wife you root for them to get past the past in between the fires that is and reconnect. Filled with love and adventure for sure.
Profile Image for Shelly.
286 reviews
January 2, 2014
Just Kate - was a great book. Linda is able to bring the characters of Sean and Kate to life like no others - and for a short story - it screamed passion.

His Only Wife - This was a very good book. Cathy was able to build two incredibly strong characters in Gage and Aubrey that brought you into their world. They were torn by duty to their professions and the love they had for each other. Really enjoyed this one!
Profile Image for Brittany.
159 reviews
February 6, 2013
Just Kate was an incredible read, I loved everything about it, but then again im a sucker for anything Australian, I wish I had started reading Linda's books sooner!


His only was so sweet and I loved how she was the only one for him and they never stoped loving each other and that was just an amazing read!
Profile Image for Pamela.
711 reviews
May 15, 2013
A love story...typical Linda Lael Miller! I enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Jewlsbookblog.
2,209 reviews74 followers
September 11, 2018
Just Kate
Linda Lael Miller
2.5 stars

Kate has been in love with her former brother-in-law for as long as she can remember. Tragedy tore her family apart and although she can’t stop her feelings for Sean, the ghost of her sister lies between them.

Sean is the bossy Aussie and Kate a little sassy, but mostly a doormat. Their attraction was mixed signals coming and going, and more physical then emotional. Gil, Kate’s nephew and Sean’s son, was the highlight with his exuberance and sunny disposition.

The storyline sounded appealing, however the execution was choppy. The pacing was rushed and the characters were flat.


His Only Wife
Cathy McDavid
3.5 stars

Ten years have passed since Aubrey and Gage divorced after 6 weeks of marriage. Back at her childhood summer retreat to temporarily care for her grandmother, Aubrey isn’t prepared for the chemistry still burning between her and Gage.

Aubrey is an ER nurse. She’s a daddy’s girl, striving for approval, yet also capable and smart in her own way. Her inability to face challenges drove me nuts though. Whether it was school, marriage, or nursing, when the going got rough, she ran. Her indecisiveness kept her locked like a broken record, seemingly doomed to repeat itself.

Gage divides his time working the family ranch and volunteer firefighting/Hotshot. He’s a good guy, reliable, and smart. He’s got his own beef with his dad over career choices, however, unlIke Aubrey, Gage is trying to find working solutions both for himself and his family.

Both careers have their share of adrenaline and risks-both emotional and physical-that Aubrey and Gage thrive on, but nothing galvanizes them more than each other. I loved their chemistry and sweet nothings, I just wish Aubrey could have made up her mind sooner!

This was a a sweet second chance romance! I liked the nuances of family squabbles, the dimensional characters, the sizzling romance, and the interesting look into the fighting fires and the Hotshots. I would have enjoyed an epilogue, but I’ll take the mostly satisfying ending:)
Profile Image for Crystal Huffman.
4 reviews
September 15, 2021
An old favorite and a new favorite

I love Just Kate. It's one of my favorites. I have it in paperback. I just moved and couldn't find my book, and I want to read it so I bought it. The other story was a new story but was very good. Keep my interest the whole story and the characters were very interesting. I love second chance stories. I would definitely recommend this book, for the people who love Just Kate and are interested in reading a story about second chance and firefighters.
Profile Image for Janice.
3,062 reviews
October 17, 2017
Ever since Kate Blake's sister died in a car accident she's tried to live up to her senator father's expectations and her mother's idea of perfection. But now, after a painful betrayal, it's time to claim what she wants. And what she wants is Sean Harris, her sister's widower.
Profile Image for Emily.
325 reviews
October 1, 2020
Loved it. read it too fast . couldn't put it down
Profile Image for Ruth.
140 reviews
August 3, 2021
Low score because of quite implicit sexual scenes.
Profile Image for *Dawn.
656 reviews22 followers
October 5, 2015
Just Kate
Thirty-year-old Kate Blake is working as a press secretary for her father, Senator John Blake, when she is blindsided by her fiance and father's campaign manager when she catches him dealing drugs out in the open while at the opera. As she is walking home she interrupts a mugging on the street. She is surprised to learn the victim of the mugging is her former brother-in-law, Sean Harris, who is in town from Australia for business. She hasn't seen Sean or his son, Gil, since her sister's death several years ago. She still has the same reaction to him that she had as a teenager when she fell in love with him at first sight. Sean and Kate's attraction is mutual and immediate and after Kate's overbearing father steps over the line and she resigns from his employment, she travels to Australia to visit her nephew, never guessing that it will be forever.

This story was actually kind of dumb and unbelievable. They fought ALL the time, he was pretty overbearing, and she was a stubborn dimwit. Not a good representation of L.L.M.'s work.

His Only Wife
Aubrey Stewart is an E.R. nurse in a Tucson, AZ hospital and has just gone through a traumatic event that is causing her to freeze up at work. She is doubting her abilities and is afraid she will make a mistake that will cost someone their life. She welcomes the opportunity to go live with and care for her grandmother in Blue Ridge while she recovers from a broken hip. The only drawback is the inevitable reunion with her ex-husband, Gage Reardon, whom she left suddenly after only six weeks of marriage 10 years before. He is still helping his father run the family ranch, along with working as a volunteer firefighter and for the Blue Ridge Hotshots fighting wildfires, traveling to different states to fight fires as they are needed. When they run into eachother, they are both overwhelmed by the fact that they still care for eachother. They are still facing the same problems they did 10 years before, however, and have to figure out a compromise that will work for them.

This story was pretty good as they had a longtime friendship and connection and spent every summer together from the time they were 4 and 6 years old. They knew eachother very well and just had to get over the bumps that were keeping them apart.
Profile Image for Emily Higgins.
1,923 reviews6 followers
April 2, 2013
Kate travels to Australia to visit her nephew. She falls in love with her widowed brother-in-law. This book is one of Linda Lael Miller's earlier works. The hero is more chauvinistic (the hero slaps the heroine on the butt, supposedly affectionately, several times) than more recent books. Consequently, the hero is not a very likable character. There are lots of family complications that get in the way of true love.
Profile Image for Lindsey.
368 reviews5 followers
March 4, 2013
I normally love Linda Lael Miller books, but this one was a little confusing for me. The whole story was so back and forth that I felt like I got whiplash. One second Kate and Sean wanted to be together and then the next they were never going to work out. The story kept me entertained, but their quick changes of heart kind of ruined it for me. Not my favorite of her books.
Profile Image for Kim.
780 reviews
January 26, 2014
Mediocre. I only read "Just Kate." I have read stories by Linda Lael Miller I lvoed, but this one was too short and just not the depth i was looking for. Kate is in love with her dead sister's husband and lives her life working for her father the senator, and then runs back into Sean again and everything is turned upside down.
Profile Image for Katie.
161 reviews
January 14, 2013
I love Linda Lael Miller's work but this was written in 1989 so it isn't as good as her newer work. I felt like the story had a lot of potential but Kate and Sean's relationship moved to fast and the story didn't quite flow right.
3 reviews
August 15, 2015
Very good book. I will read more of her books in the future. I have been reading her books for many years.

E been reading her books for many years. She spins a good and interesting story. Will be waiting for her next book.
2,651 reviews
April 14, 2013
Just Kate by Linda Lael Miller was terrible. No plot. Arguing solved by sex. This story is 1 star.

His First Wife by Cathy McDavid redeemed the effort. That story was a 3.5 star story.
18 reviews2 followers
November 30, 2013
Excellent!!

excellent! I love linda's books. she is awesome.
I was also impressed with Cathy McDavid. I don't think I have read her before.
Profile Image for Suzie.
56 reviews
March 16, 2014
a quick read. not my favorite, but not too bad either
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
2,266 reviews18 followers
May 28, 2014
I had a hard time with Just Kate - it just didn't jive with me. I actually enjoyed the bonus book more.
Profile Image for Dana.
83 reviews4 followers
September 16, 2014
Just Kate was just boring. I was unimpressed & disappointed. The bonus book was much better but a low bar was set.
Profile Image for Linnea Bassin.
270 reviews2 followers
May 1, 2015
Nice short story

I enjoyed reading Just Kate. It was well written. I look forward to reading more from Linda Lael Miller. I didn't read the other story.
Profile Image for karen.
1,627 reviews
April 22, 2016
Nice story. Seeing to much lack of trust in Sean.
Profile Image for Jessica.
24 reviews
dnf
March 19, 2013
As an Australian I couldn't handle the Australian-ism's!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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