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Braddock-Black #5
Force Of Nature
As a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Susan Johnson is one of the most recognized and popular romance authors writing today. "Force of Nature," her third tale of erotic romantic adventure from Brava, will seduce readers everywhere with its lush sensuality and emotionally charged love story.In her bestseller Blaze, Jan Hazard Black, the Harvard-educated son of an Absarokee chief, captured readers' hearts everywhere. "Force of Nature" is the story of the daughter he never knew he had, until 1888, when two visitors present themselves at his home in Helena, Montana. One is his former lover, Lucy Attenborough, and the other is their daughter, Jo.
Raised in Florence, Jo Attenborough is much more like her father than her frivolous mother. Strong, determined and intelligent, Jo's interest in engineering is beyond her mother's understanding. The arrival of the two women throws life in the Hazard household into a whirlwind of confusion. Jan's wife, Blaze, must come to terms with this unknown daughter, as well as her husband's former paramour. Jo's half-brother and sister, Trey and Daisy, accept their new sibling with varying degrees of friendship. Trey's special bond with Jo soon causes unpleasant gossip that Hazard and Blaze are hard-put to quell.
Then, Flynn Ito rides into town with his cattle drive, and even Hazard's considerable influence is pushed to its limits. The son of a samurai and an Irish mother, Flynn has carved out a cattle empire. He has a reputation for getting what he wants and protecting what's his -- and he wants Jo.
This book is intended for mature audiences.
Warning: Contains a rape scene.
Raised in Florence, Jo Attenborough is much more like her father than her frivolous mother. Strong, determined and intelligent, Jo's interest in engineering is beyond her mother's understanding. The arrival of the two women throws life in the Hazard household into a whirlwind of confusion. Jan's wife, Blaze, must come to terms with this unknown daughter, as well as her husband's former paramour. Jo's half-brother and sister, Trey and Daisy, accept their new sibling with varying degrees of friendship. Trey's special bond with Jo soon causes unpleasant gossip that Hazard and Blaze are hard-put to quell.
Then, Flynn Ito rides into town with his cattle drive, and even Hazard's considerable influence is pushed to its limits. The son of a samurai and an Irish mother, Flynn has carved out a cattle empire. He has a reputation for getting what he wants and protecting what's his -- and he wants Jo.
This book is intended for mature audiences.
Warning: Contains a rape scene.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
29 people are currently reading
261 people want to read
About the author
Susan Johnson
264 books574 followersAnd it all began rather serendipitously. Long ago, as they say, in another time, when fast food hadn't reached our area and the only shopping was what the feed mill offered, I was reading a book that annoyed me .
My husband was lying beside me in bed, watching TV. Turning to him, I sort of petulantly said, "How the hell did this book get published?"
"If you think you're so smart," he replied, with one eye still on the TV, "why don't you write a book?"
So I did. And very badly.
I've since learned how to do, he said, she said, and a great variety of other adverb heavy, sometimes lengthy explanations of why my characters are saying what they're saying, along with finally coming to an understanding of what things like POV means. Point of View for you non-writers}.
Although, I still don't fully comprehend why it matters if you switch POV and I cavalierly disregard it as much as possible. So while my technical skills have hopefully improved, what hasn't changed is my great joy in writing. There's as much pleasure today in listening to my characters talk while I type as fast as I can, as there was the first time I put dialogue to paper--in long-hand, then, in my leather bound sketch-book.
My husband was lying beside me in bed, watching TV. Turning to him, I sort of petulantly said, "How the hell did this book get published?"
"If you think you're so smart," he replied, with one eye still on the TV, "why don't you write a book?"
So I did. And very badly.
I've since learned how to do, he said, she said, and a great variety of other adverb heavy, sometimes lengthy explanations of why my characters are saying what they're saying, along with finally coming to an understanding of what things like POV means. Point of View for you non-writers}.
Although, I still don't fully comprehend why it matters if you switch POV and I cavalierly disregard it as much as possible. So while my technical skills have hopefully improved, what hasn't changed is my great joy in writing. There's as much pleasure today in listening to my characters talk while I type as fast as I can, as there was the first time I put dialogue to paper--in long-hand, then, in my leather bound sketch-book.
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December 25, 2014
The Braddock-Black series, book 5 of 5.
US/UK EDITION SERIES INFO
Braddock-Black series
Book 5
Formats: Paperback in US
Used paperback in UK
The Braddock-Black family saga, started in book 1 with its matriarch Jon Hazard Black; an Absarokee Indian chief, Harvard educated attorney, rich and successful business man, land & mine owner, gorgeous and sexy playboy meeting the beyond rich heiress Blaze Braddock. Together they have amassed fortune and power, equally respected AND hated and so their story continues with the next generation.
Susan Johnson aka C.C. Gibbs, is published by different publishers in the US and UK, hence the different titles and covers.
These are stand-alones, but most enjoyed if read in order:
Book 1: (Year 1865)
Blaze (US) / Burning Touch (UK)
Book 2: (Year 1889)
Silver Flame (US) / A Seductive Flame (UK)
Book 3: (Year 1891)
Forbidden (US) / Forbidden Pleasure (UK)
Book 4: (Year 1896)
Brazen (US) / Rapture (UK)
Book 5: (Year 1888)
Force of Nature (US only)
Jo Attenborough (illegitimate daughter of book 1) and Flynn Ito’s story, year 1888.
Book blurb:
Jon Hazard Black (book 1), the Harvard-educated son of an Absarokee chief, captured readers' hearts everywhere. "Force of Nature" is the story of the daughter he never knew he had, until 1888, when two visitors present themselves at his home in Helena, Montana. One is his former lover, Lucy Attenborough, and the other is their daughter, Jo.
Raised in Florence, Jo Attenborough is much more like her father than her frivolous mother. Strong, determined and intelligent, Jo's interest in engineering is beyond her mother's understanding. The arrival of the two women throws life in the Hazard household into a whirlwind of confusion. Jon's wife, Blaze, must come to terms with this unknown daughter, as well as her husband's former paramour. Jo's half-brother and sister, Trey and Daisy, accept their new sibling with varying degrees of friendship. Trey's special bond with Jo soon causes unpleasant gossip that Hazard and Blaze are hard-put to quell.
Then, Flynn Ito rides into town with his cattle drive, and even Hazard's considerable influence is pushed to its limits. The son of a samurai and an Irish mother, Flynn has carved out a cattle empire. He has a reputation for getting what he wants and protecting what's his -- and he wants Jo.
Be sure to join CCGibbsFANS here on GR for the latest news:
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(Public group for members 18 years and older)
January 10, 2025
2nd book of the year! And my 1,800 Goodreads rating!!
I was confused by this book being listed as #5 in the series. Trey was mentioned as single in this book, and I was curious to see who he'd end up with, so I checked the series on Goodreads and realized that I had already read his book, but that was listed as Book 2. I think what happened was that Susan wrote the first three novels first and then decided to return to this series and John Hazard with an illegitimate daughter of Hazard. Then I see on Amazon how she republished the Kindle version of the novel, but I discovered the book randomly at the library. The original cover (the one that my library had) was reminiscent of a Georgia O'Keeffe painting with a flower being a symbol for a vagina.
The novel's opening is very unusual for a romance novel, I'd say: A former mistress brings her daughter to meet her father for the first time after 23 years. I also was shocked that Hazard would give Lucy 1.3 million dollars a year ($40,000 back then)! That's an extravagant amount to set someone up "comfortably".
Lucy was hilariously self-centered. I found this to be a gem: "Whoever had described him as disreputable and dangerous should have their head examined. He was a consummated gentleman. And if he'd killed all those men as people said he had, well, they surely must have deserved it (244)." Flynn should have introduced himself to Lucy earlier! When they finally did meet, I was surprised/forgotten that they hadn't earlier because I had a feeling that Lucy would try to get her claws into Flynn.
I also found this amusing: "Are we going to spend our honeymoon in bed?"
"Isn't that what a honeymoon is?"
"According to some women of my acquaintance, honeymoons are for shopping and sightseeing."
"Then their husbands must have very lovely mistresses."
LOL, omg.
The first half was five stars for me. The sex scenes were so good, and I loved how these two were insatiable for each other right from the very beginning. These two defined lust at first sight. I took photos of page 68 & 69 as I didn't know there were such masterful ways a man could thrust (or I hadn't read this in a while...) and when Flynn explained how he came since, "Orgasm and ejaculation don't have to be the same." I wrote in the caption, "I love this book."
The only thing that stopped this from being 5 stars was I wanted more conversation between them besides just endless sex and a surface level of affection as they were both trying not to fall in love.
I wasn't a fan when Flynn and Hazard let the second Englishman go, so I liked how they rectified it, though I didn't understand how Flynn went to England and sliced him up before Hazard's men got there. Unless I'm just supposed to believe it happened off-page on the way to Florence? Or Flynn had sent a man? I wished that was clearer.
I felt like Jo's personality didn't add up so well at times; she came off at the beginning of the novel as very practical and level-headed but then would throw fits that made me embarrassed for her. These fits were ones where I could see a man become condescending toward a woman/the whole gender in general, like, "Oh, I have to deal with a crazy woman again). She also made rash decisions that didn't seem to align with her personality.
Also, I got that she wasn't working as an engineer when she arrived in Montana since she was getting settled in & her mother didn't want her to work, but then when she married Flynn, there was never any mention of her deciding not to be an engineer because Flynn had enough money for the two of them. I needed more resolution regarding her career because her claiming to be an engineer in the book was window dressing. She could have had no career, and nothing except maybe three sentences maximum would have changed in the story.
Note: The rape scene threw me off because Jo only gets raped by objects. She's never penetrated by another male's penis. Hopefully, that's more palatable to readers.
Though this novel had me Googling a lot of new words as Susan Johnson's books always do, I still caught at least three typos. The only one I remember now is that a period was missing after "Mrs"; this was near the end of the book.
P.S. I'm friends with the author, but this has in no way affected my review.
I was confused by this book being listed as #5 in the series. Trey was mentioned as single in this book, and I was curious to see who he'd end up with, so I checked the series on Goodreads and realized that I had already read his book, but that was listed as Book 2. I think what happened was that Susan wrote the first three novels first and then decided to return to this series and John Hazard with an illegitimate daughter of Hazard. Then I see on Amazon how she republished the Kindle version of the novel, but I discovered the book randomly at the library. The original cover (the one that my library had) was reminiscent of a Georgia O'Keeffe painting with a flower being a symbol for a vagina.
The novel's opening is very unusual for a romance novel, I'd say: A former mistress brings her daughter to meet her father for the first time after 23 years. I also was shocked that Hazard would give Lucy 1.3 million dollars a year ($40,000 back then)! That's an extravagant amount to set someone up "comfortably".
Lucy was hilariously self-centered. I found this to be a gem: "Whoever had described him as disreputable and dangerous should have their head examined. He was a consummated gentleman. And if he'd killed all those men as people said he had, well, they surely must have deserved it (244)." Flynn should have introduced himself to Lucy earlier! When they finally did meet, I was surprised/forgotten that they hadn't earlier because I had a feeling that Lucy would try to get her claws into Flynn.
I also found this amusing: "Are we going to spend our honeymoon in bed?"
"Isn't that what a honeymoon is?"
"According to some women of my acquaintance, honeymoons are for shopping and sightseeing."
"Then their husbands must have very lovely mistresses."
LOL, omg.
The first half was five stars for me. The sex scenes were so good, and I loved how these two were insatiable for each other right from the very beginning. These two defined lust at first sight. I took photos of page 68 & 69 as I didn't know there were such masterful ways a man could thrust (or I hadn't read this in a while...) and when Flynn explained how he came since, "Orgasm and ejaculation don't have to be the same." I wrote in the caption, "I love this book."
The only thing that stopped this from being 5 stars was I wanted more conversation between them besides just endless sex and a surface level of affection as they were both trying not to fall in love.
I wasn't a fan when Flynn and Hazard let the second Englishman go, so I liked how they rectified it, though I didn't understand how Flynn went to England and sliced him up before Hazard's men got there. Unless I'm just supposed to believe it happened off-page on the way to Florence? Or Flynn had sent a man? I wished that was clearer.
I felt like Jo's personality didn't add up so well at times; she came off at the beginning of the novel as very practical and level-headed but then would throw fits that made me embarrassed for her. These fits were ones where I could see a man become condescending toward a woman/the whole gender in general, like, "Oh, I have to deal with a crazy woman again). She also made rash decisions that didn't seem to align with her personality.
Also, I got that she wasn't working as an engineer when she arrived in Montana since she was getting settled in & her mother didn't want her to work, but then when she married Flynn, there was never any mention of her deciding not to be an engineer because Flynn had enough money for the two of them. I needed more resolution regarding her career because her claiming to be an engineer in the book was window dressing. She could have had no career, and nothing except maybe three sentences maximum would have changed in the story.
Note: The rape scene threw me off because Jo only gets raped by objects. She's never penetrated by another male's penis. Hopefully, that's more palatable to readers.
Though this novel had me Googling a lot of new words as Susan Johnson's books always do, I still caught at least three typos. The only one I remember now is that a period was missing after "Mrs"; this was near the end of the book.
P.S. I'm friends with the author, but this has in no way affected my review.
November 4, 2010
This book just lost me from the very begining, I didn't make it passed the first 50 or so pages.
First off, when I read a historical I don't want my h's to be career women. One of the sisters of the h's was a lawyer and the h was an engineer. This story takes place in 1888 and just reading that the half sister/ lawyer say that she obtained much needed, personal information about other characters by "placing a few pertinent phone calls befor leaving home" that morning really lost me. I know that the phone was invented nearly 10 years before however the fact that she was able to learn the background of these people and the dollor amount of settlemenst with just a few quick phone calls just didn't ring true to me.
Okay, so I decide that this is Susan Johnson and insead of reading this book for the story I'll just read it for the sex. However the h is not only not a virgin but very much the opposite. In a contemporary I have no problem with a woman coming on to a man, being agressive and asseritve and having sex just because it feels good. I just don't buy it in a historical. Not to mention that the dialoge sucked. The H and h meet at some formal diner in honor of a friend, have two minutes of conversation and then leave so they can go to the H's house and have sex. When they arrive at the house he makes her climax just by talking to her, not even touching her a little and that's when I closed the book and gave up on it.
I bought this book because I got it off one of the lists on Amazon Communities, I just can't remember wich one. So I don't know if the H cheats on her or if he's mean to her or what but I just couldn't hang in there to find out.lol
First off, when I read a historical I don't want my h's to be career women. One of the sisters of the h's was a lawyer and the h was an engineer. This story takes place in 1888 and just reading that the half sister/ lawyer say that she obtained much needed, personal information about other characters by "placing a few pertinent phone calls befor leaving home" that morning really lost me. I know that the phone was invented nearly 10 years before however the fact that she was able to learn the background of these people and the dollor amount of settlemenst with just a few quick phone calls just didn't ring true to me.
Okay, so I decide that this is Susan Johnson and insead of reading this book for the story I'll just read it for the sex. However the h is not only not a virgin but very much the opposite. In a contemporary I have no problem with a woman coming on to a man, being agressive and asseritve and having sex just because it feels good. I just don't buy it in a historical. Not to mention that the dialoge sucked. The H and h meet at some formal diner in honor of a friend, have two minutes of conversation and then leave so they can go to the H's house and have sex. When they arrive at the house he makes her climax just by talking to her, not even touching her a little and that's when I closed the book and gave up on it.
I bought this book because I got it off one of the lists on Amazon Communities, I just can't remember wich one. So I don't know if the H cheats on her or if he's mean to her or what but I just couldn't hang in there to find out.lol
December 17, 2011
decent. Not her best.
November 10, 2017
Force of Nature
I liked this book a great deal. The story flowed easily. Flynn Ito and Jo Black were meant to be. Both were brash and confident in their lives. Jo being half native American and Flynn half Japanese and the other half Irish. They were destined to be together.
I liked this book a great deal. The story flowed easily. Flynn Ito and Jo Black were meant to be. Both were brash and confident in their lives. Jo being half native American and Flynn half Japanese and the other half Irish. They were destined to be together.
January 11, 2018
Great!
Susan has done it again! Wonderfully written! Great storytelling!
Was a great escape during the rainfall! I couldn't stop reading after I started!
Susan has done it again! Wonderfully written! Great storytelling!
Was a great escape during the rainfall! I couldn't stop reading after I started!
May 16, 2019
Do not bother.
You have been warned.
You have been warned.
August 29, 2013
Well, I can't believe that I couldn't finish a book by one of my favorite authors, but this was just... just... If I hit 75 pages I'd be surprised, but I'm not even touching it to go back in and see how far I actually got.
The dialogue was excruciating, the writing was abysmal, there were grammar issues up the ying-yang, and the heroine was one of the most TSTL heroines I've ever had the misfortune to read. The heroine was also supposed to be an engineer, but she may as well have been a circus monkey for all the example you saw of it. This book also suffered from middle-book syndrome without any mention of prequels, although that was certainly the least of this book's worries.
Let's just say I rolled my eyes so much I worried I would need a stronger glasses prescription due to eye fatigue, and leave it at that.
The dialogue was excruciating, the writing was abysmal, there were grammar issues up the ying-yang, and the heroine was one of the most TSTL heroines I've ever had the misfortune to read. The heroine was also supposed to be an engineer, but she may as well have been a circus monkey for all the example you saw of it. This book also suffered from middle-book syndrome without any mention of prequels, although that was certainly the least of this book's worries.
Let's just say I rolled my eyes so much I worried I would need a stronger glasses prescription due to eye fatigue, and leave it at that.
January 1, 2015
Just saw that this was the FIFTH book within the series...however...both of her siblings are single so it really should be the second book within the series for the others to make sense. I have read other Susan Johnson books in the past and thought I had enjoyed her as an author. If this book is any indication of her writing style then I'm not sure what I was thinking. The book was disjointed and there was no connection with the H and h. Add that the "struggle" over land was resolved quickly and the conclusion to the H's reaction over the h's captivity was completely dull and uninspiring - this book did not start my reading year out right! Sorry to Ms. Johnson...I liked your books in the past and hope to like them in the future...this one just didn't do anything for me.
October 24, 2012
Second chronologically in the Braddock-Black series, but last read. It was not quite as gripping as the first three I read (Blaze, Silver Flame and Forbidden) and about par with Brazen. I love the entire series. The characters are improbably brave and romantic, but why else read romance? An entirely different take on the native Americans in the "wild" West, I thoroughly enjoyed all five books. I wish Johnson had taken as much time to flesh out her characters in all books, but will take what I can get.
August 7, 2010
Very steamy (looked up shunga prints) action packed story of early cross cultural pioneers struggle against British arrogance. Jo, raised in Italy, goes to Montana in 1888 to meet her Papa. She is instantly attracted to cattle rancher Flynn Ito who has to constantly fight to keep his land. His behavior near end lowered my rating to 3.5*
February 22, 2011
This book started off good, but dovetailed quickly after our lovers face their first obstacle. The ranch wars went on too long, and I didn't care that much about them. Once Jo, the heroine of the story, had been kidnapped to become a sex slave for the bad guys, I was through with this book. I skimmed the remaining pages, and nothing about the end redeemed the middle. I am so disappointed.
June 14, 2016
The setting is 1888 in Montana. I felt that the language, specifically the f word is too modern for use in this book. Also the characters go from Montana to Italy as if they just catch a plane. Could have been more true for the time period.
December 14, 2008
If you like Susan Johnson you will like ths book. It has a hot hero, and great storyline. The only warning I give is it contains a brutal abuse scene involving the heroine.
April 27, 2011
Romance novel set in the west with travels to Europe. Romance, humor, drama, strong men and strong women. Loved the story and characters. Hard to set this book down.
Currently reading
May 16, 2011not to far into it to decide if i like it or not
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews