The Rivals

Bitter Creek #5

by Joan Johnston

New York Times bestselling author Joan Johnston brings to life an unforgettable love story between two strong-willed people from different worlds in her thrilling new novel featuring the Blackthornes of Bitter Creek, Texas, and their formidable rivals, the Grayhawks of Wyoming.

Juggling single motherhood and her job as deputy sheriff of Teton County, Sarah Barndollar hasn't lost hope of solving two cold cases of missing young women. When a third vanishes, all hell breaks loose -- because she's the illegitimate daughter of Texas scion Clay Blackthorne and the granddaughter of his mortal enemy King Grayhawk. The crisis pits the two powerful families against each other in a race against time.

Playboy Drew DeWitt, a Blackthorne cousin, insists on taking part in the search -- putting him on a collision course with Sarah. Her cop instincts tell her the sexy Texan is trouble. But when evidence emerges of a conspiracy against the U.S. government, Sarah accepts Drew's high-powered help as she negotiates a shadowy landscape of hidden rivals and ruthless greed where every moment counts in saving lives, including her own.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Westerns, Western Romance, Romantic Suspense, Fiction, Contemporary

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 31, 2004

About the author

Joan Johnston (born Little Rock, Arkansas) is a best-selling American author of over forty contemporary and historical romance novels.

Johnston was the third of seven children born to an Air Force sergeant and his music-teacher wife. She received a B.A. in theatre arts from Jacksonville University in 1970, then earning an M.A. in theatre from the University of Illinois, Urbana in 1971. She received a law degree (with honors) at the University of Texas at Austin in 1980. For the next five years, Johnston worked as an attorney, serving with the Hunton & Williams firm in Richmond, Virginia, and with Squire, Sanders, & Dempsey in Miami. She has also worked as a newspaper editor and drama critic in San Antonio, Texas, and as a college professor at Southwest Texas Junior College, Barry University, and the University of Miami.

Johnston is a member of the Authors Guild, Novelists, Inc., Romance Writers of America, and Florida Romance Writers. She has two children and one grandchild, and divides her time between two homes, in Colorado and Florida.

Awards

* Paperbook Book Club of America's Book Rak Award (twice)
* Romantic Times' Best Western Historical Series Award (twice)
* Romantic Times' Best New Western Writer
* Romantic Times' Best Historical Series Award (twice)
* The Maggie (twice)
* Romance Writers of America RITA Award finalist for The Disobedient Bride

Reviews

[Glenda Kinard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each book into this series gets the reader more and more addicted. One cannot turn the pages fast enough to find out what the Blackthornes will be into or find themselves caught up in next. This time it's Drew DeWitt cousin to the Blackthorne guys from previous books in the series that steals the story. Wonderful story that grabs the reader and holds til the very last page. Never say what you will never do because that very well will be exactly what you end up doing!! Drew DeWitt can confirm that.

[Stephanie Jenkins Ortiz Cerrillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everytime I think this series can't get any better I read the next book in the series and find out differently. The Rivals is another great addition about the Blackthorne, Creed and Grayhawk family rivalries in the Bitter Creek series by Joan Johnston.

Deputy Sheriff Sarah Barndollar is working on two coldcases of missing young woman when a third disappears. This young lady is the illegitimate daughter of Clay Blackthorne and his highschool sweetheart Libby. The missing girl is the granddaughter of enemies King Grayhawk and Jackson Blackthorne so the pressure is on Sarah to solve this case before its too late. In a race against time to find Kate, Clay's missing daughter, Clay's playboy cousin Drew DeWitt joins in race to find Kate. Sarah and Drew cannot deny the electricity between them but Drew can't get involved with a woman that has children. He's always said he never wants kids or to be an influence in the lives of someone's children. His childhood did not have a good example of good parents or any relationship so he couldn't possibly be able to raise or influence a child in a positive way, or so he thinks.

This book has so many twists, turns, so much deceit, secrets, mystery, suspense and revelations that you won't want to put it down. I only hope I'll be able to learn more about all the characters from this book in the other additions to this series. Great read!

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this series has officially reached my ick threshold. For the 1’s of you who will look at this review, let me sum up the why.

Pros - This book has been professionally edited and published. My copy is an older one and I like the cover. The author knows how to weave a yarn, I just can’t mentally handle where this particular yarn is heading.

Cons - (and spoilers ahead) I want to say the second book in this series is when the ick started to creep in. The dub con flashback chapter between Ren and Jackson was a lot. How did her pregnant butt not realize she was having pond relations with a man who was not her fiancée? And she’s supposed to be this beautiful saintly woman and he’s the devil incarnate? Whatever. I got past it because the next two books were good! Really, I was back on the train to Bitter Creek until the Rivals. Sheriffs deputy jumping in the sack immediately with rando rich hot man with a concussion she pulled out of the freezing river? I cringed but still, I could cope by telling myself this was like the literary version of a soap opera. Until Clay Blackthorn shows up. His dark past involves his 27 year old butt being “fooled” by a 16 year old kid enough to impregnate her? Gross…just gross.

I’m out.

Overall ⭐️⭐️ because the author is capable of stringing together coherent sentences
Spice probably 🌶️🌶️🌶️ but I didn’t get much further than the first two make out sessions

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revelation upon revelation! Clay Blackthorne has a child out of wedlock! Who knew? And she's been kidnapped---but by whom and to what purpose? When Kate was able to see one of her kidnappers through a crack in the wood slats over the window where she was being held and recognized one of her kidnappers I was ready to jump out of my skin wanting to know who. As I read on, I had my suspicions but couldn't figure out the motivation behind the deed. Of course, Ms. Johnston wraps things up very nicely! Always, in her series, leaving that lead into the next book!

I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to get the last two books in the series prior to finishing this one. Barnes and Noble only had them as e books and I don't own a Kindle and am not predisposed to getting one. I was able to find both books through Thrift Books but I won't get them for a bit---Thank you, Mr. Trump. I had a book order from Doubleday delayed 6 days due to orders from the new PMG DeJoy, Trump appointee. I figured I should give credit where credit is due! Our Postal Service is an important and vital service to the United States and every effort should be made to support and maintain it. It should never be privatized or left to flounder or led by someone who hasn't a clue as to what they do! As a Senior citizen who doesn't get out often, I rely on the Postal Service for timely delivery of my orders as well as my mail and my medications. I fear for the well being of the Service under Mr. DeJoy!

I have another book I can read before I finish the last two books in the Bitter Creek series. I'll let you know what I think of it. Unfortunately, I just learned it is the third and final book in the Heart of Alaska series by Tracie Peterson. I've not read anything by her. The synopsis piqued my interest so I ordered it. If it's any good, I might have to get the first two books to read! :-)

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another novel in the middle of this series that I wouldn't classify as primarily romance - mostly because the question of who kidnapped Kate and would she or any of the other missing girls survive was far more compelling than whether or not the insta-romance between Sarah and Drew would work out. If anything, Drew's romance with Grayson in The Price was more compelling than this one - perhaps because of the societal barriers selecting against it.

Ms. Johnston isn't the first romance author I've seen branch out into other genres, particularly suspense, and I suppose there's a trade-off in how you label those books. Do you stick to calling them 'romance' to benefit from the author's name recognition but put off readers with no interest in that genre? Or do you you just label them as 'fiction' and hope the author's fans go looking for her in a new section of the bookstore? In this case, having different genres within the same series further complicates the issue.

[Donna (Currently Busy) · Rating 2 out of 5]

It must be my age because I found so much of this story unbelievable. Two stars is generous. Also, I'm tired of reading about women who launch themselves into bed with a man 30 minutes after meeting them. (Okay, maybe it was closer to an hour.) And these are women who are suppose to be responsible citizens and not of the "paid for servicing" variety.

The only believable part of the story was that 45 year old Clay Blackthorne was dating a woman young enough to be his daughter. 😊

[Tonya Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rivals heats up the Bitter Creek series with a lightening turn of events. Joan Johnston knows how to write a story filled with greed, animosity, backstabbing murder, and deception. Among some hot and heavy sex and the adventure awaits the reader. So grab The Rivals and hold on for an explosive ride!!! 5 stars!!!!!

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

really like the people in it and it was a really easy read, and a good story

[sandy forguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will love the story between drew and Sarah would highly recommend 👍👍

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Read

[Richard Guerrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book, was thinking the gray Hawk‘s or a couple other characters in this book had Indian but I was mistaken. Let’s see what happens with Clay and Libby.

[Sharon Graber]

fast read Suspenseful

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Barndollar can’t resist Drew DeWitt but she has her hands full with missing girls and aUS Attorney’s daughter now missing. The sparks fly while pursuing justice.

[Angela]

5

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ page 40.
From bad to worse.
The English have an interesting word they use “rubbish” .. which sums it up for me.

[Paula Stern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific story with lots of surprises!

[LHC Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Hit

Fantastic story. This series just keeps getting better and better. Hate to see the series end. Hope she writes another one like it.

[♥ Vonda M. Reid ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Rating: 3.95
Action: 4.0 / Emotion: 2.5 / Romance: 3.5 / Sensuous: 1.5 / Suspense: 3.5 // Laughter: 0 / Tears: 0

The Rivals: 3.95:
Found this book to be entertaining, intriguing, and enjoyable simply because Joan Johnston's storytelling style holds appeal. The lack of character development for the main hero and heroine was minimal, so the book was not as good as it could have been.

Hero: 2.0:
Drew DeWitt: The only reason a reader would know much about Drew was if they had read The Price first. Johnston spent more time describing him and his personality in that book than she did in this one. The best thing about Drew in this book was the way he interacted with Sarah's kids.

Heroine: 2.0:
Sarah Barndollar: Sarah, too, was not as richly developed as the heroine of a romance novel should have been. Johnston, did, however, realistically portray the difficulty that Sarah was experiencing as a single mother, who was working long hours to support her three children.

Secondary Hero: 3.0:
Clay Blackthorne; Johnston began fleshing out Clay's personality, the one Blackthorne child that was, basically, omitted from the first three books of the series. It was impossible to not be interested in this conflicted man, who was being groomed for the White House. However, Johnston really should have made him a much younger, inexperienced man when he was seduced by Libby nineteen years ago.

Secondary Heroine: 2.5:
Libby Grayhawk: Again, Johnston began developing Libby's personality and telling her backstory. It is obvious that Libby has some issues with her father and regrets betraying Clay, but it was difficult to identify with her on a deep level because her character development was minimal.

Story Line: 3.0:
Johnston tried to put too much into this book. Too much of the story concentrated on introducing Clay and Libby instead of developing Drew and Sarah as they searched for Kate Grayhawk, who had been kidnapped, and for Tom Barndollar, who had gone missing.

Action: 4.0:
Johnston included plenty of action to keep the adventurous aspect of the story at a high level, involving {a} searching for area girls being kidnapped and killed; {b} skiing in dangerous avalanche-prone areas, {c} being blackmailed and framed for murder, and {d} kids getting into trouble while looking for their missing father.

Emotion: 2.5:
Johnston spent so much time detailing the history and continuing the relationship between Clay and Libby, that she failed to develop Drew's and Sarah's personalities to a level that prompted a deep emotional connection. Thus, Johnston failed to move the reader to tears or laughter.

Romance: 3.5:
Johnston did a great job of keeping the romance aspect of the story front and center. Any time Drew and Sarah were near each other, the awareness arced between them. The same was also true whenever Clay and Libby were together. And both couples were together during the entire book.

Sensuous: 1.5:
Johnston included obvious passion in the love scenes between Drew and Sarah, but the sizzling sensuality was minimal.

Suspense: 3.5:
Johnston did a great job of switching between characters to increase the suspenseful aura of the story. While Johnston did not keep the reader on pins and needles, wondering what was going to happen next, she did keep one curious about how she was going to resolve all the issues that were being included in the story: {1} Kate's kidnapping, {2} Tom missing, {3} Clay and Libby's relationship, {4} Clay and Jocelyn's relationship, and {5} King and Blackjack's confrontation.

Secondary Characters: 4.5:
One of Johnston's best gifts is including secondary characters that really draw interest and greatly enhance the entertainment value of the book. The intriguing secondary characters included: {1} Katherine "Kate" Grayhawk, {2} North Grayhawk, {3} King Grayhawk, {4} Nathan "Nate" Barndollar, {5} Brooke Barndollar, {6} Ryan Barndollar, {7} Jackson "Blackjack" Blackthorne, {8} Jocelyn Montrose, and {9} Morgan DeWitt.

A more in-depth, detailed, spoiler-ridden review of The Rivals appears at Wolf Bear Does Books

[Miss Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Drew DeWitt's story. He is a first cousin to the Blackthornes. I never warmed to him in the previous book, and I didn't really in this one either. He is a rich playboy who leaves the city to his ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming to nurse a broken heart.

Sarah is a recent widow with three kids. She is a cop in the small town investigating the disappearance of a young woman. There is a lot of focus on her children--not one of my favorite things in a romance.

Somehow we are supposed to believe that Drew falls for this woman after one day and wants to marry her and raise the kids. He was very against ever having children because of his painful childhood. Then he just changes his mind after spending a few hours with them. Bah--I don't think so.

The story was ok, and I did want to keep reading to find out who the villain is. I just didn’t buy these folks as a couple.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deputy Sheriff Sarah Barndollar finds herself emersed in turmoil as her husband has been missing for a year and a half, presumed dead, her three children are wanting more of her time, and playboy Drew DeWitt has set his eye on her. As if that weren't enough another girl has gone missing who happens to be from a prominent family and Drew is determined to help Sarah during the investigation.

I thought this was a good book, it had a couple separate plots going on though as Clay and Libby were a big part of the story. The ending was a little ho hum but the rest was very good.

[Kem · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most glaring problem in this book is close to the beginning. Sarah is in her police vehicle headed to an accident site outside Jackson, WY. It's mentioned that she has a sticker that will take her through the gate of Glacier Natl. Park so she doesn't have to stop. That National Park is in northern Mt. Not WY. Big mistake that thru me right out of the zone in my reading. There are other parts that don't make logical sense too. Parts were exciting. The closure wasn't good at all. And we still wait for Libby and Clay to get their act together.

[Mikaela Bottaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was one of those I got intrigued right at the beginning! The characters weren't so special or I just didn't feel that close to them, what I'm trying to say is that I'll probably forget most of them in a while. But the story was for sure catching, from the second chapter I just couldn't stop reading until I knew what happened to Kate. Giving it a second thought it was also kind of weird how quickly Sarah and Drew fell in love....

[Willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

First book I red from this author. Not bad, a bit confusing at times on who was who, but i also didn't know there were 4 books before this one. Gave it a 3 because I had to many questions at the end, no story line on why the people who kidnapped all the prior girls were ever really investigated or discussed. So no closure on many of the inner stories at the end of this book. That I didn't like.

[Alisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up free at the library. It had a little too much "romance" in it for me. The mytery was somewhat intriguing which kept me reading to the end, but some of the characters were over-the-top in their perfectness and how fast things could happen...and I had to skip over several sex scenes... not my cup of tea.

[Tonya Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rivals heats up the Bitter Creek series with a lightening turn of events. Joan Johnston knows how to write a story filled with greed, animosity, backstabbing murder, and deception. Among some hot and heavy sex and the adventure awaits the reader. So grab The Rivals and hold on for an explosive ride!!! 5 stars!!!!!

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my favorites from this series. I found myself just reading to find out how it ended. And since one story line didn't come to an end, I will probably read the next one in the series. IF anything this was a good summer, no brain needed, read.

[Judy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second time I've read this series. This time I got to read it in order and all the books at the same time. A great read both times but I've enjoyed it much better this time around! I'm on the last book!

[Medavis66 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked the stories going on in this one. So interesting and inter-woven they just made sense. I'm grabbing the next one in the series. This series is addicting! Really loved reading more of Drew after getting to know him a little in The Price.

[Tracy Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

This book was very enjoyable to read. It turned out to be a mystery that needed solving. Although, the clues to the guilty parties were obvious and I couldn’t wait to get to the end to see if my guesses were correct.

[Christel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is not my favorite of the series but it was okay. This story is about Drew DeWitt. I just did not care for him from the last book but he sorta redeems himself in this one.