Only In My Arms

Dennehy Sisters #5

by Jo Goodman

Jo Goodman introduced the incomparable Dennehy Women—five sisters with a passion for life and love. In Only In My Arms, she concludes her enchanting series with the unforgettable Mary Frances Dennehy, a woman torn between a steadfast faith and a passionate love...

A man about to die...
A woman ready to live...

Torn between devotion and a secret yearning for adventure and fulfillment, Mary Frances Dennehy makes her choice. Shocking her family, she leaves the convent and her cloistered existence behind and sets out in search of a new life. But for a woman alone, the West can be a hostile and treacherous place. And no one is in more dangerous—and irresistible—than Ryder McKay.

Faithful to the Apaches who raised him, now sentenced to hang for a crime he didn't commit, Ryder is desperate enough to seize one last chance for freedom. Taking Mary Dennehy hostage, the army scout plots his daring escape into the mountains only to find himself with a woman he never expected, one who makes him feel fully alive and hungry for more. Now, with danger closing in, a breathtaking bid for freedom becomes a journey into forbidden passion that will test two lovers' faith and challenge their hearts.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Westerns, Historical, Western Romance, Historical Fiction, Mystery

408 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

To find characters to illustrate my first family saga, I cut out models from the Sears catalogue. I was in fourth grade, but it was a start. In seventh grade I wrote a melodrama about two orphan sisters, one of whom was pregnant. There was also a story about a runaway girl with the unlikely name of Strawberry and one about mistaken identities and an evil blind date. My supportive, but vaguely concerned parents, sighed with relief when I announced I was going to write children's books. They bought me an electric typewriter and crossed their fingers, but somehow PASSION'S BRIDE came out. No one was really surprised.
I graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry and some notion that I would do marine research. Years of competitive swimming didn't help me anticipate seasickness. A career change seemed in order. I began working with adolescents and families, first as a childcare worker and later, after graduating from West Virginia University with a master's degree in counseling, as a therapist. I am currently the executive director of a child caring/mental health agency and find my work and my writing often compliment each other. One grounds me in reality and the other offers a break from it.

Reviews

[WhiskeyintheJar · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is an older published gem in my opinion. The couple were such a delight with their back and forth, snark, humor, and sexiness. The heroine was strong and had such an amazing character build with having the emotional struggle of leaving the nunnery and how that affected her relationship with her mother and the hero was the strong, dry humor, snarky, and sexy man I read these stories looking for. These two together are definitely worth the price of admission.

The story starts off a bit slower but does an amazing job introducing you to the hero and heroine, getting you to really know them. They then come together and spend the rest of the book together with the middle specifically focusing on them and giving the reader an incredible romance relationship to read. The middle starts to drag a smidgen and the ending dealing with the mystery/conspiracy, why Ryder is on the run, gets a bit rushed as it becomes a bit too twisty turn-y for the limited time left.

This was a great finish to the series and the author did a great job wrapping everyone's story up and giving us a fond look and goodbye to this family. You could read this without reading the others in the series, you'd miss some family relationship connections but worth it I say to read about this couple. Ryder and Mary are the couple you read romances looking for.

I read this as a Buddy Read, for more quotes, comments, and in depth conversation, Only In Your Arms buddy read

[Joanna Loves Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book for the romance, which was quite beautiful and lovely. The hero and heroine are each other’s champion, their other half to make them whole. The romance was very well crafted and told. The subplot is less so, and is the weakest part of the story.

I used to enjoy reading Western novels. I read many by Larry McMurtry and read quite a few Christian Historical Romance Westerns also years ago, but for some reason I have been hesitant to venture into Historical Romance Westerns. I think my hesitation stems from the idea that the harsh and unforgiving Old West would not provide a romantic back drop, but it really did here. I will be checking out more in the genre, thanks to the recs from my GR friends! This was read as a buddy read in the Romance Book Buddy Reading group at https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..., and I am also counting it for my Western category (that I planned to skip) I the Historical Romance Book Club Romance Across the Ages challenge.

[Nabilah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is a tie with the first book in the series as my fav. So good. RTC.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the last book in the series, featuring Mary Francis and Ryder McKay. Mary Francis has been a very interesting character in the series. Her being a nun for most of the series, I had assumed that there wouldn't be a story for her. The book opened with Ryder happened upon Mary in her parents' summerhouse. The setting was private and left an impression in both of their minds. The second time they met was under more unfortunate circumstances. Ryder was accused of rape and treason, which were both untrue. He abducted Mary to save his neck. They hid in a cave for the major part of the story and that is where they got to know each other. The "mystery" element in this book was how and why Ryder was set up in the crimes he was accused of and how they came about exonerating him.

As intriguing as Mary's character was in the beginning, she shedded her nun habit and somehow she became "just another romance heroine". Because Jo Goodman wrote her, she was not immature or childish. But I was not able to establish some kind of connection with her. I also did not find Ryder all that exciting. It was a slow moving romance but because of Jo Goodman's writing I followed them to their happy ending. Like most of the Jo Goodman stories, the lead characters usually make their showdown somewhere around 70% , reconcile an close ranks on the external threats. This is another solid entry of Jo Goodman's books.

[Stephanie (Jump) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
An enthralling storyline that kept me reading, but when all said and done I felt there wasn't enough good, meaningful conversations between the couple. The author gave the main characters these strong emotions, but I wish I could believe it more by seeing it more to give this book a full 5 stars.

There was a lot of believable attraction but I needed more of them bonding and getting to know each other on a deeper level.

When they first met years ago they didn't really have meaningful conversations to warrant all the strong feelings they supposedly had. There was definitely believable lust, but not sure about anything deeper. The hero caught her in a vulnerable moment but there wasn't a lot of talking and sharing. He did hold her to comfort her and proved he was honorable by not taking advantage of the situation, but I can't seem to think that could warrant such a reaction later on, for either of them.

Then after he broke out of jail and kidnapped her, there were still a lot of antagonism and not a lot of good meaningful conversations. Even later after they had married then for godsakes I don't get why he didn't make even tell her he had a previous wife and baby who died. Why was it a secret?

At A Glance
Safety warningsfully safe. The hero did love his previous wife and child very fully and even at one point lost the will to live. But we don't see any scenes with this past wife, everything is told in conversations.
HEA Yes

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last book in the saga of the 5 Marys!

I was definitely excited for this one. The premise--Mary Frances, the oldest of her sisters, has decided to give up her preparations to become a nun. Her mother is distraught at the news and begs her to reconsider, even as they travel west to visit more of her sisters and their husbands.

When they arrive at one of the forts along the way, Mary Frances hears tell of a young man she had met months ago--Ryder McKay. He stands convicted of attacking the daughter of one of the military higher-ups and thus allowing a shipment of gold to go missing. Mary Frances believes he is innocent, so she wears her nun habit to finagle her way in to see him. Shockingly, he then uses her as a shield to escape.

Though white, Ryder McKay was raised by a Native American family, so he uses his Apache skills to hide him and Mary Frances in the western wilderness. He, of course, has feelings for her. She feels for him as well, but still does her best to escape and get back to her family. Their connection blossoms, though, and they eventually marry according to his tribe's customs.

I absolutely loved the parts after this--when Ryder and Mary Frances teamed up to solve the mystery of the stolen gold, their teamwork and care for each other made me smile. Yes, Ryder can be alpha-male sometimes, but Mary Frances is feisty, too, and holds her own. Their connection and romance are very believable!

Overall, this was a fine end to the series. I think this one ended up beating out book 1 as my favorite, but it is a close call. Book 1 led me on this journey, but Book 5 pushed a lot of the right buttons for me. 4.7 stars overall, I think!

[Mary23nm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only in My Arms was an entertaining read.The middle section was a little weak, in my opinion, because the many smex scenes became superfluous, so I skimmed. Also, the heroine, who is held captive in a cave with the hero, finally asks what he is going to do with her, but after weeks go by, never asks, "What is the plan here? Are we going to try to figure out how to get your name cleared?", etc. The heroine is the one who finally gets the ball rolling, after the hero is wounded and recovers for another period of time. Then family members help out and the story gets wrapped up nicely-in the epilogue.

[Cecy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Chanel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 this the last book in this Series and the story of the first Mary. Mary’s life takes dramatic changes in this book from her decision to leave the convent, to her strained relationship with her mother, a kidnapping, and her life on the run with the man she loves. I liked the dialog between Ryder and Mary but I just wasn’t feeling their love, or even lust. After too many pages about them in the Cave, I finally started to get on-board with this couple. The last 10% of this book is action packed.
I was really touched by Mary’s feelings about her childhood, her mother, the other Marys, and why she became a nun. That part was very well written. Of course, my favorite part was when the whole family reunited.

[Jultri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another well written book by this great author and once again, the first half had me begging for more. Interesting background for the heroine, who started off with being a nun tortured with her internal battle of whether being in a convent is her true call or best way to serve God. The hero is an introverted alpha male, who stands apart from the rest of society because he was raised by the Apaches. Their first encounter was charming and the banter wonderfully witty, and their next encounter was aching and tender. What bothers me about her books is that the leads tend to get together half way through and their romances then get sidelined for some other plot lines. It's probably a matter of personal preferences, but I prefer romances to be just straight romances and take centre stage through out the book and that the climax pertains to some crisis in their relationship rather than relate to some crime solving mystery or adventure plot.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a lot of thought and prayer, Sister Mary Francis has decided to leave the convent and start a new life. Deciding to travel west to visit her sister and find a job as a teacher, Mary learns that her friend, Ryder McKay, has been sentenced to hang for a crime he didn't commit. When Mary visits him at the jail, she is taken hostage during his daring escape. Soon they are running for their lives through rugged Indian territory.

This is the last book in Goodman's Dennehy Sisters series. I was looking forward to this story because throughout the series we really didn't learn too much about Mary Francis. I have to say I was thoroughly bored with the first 100 pages of this book. The story did finally get more interesting, only to once again leave me bored in the last quarter. Too many descriptions for me. I think a 100 pages could easily been edited out of this story. My rating: 3 Stars.

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed this entire series and wish that we had a Christmas book that was a follow-up to the entire family. Jay Mac was a hoot about his daughters. Wonderful series. I still have one more book, but couldn't resist reading this.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jo Goodman (author) indicated that she wrote this last installment of the Dennehy Sisters because readers begged her to write it. It came four years after the previous story. It calls for Sister Mary Francis Dennehy, after considerable soul-searching and prayer, to leave the convent.

Herein lies my only disappointment in this incredibly good book, the author doesn’t understand what a “cloistered nun” means. Cloistered sisters stay in their nunnery and pray for the world; they do not interact with the world on a daily basis.

In previous books, Sister Mary Frances was a cloistered nun; which begs the question, “How was she with her family so much of the time? This book, the author indicates that Sister Mary Francis had been working in a hospital. Hmmmm.

The rest of the book is beyond wonderful! The man Mary Frances meets early in the book and meets again, under solemn circumstances, is all one could want for in a person to match her. Ryder McKay has been sentenced to hang for a crime he didn't commit.

All of the sisters and brothers-in-law (along with Marys’ parents) partake in this story. This book provided the closure that the story about Skye, ALWAYS IN MY DREAMS, did not. I absolutely loved the book and the series!

Dennehy Sisters Series
1. Wild Sweet Ecstasy (1992) aka More Than a Touch
2. Rogue's Mistress (1993)
3. Forever in My Heart (1994)
4. Always in My Dreams (1995)
5. Only in My Arms (1999)

[Trudy Miner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Michael Dennehy is set to become a nun. At the Dennehy family summer home in the Hudson Valley, she goes for an evening swim in the creek on the property where she is observed by Ryder MacKay, an Army scout and raised by the Apache, and on the run for a crime he didn't commit. At his trial at Fort Union, Arizona Territory, he was condemned to hang until Mary Michael helped him to escape. They set out across the state until they were forced to hide in a scared cavern. With Mary unconscious, she was confined inside the cavern, dependent on Ryder. Unfortunately, Ryder was seriously injured on one of his expeditions to retrieve some clothing left outside and Mary had to try and save his life. Enter Mary's large family who came to Fort Union when they learned of her disappearance. One of her brothers-in-law, a bounty hunter, found their cavern and helped to say Ryder's life; he also helped to prove that Ryder is innocent.

I liked this book very much. It is well-written and the characters are believable. I learned a little about the Apache as well.

[Brandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok storytelling, disturbing relationship

If you've read any other romance novel, you've read this one. The author is a licensed counselor but chose to write a book about a woman falling in love with an emotionally abusive kidnapper. It's a tale as old as time, and not an encouraging one, since those of us who have been in relationships with people with abusive tendencies have to learn the hard way that they don't change into supporting, loving, mature partners just because we stubbornly stay in (unhealthy, unbalanced) relationships with them. Books like this only make it harder to convince people that this is not the kind of relationship to long for or accept. Would that romance novels gave us a glimpse into a model for lasting, healthy relationships of mutual forgiveness, equality and respect...

[E Oygard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy ending to the series.

Mary Francis, the oldest sibling, renounces her vows and leaves the convent despite her mother's protests. She travels west to visit her sisters. Ryder McKay is a scout for the army. When a massacre occurs, he is the fall guy for the incident, but not everything is as it seems and as he escaped he takes a hostage...Mary Francis.

As usual the story and dialogue flow well. I did think some issues were left unresolved such as the dispute between Mary Francis and her mother, plus the final contribution of the family in aiding the capture of the real perpetrators. All in all, still a good read.

[N.W. Moors · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Francis Dennehy is the oldest sister and a nun. She has a crisis of faith and gives up her vocation to her mother's dismay. Meanwhile, Ryder McKay is an Army scout who's been accused of treason and other crimes due to a massacre of his army unit. When he escapes, Mary is taken along, and the two must determine what really happened during the massacre.
I liked this book better than the last one, but I still didn't enjoy it as much as the first several books. Ryder was so reticent that I never knew what he was thinking, especially about the romance. Mary is a strong heroine, and this is a very different romance due to her past profession. Still, it's an interesting story.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've just completed this series in order and enjoyed each and every one of the sisters' stories. Although there are a few premises that beg to be believed along the way, you must simply suspend some reality to enjoy the adventure.

I loved every sister for her character and strength, and of course each found their man who was their most perfect match for a heartwarming HEA.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this last of the series. The oldest sister spent years serving as a nun. Where do you go from there? It was always obvious Mary Francis had the strongest spirit of all the sisters, so trust her to find her own way when the time was right.

I came back to add a postscript… while looking for my next really good read I kept thinking how much I miss the Dennehy sisters!

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only place he finds peace is in her arms... They meet with an instant connection and comfortability between Ryder and Mary, then he is gone, and they live their lives. Many months later, their paths cross again. The great mystery they must solve to ensure their freedom cannot be solved from the protection of their safe haven. Once again we see all The Marys close ranks to help a sister in need.

[Marilyn Haywood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last book

For once the last book was better than the first. More action, more intriguing than the others. There was no surprise about Mary Francis renouncing her vows. The first indication to me, was the breaking of the knees. A very passionate woman. A very good read. Looking forward to more books from Jo Goodman.

[Linda O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A special book

Jo Goodman is a master storyteller. I was involved with Mary and Ryder from the very beginning. Each was special in their own diverse way, and their feelings for each other were compelling. The constant risk throughout the book kept me rreading. I will definitely seek more books by this author.

[Tammy Rolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Marys

What a great finale to this series. Jay Mac's bastard daughters have given him a riotous romp and the readers a delightful experience. It's only fitting that Mary Francis should close out the series with a escapade of her own.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical romance set mostly in Arizona with an ex-nun heroine and a hero who was raised by Apaches. There's a raid on a gold train, and a threatened hanging, and an escape with kidnapping, and a whole lot of time spent in a hidden cave. It's a good read. I liked it.

[Mmeguillotine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite wonderful, surprisingly so. A former nun, a man escaping being hanged for something he didn’t do. On the run, forced proximity, but somehow not cheesy in the least. Well written, Intelligent, interesting main characters brought this story to life.

[Billie Kasper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has everything action, mystery, and romance

This family is so interesting. The sisters are so connected and caring. This is Mary Francis story and she is so magnetic and Ryder is loyal, resourceful, and loving.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun finish to the Dennehy series. After all, what could shake up an old west romance better than a nun and a army scout? J G did good with this series even though it was a bit weak on plot in a couple of the books.

[Twila Leininger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible!

The last book in Jo Goodman’s Dennehy series and it did not disappoint! I fell in love with Mary and Ryder as they fought for each other and their freedom. Jo tied the series up well. Very romantic!

[Maryjen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I

I chose this Rating based on all 5 Books of the Dennehy Sisters. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every book. I was glad I was able to follow each sister's life from their first meeting to their marriages and children.

[Mary Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Positive stories

The series is fun to read, each well plotted with interesting characters, locals, background of America’s West settlement and exploitation.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.