Brave the Wild Wind

Wyoming #1

by Johanna Lindsey

As wild as the Wyoming frontier and a terror when spurned, Jessie Blair is furious when she over hears Chase Summers refusing her hand -- and vows to seduce the handsome drifter out of spite.

Enraged by Jessie's arrogance yet haunted by her beauty, Chase is irresistible drawn to the headstrong miss -- and into her troubles with the land-hungry villains who murdered her father. For his pride insists he tame the fiery temptress who toys with his emotions. And his passion won't be sated until the sensuous young hellion becomes a woman in his arms.

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

344 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Johanna Helen Howard was born on March 10, 1952 in Germany, where her father, Edwin Dennis Howard, a soldier in the U.S. Army was stationed. The family moved about a great deal when she was young. Her father always dreamed of retiring to Hawaii, and after he passed away in 1964 Johanna and her mother settled there to honor him.

In 1970, when she was still in school, she married Ralph Lindsey, becoming a young housewife. The marriage had three children; Alfred, Joseph and Garret, who already have made her a grandmother. After her husband's death, Johanna moved to Maine, New England, to stay near her family.

Johanna Lindsey wrote her first book, Captive Bride in 1977 "on a whim", and the book was a success. By 2006, with over 58 Million copies of her books have been sold worldwide, with translations appearing in 12 languages, Johanna Lindsey is one of the world's most popular authors of historical romance.

Johanna's books span the various eras of history, including books set in the Middle Ages, the American "Old West" and the popular Regency England-Scotland. She has even written a few sci-fi romances. By far the most popular among her books are the stories about the Malory-Anderson Family, a Regency England saga.

Johanna Lindsey died on Oct. 27, 2019 in Nashua, N.H. She was 67.

Reviews

[Rachel (BAVR) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brave the Wild Wind was my second journey into the esteemed world of Ms. Lindsey's historical romance. My goodness, this is one shameless clusterfuck of godawful romance tropes in the Wild West! "No trope left behind!" Lindsey declared proudly right before dropping in a secret baby plot. Yet despite hating pretty much everyone and everything in this crazy little story, I was incredibly entertained. There's a charming quality to Lindsey's writing, a dedication to telling a colorful story no matter how off-the-tracks the plot gets, that made it hard to put the book down. So even though just about everything I have to say about this book is snarky and critical, I still have to rate it 3 stars. I can't rate it below the previous Lindsey book I read, which was tedious and just eeked out 2 stars. Plus, Brave the Wild Wind somehow got me to cheer for two idiotic, horrible people to find a Happily Ever After. So let's delve into this crazy little tale, shall we? And really, there's no way to write this without sharing the whole story. So if you don't want to be SPOILED, don't read beyond this point.

Meet Jessie, our heroine
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Not the screaming woman, the velociraptor. Yes, seriously, the velociraptor.

As I mentioned in my reading updates, Jessie possesses the charm of a velociraptor. She's mean, crude, dirty most of the time, prone to foot-stomping temper tantrums, a little too eager to throw fists, and constantly takes off into the wilds of Wyoming when she gets pissed or something doesn't go exactly her way. Despite all of this, Jessie apparently looks like an angel and has pretty much every stupid guy in the book salivating after her. How many guys wanted to marry / have sex with her? Five. In one book. Considering that Jessie is frequently a filthy mess from horseback riding and running her dead father's ranch, I'll make a sweeping assumption that the menfolk in Jessie's world are really turned on by the scents of manure and sweat.

Jessie's been raised as a boy for the past ten years because her totally insane dad always wanted a boy and also beat the daylights out of her mom after blindly walking in on his maid and some dude having sex in her bedroom and just assuming his wife was an adulteress. So even though her dad was a mean old cuss who made her dress like a boy, Jessie still believes his drunken ramblings about her mom being a whore and how she deserved to get beaten nearly to death. So after the old man's death, Jessie throws a bitch fit when his will dictates that her mom return to the ranch and take over guardian duties until Jessie turns 20 in two years. Jessie isn't willing to budge an inch in her mission to be the most miserable brat ever, and that includes terrorizing any unsuspecting person with the misfortune of being acquainted with her mother.

Enter: Chase, the professional gambling hero
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The scared little boy, not the velociraptor.

Chase is your typical aimless hero with daddy issues. He comes to help Jessie's mom because she was married to his dead step-dad and was always nice to him. This results in Chase being forced to chase after Jessie every time she throws a hissy, even though she's legitimately awful to him, yelling at and insulting him when she doesn't even know him. Of course, Chase responds to this by trying to be an even more awful person, arguing with Jessie and bossing her around even though it's never clear why he should even care about his pretty prehistoric nemesis. Naturally, Jessie responds to his high-handedness like any velociraptor who doesn't know how to use its words:

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"Fuck you, and fuck your smash claw machine!"

After getting punched and slapped a few times, Chase decides that he can't live without having sex with Jessie. So they do, and he "accidentally" takes her virginity. You know what amazes me about the men in romance novels? The fact that they seem to have a hymen-detecting device attached to their peens. "He thrust forward and felt the tell-tale resistance of her innocence." (Paraphrase) Like. Hell. He. Did. Also: The way that Jessie travels by horse for days and days like a pro, I really doubt there was anything left for Chase to "detect." I call shenanigans on you, Romancelandia!

Because the one thing the world needs more than Jessie's bad attitude is her spawn, she ends up pregnant. Of course, she only finds out about this after Chase leaves because she refuses to marry him. This resulted in a very awkward spanking scene after she socks him in the face AGAIN. My squick tolerance can't take spankings. I find it demeaning and creepy. Eventually, even after Jessie's best efforts to keep her pregnancy a secret by riding off into the wilderness to experience morning sickness (like anyone can control when/where they experience morning sickness), Chase finds out he's going to be a daddy and bullies Jessie into marrying him.

But they still hate each other, so the story can't possibly be over! Jessie's ranch ends up getting torched by a rival rancher hours after she finally makes peace with her mom (she read her journal and found out that mom isn't REALLY a whore). For some reason, Jessie goes catatonic after that, so Chase decides there's no time like the present to take off for effing SPAIN to search for the guy he thinks is his birth father. Pregnant and fuming, Jessie chases Chase (lol) to Spain because she's decided she can't trust him. Oh, right! I forgot to mention that back in Wyoming, after Chase left the ranch, he tried to have sex with a prostitute while drunk but ended up stabbed instead. Jessie walked in on the scene and decided that this man with no attachments to any woman, let alone HER was a philandering bastard who would definitely fall into the nearest vagina the minute he gets some time alone.

So Jessie travels to Spain:
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Like a BADASS

Even though Chase leaves first, Jessie beats him to his father's giant mansion by several days. While there, she catches the eye of Chase's cousin, and I seriously had to put the book down for a minute and shout, "Oh, REALLY?" at my wall several times. Chase arrives. They fight. They have sex. They fight again. Chase meets his long lost daddy, who was supposed to be on his death bed but ended up perfectly healthy. They fight. Skeezy Cousin makes his move on Jessie, and Chase witnesses it. Since the main characters are HORRIBLE, he jumps to all the wrong conclusions, and Jessie just lets him.

Months go by, and finally Jessie's about to have their baby. Since Jessie has the judgment of a toddler, she accompanies Skeezy Cousin (who's actually a pretty nice guy?) to his matador competition. Chase isn't talking to her, so Jessie ends up in a huge crowd ALONE when her baby decides to make a play for its birthday.

After months of wearing his ass as a hat, Chase rushes to Jessie's side and declares his love for her. They reunite just in time to welcome their baby, which I can only assume is half-human, half-T-Rex, into the world.

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Isn't he a DARLING?

Although I'm supposed to believe that Chase and Jessie have a happily ever after, something tells me that two days later, Jessie chucks a boot at Chase's head after he spends a little too much time talking to that senorita with the hot body. That's just my theory, though.

So the story was ridiculous, but I can't lie and say I wasn't entertained. At least Lindsey can put a sentence or (gasp!) even a PARAGRAPH together without falling apart at the seams, which is frighteningly rare in a lot of writing these days. In addition, I liked the way that Jessie's sexuality is portrayed as a positive, natural thing. Sadly, she slut-shames every other woman on the page, but I'll take what I can get. Now I'm done with JL for awhile. Two books in a row was a lesson in WTF-ery for me. It's best to ingest just one at a time.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an intense book for me, and one that reread frequently growing up. The start of the story really sucks you right into the story. Jessie's father beats her mother Rachel within an inch of her life, because he sees a black-haired women in bed with another man, and thinks it's his wife, who is cheating on him. She manages to survive the beating and not lose the baby that she is carrying. She is promptly kicked out by her husband and left to survive on her on, separated from her child. That tells you right there that K. Jessica Blair is not meant to have an easy life, not living with an extremely misogynistic father who has raised her to deny every ounce of her femininity. He even gives her the first name of Kenneth because the child's nursemaid told him she was a boy to keep the father from harming the newborn infant and herself.

Thus, one can put into perspective Jessie's interpersonal communication issues. Yes, she comes off as a brat, but I could see why she acted so hard-headed and stubborn and resisted being under any man's thumb, after being in the totalitarian grip of her father. In Jessie's mind, she's a man, and she resents any part of herself that stands out as feminine. She just wants to be one of the guys. Chase Summers is the first man that comes along that makes Jessica want to feel like a woman, which isn't exactly ideal for her. They fight the attraction between them until they succumb one night, and this event is swept under the rug and left best forgotten by mutual agreement, until it becomes very clear that their night of passion has consequences, leaving Jessie pregnant. She saves Chase's life when he is badly wounded, and nurses him back to health. Fairly soon, Chase catches on that she's pregnant. Marriage is the only option, and Chase has determined that his mission is to teach Jessie that being a woman is a beautiful thing.

This is one of those books where you get to see an immature character grow up and develop her sense of integrity and purpose. I have heard Jessie called a brat. She wasn't always very mature and logical in the way she acted, but she didn't really have an ideal homelife. She was raised to believe her mother was a harlot who abandoned her. Her father acted like he hated her. Chase certainly didn't act very honorable seducing her, even if he thought she was immodest in how she interacted with her Indian friends. Especially since he had come on behalf of her estranged mother, Rachel. Neither character is perfect, but it did't spoil this story for me.

Brave the Wild Wind was a very good, character-driven and relationship-focused western romance, and a sure keeper for me.

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed it! Sorry, I'm on holidays and don't feel like writing reviews.

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish]

Kindle Sale! All 3 books in this trilogy are just $0.99 each!

Not sure how long it will last.

Also, most, if not all, of Johanna Lindsey's HR are on sale for the same $0.99. For some reason, when I went to her author page, the sale price doesn't show, but if you follow this link then scroll down to see the sale price.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005...

[*CJ* · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Brave the Wild Wind" is the story of Jessie and Chase.
Jessie is our brave yet childish 18 year old heroine, raised by a hateful father as a boy and with venom for her mother, and she lives amongst men and runs her ranch since her father dies.
When her mother comes for visit, she brings along Chase- who ends up initially annoying the h, and later attracting her.
There's a lot of things happening in the story. From the heroine being ever so stubborn and hateful to the mother, to her befriending the Indians- from her loving her ranch hands, to trying to hate to hero- she was this weird combination of getting on nerves yet being adorable.
The hero on the other hand is surprisingly a beta one and always one-upped by the heroine.
The lovemaking is average, loads of drama and jealousy on until the very end, and lots of mysteries solved. It was a bit silly how all males kept falling for the heroine, but it made for an engaging read.
Safe with exceptions h forcibly kissed twice by 2 different men, and the first time they meet she's voluntarily kissing om. H goes to a brothel but is hit before he can use the whore
3/5

[Ainhoa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly could not dislike the main characters any more.

The first time I’ve read about a toddler being the heroine, with her temper tantrums, her inmature nature, her running off somwhere to cool off and her punching/slapping/spitting when she feels like it. She wants to feel like a lady but behaves like a mad man. Chaaaarming.

Then we have our (on his best days) beta Hero, who is a gambler, commitmentphobic, very basic and has to grow a pair at some point, but he never does. Most of all, he’s weak, I think that was the biggest disappointment of it all. I need my Heroes a little bit… more.

What a clusterfuck this was.

[Arlenis Ralfsdóttir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un buen romance. Me gusto toda la inclusión de los indios americanos aunque me hubiese gustado que se incluyeran mas ya que llegado un puño, desaparecen por completo y tan de repente. Me agrado Chase y me gusto mucho la personalidad y carácter de Jessie, uno de los pocos personajes femeninos que realmente me agradaron. El libro se lee súper rápido. En una tarde me lo leí. Es ligero y encantador, perfecto para pasar un buen rato. Lo único que no me gustó es que Thomas nunca se haya enterado de la verdad.

[Nisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering that I was so ready to drop this when I first started reading, I really liked the book. Jesse was a brat. She was like our current day angsty teenager, except somehow she ended up believing her delusional, anger-management reject father about how he caught her mother cheating and that she left Jesse behind for another man. Maybe when you live in the wilderness with a man who raises you as a son, I guess that's possible. Luckily, she grows up by the end of the book, or actually when she gets pregnant. Those hormones really helped her with the soul searching and forgiving stuff.

Now, Chase Summers, is a verified swottie (aka. a sweet hottie). He's half Spanish, ethnically. Jessie actually knows Spanish. Throughout the book, Jesse always seemed to have a one-up to him, but he is a pretty nice guy. I mean, being able to handle the brat takes some serious endurance. Plus, because of her, he gets to run into various hunky dangerous Indians.

It took a while (the end of the book) for Jessie to finally listen to her mother for her side of the story, but after that happened, everything just worked like a charm.

It was an amusing read, not amazing or anything, but worthwhile. I know some people do not like pregnant heroines, but it helped move the story. Jessie is that stubborn of a girl, but she's still a woman. My favorite part is the end, in Spain, because the couple is finally sweet on each other.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an old school romance and I used to live this author when I was younger. I still enjoyed this book and the story. Johannesburg Lindsey can still hold my interest with her writing. Her characters have a lot of fire and spunk to them. Jessie was raised without love in her life. Her father wanted a boy and had no use for her. He even named her Kenneth Jesse. He had her baptized with that name. He was happy that her mom sent her away to get a good education at a boarding school. He didn't have to look at her or deal with her.

Chase is a friend of her Jesse's mom and her find Jesse to be a spoiled brat until he starts tiki call for her. I love that this is a western romance and the after Indians that Jesse has become friends with.

I love Johanna Lindsey and her books. Just a FYI there is no heavy smut scenes in her earlier books.

[Nσҽɱí · Rating 3 out of 5]

#RetoRita4 #RitaFabio #ValienteVientoSalvaje

Segundo libro que leo de la autora, este esta mucho mejor que el anterior.
Aunque ha tenido sus cositas, al principio no podía con el carácter de la protagonista, había momentos que pillaba unas rabietas que no había por donde cogerlas, demasiado infantil.
Él protagonista normalito, pero al menos era más soportable que ella.
No he visto mucha química entre ellos, aunque la autora quiera a dar entender que si, yo al menos no la visto, pero a medida que iba leyendo ha mejorado un poco.
la historia en si, no esta mal. Al comienzo del libro, hay un momento duro, por que parece que iba todo bien y te da un giro que te deja flipando. Es entretenida, casi a la mitad y llegando al final, ha mejorado bastante.
Ha uno o dos personajes secundarios que me han llamado la atención y espero que los otros dos libros que tengo sean de ellos.

[Christine (KizzieReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything Johanna Lindsey writes will always be a comfort read and 5 stars. I have lived her books since I was 14. They always have such feisty characters and the tension between them are so powerful, you can't help but keep reading. These books aren't for everybody, but they will always be for me!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the first romance novels I have read-and obvously enjoyed.

I have read this book more than once...More than twice--this could go on forever, How bout I just say i've read this book a lot and lot of times.

Johanna Lindsey, as per usual, is awesome. She has a way of makeing the reader feel apart of the story, which just makes it an even better.
The characters are real and relateable-the book is character driven and always focused on the romance and never starying to far from the main point of the novel--and the cover? I adored it--I mean Jessie, in an almost see through chemise and Chase(who is NUDE, by the way) making out on the beach, What more could i ask for??

The Heroine
At the beginning of the book, Jessie Blair's Father is givng a brutal beating his wife for cheating on him, something she didnt do, but manages to survive-with the baby she is carrying still alive.(this event leaves everyone with scars-and not visable ones.)

Jessie, whom is already alive and well, is lefted with her father-who denys her of her femininity-thus giving her boy clothes and teaching her to hate her mother-- so she is quite peeved when her mother comes home to be her gurdian since her father passed.Jessie in many cases is quite imature and has a real agusty teenager feel.

In Jessie's Mind she is a man-and resents that in fact she isnt-she dosent see why she can't have lovers like men doshe says this to Chase after making love,losing her virtue. Chase denys that saying there is a difference--Jessie is also determind-in the love scene, He trys to stop when he reaches her maidenhead, apologising and trying to pull away-when Jessie, not even listening, thrusts up there for losing her virginity. I hate how no one even took the time to tell her that the first time would hurt and she when it does she is shocked--just another scar on not having a mother and having a father who denys your sex.
She grows up alittle bit- learning how to be the woman she always secretly wanted to be, and learning to love.

The Hero
Chase Summers...Chase chase chase chase chase....I love you...
Chase is just hot, okay? He is strong and honerable-he really trys to resist Jessie- but fails to(obviously). Chase, is looking for his father,who he has never met, but takes time off when Rachael, Jessies Mother, an old time friend asks for help at her Ex husbands ranch.
Tall dark and handsome-Chase is all these things and more--and if he was real world have me drooling after him :P

Romance
The Love scenes were steamy, and incredably romantic-Like i said Johanna Lindsey never strays from the romance and that is why she is one of my favourite authors. The force is strong with this one :P The sexual tension is electric-- I Love Jessie and Chases arguements and how they seem so perfect for one another. Im not gonna spill any more about the romance cause thats what the books main point is--Just go buy and read this book NOW!


Johanna--You are a godess!!
5 STARS!!
Forever and always, One of my favourite books.

[Libby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spain? They ended up in Spain??!!! So I decided it would be fun to pick up a couple of old school, circa 1980, romances. The first read was the second book of the series - Savage Thunder. It was an okay read, so I figured, what the heck, let me go back and read the first book. I managed to get through this book by sheer will alone.

Kenneth Jesse, aka Jessica, aka Jessie, was the daughter her father never wanted. Another one of those creepy ass guys who's only happy if he has a son, daddy dearest caught mommy in flagrante delicto with a cow hand. Fearing for their safety, the interrupted couple flee out the window. Hours later, his wife returns and gets the crap beaten out of her. Seriously, the description of the beating is painful to read. Broken jaw, lacerated tongue, fingers and wrist broken from defensive posturing, broken ribs, cut and bloodied face. It was awful. Fortunately, she shows up again in the book in full perfect form. No reconstructive plastic surgery needed back in the day I suppose.

Skip forward 10 years and 18 year old Jessie is the stuff of nightmares and, apparently, fantasies. She wants to be a girl but recently deceased daddy dearest refused to let her dress or act as anything but a boy. She can now ride and spit and cowpoke with the best of them. The good news is that now that sick in the head daddy is deceased, Jessie can drag out the frilly dresses she's bought and act like the girly girl she's always wanted to be. Except, and you knew that was coming, in his will daddy dearest stipulated that the long absent whoring wife return to his ranch and act as guardian to Jessie until she turns 20. And how does Jessie react to that. Naturally, she refuses to act or dress as anything but a surly 18 year old boy. Oh Lord.

Frustrating antics ensue. In no particular order these include - but are not limited to:

The introduction of whoring mother's second husband's gambling ne'er-do-well stepson who is invited to the ranch when whoring mother throws her hands up in the air over Jessie's animosity and behavior. Why the whoring mother thought a 26 year old gambler could provide parenting advice was beyond me.

The taking of Jessie's innocence by the ne'er-do-well stepson, Chase Summers. Gotta love that name - Chase Summers. It just practically whispers across your lips. Hehehehe. Oh well, it wasn't so much a taking as a pushy giving. Jessie was a pretty hot-to-trot kind of thing. Their first meeting involved finding Jessie engaged in some pretty heavy second base necking with one of her cowhands out on the plains.

A pretty much absent villain who wants to steal the ranch by rustling, poisoning, and shooting all the cattle. Oh, and burning all the buildings to the ground. With impunity.

Pregnancy.

Heroine pursuit by previously mentioned second-base cowhand; a free range, one wife in the teepee, stoic Sioux warrior; a creepy Spanish matador cousin; a chubby Cheyenne warrior who happens to be the brother of her BFF; the gambling stepson, oh, and maybe one or two others. It's so hard to keep up.

A half breed Cheyenne warrior BFF. White Thunder. Hero of the next book Savage Thunder.

Loads and loads of foot stomping and riding through dangerous territory to go see BFF and his peeps - who have always accepted that Jessie is a girl.

Sheer obtuseness. So Jessie meets BFF when daddy dearest takes her to meet the tribe. Even though it's obvious daddy is very familiar with the Cheyenne from his early mountain man/trapper days, and Jessie and WT have a natural affinity for each and share the EXACT SAME STUNNING BLUE GREEN EYES it never occurs to either Jessie or WT that they may possibly be half siblings. All they know is that in spite of being besties, they've never suffered from any sexual attraction. Apparently, their shared genes provide some sort of internal incest warning system.

A hero tossing heroine over his lap to apply a very thorough spanking.

A catatonic state during which time the hero decides to head off to Spain to find his long lost daddy. Because, seriously, doesn't every hero know the best time to go off to another freaking continent to solve your lifelong daddy issues is when your 18 year old pregnant bride is in a catatonic state induced from witnessing the total destruction of everything she owns. I mean, she's not even going to notice if you're there or not. Right???

An awkwardly found journal - really awkwardly found. Okay not so much found as taken. Chase is trying to close his stepmother's trunk and the darn thing just won't close because this pesky journal just keeps getting in the way. Anyhoo, thankfully the journal spells out the truth of Jessie's whoring mother's innocence of the whole whoring thing. Thank the stars she kept a journal since she couldn't get Jessie to listen to the explanation of her innocence. Turns out after years of marriage, daddy dearest didn't even know his own wife well enough to distinguish her golden, demure, elegant looks from those of his Indian housemaid. I guess when you're nuts we all look alike even in broad daylight!!!!!!

A stabbing in the back while nekkid and drunk in a prostitute's bed at the local saloon/whorehouse.

My favorite part of the book was Jessie's reaction to Chase's whining about his real father. As he explains the circumstances of his birth and his search for his father, he shares that after working his way to California from Chicago he discovered the family had returned to Spain. And he couldn't continue his search because Spain is such a big country and he doesn't speak the language. She then asks why, if finding his real father was his raison d'être, he didn't learn Spanish???? Good question. Cuz it was soooo hard and he'd already worked sooo hard and he didn't want to work soooo hard anymore so he decided to become a gambler.

So to sum up our hero, Chase Summers: he is a man who is driven to find his daddy - except when it requires something hard like learning Spanish. He prefers gambling to working because he can stay in nice hotels. He is so arrogant that every time his stepmother - who he calls Lady for some unexplained reason - sends him out to retrieve Jessie when she heads out on her own, he rides off heedless of where he is going or why he is going and manages to get himself captured and almost killed. He believes grown women should be paddled just like children. He has sex with young virgins he hates and never considers the consequences of said sexual intercourse vis-a-vis potential offspring. He slut shames Jessie to her mother while conveniently forgetting to share the fact that he knows he's the only man to have actually had sex with her - the whole virgin thing conveniently overlooked during his tirade. He thinks heavy drinking and sex with a prostitute are the best ways to get over his stepmother's justified anger at his hypocritically boinking her daughter, and, finally, he thinks leaving his catatonic pregnant bride to look for his daddy since he plans to be back in time for the birthing is an okay way to behave. Oh, yeah, I forgot about the whole ignoring her for the last three months of her pregnancy because he caught his creepy matador cousin stealing a rebuffed smooch even though his wife pursued him to Spain after he left her at home PREGNANT AND IN A CATATONIC STATE. Good grief.

[Zeek · Rating 3 out of 5]

An early Johanna Lindsey, not one of my favorites but not as bad as her newer novels .

Raised by her embittered father who always wanted a son, Jessica Blair is independence personified. Left in charge of her father's ranch after his death she lives her life like a man, trousers and all. However recent happenings are threatening the only world she's ever known in the guise of her estranged mother returning as guardian over her and the ranch until Jessie gets married.

Answering the call to help out an old friend he's shocked to find the wild young girl he met on the road is actually the reason for his trip to Wyoming. So when his dearest friend asks Chase to marry her daughter he flat out refuses.

Yet there's something about the girl that draws him to her.

Jessie is furious about her mother's plans and she does everything she can to buck the system, until she realizes she's been laboring under a misunderstanding all her life and that the love and acceptance she's always longed for, was there all along.

As I said this one goes eschew for me at the very beginning because it sets up a very obvious big misunderstanding plot that makes you want to scream at Jessica's ignorant father. That and the fact he never wanted her in the first place makes him the villain in this novel though he dies early on.

The interaction between Chase and Jessie was rather annoying too because of her stubborness, but her motivation is thoroughly understood. They both are angry at each other often. He thinks she's a spoiled brat despite the fact she runs an entire ranch filled with male employees that respect her. She thinks he's her mother's lover from the past.

The best parts of the story were about her real family, although not by blood- a native American free tribe she found a home in long ago.

The rest of the book is disjointed with things happening that could have been fleshed out or made into other novels, including Chase's family background resolution and the bad guy trying to take the ranch. Just felt kinda superfluous to me.

3 out of 5 for me but in my early romance reading years I probably loved it because it still held my attention despite it's flaws.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Malgrè quelques incohérences on passe un bon moment
Toujours bien écrit, lecture agréable

[✿❤~m49913~❤✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tragic. That is the first word I wanna describe about this book. From the beginning, I sense that the heroine is so pity... Father didn't want her and father is a mad man...

Mother is a strong woman but the crazy father has told everything to make the daughter hate her.. So everything she said and done is useless..

Love story between Jessie and Chase is like Catch Me if you can... I found that the love story is not the important thing, but the relationship between Jessie and her mother and also Chase and his father is the most important in this story...

I cried at the part Jessie read her mother diary...

[Forgive for my awful English]

[Pamela(AllHoney) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in Johanna Lindsey's Wyoming series. K. Jesse Blair aka Jessie was supposed to be a boy but she wasn't. Her father's death brought her mother back in her life and along with her, Chase Summers. (Her mother was beaten and kicked out for allegedly cheating on her husband.)

I actually read this many years ago around the time it was first published. I liked it then and I liked it this time around. I did think Jessie was a bit on the pig-headed and stubborn side and Chase wouldn't win any best heroes awards with a few of his actions and words but it was a good read.

[Zuzanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nie była to wymagająca lektura, taka szybka na jeden dzień. Daje mi vibe harlequinów. Widać że jest to stara książka. Nie zachwyciłam się i nie zostanę fanką. Mimo wszystko ta książka była miłym odpoczynkiem od cięższej literatury.

[L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The further along I got, the more I felt I had read this book before. But let's be honest here, Johanna Lindsey books are easy to forget.

Jessie is an angry woman. No, Jessie is an angry child who is constantly throwing tantrums. I was exhausted by her constant anger. Chase, the hero of the story, was just m'eh for me. I didn't hate him and that's all I can say about his character. These two had absolutely no chemistry and no reason to be together. On top of no chemistry there was also nothing much going on. Jessica visits with some Indians. There's some guy who is supposed to be the villain and is wanting to take over Jessie's ranch but he's pushed so far into the background I kept forgetting who he even was. Jessica makes up with her estranged mother. Then the story moves to Spain as Chase is searching for his biological father. Blah, blah, blah, end already.

[Flocharda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pasable :D Pero la autora me gusta

[.phoebe. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Tetty Marlinda · Rating 1 out of 5]

#233 - 2023
Genre: Historical Romance, Western

[Asha Viguurs · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books...everybody loves a Lindsey

[Kristi Hudecek-Ashwill · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's fun sometimes to step back into the old school novels. This was first published in 1984 and had all of the old school elements that paved the way to what we read today.

With that being said, I have to say that I did not like Jessie AT. ALL. I thought she was a spoiled brat, even though her father raised her to act like a man and didn't spoil her at all. I got so tired of her hitting Chase and when she did it, she did it good. She punched him in the nose, didn't break it, but still made him bleed. She didn't stop hitting him until close to the end of the book. He never laid a hand on her in violence and frankly, since she was trying so hard to act like a man, maybe he should've hit her back like he would've done with any man.

In addition to her propensity for violence, she was a know-it-all, was self-centered, didn't care about anyone but herself and what she wanted. I grew weary of her insolence, the way she manipulated those around her, the would-be suitors that thought she was all that and a bag of chips...it got old. Even knowing her past as the book developed didn't ease my dislike of her.

Chase Summers is the main man in her life. I liked him a lot. He was a gambler by trade, but was on the ranch at the request of Rachel, Jessie's mother and a woman Jessie hates with all of her being. I won't go into the relationship between Chase and Rachel because I thought it was a bit of a mystery in the story and I don't want to ruin it for anyone else. He put up with so much from Jessie, more than he ever should've. He held on for whatever reason until he had to. I do think he talked too much when he told Rachel of Jessie's escapades. He was like a magpie at that point and to no avail. Considering the circumstances, maybe he was right.

Regardless, the book really was good. It was written in the style of the day, complete with heroines I want to slap and good men as heroes.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my New Year's resolutions was to read some of my old school back list. This was for sure old school. It was definitely over-the-top drama. And there seemed to be a lack of character development. We see what the heroine and hero do and how they react, but we don't really get to feel what they're feeling or understand the depths of the reasons for it.

Jessie has had a difficult upbringing with a father who used her for revenge against her mother. He has died and, out of spite, made her mother guardian. Chase, our hero, accompanies her, although I can't now remember why. Chase has spent his life looking for his father who he has felt abandoned he and his mother without even marrying her. So he has some issues of his own. Jessie is trying to run the ranch and is quite capable. But there are problems involving a man who wants to take over the ranch. The story deals with the relationship issues and with Jessie and Chase trying to save the ranch from being either destroyed or taken away by theft. The book leads us all the way to Spain in the search for Chase's father. The HEA was satisfying. I did like the way it ended.

The title, however, had nothing whatsoever to do with the book. I don't recall any kind of wind, wild or otherwise. There was much bravery, though, as was necessary to survive in the West during that time. It takes place in Wyoming which was incidental to the story. I'm glad I read it. It got better as it went.

[Noelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 So much going on, rushed love story that I didn't buy. Jessie's dad beat her mom and kicked her out thinking she cheated when she didn't. Raised Jessie like a boy and to hate mother. Dad dies and mom and bro come back to ranch. Bring Chase to help out or something. He falls for Jessie and they go back and forth between Native American village. She has pseudo family there and gets a stalker who wants to marry her. She declines. Chase leave and she finds out she is pregnant. Goes to tell him and finds him stabbed in bed with a hooker. Brings him back. They get married, and she says it is in name only. Bad guy is after ranch. Poisons cattle and sets house of fire. Jessie goes crazy, forgives her mom after she find a diary, and beats Chase to Spain to search for his father. Finds him. He is sick. Caretakers think she is a gold digger. Chase shows up. Looks exactly like father. The baby is born and all is well in Lindsey land.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ninety percent of this novel is comprised of arguments, insults and physical attacks. I cannot imagine how this book got such high ratings; it is a mess. Now that I've read all three in this series, I think ANGEL is the only one worth reading.

Now that Jessie Blair's father has died, her estranged mother has arrived to act as her guardian. Since her father sent his wife away several years ago, he has instilled hate in his daughter for her mother. Jessie is short-tempered and leaves the leadership of the ranch at the drop of a hat. I found her unlikeable.

Chase Summers is the step-son of Jessie's mother and he tries to mediate between the two women. However, he's a love-'em-and-leave-'em kind of guy and promptly seduces Jessie.

Before it is all over, Chase goes to search for his father in Spain. This seems to be a hodge-podge of novel ideas the author threw together to make up 300+ pages. Just awful.

[Rae · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found Chase to be a particularly unappealing love interest. I haven't quite finished it at this point so perhaps I'm being unfair but as it stands, I'm not sure I will finish it at all. I've read several of Johanna Lindsey's romances by now and I'm beginning to think I just don't like her brand of hero.

[NA · Rating 1 out of 5]

1st time reading it: didn't finish - automatic 0/5 stars
Second time reading this: 0/5 stars - I don't understand how the main characters are so emotionally stunted and mentally immature. It's like I'm reading a dialogue and storyline about Tweens. Spare me.