Former Olympic gymnast Samantha Evans and her twin sister Sabrina have chosen very different directions in life, but they are still as close as sisters can be. So when Sabrina begs her twin to help out during her pregnancy, Sam leaves her big city life behind for the countryside. Sam thought she knew what to expect on her sister's ranch. But she wasn't expecting to find gorgeous but infuriating Jake Tanner - or have to deal with his teasing. Sam tries to keep her distance, something keeps pulling her back. Perhaps there's more to Jake than meets the eye . . .
Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.
Eh. Another one of her old romances with old views on women and men and a typical pushy, assholey male character, that has no regards for personal space, decency and the word no. The h is feisty on the outside, but weak against Jack, so no love left here. She is absolutely useless and has to be saved by Jack like a little child, after which she ridiculously decides she is in love with him, especially since she thinks that he will marry another woman. Just no.
I think I better stay with her more modern romances.
"Song Of The West" is the story of Samantha and Jake.
In this sweet but very tame book, our heroine leaves Philadelphia and travels to Wyoming to help her twin out through a difficult pregnancy. She's an ex Olympian and current gymnastic teacher, but does not think twice before giving everything up for her beloved sibling. It is there she meets their enigmatic cowboy neighbor, and sparks fly. The hero makes his intentions pretty obvious, the heroine also falls for him yet continues to ignore what's infront of her, choosing to run and believe the OW instead, until the hero ropes her back in.
Minimal drama, some sweet kisses and ends on a happy note.
Another one of Nora's early books in which the Hero, Tanner has a brand of arrogance that is supposed to pass for charm, but actually makes him seem like a jackass. He's walks around the entire time saying, "I'm going to make love to you." or "I always get what I want, and I want you." Meanwhile, there's no chemistry between these two. And the heroine really does seem to find Tanner resistible. Their first kiss - out of the blue with no chemistry at all. So she understandably gets upset that he's just manhandled her. And he spends the entire book doing that - he grabs her, pulls her close and kisses her. Then she gets angry and tries to stomp off. Lather, rinse, repeat. So after two or three such episodes in which she gets absolutely furious and they don't really get along, she decides that she's in insta-love with him. WTF? Why? And then there's that miscommunication that has the overly stubborn running instead of simply asking the hero about it.
And after all this my biggest question is...How is a man supposed to "go sterilize some towels, lots of them" in relatively short period of time to prepare for the birth of a baby? Does he have a UV light? He could boil them and dry them, but that would take more than a few minutes. Weird...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Okay I’ve pulled myself together enough to review this. I’ve come to the verdict that I didn’t like it. I was worried at first about reading a romance written by a slightly older woman. And my worries came to fruition. The levels of old-traditional romance was abhorrent and it made me feel so icky. “I’m going to have you.” I’m sorry?? Get away from me right now. Who do you think you are Jake Tanner.
I’m NOT GOING TO LIE right..at first? I was kicking my feet. Mr Tanner is a smooth criminal and I was here for it. The way he was wooing Sam was CRAZY. And then it just did a 180. I shouldn’t be surprised really. Brooding cowboy with girls clinging to his arms. Won’t tell the girl he loves that he loves her because he’s keeping his OPTIONS OPEN?! Nah I actually can’t cope.
He led the FMC on, making her think he was marrying someone else, only to come out and say “don’t be silly, I’m obviously marrying you.” HUHHHH?!! No stop. And TELL ME WHY, tell me whyyyyyy, the only reason this man confessed his feelings is because the FMC’s twin sister told him to. She had a word with him that the pair of them need to stop going round in circles and admit their love for each other. NO MA’AM what your sister needs to do is to run a mile in the other direction and get on a plane back home to her city life. Goodbye.
This is one of Nora Roberts' older romances and it's obviously of the old school variety so while I liked the writing, I just couldn't completely enjoy the romance. Roberts does an amazing job of describing Wyoming and showing the sisterly love between Sam and Bree but that's really where my enjoyment ended. Sam spends most of the book trying to resist Jake and pretty much just letting things happen to her instead of being a real participant in the relationship. Jake pushes through all of Sam's token resistance like a man who takes what he wants. Overall, not my favorite by Roberts but considering it was written in 1981 I'm not surprised either.
Nota: 7 Otra de la primeras historias de Nora Roberts. En este caso es una novela corta, de no más de 100 páginas, que pese a tener tan pocas hojas, está muy bien estructurada, con unos buenos personajes... Es entretenida.
Trigger warnings: dubious consent, alpha male bullshit, misogyny
Look, I only picked this up because I wanted a book set in Wyoming for a reading challenge and this was the shortest I could find and I figured I'd be safe with Nora Roberts. Buuuuuuuuuuuuut I really should have checked the original publication date before I picked this one up because y.i.k.e.s.
This was originally published in 1982 and IT SHOWS. The main character is a former Olympic gymnast who now teaches PE because it's basically the only job she can get(?!). When her twin sister has a complicated pregnancy, she uproots her life and moves to Wyoming to take care of her sister and then she falls for the rich rancher next door whose kind of an asshole.
This featured a LOT of 1982 attitudes to romance and it wasn't a great read 40 years on. This should not have surprised me, but it kind of did. In summary: no thank you.
Normally I like Nora Roberts because she's a rare romance novelist who includes a plot and really strong female heroines--but this early romance just kind of fell flat for me. Too much brooding, not enough action!
I tried to read it but couldn’t make it through. The main character couldn’t say no for the life of her and the main guy wouldn’t take no for a answer. It may be romantic here but that is scary in real life
terrible. very old fashioned-oh big tough man is gonna have the little woman, but isn't he in love with that other woman??? Yuck. Couldn't even finish it.
Um dos primeiros romances editados por Nora Roberts. É um romance fofinho. Conta-nos a história de 2 irmãs gêmeas , a Samantha e a Sabrina. Sabrina vive em Wyoming e está com uma gravidez de risco , e a Samantha é solteira , deixa o seu emprego de professora de educação física e tudo o resto e vai ajudar a irmã. Um verdadeiro ato de amor. Na fazenda da irmã conhecerá um cowboy rico e cobiçado por várias mulheres que ela não irá simpatizar à primeira vista , mas o seu coração irá atraicoa-la...porque às vezes o coração fala mais forte. É um livro que fala do amor de irmãos, dos sentimentos do coração, da persistência e luta feminina .
i couldn’t get over the picture of some old dude on the cover and picture mmc as someone more attractive.
i understood that she came to help her sister but why was she cooking for her husband too?
i wasn’t sure about this.
“And the next time I grab you, it won't only be to hold your hand." Releasing her, he leaned back in his chair. "You have been warned.”
i didn’t appreciate the concept of the other woman whose efforts weren’t discouraged by mmc. one moment he was practically begging fmc to come home with him, the next - he was dancing with ow. he also knew what he was doing and didn’t clear the air and explain anything to fmc. this was just manipulative.
(TW: dubious consent. manipulative behaviours) . . . . This book has some alarming ideas about how romance is defined. I didn't like the male protagonist at all - he overstepped the female protagonist's boundaries CONSTANTLY and the female protagonist is a puddle human with no personal autonomy who can't cope without the male protagonist. The only thing I liked about this book is the relationship between the female protagonist and her sister.
Another Nora Robert’s book. Easy read, able to put down and pick up book, without knowing where the story line is. A great holiday read. Bit more depth to story than a ‘Mills & Boon’ from my Mum’s reading library.
This was horrible. The man, Jake had NO boundaries. He actually said “I intend to have you” the second time seeing Sam. Sam had no personality except saying she was strong and independent, while acting like a toddler and being completely dependent on Jake. Absolutely rubbish. Idk if I can attempt another Nora Roberts book after this.
This was a short and to the point story. Handsome hero takes one look at the pretty girl and decides she’s the one for him. Through all of this the exquisite beauty of Wyoming shines through.
Okay I'm on a journey with Nora Roberts to see her growth as a writer. While her writing was amazing as always in this book, everything else just missed the mark for me. An asshole hero that can't listen and doesn't respect the woman's wishes and a heroine who doesn't stand up for herself just don't combine for an entertaining read. I was invested at the beginning and I definitely saw the potential, but then it went so far out of what I wanted. Just saying, no means no. And sexual assault isn't sexy.
I have got to stop reading Nora Roberts' early works, I always hate the heroes and it would just be better all round. But this was quick and I needed it for a reading challenge, so I thought I would listen to this audiobook quickly.
This book is about Samantha, who moves from Philadelphia to Wyoming to help her sister with the end of a difficult pregnancy. She meets ranch owner, Jake Tanner, who she instantly has sparks with despite the fact that he irritates her.
Things I liked: the relationship between Samantha and Sabrina. They're twin sisters and very different but they had a lovely close relationship. I also appreciated Samantha's relationship with Dan, Sabrina's husband, because it was good to see that kind of platonic relationship crop up. Normally in stories like this, the husband would float around in the background and barely get a character at all because he's not the twin sister, he's not the love interest and he's not the rival.
I also loved descriptions of the setting. It was all about nature and how Samantha was falling in love with the natural beauty and life of Wyoming and that was really good to read about. It felt very peaceful even to read about and I love that kind of description of setting in books. Especially when it's nature.
Unfortunately, none of this made up for the love interest. He was a very stereotypical alpha love interest which showed up in romance novels a lot in the 80s and 90s. He was all about what he wanted and how determined he was to get it. He even knew better than Samantha herself about what she wanted and continued to kiss her despite her saying no or telling him to stop it. He also didn't use his words at all to indicate any romantic feelings for Samantha, so she got the mistaken impression . He preferred to kiss her rather than talk to her, and that leads to all the major conflict in the book.
To make matters worse, the stranded together in a blizzard event mentioned in the summary was barely anything. She did something foolish, he scolded her like a child and then she got to see he was attractive after a shower.
This isn't a bad romance novel, it's just a very good example about why I don't like reading romance novels written during this time period.
Read as part of the Every Nora Roberts Book in Publishing Order book club. Notes below pasted exactly as written during reading.
Song of the West
- I don’t hate the twins, Sam and Bree, immediately. So far there’s not a ton of infantilizaton. But we haven’t met the male characters yet, either, and this book already failed the bechdel test. For twin sisters, you’d think they’d have more to discuss than men. - Ok so Sam immediately yells right at Jake’s face so that’s a nice change, though he does do the “up and down” appraisal with a badly-veiled innuendo within seconds of meeting her. - Good news! Jake intrudes on Sam’s personal space unexpectedly by chapter two, in case you were worried. Why is this considered sexy?! - Ugh. And already with the “you’re so small” and “you’re so strong for someone so little” bullshit from the leading man. Fingers crossed we don’t get literal rape in this one though I guess? *coughblitheimagescough* - Spoke too soon! Not but a few sentences later, Jake threatens that next time he grabs her (which he is doing while delivering this threat, despite her protests and struggles), it won’t be to “hold her hand” and “she has been warned”. Hello yes 911, please arrest this man. - “Pretty little thing” BITCH THIS WOMAN IS AN OLYMPIC MEDAL WINNING ATHLETE get fucked - Nora sneaking in some woke reading about the massacre of the indigenous people of Wyoming. Point in her favor. - Surprise unwelcome kiss and then the comment “just testing” from Jake and he still hasn’t been kicked in the testicles. What a time the 1980s were. - Okay. I am noticing less and less of the grabby, unwanted, creepy, objectifying Lead Man in this one. Maybe we’re moving into less Silhouette-forced “romance” themes and more into what Nora tends to gravitate toward? - It was going ok. I didn’t want to vomit in my mouth or commit homicide. And then he RUFFLED HER HAIR right after kissing her. There’s that vomit now. - Girl ain’t no way you’re already in love, it’s been like a week - this is NOT enthusiastic consent, Nora. It’s not even IMPLIED consent. Christ. - Well… okay, sure. Whatever. 1/5 stars because there was a dog in this one and a brief mention of the racism of American colonization.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A heartwarming novel by the talented storyteller Nora Roberts. I absolutely loved this book, I loved the characters of Samantha, Sabrina, Dan, and Jake. I loved the chemistry and flirtatious nature of jake towards Samantha. This was a highly entertaining and enjoyable book to read. I highly recommend reading this book or any book written by Nora Roberts.
Samantha a former Olympic gymnast gives up her life in Philadelphia to travel to Wyoming to her twin sister Sabrina and brother in law Dan’s ranch when Sabrina experiences some pregnancy complications. Samantha takes over caring for her sister and the home while Dan takes care of the ranch. Samantha meets handsome flirty jake Tanner a rancher and neighbour of Dan and Sabrina’s but she initially mistakes him for a ranch hand. Samantha is as annoyed by him as she’s attracted by him, wants to keep her distance from him after fearing rumours about him and Lesley being together. Sabrina and Dan ambush her into a horse ride with jake, he shows her Wyoming and takes her to his ranch for lunch, he kisses her, she finds herself angry to learn he’s having dinner with Lesley, he drops her back at her sisters ranch warns her that he wants her. Samantha takes another horse ride but gets caught in a blizzard and found by Jake who was angry for scaring him and nurses her back to health, stuck together at his ranch waiting out the storm she finds herself falling in love with him. She determined to keep her distance believing he and Lesley are an item. Back at Sabrina’s she’s visited by Lesley who both Annie and Sabrina tell her that Lesley wanted to check her out because of jake’s interest in her. Sabrina realises Samantha is in love with Jake but because they’re both under the assumption he and Lesley are an item she won’t give in to her feelings. Dan wants to throw a birthday party for Samantha and Sabrina. Dan and Sabrina surprise Samantha with a mare in hopes of convincing her to stay. Jake gifts her a painting for her birthday. Sabrina goes into labour early and Samantha has to help her deliver her baby girl named Jennifer. Lesley visits Sabrina and Jennifer wearing a diamond ring. Heartbroken Samantha as much as she loves her sister, Dan, Jennifer and Wyoming can’t stay while she’s in love with a man about to marry someone else. Tells Sabrina she’s leaving early. Sabrina sneakily contacts Jake and learns that Jim and Lesley are engaged not him. He kidnaps Samantha and they confront their feelings for each other he’s in love with her. They happily give in to their feelings.