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Montana Marriages #2
The Husband Tree
Standing over her third no-account husband's grave, Belle Tanner makes a vow--no more men. Now all she needs to do is get her cattle to market before winter sets in. But there's no one around except the drifter Silas Harden, and Belle is such a poor judge of men that she can't decide if he's worth hiring on.
Silas just escaped a shotgun wedding--only to lose his money, his ranch, and his pride. Although he's determined never to get tangled up with womenfolk again, Belle and her four daughters seem to bring out the protector in him. And he can't seem to stop kissing Belle senseless.
When a group of cowpokes, along with a white woman raised by the Shoshone, show up along the drive, Belle has her hands full. Can she keep her oldest daughter and Glowing Sun away from no-good cowhands--and herself out of Silas's arms?
Will anyone get through this treacherous cattle drive unscathed and unhitched?
Silas just escaped a shotgun wedding--only to lose his money, his ranch, and his pride. Although he's determined never to get tangled up with womenfolk again, Belle and her four daughters seem to bring out the protector in him. And he can't seem to stop kissing Belle senseless.
When a group of cowpokes, along with a white woman raised by the Shoshone, show up along the drive, Belle has her hands full. Can she keep her oldest daughter and Glowing Sun away from no-good cowhands--and herself out of Silas's arms?
Will anyone get through this treacherous cattle drive unscathed and unhitched?
315 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
136 people are currently reading
1124 people want to read
About the author
Mary Connealy
118 books2,491 followersMary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys always with a strong suspense thread. She is a two time Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader's Choice finalist.
She is the bestselling author of 65 books and novellas.
Her most recent three book series are: Braced for Love, A Man with a Past and Love on the Range for Bethany House Publishing. She’s also written four other series for Barbour Publishing and many novellas and several stand-alone books for multiple publishers.
Mary will be a published author for ten years in 2017 with nearly a million books in print. She has a degree in broadcast communications with an emphasis in journalism and has worked at her local newspaper.
Find Mary online at:
Seekerville
Petticoats & Pistols
My Website
She is the bestselling author of 65 books and novellas.
Her most recent three book series are: Braced for Love, A Man with a Past and Love on the Range for Bethany House Publishing. She’s also written four other series for Barbour Publishing and many novellas and several stand-alone books for multiple publishers.
Mary will be a published author for ten years in 2017 with nearly a million books in print. She has a degree in broadcast communications with an emphasis in journalism and has worked at her local newspaper.
Find Mary online at:
Seekerville
Petticoats & Pistols
My Website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
July 26, 2020
The started and finished dates on this second installment of the author's Montana Marriages series are misleading; Barb and I read it as a "car book," one which I read aloud to her when we were in the car, and the circumstances this year with the pandemic greatly cut down our car travel. Like all of Connealy's books, this has a strong narrative drive and quick-flowing prose; the average reader would finish it in days, not months!
As the series title suggests, the principal setting here is Montana: the harsh, unforgiving wilderness of the Rocky Mountains in 1876. Our story opens with protagonist Belle, newly widowed for the third time, and her four daughters --the oldest a teen, the youngest still nursing-- gathered at the titular "Husband Tree," the tree around which the graves of her husbands are sited, for the unceremonious and not particularly grief-stricken burial of the latest. Belle's a cattle rancher --not a "rancher's wife," but a rancher in her own right, because her husbands have been a worthless lot, and the considerable success of the ranch has been due to her smarts and hard work. None of her marriages have really been love matches, though when she married William at 15 (she's in her early 30s now), she thought she was in love; the unions have mostly been dictated by the economic necessities of life for women in that time and place, a constrained environment that Connealy explains very well. But she's resolved not to marry again; a succession of lazy, incompetent, abusive and/or drunken louts have given her a jaundiced view of the institution, and a hefty strain of misandry in her outlook, which she's passed to her older girls. (The husbands all died in genuine accidents, however --a circumstance not as unusual then as it would be now, because the conditions of ranch life were highly dangerous for anybody, and more so for the stupid and/or intoxicated.) Now, though, she soon finds that unforeseen but believable circumstances are forcing her into a late-season drive of much of her stock over a very rough stretch of mountainous terrain to market in Helena. Her three older daughters can acquit themselves as well as drovers as any boys their age could, and better; but she's still facing the unwelcome necessity of hiring some male help.
Early on, we take a quick side tour into New Mexico Territory, a bit before husband #3's demise, to meet Silas Harden, a cowboy about Belle's age, who has some emotional baggage of his own, some of which we learn about only gradually. (Though it won't hurt to disclose that he was raised in a brothel, where his mother worked.) By application of hard work and good character, he's acquired a small spread of his own, and hopes to make a success of it; but there are some scheming brains in his locality that have other plans. Despite the geographic distance involved, readers will instantly suspect (so it's no spoiler to disclose!) that circumstances will quickly bring him to Montana. Barb and I read the third book of the trilogy before this one (long story!), and had in fact already encountered some of the characters here in reading another later trilogy by the author, so we knew where the plot was going. When I mentioned that fact in a conversation with my oldest daughter, she replied that she hadn't read the later books, but also knew where it was going. :-) It's true that, as a romance, this has some predictability. But the psychological realism of the appealing characters, and the issues they have to work through, make the tale worthwhile anyway. (In some romances, communication problems have a strained quality, but they're credible here, IMO.)
While the main plot here is pretty linear, a subplot is also present (though it doesn't occupy a very big proportion of the book) involving local rancher's son Wade Sawyer and Glowing Sun, a young white woman raised by the Salish ("Flathead") Indians, who will take center stage in the next book, Wildflower Bride. The handling of this plot, though, actually helped to drag the rating down by a star, because I felt it to be inconsistent with the characterizations in the later book. There's an insta-love vibe here that's not present in the third book; Glowing Sun's English skills are much better (and were said to be better to start with, even before she met Wade) there than here, and her character is just better developed, more appealing and more believable in the third book. (Ironically, I might have rated this book higher if I'd read the books in order!)
Although I shelved this book on my Action Heroines shelf and counted it for a challenge in the Action Heroine Fans group, it has to be said that the actual action content here is relatively scanty. Belle wears a Colt and knows how to use it, just as any male rancher would. She and her daughters do have to meet back-breaking and dangerous physical challenges on a grueling cattle drive, dealing with longhorn cattle that can't really be described as "tame;" they're tough females bred in a tough land, and able to face it on its own terms, and the two older girls can handle long guns. But the only time any of the females here have to shoot is close to the end, when there's a winter-time confrontation with a hungry wolf pack. That's an exciting passage, but not a large part of the text. (To avoid spoilers, I won't share the respective score cards for Cowgirls vs. Wolves; but as I said, I did encounter some characters here in later books. :-) ). It also has to be said that Connealy could use a gift copy of Farley Mowat's Never Cry Wolf: The Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Wolves. She obviously honestly believes it's credible that non-rabid wolves would attack human beings without provocation, but I don't personally believe that it is. (Attacking cattle or horses, of course, would be a different story.)
Finally, we have more than one romance here (well, more than two, if we count the subplot), and it raises issues. The "insta-love" charge some readers might bring actually isn't as damning as it seems just going by the time factor, because some circumstances can bring people together, and reveal their mettle, very deeply even in a relatively short time. What might disturb some readers more is that a romance between two teens (a male aged 16 and a 15-year-old female very close to 16) results in marriage. (Pregnancy is not involved.) Under present-day cultural conditions, I would oppose underage marriage, and support legal bans on it. However, the cultural conditions of the 1876 frontier were significantly different, and my personal assessments of the character's actions and their appropriateness differs with it. These teens are substantially more like adults than most modern teens (and than many modern adults!); they're socialized to be more aware of and settled in what they want from life than their modern contemporaries would be, and postponing family formation for secondary and higher education isn't a feasible option in their world, nor something they're interested in. Personally, I wished them well in their life together.
A Christian believer herself, Connealy depicts characters who are sincerely Christian, though not necessarily wearing their faith on their sleeve; she's sympathetic to the role it plays in their lives, but doesn't expound on it at length. The novel is free from bad language or graphic sexual content, and is an absorbing tale leavened with the author's trademark wry humor. I'd recommend it to fans (both Christians and non-Christians) of clean romance and relatively non-violent Westerns.
As the series title suggests, the principal setting here is Montana: the harsh, unforgiving wilderness of the Rocky Mountains in 1876. Our story opens with protagonist Belle, newly widowed for the third time, and her four daughters --the oldest a teen, the youngest still nursing-- gathered at the titular "Husband Tree," the tree around which the graves of her husbands are sited, for the unceremonious and not particularly grief-stricken burial of the latest. Belle's a cattle rancher --not a "rancher's wife," but a rancher in her own right, because her husbands have been a worthless lot, and the considerable success of the ranch has been due to her smarts and hard work. None of her marriages have really been love matches, though when she married William at 15 (she's in her early 30s now), she thought she was in love; the unions have mostly been dictated by the economic necessities of life for women in that time and place, a constrained environment that Connealy explains very well. But she's resolved not to marry again; a succession of lazy, incompetent, abusive and/or drunken louts have given her a jaundiced view of the institution, and a hefty strain of misandry in her outlook, which she's passed to her older girls. (The husbands all died in genuine accidents, however --a circumstance not as unusual then as it would be now, because the conditions of ranch life were highly dangerous for anybody, and more so for the stupid and/or intoxicated.) Now, though, she soon finds that unforeseen but believable circumstances are forcing her into a late-season drive of much of her stock over a very rough stretch of mountainous terrain to market in Helena. Her three older daughters can acquit themselves as well as drovers as any boys their age could, and better; but she's still facing the unwelcome necessity of hiring some male help.
Early on, we take a quick side tour into New Mexico Territory, a bit before husband #3's demise, to meet Silas Harden, a cowboy about Belle's age, who has some emotional baggage of his own, some of which we learn about only gradually. (Though it won't hurt to disclose that he was raised in a brothel, where his mother worked.) By application of hard work and good character, he's acquired a small spread of his own, and hopes to make a success of it; but there are some scheming brains in his locality that have other plans. Despite the geographic distance involved, readers will instantly suspect (so it's no spoiler to disclose!) that circumstances will quickly bring him to Montana. Barb and I read the third book of the trilogy before this one (long story!), and had in fact already encountered some of the characters here in reading another later trilogy by the author, so we knew where the plot was going. When I mentioned that fact in a conversation with my oldest daughter, she replied that she hadn't read the later books, but also knew where it was going. :-) It's true that, as a romance, this has some predictability. But the psychological realism of the appealing characters, and the issues they have to work through, make the tale worthwhile anyway. (In some romances, communication problems have a strained quality, but they're credible here, IMO.)
While the main plot here is pretty linear, a subplot is also present (though it doesn't occupy a very big proportion of the book) involving local rancher's son Wade Sawyer and Glowing Sun, a young white woman raised by the Salish ("Flathead") Indians, who will take center stage in the next book, Wildflower Bride. The handling of this plot, though, actually helped to drag the rating down by a star, because I felt it to be inconsistent with the characterizations in the later book. There's an insta-love vibe here that's not present in the third book; Glowing Sun's English skills are much better (and were said to be better to start with, even before she met Wade) there than here, and her character is just better developed, more appealing and more believable in the third book. (Ironically, I might have rated this book higher if I'd read the books in order!)
Although I shelved this book on my Action Heroines shelf and counted it for a challenge in the Action Heroine Fans group, it has to be said that the actual action content here is relatively scanty. Belle wears a Colt and knows how to use it, just as any male rancher would. She and her daughters do have to meet back-breaking and dangerous physical challenges on a grueling cattle drive, dealing with longhorn cattle that can't really be described as "tame;" they're tough females bred in a tough land, and able to face it on its own terms, and the two older girls can handle long guns. But the only time any of the females here have to shoot is close to the end, when there's a winter-time confrontation with a hungry wolf pack. That's an exciting passage, but not a large part of the text. (To avoid spoilers, I won't share the respective score cards for Cowgirls vs. Wolves; but as I said, I did encounter some characters here in later books. :-) ). It also has to be said that Connealy could use a gift copy of Farley Mowat's Never Cry Wolf: The Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Wolves. She obviously honestly believes it's credible that non-rabid wolves would attack human beings without provocation, but I don't personally believe that it is. (Attacking cattle or horses, of course, would be a different story.)
Finally, we have more than one romance here (well, more than two, if we count the subplot), and it raises issues. The "insta-love" charge some readers might bring actually isn't as damning as it seems just going by the time factor, because some circumstances can bring people together, and reveal their mettle, very deeply even in a relatively short time. What might disturb some readers more is that a romance between two teens (a male aged 16 and a 15-year-old female very close to 16) results in marriage. (Pregnancy is not involved.) Under present-day cultural conditions, I would oppose underage marriage, and support legal bans on it. However, the cultural conditions of the 1876 frontier were significantly different, and my personal assessments of the character's actions and their appropriateness differs with it. These teens are substantially more like adults than most modern teens (and than many modern adults!); they're socialized to be more aware of and settled in what they want from life than their modern contemporaries would be, and postponing family formation for secondary and higher education isn't a feasible option in their world, nor something they're interested in. Personally, I wished them well in their life together.
A Christian believer herself, Connealy depicts characters who are sincerely Christian, though not necessarily wearing their faith on their sleeve; she's sympathetic to the role it plays in their lives, but doesn't expound on it at length. The novel is free from bad language or graphic sexual content, and is an absorbing tale leavened with the author's trademark wry humor. I'd recommend it to fans (both Christians and non-Christians) of clean romance and relatively non-violent Westerns.
June 15, 2011
After reading the Lassoed In Texas series, I wasn't in a big hurry to go on to Montana Marriages. I enjoyed the stories in Lassoed but I didn't really admire the male characters. I felt they were all a bit too clueless and unbelievable. One of the most important things to me in a romance is that I have to be able to respect the male lead so I hesitated to even read other books by Mary Connealy. I have to say after reading The Husband Tree and Montana Rose that I have been happily convinced that she can definitely write a strong male lead! I'm so glad I decided to try the Montana Marriages series because the books just keep getting better and better! Both Belle and Silas were strong characters who had to learn to forget about their past experiences with people and learn to take a risk and trust someone new. It was nice to see the story continue after they decided to marry so that we could see the work they had to do to keep from falling back into the old habits of distrust and move forward to a marriage that could make them both happy. Belle kept her fiery spirit but learned to also trust her husband and accept his help. Silas became the head of the household but found a way to honor his wife and encourage her to be a better person (more trusting, less prejudiced against men) without breaking her spirit. Best Mary Connealy yet!
October 14, 2018
3.5 stars A funny sporty with quirky characters that highlights the rugged independent spirit of the American West. I've read several books by this author, and this one rises above the others especially when it comes to the relationship between the two main characters. I also appreciated the growth and development of the characters through the book. Probably the biggest thing I appreciate about Connealy`s writing uses that she's not afraid to honestly examine both the pros and cons of the "strong woman" ideal, but she tackles it in an engaging humorous way. And ultimately, that's what this book is: humorous engaging story.
June 18, 2017
A cute little tale of learning to trust that God will not give you more than you can bare. The the path to happiness is not always paved with happily ever after but tribulations too. Loved Belle & her grit & determination.
March 12, 2016
This series, specifically this second book, have everything you want/need in a good love story: humor, breathless romantic tension, sweet tender moments, a bit of action, good plot points and great characters. The only problem I have with the series is the moments that require me to suddenly suspend belief and remember that I'm reading a fictional novel. Inner conflicts are instantly resolved with little to no explanation. Minor characters fall in love in a matter of a couple of days. It was enough to prove distracting at times as I went along but overall - i love these books and can't wait to start on the last one in the trilogy tonight!
December 10, 2015
Adding the fifth star for pure emotional enjoyment...The book itself is about four-star quality, but I did love it. So far this is my favorite of Connealy's.
How do you even begin to review a book in which a woman is shocked to find a man worth his hide, after having to become a woman she wasn't for the sake of her children? Let's just say that I'm glad I caught a glimpse of Belle's name in another Connealy book I plan to read soon, because I really love this lady.
How do you even begin to review a book in which a woman is shocked to find a man worth his hide, after having to become a woman she wasn't for the sake of her children? Let's just say that I'm glad I caught a glimpse of Belle's name in another Connealy book I plan to read soon, because I really love this lady.
February 4, 2018
I enjoyed this book for the most part. The description was inaccurate though, as Glowing Sun never showed up on the cattle drive.
*spoilers* I liked Silas all the way through until almost the end, when he was so angry with Belle for continuing her work as normal (finishing off all the things that needed to be done before winter,) while he basically told her to do nothing and then went off somewhere every day for a month with no explanation. Then Belle groveled, while he didn’t offer an apology, at least not in print. Between the fact that he KNEW her history with men and what something like that would make her think, and the fact that Belle was much more familiar with Montana weather than him (him being from New Mexico Territory,) he was WAY more in the wrong than she was. So the way their makeup was handled really rankled, and dropped this from what would have been a 4 Star book for me.
*spoilers* I liked Silas all the way through until almost the end, when he was so angry with Belle for continuing her work as normal (finishing off all the things that needed to be done before winter,) while he basically told her to do nothing and then went off somewhere every day for a month with no explanation. Then Belle groveled, while he didn’t offer an apology, at least not in print. Between the fact that he KNEW her history with men and what something like that would make her think, and the fact that Belle was much more familiar with Montana weather than him (him being from New Mexico Territory,) he was WAY more in the wrong than she was. So the way their makeup was handled really rankled, and dropped this from what would have been a 4 Star book for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2010
THE HUSBAND TREE by Mary Connealy
I won Mary Connealy's book The Husband Tree in a contest. And I promised her I'd even try and read the book. But I didn't even have to try. From the first line I was drawn in. I got the book in the mail and finished it within three hours the same day. Now I know what the buzz is about.
The Husband Tree is the story about, Belle, a woman who lives in a hard country, Montana. After marrying and burying three husband's, and raising her four daughter's, she's become as hard as the country in which she dwells. Men have given her nothing but grief and she's decided that she doesn't need help from any no account males. Belle can take care of herself , and her daughters. She's done so for years.
Silas Harding, has lost in love himself. And in the process was forced to leave his home just to get away from the no account females in his life. He decides women are nothing but trouble and life would be better spent with out one in it.
His metal is tested when he signs on to drive cattle with Belle and her daughters (who are all memorable in their own right). At first, dealing with the contankerous lot of stubborn females, Silas is certain he'll be able to hold true to his promise and never care for a woman again. But Belle isn't anything like the whiny, weak women of Silas' past, she doesn't use her wiles on him, doesn't try to trap him and turn his head. No Belle plum confuses him, because She doesn't need him or want him for nothing more but a hired hand. So why does he find himself falling for her?
And strangely, once Silas begins to help on the drive and take care of her and her girls, Belle finds herself questioning her vow to never marry again. Silas has done more for her in a month than any of her husbands before. He heart opens toward him, but she wonders if a man can truly be trusted.
Even her daughter's hearts begin to thaw under the warmth and care that Silas gives them.
I don't want to give the story away. But The Husband Tree is funny and heartwarming. Mary Connealy has spun a tale that will pull you in and take you along for a wonderful ride. Let me encourage you to take the ride.
I won Mary Connealy's book The Husband Tree in a contest. And I promised her I'd even try and read the book. But I didn't even have to try. From the first line I was drawn in. I got the book in the mail and finished it within three hours the same day. Now I know what the buzz is about.
The Husband Tree is the story about, Belle, a woman who lives in a hard country, Montana. After marrying and burying three husband's, and raising her four daughter's, she's become as hard as the country in which she dwells. Men have given her nothing but grief and she's decided that she doesn't need help from any no account males. Belle can take care of herself , and her daughters. She's done so for years.
Silas Harding, has lost in love himself. And in the process was forced to leave his home just to get away from the no account females in his life. He decides women are nothing but trouble and life would be better spent with out one in it.
His metal is tested when he signs on to drive cattle with Belle and her daughters (who are all memorable in their own right). At first, dealing with the contankerous lot of stubborn females, Silas is certain he'll be able to hold true to his promise and never care for a woman again. But Belle isn't anything like the whiny, weak women of Silas' past, she doesn't use her wiles on him, doesn't try to trap him and turn his head. No Belle plum confuses him, because She doesn't need him or want him for nothing more but a hired hand. So why does he find himself falling for her?
And strangely, once Silas begins to help on the drive and take care of her and her girls, Belle finds herself questioning her vow to never marry again. Silas has done more for her in a month than any of her husbands before. He heart opens toward him, but she wonders if a man can truly be trusted.
Even her daughter's hearts begin to thaw under the warmth and care that Silas gives them.
I don't want to give the story away. But The Husband Tree is funny and heartwarming. Mary Connealy has spun a tale that will pull you in and take you along for a wonderful ride. Let me encourage you to take the ride.
May 2, 2012
4.5 Stars
This book tells the story of Belle Tanner. She is a woman running her own ranch with her daughters which is pretty much unheard of back then. She has been married three times before and all her husbands have died and she vows to never marry again. Even though she and her girls work hard to keep the ranch going its hard and when she finds she has more cattle then can survive over the winter she must make a cattle drive before the snow flies. She soon heads to town to look for cow hands.
Silas had a bad run in with a woman and is wandering. He happens to be in town when Belle comes looking for cow hands. Silas signs on to help and soon finds himself caring for Belle and her girls. Will Belle give in and finally find true love or will her memories of the past keep her from finding a future?
I first read about Belle in a series following this one and was excited to read her story. Belle is a head strong woman of the old west and just a fun character to read about. Even though she has sworn off men she still wishes for real true love. When I read how hard she worked to keep her ranch above water I started to feel bad for her. I wanted her to find someone to love and help her with the ranch too. Her three girls as well as a baby where also head strong and I really liked this family. It does not take long for Silas to see how much help Belle and her girls really need. The fun begins as he tries to help and they fight back at his attempts.
They are soon well on the way of the cattle drive and Belle finds herself falling for this different cowboy. I will say I thought she got over her no more men attitude just a little faster then I expected. Her oldest daughter also falls in love with a cowhand helping with the drive and that just seemed way to fast to me and maybe a little rushed. Other then that this is another winner by Mary Connealy. I look forward to reading the last book in the series.
http://abbiesreadingcorner.com/2011/0...
This book tells the story of Belle Tanner. She is a woman running her own ranch with her daughters which is pretty much unheard of back then. She has been married three times before and all her husbands have died and she vows to never marry again. Even though she and her girls work hard to keep the ranch going its hard and when she finds she has more cattle then can survive over the winter she must make a cattle drive before the snow flies. She soon heads to town to look for cow hands.
Silas had a bad run in with a woman and is wandering. He happens to be in town when Belle comes looking for cow hands. Silas signs on to help and soon finds himself caring for Belle and her girls. Will Belle give in and finally find true love or will her memories of the past keep her from finding a future?
I first read about Belle in a series following this one and was excited to read her story. Belle is a head strong woman of the old west and just a fun character to read about. Even though she has sworn off men she still wishes for real true love. When I read how hard she worked to keep her ranch above water I started to feel bad for her. I wanted her to find someone to love and help her with the ranch too. Her three girls as well as a baby where also head strong and I really liked this family. It does not take long for Silas to see how much help Belle and her girls really need. The fun begins as he tries to help and they fight back at his attempts.
They are soon well on the way of the cattle drive and Belle finds herself falling for this different cowboy. I will say I thought she got over her no more men attitude just a little faster then I expected. Her oldest daughter also falls in love with a cowhand helping with the drive and that just seemed way to fast to me and maybe a little rushed. Other then that this is another winner by Mary Connealy. I look forward to reading the last book in the series.
http://abbiesreadingcorner.com/2011/0...
March 1, 2010
I absolutely loved this book.
We first met Belle Tanner in Montana Rose where she's introduced as a woman who's many (3) husbands have all let her down. While they gave her the children she loves more than life, they also gave her grief and heartache, and left her a widow 3 times over. Naturally she's a bit bitter and feels like she can't ever try again. She's done with marriage!
Enter Silas Harden. He hires on to help Belle and her daughters drive a herd of cattle to market in Helena, MT. Its a hard tough drive and along the way, Belle does the one thing she swore never to do - fall in love. Silas, also marriage shy, found himself in love with Belle too and after many trying days and nights and almost getting the lot of them killed on the trail back home, tells Belle they will be married as soon as they make it back to the ranch. (So much happens on the trail drive, its impossible to cover it all, but its wonderful to watch their romance unfold.)
Poor Belle is not used to having a husband who "sticks". One who isn't afraid of hard work and who actually cares what happens to her and her girls. Naturally that makes for good drama and one huge misunderstanding but it all works out in the end. Connealy does a great job setting this up to make it completely believable so that you feel Belle's heartache and frustration, yet you also want to smack her for not believing in Silas. Luckily Belle never even comes close to being TSTL - a little hardheaded but given her past, expected.
The moral of the story, which Connealy does a tremendous job of wrapping up the book with, is that sometimes you have to go through the valley of darkness to reap the unexpected reward. And what a reward it is for Belle and for the reader!
5 star read.
We first met Belle Tanner in Montana Rose where she's introduced as a woman who's many (3) husbands have all let her down. While they gave her the children she loves more than life, they also gave her grief and heartache, and left her a widow 3 times over. Naturally she's a bit bitter and feels like she can't ever try again. She's done with marriage!
Enter Silas Harden. He hires on to help Belle and her daughters drive a herd of cattle to market in Helena, MT. Its a hard tough drive and along the way, Belle does the one thing she swore never to do - fall in love. Silas, also marriage shy, found himself in love with Belle too and after many trying days and nights and almost getting the lot of them killed on the trail back home, tells Belle they will be married as soon as they make it back to the ranch. (So much happens on the trail drive, its impossible to cover it all, but its wonderful to watch their romance unfold.)
Poor Belle is not used to having a husband who "sticks". One who isn't afraid of hard work and who actually cares what happens to her and her girls. Naturally that makes for good drama and one huge misunderstanding but it all works out in the end. Connealy does a great job setting this up to make it completely believable so that you feel Belle's heartache and frustration, yet you also want to smack her for not believing in Silas. Luckily Belle never even comes close to being TSTL - a little hardheaded but given her past, expected.
The moral of the story, which Connealy does a tremendous job of wrapping up the book with, is that sometimes you have to go through the valley of darkness to reap the unexpected reward. And what a reward it is for Belle and for the reader!
5 star read.
February 1, 2018
I am not so proud as to be able to admit that this was pure escapist reading for me. While I'd say the writing style was improved over Montana Rose, it's far from highbrow reading. And that's okay, as long as you understand what you're in for.
Belle Tanner Santoni has had three husbands, and a more worthless lot of men she could hardly have chosen. She's used to doing for herself on her ranch, and she's taught her four daughters to stand on their own two feet as well. Now that her third husband has joined the others buried underneath the husband tree, Belle is determined she will never marry again. Never.
Having been raised by women and now fleeing a woman who tried to set him up for a shotgun wedding, Silas Harden wants nothing to do with females. Not any of them. But he needs work, and when he rides into a Montana town and hears of an outfit hiring on for a late-season cattle drive, he agrees even though it's a woman doing the hiring. He's shocked when he finds out that it will mostly be Belle and her daughters working the drive. Even though he's dead set against getting involved with her, he can't help being attracted to her independence and strength.
The trail is long and grueling, and Belle is grateful for Silas's help as the days go on. Maybe he wouldn't be as miserably lazy as her first three husbands, if she was of a mind to marry again. Which she is most definitely not. No matter how kind and handsome he is, or how their stolen kisses have made her feel.
One thing I appreciated about this book was that Belle was an older heroine who has had time to come into her own. That's refreshing. But like the first book in the series, I wouldn't recommend this for readers under 16. Use your own discretion as always when choosing reading material.
This review originated at http://reviewsbyerin.dreamwidth.org
Belle Tanner Santoni has had three husbands, and a more worthless lot of men she could hardly have chosen. She's used to doing for herself on her ranch, and she's taught her four daughters to stand on their own two feet as well. Now that her third husband has joined the others buried underneath the husband tree, Belle is determined she will never marry again. Never.
Having been raised by women and now fleeing a woman who tried to set him up for a shotgun wedding, Silas Harden wants nothing to do with females. Not any of them. But he needs work, and when he rides into a Montana town and hears of an outfit hiring on for a late-season cattle drive, he agrees even though it's a woman doing the hiring. He's shocked when he finds out that it will mostly be Belle and her daughters working the drive. Even though he's dead set against getting involved with her, he can't help being attracted to her independence and strength.
The trail is long and grueling, and Belle is grateful for Silas's help as the days go on. Maybe he wouldn't be as miserably lazy as her first three husbands, if she was of a mind to marry again. Which she is most definitely not. No matter how kind and handsome he is, or how their stolen kisses have made her feel.
One thing I appreciated about this book was that Belle was an older heroine who has had time to come into her own. That's refreshing. But like the first book in the series, I wouldn't recommend this for readers under 16. Use your own discretion as always when choosing reading material.
This review originated at http://reviewsbyerin.dreamwidth.org
September 7, 2017
I've been a fan of Mary Connealy for a couple years now. I've enjoyed some of her books more than others. Unfortunately, this was one of the others. I still liked it. The opening description of the husband tree and the deceased husbands was morbidly amusing. It pulled me into the story and made me care about how Belle and her daughters would survive without a man (though of course I knew that would be temporary). The humor seemed to fizzle through a lot of the book though. And while the romance between Belle and Silas was strong through most of the book, the side love stories were too little too fast. One man actually proposes to a woman he's known for a few hours. And they barely communicated during that time. It was difficult to care whether or not she said yes. Despite a few disappointments, I was impressed with much of the writing. The cattle drive could have been a monotony of long days, but it held my interest. I liked the way the other cowhands' story met up with Belle as their physical paths crossed. And I did crack a few smiles here and there.
February 17, 2020
It is quite a fact that I have yet to come across a book by Mary Connealy that I did not like. I loved the Lassoed in Texas series and I am enamored with the Montana Marriages series. It is baffling to me how each and every story can grip you further. The catty whit is so amusing and the characters are lovely. The issues dealing with real world problems are incredibly woven in a western historical standpoint and cause a reader to truly think. The growing love between protagonists is breathe taking and palpable.
Belle Tanner is not your average western woman, but a woman not to be challenged. She has had her fill of husbands, as is shown by the occupied dirt surrounding three sides of the Husband Tree. The last thing that she wants is another husband nor a romance that leads that general direction. Silas is man with two near misses when it comes to marriage and not looking for another chance. When time has run out and a cattle drive has to be made by Belle and her four daughters, the drifter Silas is her only hope. What God brings together, let no man put apart.
As a mother of a new baby reading and watching Belle's days with her girls especially her infant is amazing. I cannot imagine nursing while riding on horseback, much less changing a diaper in mid gallop without missing a beat. I am thrilled and enchanted to the bone by the tale devised by Mary's imagination and I cannot wait for the third installment in the series The Wildflower Bride. In this book you get a taste for what might be in for Wade Sawyer and Abby Lind. *sigh* Anticipation.
*Thanks to Angie Brillhart of Barbour Books for providing a copy for review.*
Belle Tanner is not your average western woman, but a woman not to be challenged. She has had her fill of husbands, as is shown by the occupied dirt surrounding three sides of the Husband Tree. The last thing that she wants is another husband nor a romance that leads that general direction. Silas is man with two near misses when it comes to marriage and not looking for another chance. When time has run out and a cattle drive has to be made by Belle and her four daughters, the drifter Silas is her only hope. What God brings together, let no man put apart.
As a mother of a new baby reading and watching Belle's days with her girls especially her infant is amazing. I cannot imagine nursing while riding on horseback, much less changing a diaper in mid gallop without missing a beat. I am thrilled and enchanted to the bone by the tale devised by Mary's imagination and I cannot wait for the third installment in the series The Wildflower Bride. In this book you get a taste for what might be in for Wade Sawyer and Abby Lind. *sigh* Anticipation.
*Thanks to Angie Brillhart of Barbour Books for providing a copy for review.*
June 7, 2010
This is the second book in the Montana Marriages series. Belle Tanner's story about her 3 husbands and her brood of girls was introduced in the previous book.
Belle has a habit of picking no-good husbands and giving birth to girls that look just like the husbands. In the last book, she gave birth to her 4th girl that looked just like her 3rd husband, Anthony. Anthony is just as no-good as the first 3 and by the beginning of this book he has already found a way to be buried under The Husband Tree with the first 2 husbands.
Belle isn't looking to add any more husbands under the tree and plans to keep her widow status. When Silas Harden agrees to help with her cattle drive, she is tempted to change her mind, but neither her nor Silas are looking to get hitched.
Admittedly, at the beginning of this one I was not sure I was going to like it that much. Belle was a little annoying and it frustrated me. Throughout the book both her and Silas grew and developed and I liked both of them along with the 4 girls. I was actually surprised how much I liked them all.
Wade Sawyer returns in this book as well. He has cleaned up his act and is a very different man than the first book. A wonderful way to show how God can change us. We are all able to be good people if we choose to let God lead us.
Another wonderful book in the series. A good romance that keeps God in the center. I recommend reading Montana Rose before picking this one up so that you can really understand the whole story.
*I received this book from the publisher through netgalley to review.*
Belle has a habit of picking no-good husbands and giving birth to girls that look just like the husbands. In the last book, she gave birth to her 4th girl that looked just like her 3rd husband, Anthony. Anthony is just as no-good as the first 3 and by the beginning of this book he has already found a way to be buried under The Husband Tree with the first 2 husbands.
Belle isn't looking to add any more husbands under the tree and plans to keep her widow status. When Silas Harden agrees to help with her cattle drive, she is tempted to change her mind, but neither her nor Silas are looking to get hitched.
Admittedly, at the beginning of this one I was not sure I was going to like it that much. Belle was a little annoying and it frustrated me. Throughout the book both her and Silas grew and developed and I liked both of them along with the 4 girls. I was actually surprised how much I liked them all.
Wade Sawyer returns in this book as well. He has cleaned up his act and is a very different man than the first book. A wonderful way to show how God can change us. We are all able to be good people if we choose to let God lead us.
Another wonderful book in the series. A good romance that keeps God in the center. I recommend reading Montana Rose before picking this one up so that you can really understand the whole story.
*I received this book from the publisher through netgalley to review.*
September 17, 2010
Title: THE HUSBAND TREE
Author: Mary Connealy
Publisher: Barbour Books
January 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60260-143-7
Genre: Inspirational/historical
Belle Tanner has just buried her third husband, and this time, her resolve is – no more husbands. After all, men are all no-accounts, worthless things, that just eat food and take up valuable space.
When Belle goes to check the cattle in the upper pasture, she finds she has more cattle than she expected. A lot more. And she is forced to either drive over a thousand head of cattle into Helena for auction, or kill out her entire herd due to lack of grazing ground.
Unfortunately, Belle only has four children—all girls, and one of them not walking. She needs to hire help to make the cattle drive. She figures that with the girls to help, she’ll need six men. But even more unfortunately, she can only find one—and a half promise from another. But those two men will change Belle’s whole life.
THE HUSBAND TREE is the second book in Ms. Connealy’s Montana Marriages Series, but it easily stands alone. I enjoyed getting to know Belle better in the pages of this book, and getting to know her girls and Silas.
Belle is a strong woman, used to running things her way, and not many men could put up with that. Silas is strong, and even better knows when to do things her way, so he was perfect as a hero. This book is a great cool weather read. Don’t miss THE HUSBAND TREE. $10.99. 315 pages.
Author: Mary Connealy
Publisher: Barbour Books
January 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60260-143-7
Genre: Inspirational/historical
Belle Tanner has just buried her third husband, and this time, her resolve is – no more husbands. After all, men are all no-accounts, worthless things, that just eat food and take up valuable space.
When Belle goes to check the cattle in the upper pasture, she finds she has more cattle than she expected. A lot more. And she is forced to either drive over a thousand head of cattle into Helena for auction, or kill out her entire herd due to lack of grazing ground.
Unfortunately, Belle only has four children—all girls, and one of them not walking. She needs to hire help to make the cattle drive. She figures that with the girls to help, she’ll need six men. But even more unfortunately, she can only find one—and a half promise from another. But those two men will change Belle’s whole life.
THE HUSBAND TREE is the second book in Ms. Connealy’s Montana Marriages Series, but it easily stands alone. I enjoyed getting to know Belle better in the pages of this book, and getting to know her girls and Silas.
Belle is a strong woman, used to running things her way, and not many men could put up with that. Silas is strong, and even better knows when to do things her way, so he was perfect as a hero. This book is a great cool weather read. Don’t miss THE HUSBAND TREE. $10.99. 315 pages.
March 17, 2010
Mary Connealy rocks the roots of The Husband Tree! She takes humor, wit, hardship, a calloused female rancher, and a good looking cowboy, mixes them all together and whips out a fantastic read. Yep, she's done it again.
Belle Tanner is in a pickle. Just having buried her third "worthless" husband, she needs to get her cattle to market before the snows hit or she will lose it all. She hires Silas Harden, a drifter running from his own problems, and the two, along with her passel of 4 children, go on an adventurous cattle drive. The hardest part for Belle is not the work, but the attraction she feels for her new hired hand. There's no way she is going to get trapped in another marriage. Not this time. But God has other plans...
I love how Mary takes the hardened Belle and slowly brings her heart to a place she can trust Him for a worthy husband. I love how she uses Silas, a man not afraid to stand up to Belle, to show her that there are men who are not worthless and are man enough for her strong spirit.
There is fun and witty banter and the sparks fly as Belle and Silas have a hard time not kissing each other on the trail. Oooo-la-la, Mary can write romance!
I am definitely eager for the next installment of the Montana Series...Wildflower Bride. These are all keepers on my overflowing bookshelf!
Belle Tanner is in a pickle. Just having buried her third "worthless" husband, she needs to get her cattle to market before the snows hit or she will lose it all. She hires Silas Harden, a drifter running from his own problems, and the two, along with her passel of 4 children, go on an adventurous cattle drive. The hardest part for Belle is not the work, but the attraction she feels for her new hired hand. There's no way she is going to get trapped in another marriage. Not this time. But God has other plans...
I love how Mary takes the hardened Belle and slowly brings her heart to a place she can trust Him for a worthy husband. I love how she uses Silas, a man not afraid to stand up to Belle, to show her that there are men who are not worthless and are man enough for her strong spirit.
There is fun and witty banter and the sparks fly as Belle and Silas have a hard time not kissing each other on the trail. Oooo-la-la, Mary can write romance!
I am definitely eager for the next installment of the Montana Series...Wildflower Bride. These are all keepers on my overflowing bookshelf!
March 22, 2012
When I want to read a top-notch western romance, I need not look any farther than Mary Connealy. Her books have that punch of humor that I love to get the occasional taste from, as well as a spine-curling romance that makes me sigh every time.
The Husband Tree was no exception. It had a great mixture of humor and romance, and a likeable hero and heroine in Silas and Belle. Both of 'em were stubborn as mules, and as hard-headed as they come about the opposite sex. But each one had a very tender side, and showed genuine affection for the other as their relationship progressed to the (inevitable) next level. :o)
The only, and I mean, the ONLY thing that keeps me from giving this book 5 stars was all the kissing. Normally, that is not something that bothers me one whit, but it seemed like every Silas and Belle turned around, it was Smooch City. It just didn't seem to give their relationship a good foundation, nor was it believable. Like I said before, I don't mind it. I'm not some old fuddy-duddy. Kissing is a normal part of any relationship, real or fictitious. But in this case, there was just too much of it.
Will that stop me from reading more of Mary's works? Absolutely not! My funny bone gets tickled so much that I'd miss out on a lifetime of laughs if I didn't read her books! No worries there...not a single one. :o)
The Husband Tree was no exception. It had a great mixture of humor and romance, and a likeable hero and heroine in Silas and Belle. Both of 'em were stubborn as mules, and as hard-headed as they come about the opposite sex. But each one had a very tender side, and showed genuine affection for the other as their relationship progressed to the (inevitable) next level. :o)
The only, and I mean, the ONLY thing that keeps me from giving this book 5 stars was all the kissing. Normally, that is not something that bothers me one whit, but it seemed like every Silas and Belle turned around, it was Smooch City. It just didn't seem to give their relationship a good foundation, nor was it believable. Like I said before, I don't mind it. I'm not some old fuddy-duddy. Kissing is a normal part of any relationship, real or fictitious. But in this case, there was just too much of it.
Will that stop me from reading more of Mary's works? Absolutely not! My funny bone gets tickled so much that I'd miss out on a lifetime of laughs if I didn't read her books! No worries there...not a single one. :o)
May 6, 2013
What a fun book! This was the story of Belle Tanner and her daughters, who we first met in 'Montana Rose'. It was also the story of Silas, a would-be cattle rancher who'd been run off of 2 ranches due to some 'unsavoury' situations down in New Mexico.
I really enjoyed the way the story line moved. This book moved at a much faster pace than the first book in the series, which suited the characters and situations just fine. After all, when you're trying to heard 1,000 head of cattle to market in a short space of time, you have to move quickly!
On a more serious note, I appreciated the reminders both Belle and Silas had about their need to trust . . . not only in a loving God, but in each other. It's so easy to want to do everything yourself so you know it gets done; but we're not meant to live that way.
Definitely looking forward to seeing what happens with Wade and Glowing Sun in book 3 of this series!
I really enjoyed the way the story line moved. This book moved at a much faster pace than the first book in the series, which suited the characters and situations just fine. After all, when you're trying to heard 1,000 head of cattle to market in a short space of time, you have to move quickly!
On a more serious note, I appreciated the reminders both Belle and Silas had about their need to trust . . . not only in a loving God, but in each other. It's so easy to want to do everything yourself so you know it gets done; but we're not meant to live that way.
Definitely looking forward to seeing what happens with Wade and Glowing Sun in book 3 of this series!
June 3, 2014
I have a special affection for authors who can make me laugh and fall in love at the same time and Mary Connealy does just that.
The Husband Tree had me hooked from the first line and continued to pull me in page after page. I love the characters, the setting, felt like I was riding alongside them, and better still felt like I was Belle, well, I want to be Belle.
If you love romance with humor, handsome cowboys, both sweet moments and living the story through the characters, The Husband Tree is a great read. It's one of four books that is ALWAYS in my book back, ready to go and be re-read again and again.
I loved the struggles Belle endured and how she remained a strong but vulnerable woman, and how she worked to raise her daughters to be strong and independent.
I would and do, highly recommend The Husband Tree for anyone's reading list. It's a must read and re-read for me!
The Husband Tree had me hooked from the first line and continued to pull me in page after page. I love the characters, the setting, felt like I was riding alongside them, and better still felt like I was Belle, well, I want to be Belle.
If you love romance with humor, handsome cowboys, both sweet moments and living the story through the characters, The Husband Tree is a great read. It's one of four books that is ALWAYS in my book back, ready to go and be re-read again and again.
I loved the struggles Belle endured and how she remained a strong but vulnerable woman, and how she worked to raise her daughters to be strong and independent.
I would and do, highly recommend The Husband Tree for anyone's reading list. It's a must read and re-read for me!
January 13, 2010
I first read Mary Connealy about a month ago when I impulsively picked up Cowboy Christmas at the bookstore. Now I'm quickly working my way through her entire booklist. I've yet to find a stoy of hers that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed, and The Husband Tree may be my favorite so far. I just loved the unique characers. Be sure to read the first book in this series, Montana Rose, where you'll be introduced to the heroine and her daughters when there are still only two husbands planted under the husband tree.
September 8, 2010
I really liked this one. Belle Tanner just barried her third husband under the "Husband Tree." She has forever sworn off lazy men, but she finds she need to make a late cattle drive and will need as many men as she can get to make it work. She ends up hiring Silas Harden who proves that men can actually work, but can they be trusted. There is an immediate attraction between Belle and Silas, but neither one of them wants it. Being stuck together on a lengthy cattle drive only make things tense. Will they survive?
June 16, 2010
My fave Connealy read to date. But then I loved Montana Rose, too...
I'm fickle. So sue me!
Wonderful read, funny, light, western, delightful.
And I love Belle. I think Mary modeled her after me. No really. I think she did.
Although I'm shorter.
But just as ornery.
I'm fickle. So sue me!
Wonderful read, funny, light, western, delightful.
And I love Belle. I think Mary modeled her after me. No really. I think she did.
Although I'm shorter.
But just as ornery.
August 12, 2015
Another great read by Mary Connealy! So funny! Kind of reminds me of one of her other books -- Petticoat Ranch.
April 20, 2012
The inspiration behind the title of this book is funny. I really enjoyed reading this book. It had some tough as nails gals making their way in cold, hard Montana. Just a good, light, easy on the Christian read. :)
July 24, 2011
Love the strong yet vulnerable heroine in this book!
Want to read
January 14, 2010Yes! I won! Can't wait to get it.
December 29, 2017
The story was delightfully humorous. And the romance wonderful.
August 9, 2025
Excellent read as always.. love Mary Connealy's books! Check out review here: http://bookaholicconfessions.blogspot...
January 11, 2014
I really liked this book! So far, it has been my favorite Mary Connealy book.
October 10, 2019
I laughed so hard I almost cried.
Belle Tanner is a straight-shooting, tough, capable woman who has a practical streak a mile wide. She is fiercely protective of her "girls" and doesn't hesitate to stand up for other women who are in desperate circumstances (see Montana Rose). The one thing Belle doesn't have is good taste in men. Her first three husbands were "no accounts": their problems ranged from gambling to drinking to infidelity. The quality they all had in common was their outrageous laziness.
After the latest husband falls off the roof and "breaks his fool neck", Belle grumbles and mutters while she digs the third grave next to "The Husband Tree" and buries him. This time, she's had enough: no more men. After all, she's on the last point of the compass around The Husband Tree!
Silas barely escaped from a shotgun marriage with his life. He is not in any hurry to tangle with womenfolk again but when Belle Tanner comes striding into the saloon looking to hire some hands for a cattle drive, he reluctantly volunteers. Silas isn't prepared for anything that follows, least of all the fact that the other cowhands are Belle's four daughters...or that he is falling in love with the prickliest, most ornery woman he has ever met.
I loved Belle and her daughters! Belle was one of the most amazing representations of a strong female character I have encountered. She embraced every challenge with wry humor and resignation rather than bitterness. She made the best of her circumstances in an age and environment that was heavily weighted against independent women.
I was disappointed about the ending.
Belle Tanner is a straight-shooting, tough, capable woman who has a practical streak a mile wide. She is fiercely protective of her "girls" and doesn't hesitate to stand up for other women who are in desperate circumstances (see Montana Rose). The one thing Belle doesn't have is good taste in men. Her first three husbands were "no accounts": their problems ranged from gambling to drinking to infidelity. The quality they all had in common was their outrageous laziness.
After the latest husband falls off the roof and "breaks his fool neck", Belle grumbles and mutters while she digs the third grave next to "The Husband Tree" and buries him. This time, she's had enough: no more men. After all, she's on the last point of the compass around The Husband Tree!
Silas barely escaped from a shotgun marriage with his life. He is not in any hurry to tangle with womenfolk again but when Belle Tanner comes striding into the saloon looking to hire some hands for a cattle drive, he reluctantly volunteers. Silas isn't prepared for anything that follows, least of all the fact that the other cowhands are Belle's four daughters...or that he is falling in love with the prickliest, most ornery woman he has ever met.
I loved Belle and her daughters! Belle was one of the most amazing representations of a strong female character I have encountered. She embraced every challenge with wry humor and resignation rather than bitterness. She made the best of her circumstances in an age and environment that was heavily weighted against independent women.
I was disappointed about the ending.
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