What do you think?
Rate this book
Along Came Jones
Sparks fly in a Montana ghost town when Big Apple meets Big Sky in this Christian romance.
Framed for a crime she didn't commit, fleeing from the law and a crime syndicate, New Yorker Deanna Manetti is so lost in the Montana wilderness that not even God can find her—or so she thinks. Just when it can't get any worse, she's run off the road by a wild mustang, rescued by a cowboy packing iron, and carried off on horseback to the remote ghost town he calls a ranch. Deanna can't help but wonder if God has abandoned her—or is He just giving her a place to lay low until she can figure a way out of the mess she's in? The more Deanna gets to know her handsome host, the more she suspects she's jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire—a blaze that may consume her heart and soul.
Then, along came Jones. Shep Jones is mildly amused at this city slicker's attitude. She ought to be happy he's willing to fix her fancy sports car without calling the insurance company. Before he knows it, she's moved in 'til the work gets done, but instinct tells the ex-U.S. Marshal he's not getting all of the story. Shep aims to find out what— or who —she's running from. Can he turn away someone as lost and wonded as he was when he sought refuge in the wilderness? Or will he offer Deanna the same grace God afforded him?
Love and laughter blossom at Buffalo Butte until the past catches up with the unlikely pair, placing their love, their faith, and their lives in jeopardy.
Framed for a crime she didn't commit, fleeing from the law and a crime syndicate, New Yorker Deanna Manetti is so lost in the Montana wilderness that not even God can find her—or so she thinks. Just when it can't get any worse, she's run off the road by a wild mustang, rescued by a cowboy packing iron, and carried off on horseback to the remote ghost town he calls a ranch. Deanna can't help but wonder if God has abandoned her—or is He just giving her a place to lay low until she can figure a way out of the mess she's in? The more Deanna gets to know her handsome host, the more she suspects she's jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire—a blaze that may consume her heart and soul.
Then, along came Jones. Shep Jones is mildly amused at this city slicker's attitude. She ought to be happy he's willing to fix her fancy sports car without calling the insurance company. Before he knows it, she's moved in 'til the work gets done, but instinct tells the ex-U.S. Marshal he's not getting all of the story. Shep aims to find out what— or who —she's running from. Can he turn away someone as lost and wonded as he was when he sought refuge in the wilderness? Or will he offer Deanna the same grace God afforded him?
Love and laughter blossom at Buffalo Butte until the past catches up with the unlikely pair, placing their love, their faith, and their lives in jeopardy.
308 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
12 people are currently reading
199 people want to read
About the author
Linda Windsor
39 books159 followersLinda Windsor is the best-selling, award-winning author of more than thirty novels, with more than a million books in print. Her most recent work includes Healer and Thief, the first two volumes in the Brides of Alba series, and the early Irish Celtic Fires of Gleannmara trilogy.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
May 6, 2019
Worse than I remember
Loved this when I was 13. The book didn’t age well. Not for a discerning reader. Terrible prose, simplistic naive application of the religious material. Hammy and corny at its best. Saccharine and cringy at its worst.
Loved this when I was 13. The book didn’t age well. Not for a discerning reader. Terrible prose, simplistic naive application of the religious material. Hammy and corny at its best. Saccharine and cringy at its worst.
October 21, 2007
Big city girl gets lured out to Big Sky country by an unscrupulous boss. On the run from cops who won't believe she's innocent and a drug cartel who thinks she'll lead them to their embezzeled money (and the man who took it), she ends up run off the road by a wild horse. The cowboy who rescues her just happens to be an ex-Marshall. She's looking for a place to hide. He wants to help her. Romance and one heck of a shoot-out round off the story.
A pretty good story. Strong Christian message. Moments of violence (who knew a toilet tank lid could do so much damage?). Sexual tension acknowledged for what it is, not exactly hands off.
A pretty good story. Strong Christian message. Moments of violence (who knew a toilet tank lid could do so much damage?). Sexual tension acknowledged for what it is, not exactly hands off.
September 15, 2009
I found this christian romance to be funny and sweet. Would recommend it for pure pleasure reading.
April 26, 2010
A good clean romance. Not something I normally read, but very well done. The story line was good, the characters seemed real and the spiritual side of the book was very uplifting.
January 4, 2018
I love this book! This was the second time I have read this, but it was just as good as the first time!
June 2, 2022
Not quite a 3 star. 2.5?
Hokey. Simplistic in how it feels to be formerly religious and then need God and be reintroduced to Him. I’m not a fan of an earthly savior-figure being mixed in with drawing closer to God at the same time.
The setting also doesn’t really work for me. Farm, rural, but unnatural and romanticized.
And the bad guys were caricatures of the mafioso-type.
It was a quick read. Fluff. Wholesome, but nothing that will really stick with me.
Truly, I only picked up the book because of the title; the sentimental part of me liked the idea of a knight in shining armor with the same name as my hubs. :)
Hokey. Simplistic in how it feels to be formerly religious and then need God and be reintroduced to Him. I’m not a fan of an earthly savior-figure being mixed in with drawing closer to God at the same time.
The setting also doesn’t really work for me. Farm, rural, but unnatural and romanticized.
And the bad guys were caricatures of the mafioso-type.
It was a quick read. Fluff. Wholesome, but nothing that will really stick with me.
Truly, I only picked up the book because of the title; the sentimental part of me liked the idea of a knight in shining armor with the same name as my hubs. :)
July 6, 2022
This was a good book that had good characters, an interesting story and a strong and thoughtful meaning behind it. The only reason it’s not a 5 star for me is simply because it was a little slow during the middle.
September 13, 2017
3.5 stars. A fun book.
December 6, 2017
3 1/2 stars. Some of this was pretty funny!
December 2, 2018
Sorta cute story, some funny one-liners; overall way too wordy for my liking.
January 11, 2020
Such a fun read! A little romantic comedy set in a modern Wild West setting.
December 30, 2015
First time I read this book was during my mid-teen years, and I loved it. So, for the love of going back & reminiscing about a good book (which seems rare to find- I am decidedly a media snob and I'm not even sorry about it), several years later, I picked it up & started reading again.
The first few chapters were great- I felt the plot & character's had a good deal of potential. There were some laughs along the way with a few moments of suspense that could have lead to something amazing, but...it didn't make the cut for me this time round.
Why?
I couldn't identify with the character's- maybe Shep (the dude) a small handful of times, but not often. I was not compelled by Diana, her situation, or virtually anything about her.
The plot lagged & seemed to build up, go *poof* & then kinda smack you in the face when you weren't expecting it, but not in a good way. The plot didn't feel grounded. It just...floated.
The romance was this awkward 'I don't know you but there's all this sizzling heat when I'm around you' type of thing, but there was no real friendship to back up their unexplained feelings for each other.
If there is going to be a romantic, or even sexual pull for two character's, I need for there to be something more than the physical side of things backing it up. So, for the MC's (main character's) to have a pull between them, but they fight a bunch, don't trust each other & won't become friends, but they are falling in love...that seems like a recipe for disaster, and it just didn't make me want to root for their relationship. It was more annoying than anything else.
I wanted to like this book, especially when the first time I read it, I was doing a happy dance cause I thought it was so adorable and sweet. Clearly my taste's in fiction have changed and the bar has been set higher. I'm okay with that.
If this book floats your boat, great. For me, it didn't. This is not to say that I don't like Linda Windsor's writing. On the contrary, I've read several of her books and I love them- just not this one.
The one thing I did enjoy about this book was Shep's old-fashioned gentlemanly cowboy behaviour. When the rest of the plot wasn't irking me, I must admit, it was sweet. Apart from that, this book was just a no-go all round.
1.5 Stars.
The first few chapters were great- I felt the plot & character's had a good deal of potential. There were some laughs along the way with a few moments of suspense that could have lead to something amazing, but...it didn't make the cut for me this time round.
Why?
I couldn't identify with the character's- maybe Shep (the dude) a small handful of times, but not often. I was not compelled by Diana, her situation, or virtually anything about her.
The plot lagged & seemed to build up, go *poof* & then kinda smack you in the face when you weren't expecting it, but not in a good way. The plot didn't feel grounded. It just...floated.
The romance was this awkward 'I don't know you but there's all this sizzling heat when I'm around you' type of thing, but there was no real friendship to back up their unexplained feelings for each other.
If there is going to be a romantic, or even sexual pull for two character's, I need for there to be something more than the physical side of things backing it up. So, for the MC's (main character's) to have a pull between them, but they fight a bunch, don't trust each other & won't become friends, but they are falling in love...that seems like a recipe for disaster, and it just didn't make me want to root for their relationship. It was more annoying than anything else.
I wanted to like this book, especially when the first time I read it, I was doing a happy dance cause I thought it was so adorable and sweet. Clearly my taste's in fiction have changed and the bar has been set higher. I'm okay with that.
If this book floats your boat, great. For me, it didn't. This is not to say that I don't like Linda Windsor's writing. On the contrary, I've read several of her books and I love them- just not this one.
The one thing I did enjoy about this book was Shep's old-fashioned gentlemanly cowboy behaviour. When the rest of the plot wasn't irking me, I must admit, it was sweet. Apart from that, this book was just a no-go all round.
1.5 Stars.
March 24, 2013
This book was a huge let down coming on the heels of her Irish series which I absolutely loved.
I gave it the benefit of the doubt for 70 pages or so, just long enough to get into it so far that I would have to finish it (at least per my "rules" :D). I figured that the cliché vocabulary would be limited both in frequency and to which character used it. No luck. Everything about this book was cliché and full of everything I absolutely despise about pedestrian Christian writing. What made it worse was that it seemed like Windsor was trying to write a book set in the west of the late 1800s (which for some reason is the only time and place that most Christian authors think they can set their novels) but this "wild, wild west" was actually from a recent time. Not only was the vocabulary incredibly pedestrian but it was also "squeaky clean". You should have seen all the hoops Windsor had to jump through to make sure the readers knew that the character was swearing but to keep those swear words out of the text. So not necessary.
I really wanted to like this book but there's just no way. It's going in the donate pile even though I recommend that no one reads it.
I gave it the benefit of the doubt for 70 pages or so, just long enough to get into it so far that I would have to finish it (at least per my "rules" :D). I figured that the cliché vocabulary would be limited both in frequency and to which character used it. No luck. Everything about this book was cliché and full of everything I absolutely despise about pedestrian Christian writing. What made it worse was that it seemed like Windsor was trying to write a book set in the west of the late 1800s (which for some reason is the only time and place that most Christian authors think they can set their novels) but this "wild, wild west" was actually from a recent time. Not only was the vocabulary incredibly pedestrian but it was also "squeaky clean". You should have seen all the hoops Windsor had to jump through to make sure the readers knew that the character was swearing but to keep those swear words out of the text. So not necessary.
I really wanted to like this book but there's just no way. It's going in the donate pile even though I recommend that no one reads it.
April 3, 2012
The premise of this book could have been cliche - girl caught into a web of intrigue innocently, running from the bad guys and love gone wrong and straight into the arms of the good lawman who would be her refuge and savior. What I loved first of all was that this heroine is feisty and ready and able to take care of herself. Secondly, the setting of the ghost town (wow, I'd love to explore that place...) and third, Shep, our hero. Just wow, what a well-done and satisfying story!
It took me awhile to read, which is nice because it's a meaty book. Too often I race through books of this nature and the fact that I wanted to take it slow and enjoy it speaks volumes. Best of all - and brace yourselves - this is a Christian romance with passion! Such a rarity and a wonderful surprise for the reader.
Yes, I'm in love with this book, and can't wait to find more by this author. Very highly recommended indeed!
It took me awhile to read, which is nice because it's a meaty book. Too often I race through books of this nature and the fact that I wanted to take it slow and enjoy it speaks volumes. Best of all - and brace yourselves - this is a Christian romance with passion! Such a rarity and a wonderful surprise for the reader.
Yes, I'm in love with this book, and can't wait to find more by this author. Very highly recommended indeed!
May 29, 2014
I was looking for a bit of a thriller, and judging by the back of the book you would assume that was what you would get, but that's not the case. I really think the fact that I just read another book where the girl was ran off the road by an animal and rescued, made me think "been there, read that". The book is a little long, but only spanned a few weeks. I had to read the last chapter a few times because it had so much detail, and overwhelmed with new characters that I could not keep up with what was going on.
June 17, 2008
I found "Along Came Jones" to be an enjoyable read. It had a nice story with some good Christian messages and provided me with a nice diversion from the stress of life. I enjoyed Linda Windsor's descriptions especially how she describes Shep's grin as "toe-curling." ; 0) My only problem with the book was that the ending seeming a little rushed and did not match the rhythm of the rest of the book. That said it is still a great book and I really did enjoyed it. This is my second reading of it.
August 18, 2009
What a great book. I really love historical fiction and although this was set in modern times it had enough "cowboy" in it for me to really like it.
Deanna Manetti is a fugitive on the run for her life. When she gets into a car accident out in the middle of nowhere. Enter Shep Jones, a cowboy, trying to hang onto his ranch. He's an ex-Marshal and knows that Deanna is not sharing everything with him.
Adventure, love, and danger follow them on the ranch in Buffalo Butte, MN.
Deanna Manetti is a fugitive on the run for her life. When she gets into a car accident out in the middle of nowhere. Enter Shep Jones, a cowboy, trying to hang onto his ranch. He's an ex-Marshal and knows that Deanna is not sharing everything with him.
Adventure, love, and danger follow them on the ranch in Buffalo Butte, MN.
January 23, 2016
Brimming with hilarity, spiritual lessons, sizzling romance, tense danger, and featuring an old-fashioned, chivalrous modern-day cowboy as the hero, and a fast-talking, snarky, vulnerable city woman heroine, this novel was a fun ride from beginning to end. Throw in a yarn-spinning character of a ranch-hand, a ghost town, and a mob syndicate, all sown up in Linda Windsor's trade-mark of creating poetry out of prose, and you have a fantastic story.
April 1, 2013
One of my favorite romance novels. It can be cheesy and a little unreasonable, but it is very entertaining. And I laugh every single time I read it, which has been quite a few times. What I love most is that some how this book surprises me every time I read it. It's light-hearted, funny, and suspenseful with loving, unforgetable characters. A must-read if you love cowboys, humor, and mystery.
September 17, 2015
I don't read a lot of christian romance but I love this story. Light and fun. My first read by this author and not the last. Set in Montana, Big Sky Country. The heroine is on the run and ends up being rescued by a cowboy.
September 1, 2010
Good book but I probably won't read it again. I enjoy historical romance more and my preferences lean more toward serious storylines. If you are looking for a light, contemporary romance with a little mystery, you will enjoy this book.
June 14, 2013
This story was very well written. No side stories took attention away from the focus, and both of the characters led the reader in the same direction of suspense and anticipating what will happen when the bad guys catch up with Deanna.
July 15, 2016
Not what I expected at all. I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely an entertaining read. I'm not usually into Christian romance but this one was done well. I laughed, I almost cried (which is like sobbing for normal humans), and I was on the edge of my seat. Great quick summer read.
July 1, 2008
This was a good book.
June 30, 2017
It's a slower paced book but still good. Not my favorite of Linda Windsor's books.
October 29, 2009
An adorable Christian romance story. It's a fast read and pure enjoyment.
August 15, 2010
I loved this book! I don't know if it just was because it was fun to see the characters grow and change or the romance of the story but I really loved this book!
October 27, 2010
Funny!
January 4, 2013
Good story, good humor. Definitely a fun read with lighthearted moments and heartfelt messages along the way. Be ready for some suspense as well!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews