What do you think?
Rate this book
A Gentle Giving
Willa Hammer has nothing left after narrowly escaping the lynch mob that unjustly hanged her foster father except her dog, her faith, and the protection of a secretive family. She joins their wagon train heading West, never realizing she is traveling to the wilds of Bighorn Mountain, where a rundown ranch and the arms of an untamed, hardened cowboy await her.
387 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1993
33 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Garlock
86 books382 followersDorothy Garlock was a best-selling American author of over 60 historical romance novels, most of them set in the American West. More than 20 million copies of her books are in print, in 18 languages. Her books have been on the New York Times best seller list seven times. She was named one of the 10 most popular writers of women's fiction four years in a row, from 1985-1988. In 1997, she was awarded the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award. Garlock is also a member of the Romance Writers Hall of Fame.
Garlock worked as an editor, agent and publicist for most of her writing career. She was a native of Texas who grew up in Oklahoma then married and moved to Iowa. Garlock donated many of her manuscripts and other unpublished writings to the University of Iowa libraries.
Pen names include:
Johanna Phillips
Dorothy Phillips
Dorothy Glenn
Garlock worked as an editor, agent and publicist for most of her writing career. She was a native of Texas who grew up in Oklahoma then married and moved to Iowa. Garlock donated many of her manuscripts and other unpublished writings to the University of Iowa libraries.
Pen names include:
Johanna Phillips
Dorothy Phillips
Dorothy Glenn
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 20, 2012
I hate to give one star to any book but this was really awful. Perhaps the story would have been better if I didn't have to stumble through considerable editing difficulties. Whoever was in charge of this department at Warner books should have been fired. My copy is the first edition and there were numerous punctuation problems. So much so that it detracted from the story. I have never, I repeat never, read a book with this many mistakes.
Willa Hammer headed west after losing her adopted family. Settling in the Bighorn Mountains she comes upon various melodramatic characters that think only of themselves. One of the characters just grated on my nerves. You'll know who it is without naming names.
Smith Bowman, the hero, is a loner in many ways. When he meets Willa he is leery of her at first. In denial, he doesn't want to admit to himself that he is attracted to her. It scares him. Of course, we know how the story ends.
If you find another edition without all the mistakes AND if hokey language doesn't bother you, you may like this romance. "Gee, whillikers!", ain't, yore, a'tall, comin', doin', ya, takin', how'er, 'spect, what'a, hell no, hell yes, damn glad..... Enough!
Willa Hammer headed west after losing her adopted family. Settling in the Bighorn Mountains she comes upon various melodramatic characters that think only of themselves. One of the characters just grated on my nerves. You'll know who it is without naming names.
Smith Bowman, the hero, is a loner in many ways. When he meets Willa he is leery of her at first. In denial, he doesn't want to admit to himself that he is attracted to her. It scares him. Of course, we know how the story ends.
If you find another edition without all the mistakes AND if hokey language doesn't bother you, you may like this romance. "Gee, whillikers!", ain't, yore, a'tall, comin', doin', ya, takin', how'er, 'spect, what'a, hell no, hell yes, damn glad..... Enough!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2013
A very enjoyable Dorothy Garlock book once again! I picked this off the shelf to pass the time one day whiel waiting for mu child to finish his library art class. I was very happy to have gotten so lucky! Usually I research each and every book I read prior, but this was just another Garlock and Garlock = gold.
I thought I had read almost all of her books from the old west. I will have to research more of her books.
The book starts out in mid action, a girl being thrown from her house, whipped by locals who had killed her disfigured father caling her a witch or a prostitute. Luckily a wagon rolling by helped her to escape, unfortunately the man who saved her and his snooty daughter are not much better than a mob. Atleast the son is kind to her and her dog.
I loved this story very much.
I thought I had read almost all of her books from the old west. I will have to research more of her books.
The book starts out in mid action, a girl being thrown from her house, whipped by locals who had killed her disfigured father caling her a witch or a prostitute. Luckily a wagon rolling by helped her to escape, unfortunately the man who saved her and his snooty daughter are not much better than a mob. Atleast the son is kind to her and her dog.
I loved this story very much.
June 10, 2017
Willa has suffered at the hands of a crazed mob that killed her father, burned her house down, and beat her while chasing her out of town. She is quickly saved by a slick card cheat on his way with his two teen children to his brother-in-laws house. Willa soon finds that the daughter Jo Bell is a horrible monster of a person who makes her life horrible. The only bright light that Willa encounters is Charlie the teenaged son who secretly has a crush on her. Along the trail to their destination the father is killed for cheating at cards and Willa finds herself stuck and feeling responsible for the teens. Planning to drop the teens off with their uncle Oliver's and then move on she needs assistance and safety because Jo Bell is hell bent on calling all male attention to herself in search of a rich husband.
Smith is orphaned at a young age and taken in by a loving man named Oliver who raises him right. After a horrible accident that killed Oliver everyone blames Smith and Oliver's wife Maud is especially horrible to Smith. Finding solace in the arms of whore's and alcohol Smith is in horrible shape when Willa happens upon him in need of someone to accompany the trio to Oliver's home. Drunk and disorderly is what Willa finds in Smith and quickly feels disgust for the handsome drunk and is irritated that she has to fight her attraction. Time and misunderstandings interrupt what soon blossoms into a beautiful and heart wrenching love story. It will take all the love and forgiveness that Willa has to break through Smith's mourning of Oliver's death and his self-blame. What comes once Willa breaks through Smith's defenses is a love that will last for all time.
This story is sweet and real. The romance takes time and both characters are flawed and suffer from many wrongs done to them. The flow of the story is beautiful and a heart warming story. This is no smutty romance where the girl falls in love/lust after knowing the guy for a day. This romance builds over time and is believable. This book is utterly sweet and a must read with sweeping descriptions of the west and how life was when Cowboys roamed the streets and people fought to survive. Finding love against all the odds makes this book simply beautiful!
Smith is orphaned at a young age and taken in by a loving man named Oliver who raises him right. After a horrible accident that killed Oliver everyone blames Smith and Oliver's wife Maud is especially horrible to Smith. Finding solace in the arms of whore's and alcohol Smith is in horrible shape when Willa happens upon him in need of someone to accompany the trio to Oliver's home. Drunk and disorderly is what Willa finds in Smith and quickly feels disgust for the handsome drunk and is irritated that she has to fight her attraction. Time and misunderstandings interrupt what soon blossoms into a beautiful and heart wrenching love story. It will take all the love and forgiveness that Willa has to break through Smith's mourning of Oliver's death and his self-blame. What comes once Willa breaks through Smith's defenses is a love that will last for all time.
This story is sweet and real. The romance takes time and both characters are flawed and suffer from many wrongs done to them. The flow of the story is beautiful and a heart warming story. This is no smutty romance where the girl falls in love/lust after knowing the guy for a day. This romance builds over time and is believable. This book is utterly sweet and a must read with sweeping descriptions of the west and how life was when Cowboys roamed the streets and people fought to survive. Finding love against all the odds makes this book simply beautiful!
March 22, 2020
Not a gentle start......
A drunkard and a lady? Loved the beginning of this storyline, if it makes me laugh it's a keeper. A not so good adventure for Willa, traveling with a dysfunctional family meets drunkard cowboy and the journey begins. Get the tissues out as I laughed and cried in this author's books like I usually do. Always read D G books.
A drunkard and a lady? Loved the beginning of this storyline, if it makes me laugh it's a keeper. A not so good adventure for Willa, traveling with a dysfunctional family meets drunkard cowboy and the journey begins. Get the tissues out as I laughed and cried in this author's books like I usually do. Always read D G books.
November 15, 2022
An oldie but a goodie
I am over 80 years old. Some of the dialogue reminds me things my grandparents and parents once said. Simple uncomplicated love stories of simpler time and place. A good enjoyable read.
I am over 80 years old. Some of the dialogue reminds me things my grandparents and parents once said. Simple uncomplicated love stories of simpler time and place. A good enjoyable read.
January 18, 2016
This was a little too helpless girl/man-to-the-rescue for me. I mean, they fall in love after a 20 minute argument? The characters were annoying as well..and why didn't she just kill off Jo Bell?
February 5, 2025
Historical romance which makes us to live in an entire different world .Willa had a narrow escape from the lynch mob who hanged her foster father . She joins with a dysfunction family and the daughter was impossible .Still she was ready to help her .In her tender age will she able to keep her promise ? Beginning of the story line was impressive and which made me to get deep into the book and it too me to an adventurous journey of suspense ,thriller and made me to laugh .
June 22, 2022
I know that Jo Bell was acting so rude, but she's 16! She never laid a hand on anyone(except for kicking Buddy. How dare she!) and they just want to hit her. Of course she'd keep acting like a brat, y'all being violent and she's acting out of spite now!
And what's even more sad is that Jo Bell was the most interesting out of everyone in this gosh darn book.
And what's even more sad is that Jo Bell was the most interesting out of everyone in this gosh darn book.
August 18, 2019
Beautiful. I LOVE American West novels. Fantastics characters, dialogues and pace.
November 11, 2019
A wonderful classic.
Have been a fan of Dorothy Garlock for over 20 years. Always loved her historical books of the Pioneer days. Need to read more of them.
Have been a fan of Dorothy Garlock for over 20 years. Always loved her historical books of the Pioneer days. Need to read more of them.
March 17, 2023
Light hearted love story - happy ending.
June 16, 2024
I enjoyed reading.
June 13, 2019
The story begins with Willa Hammer barely making it out of the burning house before a mob began pelting her. It looked like the mob was ready to hang her too (her guardian had already been hanged in their yard). However, a lecherous old man saved her by helping her into his wagon.
When Willa got into the speeding wagon, she must have felt things weren't too much better; besides the old man (who expected her to sleep with him); there was a spoiled daughter (Jo Bell) and a wonderful son (Charlie), who was disliked and used by the other two.
When the old man was killed for cheating at cards, the two teens were alone. Although she wanted to get away, Willa realized it was her duty to help them get to their goal – finding their uncle. A station master suggested that Smith Bowman accompany them since he worked on Oliver’s ranch.
At that time, Smith was on a two-day drunk and uninterested in their problem. Reluctantly, he agrees to sober up and escort them to their uncle’s ranch. When they arrived, Oliver’s wife Maud raged against them and told them to leave. However, she was hardly in a position to argue because she’d fallen and had broken her leg.
My problem with this story was that Willa seemed to be falling in love with Smith so she had somewhere to go. I felt she hadn't fallen for him from a position of strength (thus knowing it was love and not desperation) and that bothered me. Willa was alone and without resources (even her clothes were gifts from the old man). Through Willa’s love, however, Smith turned away from drink and became a more responsible man.
The pace of the story seemed jagged; it started at a fast clip and then slowed, sped up and slowed. Perhaps it was because there were two really unpleasant characters that made time seem to drag. The saving grace of the story was when Smith explained why he had killed a man; Willa understood. She also helped him reframe the incident in a very different way from Smith’s feeling.
In spite of what I've written, I found this to be a story I couldn't put aside until I’d finished it.
When Willa got into the speeding wagon, she must have felt things weren't too much better; besides the old man (who expected her to sleep with him); there was a spoiled daughter (Jo Bell) and a wonderful son (Charlie), who was disliked and used by the other two.
When the old man was killed for cheating at cards, the two teens were alone. Although she wanted to get away, Willa realized it was her duty to help them get to their goal – finding their uncle. A station master suggested that Smith Bowman accompany them since he worked on Oliver’s ranch.
At that time, Smith was on a two-day drunk and uninterested in their problem. Reluctantly, he agrees to sober up and escort them to their uncle’s ranch. When they arrived, Oliver’s wife Maud raged against them and told them to leave. However, she was hardly in a position to argue because she’d fallen and had broken her leg.
My problem with this story was that Willa seemed to be falling in love with Smith so she had somewhere to go. I felt she hadn't fallen for him from a position of strength (thus knowing it was love and not desperation) and that bothered me. Willa was alone and without resources (even her clothes were gifts from the old man). Through Willa’s love, however, Smith turned away from drink and became a more responsible man.
The pace of the story seemed jagged; it started at a fast clip and then slowed, sped up and slowed. Perhaps it was because there were two really unpleasant characters that made time seem to drag. The saving grace of the story was when Smith explained why he had killed a man; Willa understood. She also helped him reframe the incident in a very different way from Smith’s feeling.
In spite of what I've written, I found this to be a story I couldn't put aside until I’d finished it.
February 20, 2020
A woman rescued from a lynch mob becomes part of family heading out west trying to make place for herself & make peace with the death of her protector. She learning to trust cowboy with his own pain.
January 7, 2014
In my quest to read All of Dorothy Garlock's books I am finding out that almost all of her books are either a hit or a miss. A Gentle Giving was unfortunately for me a miss. While the beginning of the plot is set up nicely. The young heroine Willa recused from being raped and hung by a man who is unscrupulous as the very people who wanted to kill her. But the rest of the novel falls flat. Jo Bell is horrible to Willa and yet nothing karma worthy really happens to her?? I find A Gentle Giving to be the most confusing novel that Miss Garlock has ever written.
September 7, 2014
I was raised reading westerns, and this one has all the elements, handsome man, pretty woman, gruff but likeable cowhands, a crazy funny Indian, struggles, gunfights and lovely scenery. The characters made this story one I really liked. It was easy to put myself in the story as I read. I found myself rooting for Willa and Smith to get together and hoping that Smith didn't get himself killed. When Jo Bell was throwing a fit, I even wanted to slap her for Willa. I can see this book making a good movie.
February 17, 2014
Enjoyed the book very much. I'm a big Dorothy Garlock fan. I love her portrayals of the Old West and frontier times. She emphasizes the hardships and reminds us that not all the participants were
"good guys". In a Gentle Giving she highlights characters who were essentially orphans and their quest for love. She also touches on the paradox of people who desperately need love, but who are either unable to give love or feel that they are not worthy of love. Keep a tissue handy!
"good guys". In a Gentle Giving she highlights characters who were essentially orphans and their quest for love. She also touches on the paradox of people who desperately need love, but who are either unable to give love or feel that they are not worthy of love. Keep a tissue handy!
October 29, 2012
Wonderful story, fast read.
November 12, 2015
Every book I read by dorothy garlock is great!! The story pulls the reader in and I have to finish it in a day or 2.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews