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Book Review of For the Roses (Claybornes Brides, Bk 1)

For the Roses (Claybornes Brides, Bk 1)
philippaj avatar reviewed on + 136 more book reviews


[3 stars]
~ SUMMARY (from back cover) ~
In Blue Belle, Montana, everyone knew better than to mess with the Claybornes. The brothers had once been a mismatched gang of street urchins --- until they found an abandoned baby girl in a New York City alley, named her Mary Rose, and headed west to raise her to be a lady. They became a family --- held together by loyalty and love if not by blood --- when suddenly they faced a crisis that threatened to tear them apart . . .

Trouble came to town with one Lord Harrison Stanford MacDonald. Armed with a swagger and six-shooter, he cut a striking figure --- but it soon became apparent to Mary Rose that he was too much of a gentleman to make it in her rough-and-tumble town. She asked her brothers to teach him the basics of frontier survival, which he acquired with ease. And soon he possessed a deep and desperate love for Mary Rose. She returned his affection wholeheartedly . . . until MacDonald revealed a secret that challenged everything she believed about herself, her life, and her newfound love. Now her search for identity and meaning would begin, raising questions that could only be answered if she listened to the truth within her heart . . .

~ MY REVIEW ~
The second half was better than the first half, but this book was still my least favorite Julie Garwood book. Normally, I love her work, but too many things in this book drove me nuts. Eleanor was wholly unnecessary and although Garwood heroine's are always beautiful/smart/innocent/naive/etc., this one was just a little too much for me; they're always somewhat clueless and kind of head-in-the-clouds, but Mary Rose was more than I could handle.

~ "CLAYBORNES' BRIDES" SERIES ~
FOR THE ROSES - Mary Rose (Book 1)
ONE PINK ROSE - Travis (Book 2)
ONE WHITE ROSE - Douglas (Book 3)
ONE RED ROSE - Adam (Book 4)
THE CLAYBORNE BRIDES - anthology of Books 2, 3, and 4
COME THE SPRING - Cole and Daniel (Book 5)

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