Daniel'S Bride

Rating:
Summary: Not so Much
Review: I am a fan of Linda Lael Miller but I found this book to be a bit monotonous. The way Jolie kept refering to Daniel as "Mr. Beckham" and he to her as "Mrs. Beckham" drove me crazy. I found myself skipping pages and skimming through chapters. I knew the ending far before I got to it. I did finish the book and I liked the story. I just didn't like the way it way expressed.

Rating:
Summary: From unwanted to wanted wife
Review: In 1877, 20-year-old Jolie McKibben heads west to the town of Prosperity in the Washington Territory. Her two companions rob the bank, shoot a man, and leave her to a cruel fate -- death by hanging. Yet the widowed farmer Daniel Beckham decides to save her life by marrying her according to the town's wedding ordinance. Jolie now faces a big challenge -- winning this stranger's hardened heart to get what she is dreaming of -- a real home and family.

Given the nature of this novel, there are plenty of sensual scenes. Many a reader will find them perfect swooning material, but, other than that, the detailed love scenes don't propel the story. Concerning Jolie's and Daniel's romance, a little less would have been more. Jolie's inner turmoil could have been expressed better than letting her alternately say or think "I hate you, Daniel Beckham" and "I love you, Daniel Beckham."

Linda Lael Miller created a solid western romance novel complete with steamy love scenes. If you like that genre as well as stories set in the Old West, you will find "Daniel's Bride" to be a satisfying read. If you can do without the sensual factor and want a more realistic approach to the western theme, give the pioneer novel "Against All Odds -- The Lucy Scott Mitchum Story" by Barbara Riefe a try.

Rating:
Summary: Increasingly Beautiful as I read
Review: Jolie and Daniel are able to create an inner peace inside of themselves. Linda Lael Miller knew what she was doing when she placed these two charactors together. The story line was easy to follow, the emotions were expressed fully, and the feeling of complete happiness just followed after reading this book. Thank you Ms. Miller for creating such an awesome book that allowed me to release my inner turmoils. Reading is my forte, and it is great to have your books around to increase my enjoyment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing, Original, Unexpected
Review: Jolie McKibben had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. While in the company of Blake and Rowdy, the two desperados robbed a bank and killed a man in the process. Once they high-tailed it out of there, Jolie was left to suffer the consequences. Standing in the hot sun with a noose around her neck, her sentence was death by hanging. Daniel Beckman, a local farmer, happened on the scene. The town had an ordinance that could save Jolie, but someone would need to marry her, and quickly. Surprisingly, Daniel consents, and takes his bride home in silence. Daniel still mourns his deceased wife, but could use help on the farm with cooking and cleaning. It isn't long, though, before Jolie is performing other wifely duties for her aloof new husband. Between Daniel's new wife, and two orphaned children who end up living with them, Daniel begins to have difficulty protecting his heart. But there's more strife ahead, for the two desperados are on Jolie's trail.

This was my second and last read by Ms. Miller. First of all, I `m not a big fan of western romance, but there are some out there that appeal to me. This book was just okay for me - nothing special. My main problems with it were the overall depressing mood of the story, Jolie and Daniel were okay characters but not very memorable, and some of the plot elements were over the top. Jolie's friend, Nan, ends up marrying the evil Ira January, and subsequently Jolie ends up in danger from Blake, Rowdy and Ira. The plot lost a lot of its reality base for me, because it just seemed the author was trying to cram too much in it. As for a recommendation, if you're a fan of Ms. Miller and/or Western romance, this book is probably for you. Otherwise, I'd skip it.

Rating:
Summary: Just okay...nothing special...
Review: Jolie McKibben had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. While in the company of Blake and Rowdy, the two desperados robbed a bank and killed a man in the process. Once they high-tailed it out of there, Jolie was left to suffer the consequences. Standing in the hot sun with a noose around her neck, her sentence was death by hanging. Daniel Beckman, a local farmer, happened on the scene. The town had an ordinance that could save Jolie, but someone would need to marry her, and quickly. Surprisingly, Daniel consents, and takes his bride home in silence. Daniel still mourns his deceased wife, but could use help on the farm with cooking and cleaning. It isn't long, though, before Jolie is performing other wifely duties for her aloof new husband. Between Daniel's new wife, and two orphaned children who end up living with them, Daniel begins to have difficulty protecting his heart. But there's more strife ahead, for the two desperados are on Jolie's trail.

This was my second and last read by Ms. Miller. First of all, I 'm not a big fan of western romance, but there are some out there that appeal to me. This book was just okay for me - nothing special. My main problems with it were the overall depressing mood of the story, Jolie and Daniel were okay characters but not very memorable, and some of the plot elements were over the top. Jolie's friend, Nan, ends up marrying the evil Ira January, and subsequently Jolie ends up in danger from Blake, Rowdy and Ira. The plot lost a lot of its reality base for me, because it just seemed the author was trying to cram too much in it. As for a recommendation, if you're a fan of Ms. Miller and/or Western romance, this book is probably for you. Otherwise, I'd skip it.

Rating:
Summary: Another Favorite
Review: Narrowly excaping the hangman's noose, Jolie marries Daniel to save her own life. She figures she can always excape when the coast is clear, but the one thing Jolie did not count on is falling in love with this highly respected Widower Rancher. Miller's Daniel's Bride is another Romantic classic with adventure, intrigue, and mystery. Her characters are real, and easily understood, and her plot is extraordinary.

Rating:
Summary: THE VERY BEST OF THIS GENRE!!!!
Review: This is a wonderful, sexy and charming book. The characters are well written and the story is unique. If you like this sort of book, this is a must read.

Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL - SEXY - CHALLENGING ROMANCE!
Review: This is the best story I have read of Miller's so far!
What a challenging way to save a person and gain a bride.

Even though Daniel Beckham refuses to love Jolie McKibben, he is willing to save her from the hangman's noose and gain a housekeeper and bed partner, also a cook. Wow! what a man. [grin]

Jolie gained a humorous friend and protecter in the lad called Deuter, the young man working for Daniel.

The unexpected arrival of the youngsters, Gemma and her brother Hank threw a monkey wrench into Daniel's plan of remaining emotionally uninvolved. And of course finding out that Jolie had not known any man physically brought confusion to Daniel's preconcieved ideas of who and what Jolie was.

Finding out about Pilar, Daniel's sometime lover, did upset Jolie a trifle. But Pilar was not going to get her husband.
Nan and Joe Culley became very valued and accepted friends of Jolie and I cried with her. And then to have Nan take up with Ira January. Ugh!

I couldn't believe that Blake Kingston could even imagine himself in love with Jolie. [the rat] and she had a few close calls with the return of Blake and his partner, Rowdy, a killer with no conscience.

I was so afraid that Daniel might finally send Jolie and the kids packing before he would realize that he needed them to love and to be loved by them.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED with no reservations -- wonderful -- sexy -- and liberating -- We need more like this.

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing, Original, Unexpected
Review: This was my first Linda Lael Miller and I found it , wonderfully romantic, spicy, and highly enoyable. How often do you read a historical romance that surprises you with its plot developments? There are a couple of stock characters--the "bad guys"--but all in all, nicely rounded and unique characterizations, a plot that advances well, good attention to detail, and a good dose of realism without sacrificing the romantic mood add up to a page-turner. A keeper. And by the way, for the reader who objected to it, a cousin of mine who lived in the South called her husband "Mr." their entire married life (1906-1957). It was a very different time.