So far this is one of the best romantic/action books I've read so far. I've read all the installments of the Roses series by Julie Garwood, and all of them have been incredibly satisfying, but this book is a masterpiece. The whole plot revolved around a mystery. It is true I tend to guess a book's ending and I usually don't miss, but this time I had no freaking idea of who the witness was. I have to say Julie made a good job on making each girl's version believable, and it was hilarious to read both Ryan's and Cole's reactions. I couldn't help but laugh when those two found out they were being fooled by three young ladies. Now the romantic content was very rich and original. Both couples, Ryan and Grace, Cole and Jessica, had a new type of romance I'd not seen before. Ryan having a tragic past losing his wife and daughter, and making his lust for vengeance all the more intense, was all the salt and pepper needed to make his story interesting. Grace being a Lady, and having to save her family's reputation by marrying a guy she didn't love, was not a new circumstance, but her success by selling her hats made with her own talent was something new. I think we saw a little of fashion designing right there.Cole is the typical Clayborne brother who thinks he's not the marrying type. I have a feeling that if all men say they aren't the marrying type, all of them will be getting married in no time. His passion for Vanessa against his "no strings" philosophy hit him right on his face when he found out Vanessa was not the begging type. She didn't want strings attached too. She took Caleb, a poor boy who was abandoned by his mother and father, and has being raising him up ever since. It is just natural she doesn't want anything else to interfere with her duty as a mother. But she happens to be wrong. Cole is not the losing type, and he is determined to win her over when he realized he's in love with the woman. At the end of the story, Rebecca turns out to be part of the robbing gang and the plot unfolds rapidly but intensely. I read really fast just to find out what happened next. I couldn't stop reading and I stayed up until 4am finishing the book. I have no regrets whatsoever.The very ending was sad, and I almost cried. I was too fond of the brothers's story and life that I felt I wanted to know more, not that the books didn't satisfy me, but I felt as if I was saying goodbye to an old friend. I don't have a single complaint about these books. Their story is inspiring, and realizing how much they had to go through to be happy, makes you hope to have a happy ending just like theirs. Julie Garwood, a applaud you.
It’s been over a year since I read the last novella installment of Julie Garwood’s The Claybornes of Rose Hill series, so I decided it was time to bite the bullet and get it done! Come the Spring is Cole Clayborne’s story, who I fell in love with in the earlier books. I’ve been dying to read this, but reviews and comments from friends and other readers had me concerned that it might not measure up, which is why I waited so long. I had hoped that maybe if I put some time between my last reading and this one, Cole might stand a fighting chance, because For the Roses totally swept me off my feet and became an all time favorite feel good read. So yeah, it’s pretty hard to follow in those footsteps. I’d like to say that time away and the old “absence makes the heart grow fonder” adage was true, but that’s not the case. I won’t go into a lot of details about why I feel this way, but I will touch on some of my thoughts about the things I loved and didn’t love about this book.This was a really sweet story, and incredibly sad, too. Cole – in the previous books he was larger than life. He had such a strong presence, and this charisma about him that had me nearly drooling every time his name was mentioned. I didn’t see that in this book. To me, he was much more reserved, almost a watered down Cole Clayborne. He was still funny and I enjoyed him, but I have to be honest and say he’s not the Cole I remembered or was looking forward to revisiting.Daniel Ryan – Finally we get to meet this US Federal Marshall who has been the bane of Cole’s existence ever since he lifted a compass off of Mama Rose that was a gift meant for Cole. What’s that, you say!? A Federal Marshall picking some poor woman’s pocket? Yes, that’s exactly what happened, and the story behind it and his reasons for it were pretty funny. Now, despite my earlier comments, I do want to make it clear that this was a really sweet story. I enjoyed the romance, the mystery and the characters. It’s definitely worth reading to wrap up the series, it just didn’t have that magic that I’ve come to expect from a Julie Garwood historical, and I'm giving it a 3.5/5 stars.
What do You think about Come The Spring (1998)?
Ok, unlike the previous entries in this series (one overly long book about a mary sue and the gary stu who loved her, and three novellas) this was actually a good book. The reluctant H and the equally reluctant h were decent together. Also the side story romance with the marshall who showed his face off and on through the novellas was interesting.There were times it was hard to remember this was supposed to be a romance though; it came across as a slightly off western. Slightly off in that the westerns I've read, while the Hs acknowledged the fairer sex, the authors didn't delve into sexual attraction. Since this one did (because hey, it's a romance) its strong western vibes were a bit...jarring at times. Or maybe it was the sudden nod to lust. Not sure. Eh, it was more of a case that I've read L'Amour so am somewhat familiar with that and this seemed... like it couldn't quite make its mind up. Ah well.Ok, one thing that did stand out throughout the series is why do all the men whisper? I've never met a man who whispered. Most seem to have difficulty with volume control. So that's just...weird, and occurring so much that I actually notice it.
—Crystal
Bir seriyi daha bitirdik. Kitabı okumayı daha fazla erteleyemedim ve en sonunda okudum hoş iyi ki okumuşum diyorum çok güzeldi zaten bekliyordum bunu çünkü diğer kitapları da çok beğenmiştim zaten bu yüzden okumayı erteledim ya bitmesin çabuk diye :(Neyse kitaptan bahsedersek son kardeş (aynı zamanda en merak edilen kardeş) olan Cole'un hikayesini okuduk. Kendisi batının en iyi silahşörü olarak bilindiği için devamlı meydan okunuyordu biliyorsunuz. Bu kitaptaysa kendini bir anda polis şefi olarak buluyor. Asla yapmam ben diyor tabi direk ama eh ne demişler asla asla deme sonuçta rozet üstüne kalıyor ve en nefret ettiği kişiyle Daniel Ryan ile çalışmak zorunda kalıyor. Gerçi adama saygıda duyuyor hatta bir süre sonra sıkı dost bile oluyorlar. Kitapta bir banka soygunumuz ve buna tanık olması muhtemel 3 süpheli bayanımız var hepside ayrı bir güzel. Eh hal böyle olunca bizim bekar polis şeflerimiz işe daha bir şevkle sarılıyorlar tabii. İtiraf edeyim kadınlardan hangisi tanık değildir deseniz söyleyeceğim bir kişi vardı işin garip tarafı tanık o çıktı. Yuh yani ne zaman algılarım bu kadar kapandı benim. Kitabın en hoşuma giden yanlarından biri sadece Cole'un üstünde durmamış aynı zamanda Daniel Ryan'ında aşka düşüşünü büyük bir zevkle okuduk. Tek kötü taraf ise kardeşlerden hiçbiri yoktu kitapta eh bir iki adları geçti ama o kadar ve açıkçası bunun eksikliğini baya hissettim. Serideki favori kitabım hala ilk kitap yani Mary Rose'un hikayesi ama buda ona çok yakın bir seviyede inanın. Seriyi zaten okuyanlara kitabı tavsiye etmeme gerek yok ama seriye başlamamış olanlar için kesinlikle okumalarını tavsiye edeceğim bir seri :)
—Gizem
Unlike One Pink Rose, One White Rose and One Red Rose, this book is a longer-length novel. There are, to my view, two heroes. Below is a synopsis of the book. Most likely it won't tell you anything other synopses will, but personally, I think this story has too many twists and little surprises that reading more detailed reviews might spoil the whole thing for you. Just my word of caution.Anyway, this is how it all starts in the first book: Daniel steals a compass that Cole's mother was bringing home for Cole. The latter is outraged and is dying to meet up with Daniel, a U.S. Marshall.Well, Cole finally gets his wish...but not before circumstances find Cole sworn in as U.S. Marshall by Daniel.Daniel wants Coles help because Cole has earned himself a reputation as a faster-than-average quick gun.This is essentially the plot: Another bank is robbed, all people inside the bank are killed...except for a single female witness.When Cole and Daniel show up in the town, they're perplexed, because three woman are suspected to be the witness, but all three deny the charge.At this point, I will say no more. Just know that everything is not how it seems. I kept trying to guess which one was the witness and Garwood does a good job of mixing you up. Then again, perhaps other readers weren't fooled, but I can say I certainly was. And the twists and turns in this story were a surprise to me, and I give this book a resounding five-star rating.
—Natalie
