This is an old category romance that I read way back when. I’m not usually a re-reader but I stumbled across this in unabridged audio format and figured what the heck. I listen to audio’s when I’m doing tedious tasks like driving, cleaning the yard of dog poo or scrubbing the bathroom. There’s not much to lose on my end and I’ll usually finish everything I start on audio, excepting The Ill-Made Mute which was one of the few too torturous for even me to finish. Mackenzie’s Mountain was a much better choice and reminded me of why I used to love romances so much.Mackenzie’s Mountain is a contemporary but may seem slightly dated to the modern reader and they’ll probably think it full of clichés but damn I’ll take dated over ho-hum any day. They just don’t write romances like this anymore (and if they do, can you point me to some titles please?). Wolf Mackenzie was sent to prison for two years after being falsely accused of rape, purely on the basis of his half-breed (mostly Indian) heritage and small town bigotry. Now he’s a loner, living atop his mountain with his teenage son Joe and raising horses on his ranch. He avoids people, especially the locals and Anglo women and seriously who could blame him? Mary is the new school teacher in town and when she gets wind of the fact that Joe, who had stellar grades, has quit school she takes it upon herself to pay his family a visit and find out why. She immediately befriends Joe and takes him under her wing and has all sorts of strange new tingly feelings about Wolf that she doesn’t understand (she’s a virgin). Wolf tries to push her away for her own good but she’s stubborn and for some reason he can’t quite comprehend she believes in his innocence and trusts him completely.Mary's friendship with the Mackenzie’s causes her no end of trouble but she stands up to the bigotry and her loyalty never waivers. She manages to breach all of Wolf’s prickly defenses, helps Joe when no one else could have been bothered and is an amazing heroine, the kind of heroine I wish they all were. And Wolf? He’s the strong, protective guy that will give up his own happiness to spare others from pain. He embodies the word hero. It never for a moment feels contrived. The love story is sultry and the seduction moves along at such a deliberate pace that when they finally get it on you feel relief for them both! There is just enough suspense and outside drama to keep the story interesting but the focus always remains on the relationships. I loved that most about this book. Too many books get carried away with tedious (to me, anyway) subplots and forget all about their characters and developing believable relationships. To tell you more would ruin the experience of this beautiful love story for you. Find it and read it and hold it close because they just don’t write ‘em like this anymore.
I have to say I had some trepidations when I started this book. I like contemporary romances but my favorite is historical. It was also a very short 250-something pages. I tend to like my books longer than that since I can fly through books at lightening speed. But it had a cute premise and tons of good reviews so I gave it a shot. I felt like I went 'Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww...' throughout almost the whole book. It's definitely one of those warm and fuzzy kind of romances but the love scenes definitely turned up the heat. It's about a school teacher named Mary Elizabeth Potter from Savannah, Georgia. Mary decided to take a risk and moved out to Wyoming to take up a teaching job there. She feels like she's destined to be a frumpy old maid even though she's not really that old. She's got the mousy brown hair, the dowdy old clothes, and a big fat cat to seal the deal. However, she is a force to be reckoned with when she takes something to her mind. And on her mind is Joe Mackenzie. He was one of the top students at the school but dropped out shortly before she arrived. This is a travesty to her and she makes it her mission to get him back to school. She sets out to his house on a mountain and gets stranded on the road when her car breaks down. Mary's in luck though because Wolf Mackenzie happens to be on the road as well. Wolf is Joe's father and he takes poor frozen Mary back to his house. Wolf is half Native American and half Celt. He's gotten a lot of grief over his heritage and doesn't want to have anything to do with the people in town. However Mary sparks his interest and when she starts tutoring his son every night he has to constantly fight off the attraction. Wolf has a past however that seems to be repeating itself that put's the whole town, including Mary at risk. Mary now has to fight for what she wants and discovers she may not be so mousy after all. It definitely deals with some serious issues, such as racial prejudices and there is described in some detail an attempted rape. It's short, and isn't by the hero so I wasn't bothered too much reading it but some readers may shy away from those things. On the whole though, it's a very short but sweet book and is certainly one I'd recommend reading on a day when you need a pick-me-up.
What do You think about Mackenzie's Mountain (2000)?
This is one my favorite re-reads of all time. Anytime I find myself in a slump I go back to a very few books as possible reads. This is one of those few books.Wolf Mackenzie is a rancher who is ostracized by the rest of the community and he prefers it that way. Mary Elizabeth Potter is a dedicated teacher who refuses to give up on something once she sets her mind to it. Their first interaction occurs when she is stranded on the side of a mountain and Wolf comes to her rescue. He assumes she is frightened of him because he is Native American. She is actually frightened because he is male. He wants her and she is shocked that she wants him. This is a sweet romance between an alpha male and a shy heroine. I highly recommend this if you are in the mood for a quick read that has depth to it (rather than fluff).
—Nareh
OMG...buku yang amat sangat bagus sekali.....gw suka banget cerita yang tokoh utamanya indian, keren,super posesif, dark dan bisa diandalkan...Wolf mackenzie benar2 co yang tercipta untuk gw ( di novel hehehehe...)ceritanya ttg miss mary potter yang di terima kerja sebagai guru di suatu kota kecil yang namanya Ruth...mary berumur 29 tahun,masih lugu,belom pernah pacaran apalagi boboan :pawalnya dia ke peternakan mackenzie buat ketemu sama joe mackenzie ( anak wol) yang tiba2 gak pernah datang lagi buat belajar ke sekolah padahal joe nilainya terbaik dari yang terbaik di kelas nya....ternyata joe gak mau ke sekolah lagi karena dia merasa sekolah gak berguna dan juga karena penduduk benci sama darah indiannya dan terutama karena dia anak wolf mackenzie yang pernah di penjara karena di tuduh melakukan pemerkosaan (padahal kagak)...mesin mobil yang ruisak di tengah salju bikin mary terdampar dan di tolong sama wolf....dari awal wolf udah merasa ketertarikan sama mary...tapi dia gak mau mary di jauhin penduduk sana karena berhubungan dengan keluarga mackenzie...so wolf berusaha menolak mary terus...tapi mary yang lugu tetep gigih ngejar wolf dan membantu joe buat masuk akademi....soooooo.....walo wolf nya mati2 an menolak akhirnya dia lumer juga...apalagi pas di kota itu terjadi penyerangan dan pemerkosaan dimana awalnya wolf di tuduh sebagai pelakunya....dan si pemerkosa mengejar mary...so wolf mindahin mary buat tinggal sama dia di peternakannya....kira2 begitulah....mary dan wolf makin dekat, karena kegigihan mary membuktikan wolf gak bersalah bisa membuka mata penduduk sana...dan akhirnya bisa nangkap si pemerkosa yang ternyata org situ2 juga yang amat sangat benci dengan indian pada umumnya dan wolf mackenzie khususnya....;p
—nurmawati
I read this book in one sitting - which means I stayed up all night - so I'm a little delirious right now. I won't write a review (you can thank me for that) but I would like to say a few things while I am still "living in the moment" of Mackenzie's Mountain.First of all, if you haven't read this book, you really need to get that taken care of. Within 10 years it will be proclaimed a "classic" (you'll be shelving it right up there with Catcher In the Rye & The Grapes of Wrath) and you will want to be "in the know" when discussing the classics with your grandkids.The plot/premise of MM is unbelievably simple - half breed & son shunned by the white folk in Smalltown, USA until little white spinster schoolteacher shows up wagging her finger at the lot of them and sets out to right all the wrongs. There are school "board meetings" (think Harper Valley PTA), heated confrontations, and a serial rapist running loose...providing plenty of action for this little 250-page read. Then there is the love story. It is just so sweet! The hero makes a feeble attempt at resistance for propriety's sake, but the heroine with her damn-the-torpedoes attitude makes it happen. And W.O.W. "it" happens often! (okay, so maybe it won't become a classic). Regardless, your appreciation (or as in my case "jaw-dropping, drool-inducing awe") of the Native American Indian as a hero will increase ten-fold!I'm glad that I didn't toss Linda Howard overboard after reading "Sarah's Child" (hero sucked) and "Cry No More"(way too depressing), but it was at least 5 years until I tried her again. Now, having read "After the Night", The Touch of Fire" and "Mackenzie's Mountain", I'm clamoring for more, more, more. What's next, MelissaB?5**** at least
—KarenH
