***2.5 stars (rounded to 3, because horses play an important part)*** I don't know how to characterise this romance, and that because the writing is rather uneven. At times it is very enjoyable, full of energy and interesting themes and the next moment it loses momentum and starts dragging. The MCs are ok -meaning none of them is grossly inane- although the 'he wants to shag me silly but he does not love me' went on forever. Some of the dialogues were fine and some were rather embarrassing, but there are bigger problems with the book. First, the whole middle section feels like a crawl under the weight of repetition. I felt I was reading the same scene again and again (not to say the same tedious reasoning about feelings) with a few elements changed for the illusion of variations. That resulted in a rushed end, since the writer run out of space. The story goes out in a flash. After some intensely adventurous chapters all set out in the wild, we have a quick final chapter in Wyoming, where everything is supposedly settled in two pages! As if the writer had little interest in her couple once she landed them on safe ground.Another problem with this book is that throughout you have a very strong feeling you're reading the first part of a series. Four brothers and a sister Mackenzie are introduced, some horrific experiences and nightmares are alluded to, and it is clear we are dealing with a family ravaged by the Civil War, with each one of its members having a particularly heavy cross to bear. In the final chapter the wife of the eldest MacKenzie makes an appearance and alludes to the darkness surrounding her husband's (the eldest Mckenzie) life (possibly connected to his sister's destruction at the hands of white renegades?), while the ground is also prepared for the story of the youngest MacKenzie's story. Yet those books, the book of Logan and the book of Case (not to mention Cassie, the sister, the most damaged of the MacKenzies) were never written. Somehow the failure to deliver the other MacKenzie books affects the form of this one, since it is written in a style that anticipates the others, and throws it out of focus. Which brings me to another point, why is this marketed as the first book in a series when it is more than clear that all the other books in this series have nothing to do with the rest of the siblings? There's no historical chronological progression to the present day, no nothing, just a salto motale from Ty Mackenzie to some other present day folks called Mackenzie. On the plus side, the book has a good sense of place, of wilderness and of danger -you'll learn a lot about gullies and ravines and storms, dales and plateaus, and how to break a mustang. Those of you who love reading about horses, as much as I do, will be happy to know the divine creatures hold a big and important part in the story (and I for one would have loved a chapter on Lucifer and Zebra's life in Wyoming).
Classic Elizabeth Lowell HistoricalTHE STORY: Ty MacKenzie survived the Civil War with a dream to find a soft sweet woman to create a new family after the death and destruction of the war. As part of that dream, Ty comes to Utah to capture a dream horse to serve as the basis of his new ranch. While stalking this horse, Ty is captured by a band of renegades and is almost killed. He escapes seriously injured and is cared for by Janna Wayland. Janna has been living on her own on the land in Utah since her father died several years before. She risks her life to save this stranger and nurse him back to health. Janna falls for Ty, but she knows that she is not the dream woman that Ty wants. OPINION: I am a longtime fan of Elizabeth Lowell's older books. Although sometimes dated by the depictions of the relationship between Ty and Janna, I really enjoyed the intensely emotional book. This book is sexy in more of an intellectual manner than a physical depiction of sex model. Rather than focusing on body parts, this book is about how these two people desire one another at the level of thought and emotion. That doesn't mean there is no sex in this book -- there is. It is just that the book is lyrical and descriptive of the emotions of these characters. There is an interesting story here, but some readers might not be attracted to this very internal story structure. The characters reflect the 1980s when this book was written. Ty is the strong alpha type who is often a jerk to the heroine. Janna is young and a virgin despite her years living on her own in the Utah wilderness. I especially like how these typical characters show some depth that sets them apart from stereotypes. Ty is a jerk, but when Janna confronts him about his behavior, he immediately is remorseful. Janna is strong and independent despite her innocence. She is stubborn and doesn't shrink before Ty. WORTH MENTIONING: I always feel disappointment in this story because some incredibly stories of Ty's siblings are teased in this book and yet there was never a historical sequel to this book. Some information comes out in the contemporary books in the series, but I have always wished that Lowell had written the connecting historical books.FINAL DECISION: I really love this historical romance. Yes, Ty is somewhat of a jerk at times and definitely fits into the alpha hero mold of the 1980s when this book was written, but he also has a deeply emotional side. Janna is incredibly independent and a strong woman who has lived on her own for years. Their romance is deeply emotional.CONNECTED BOOKS: RECKLESS LOVE is the historical prequel to the MacKenzie-Blackthorn contemporary series.STAR RATING: I give this book 4.25 stars.
What do You think about Reckless Love (2007)?
9/4 - Yep, cheesy as hell, 3.5. A girl (Jana) who dresses as a boy to avoid unwanted attention alone in the mountains, a guy (Ty) hunting a mythically strong (or something) mustang for his breeding capabilities (the horse is also being chased by random other men and a band of rebel Native Americans for the monetary value of his future foals) and one of the mustang's mares who despite being wild has been partially tamed by the girl (enough to allow riding).Lowell seems to have a fixation with stories where the man thinks that any woman who isn't a perfect lady, must be a whore (not sure why any author would choose that particular trope to fixate on, but you know, each to their own I s'pose). I'm not a big fan of there being no in between for women, or if not at least the same theory should apply for the men (which would make this guy a total whore).Even at the end he continued to make statements that no one in their right mind could miss as being derisive towards Jana. During their makeup scene he apologised for all the times he'd called her names and made her feel like a slut by saying things like that she was good enough for sex, but not a proper lady and therefore not good enough to be his wife (romantic, huh?) and that he hadn't been trying to deride her, but himself (that excuse would only work in a man's mind or a work of fiction). Of course, everything worked out in the end, but I'm not sure how happy their marriage will be. He still wants a lady who can skilfully manage servants and host lavish dinner parties, but Jana's been living on her own in the mountains for most of the formative years of her life. How's she going to turn from a breast-bound waif into a silk dress-wearing woman fast enough to please Ty?
—Sarah
Another book on CD from www.LAPL.org.I think my biggest complaint about this book; aside from a strong dislike of the world "silken" now, is that the rest of the books in the series are not stories of the characters in this book. Oh, I suppose they'll end up being ancestors or something but what of Case? I felt myself drawn to the cowboy...of course, I was sure that was the point and the next book was his...Well, I'll read them, if I must :-), and see what the "rest of the story" is...until then,Wow! I really wanted to smack this hero. There's a disturbing trend in Elizabeth Lowell's books of letting a woman know her place if not while the man is still in her then soon after hear heartbeat has stopped racing. He kept hurting her with his words and had the gall to be "surprised" that he had done so. The old "that's not what I meant" and "I didn't mean it that way" just didn't fly for me especially going back and re-reading what he said. He was just scared as Hades that she was throwing a big as* wrench in his "silken lady" plans.Pisses me off!!This guy, Ty, is the stuff of legends. The fact that appears to us, on the first page of the book, naked just made my smile grow wider as I read. He was alpha male through and through, a playboy who came back from war seeking softness, silk, and a genteel lady with which to live his life.What he got was a red-headed bombshell who came to his whipped, tortured, sorry butt disguised as a boy.Well, you can pretty much guess the rest. Along the way, there is pain, love, triumph, and sex so darn sensual and raw and tender and hot and...whew, I need a shower!Great book. Just what you would expect given the premise, but there are a few surprises thrown in there to keep it from being too "formulaic." Either that, or I was too hot and bothered to notice.Where is my husband??? Happy reading. :-)
—Alexis-Morgan Roark
I really enjoyed this book. One of my favorite things about the book was that when Ty said something that made Jana angry, she actually told him what he had done wrong. So many books have scenes where there is a misunderstanding and the hero or heroine never bring it up again and magically everything is resolved in the end. She actually quoted back to him some of the stupid things he said to her and he actually explained himself in a couple of spots. It was hot romance and the adventure was wild and exciting. I loved the addition of the brothers and the old miner.
—Sue
