Synopses & Reviews
No one ever knew what kind of strays, from animals to weary travelers, Mary Rose Clayborne would bring home next.
Sometimes her four brothers? runaway slave Adam, ax-pickpocket Douglas, gunslinger Cole, and con man Travis -- wondered whether her boarding school education did a lick of good now that their beautiful, impulsive little sister was back in Blue Belle, Montana.
Of course, everyone in town knew better than to mess with the Claybornes. The brothers, four of the toughest hombres in the West, had once been a mismatched gang of street urchins. But they had found an abandoned baby girl in a New York City alley, named her Mary Rose, headed West, and raised her to be a lady. Through the years the Claybornes had become a family, held together by loyalty and love if not by blood -- when they suddenly faced the crisis that could tear them apart.
That crisis came to town with Lord Harrison Stanford MacDonald. In his fine clothes, he looked every inch a dude. Mary Rose figured that if she didn't interfere, this handsome Englishman would get himself killed, so she took him home to the Clayborne ranch to ask her brothers to turn him into a cowboy. She didn't suspect MacDonald was a chameleon, not the greenhorn he appeared to be. He'd prove fast with a gun, quick with his fists, and capable of commanding the Claybornes's respect -- if not their trust. He'd also soon be desperately in love with Mary Rose. She returned his affection blissfully and wholeheartedly...until MacDonald revealed a secret that challenged everything she believed about her love, herself, and her life.
Now Mary Rose's search for identity and meaning would begin, sending her to England, to the family she lost long ago. Her soul hungered for the freedom of the American West, but she was being drawn away from all she cared about by the need to know her past...and by her uncertain but still potent love for MacDonald. Torn between conflicting loyalties, Mary Rose wasn't sure who she really was, or where she belonged...questions that could only be answered if she listened to the truth within her heart.
Synopsis
The Clayborne brothers were a rough gang of street urchins -- until they found an abandoned baby girl in a New York City alley, named her Mary Rose, and headed to Blue Belle, Montana, to raise her to be a lady. They became a family -- held together by loyalty and love if not blood -- when suddenly a stranger threatened to tear them apart...Lord Harrison Stanford MacDonald brandished a six-shooter and a swagger, but he soon proved to be a gentleman to the core. The brothers taught him frontier survival, while Mary Rose touched his heart with a deep and desperate passion. But soon, a shattering secret would challenge everything Mary Rose believed about herself, her life, and her newfound love.
About the Author
With more than 13 million books in print and 13 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, Julie Garwood has earned a solid position among fiction's established stars. It's clear why she has risen to the top -- her talent as a novelist keeps readers laughing, crying and thoroughly entertained with each new book.
One force that shaped Julie's life and work is her Irish heritage. "The Irish are great storytellers who relish getting all the details and nuances of every situation. Add in the fact that in my family I was the 6th of 7 children. Early in life I learned that self-expression had to be forceful, imaginative and quick," Julie says.
Julie Garwood's phenomenal success is not only a result of her outstanding writing ability, but also her determination. Her early elementary education was interrupted by illness, and as a result, she didn't learn to read until she was almost 12 years old. She's been a champion of literacy ever since -- as a tutor, a classroom storyteller and an author of two children's books. Julie visits schools as often as possible to talk to children about the joys and rewards of reading. "I treasure the written word," she explains, "and I want everyone to love books as much as I do."
Julie Garwood's first historical novel, Gentle Warrior, was published by Pocket Books in 1985. Since then, her popularity among readers has grown with each new publication. She is currently working on her next novel.