Title: The Montana Creeds Series
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Published in 2009 by Harlequin
Genre: Paranormal Contemporary
ISBN: 978-0-373-77353-4 - The Montana Creeds: Logan
ISBN: 978-0-373-77358-9 - The Montana Creeds: Dylan
ISBN: 978-1-60168-069-3 - The Montana Creeds: Tyler
From the Promo Blurb:
The “First Lady of the West” has taken the bull by the horns once again and turned out an amazing new series about three cowboy brothers who are ready to settle their wild ways. Linda Lael Miller “knows her way around a horse and a dog,” and let me tell you first hand, she knows her way around an amazing story.
Descendants of the legendary McKettrick family, the Creeds are renowned in Stillwater Springs, Montana—for raising hell . . . The three estranged Creed brothers are the ultimate cowboys who make their way home to find family—and love. These guys have all the charm of the McKettricks paired with some bad-boy behavior that will have women quivering in their boots.
An Introduction:
Below you will find my reviews of the trilogy, about the three Creed men, their lives, losses, and return to love. Each one is very different, and each man has to make his own peace with the others. In the end, they are still cowboys at heart, brothers by blood. Banded together by hardship, divided by hard words, Logan, Dylan, and Tyler have to find the necessary forgiveness within in order to make peace with their destinies. Yet in spite of all gone before, and above all of this new turmoil in their lives, they remain loyal at heart. Nothing tells you more about the measure of a man than the ideals he holds, the animals he chooses, and the woman he loves. Nothing tells you more about a man's heart than how he adheres to his ideals, and treats those he holds dear. Those are the "Gold Standards" by which the Creeds can be measured as well, so with that in mind, I give you Linda Lael Miller's The Montana Creeds...
The Montana Creeds: Logan
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Release Date: February 2009
Logan Creed is tired of the rat race. He knows he has been running, and although he is not proud of that particular fact, the others have done the same. Since the death of Jake Creed, the brothers have pretty much stayed away from and not been home to the town of Stillwater Springs, or to Stillwater Springs Ranch, but they haven't talked either to Logan's knowledge. Cruelty was one of Jake Creed's hallmarks, and none of the boys had it easy, but as Logan figured, being the oldest, it was up to him to protect the other two boys. Oh he made mistakes, but he had to do what he had to do, and if Ty and Dylan didn't like it, not tough enough to realize what was done for their own good, then they could stay away. The ranch, however, was their heritage, and due to Logan's business savvy, investing sense, and his law degree, the brothers had more than enough money to bring it back to be a working entity again. Logan figured it was time to at least try to mend fences, and just as soon as he got his nerve up, he would try to get in touch with Dylan and Tyler. In Dylan's case, he didn't have much choice since the bull in the broken down corral belonged to him, a remnant from a long-standing quarrel between Dylan and this particular animal.
While he was at it, he was going to do some real fence mending, stock purchasing, and do the repairs on the home place. Each of the boys had a place on the ranch, Logan the main house, Dylan had the foreman's house, and Tyler had the cabin by the lake. Logan wasn't sure what condition the other two were in, but when he saw the main house, he was shocked. It was not as bad as he thought it would be, but still sight of the sagging roof, its scarred and badly weathered visage, and the air of desolation and neglect pulled something in his heart. Yes, life here had not been good thanks to Jake, but there had been happy times. He barely remembered them, but occasional flashes had the ability to warm his heart. There was one thing Logan really longed for, and that was a wife and a family, but with his parentage, it was not going to happen. Happy marriages were not in the Creed gene pool, look at how his father went through three wives, driving them to early graves. His own mother whom he never really knew, then tow stepmothers to boot. And yes, his own two failed attempts at marriage assured he would never subject another woman to his cursed existence. Unfortunately, The Fates have other plans for the boys, and sighted Logan as their first plaything, and they have arranged his first and last encounter with true love in the most unlikely of places...
It was one thing to put up with a man who had no common sense, courtesy, or took any responsibility. It was entirely something else to be dropped off like garbage. Bad enough it was at a Wal-Mart in the middle of nowhere with two young children, and old dog named Wanda, and then Vance threw her a few twenties, and took off. How anyone could be expected to go on as if nothing happened was totally beyond her, and yet that is exactly what Brianna's no good creep of a husband, now ex, did to her Josh, Alec and Wanda two years ago. He'd left her and the boys destitute, and if it wasn't for Dylan Creed, they might have been homeless, penniless, and maybe starving right now. He was on his way out of town when he found her, and yet he gave her and the kids a place to stay, a vehicle to get around in, and the opportunity to start a new life in Stillwater Springs. She had heard the stories about the Creed brothers, yet if they were so bad, and so wrong, why would one of them have taken pity on her and the boys? She learned there were three of them, Dylan being the middle one, and of the hard times and misery that drove them apart from each other, and away from Stillwater Springs. It still surprised her when she came face to face with Logan Creed one afternoon at the abandoned cemetery. She wondered about the differences between Dylan and Logan because if you didn't look closely, you might never know they were brothers.
But what Briana doesn't know, is danger heads her way. Vance, her ex-husband, is returning and he has the idea to settle down in Stillwater Springs, get a job, and get to know his sons. On the surface, it doesn't seem like much, but when strange things begin to happen, Briana doesn't know who to turn to except her enigmatic and very hot next door neighbor, Logan Creed. Josh has a hard time warming up to most people where Alec hasn't met a man he didn't like, but both the boys have taken a liking to Logan, and Briana herself has a get-out-of-town-quick-before-you're-hurt attraction to him. She knows he is probably a love em' and leave em' kind of guy, but she ignores that fact on general principle. She owes Logan the benefit of the doubt since she has seen him interact with the boys, the patience, care, and the genuine interest he shows cannot be faked. When Alec is hit by a car, Logan is right there for her, and when her house is broken into, Logan has her back yet again. All the little stuff adds up, and Briana begins to wonder exactly what is wrong with Logan Creed that has the town of Stillwater Springs talking behind her back. But when the chips are down, Briana finds there is no one she would rather have in her corner than Logan and his brother Dylan, and she would much rather keep Logan in her life permanently, even if he is just a poor cowboy...
When Logan Creed meets Briana Grant, sparks fly, and electricity sizzles. She is a hard working single mom, and when Logan finds her and her two sons tending the family cemetery, he is touched. An invite to supper, and Logan finds himself fascinated, the woman is stunning, independent, and intelligent and where Dylan found such a luscious caretaker is beyond him. He wants to run, but everything in Logan tells him to stay put, and for the first time, it looks as if Logan might actually follow his heart and make a home. Logan feels with Briana by his side, he can take on the world, and when things go south for them both, they turn to each other's strength to survive. Logan needs to bring his family back together, and Briana has already helped with Dylan, and the new beginnings are there. Now there is only Tyler to go. But can he really reunite his family in the face of the letter he found in the attic? This one could finally rip them apart forever...
Logan's instincts, helped along by his 'grandmother's' prodding, do finally come to the fore, and guide him to the correct answers, but if you want to find out exactly how it all comes about, you will have to go to Linda's Website and read an Excerpt: The Montana Creeds: Logan. You will be very happy with the story, the characters of Logan and Brianna call to the reader, and the trilogy continues, promising two more to come. So please, if you want some good reading, look for Montana Creeds: Logan coming in February of 2009 from Linda Lael Miller, and Enjoy!
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The Montana Creeds: Dylan
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Release Date: March 2009
Las Vegas, Nevada, and all that glitters draws Dylan Creed, Jake Creed's second son. Green baize tables have chairs with his name on them, and many regulars know when Dylan sits down, their money will leave with him. He is a card sharp, cowboy, stuntman, and all-around ladies man, and excels at almost everything he does. There is one notable exception, and that is getting along with family. His is badly shattered, and neither he nor his younger brother Tyler have seen or talked to their oldest brother Logan for over twelve years. On it was a huge brew-ha when Jake Creed dies, and Logan told them in no uncertain terms he was no angel, he was a drunk, a philanderer, and a bastard, but it was not what he or Ty wanted to hear. Only with time and distance did Dylan understand Logan's hurt, his anger, and his agony. It is only now he has come to his senses, and he wishes he could find a way to make it up to the brother who bore all the responsibility. It was Logan who settled everything, who saw to it that all the debts were paid, the bills, the money left from the life insurance deposited, and Jake was buried. He and Tyler were too young, and did nothing but mourn after a no good bastard who never seemed to care, and blame Logan for telling them the truth.
Things are very different now, however, and Dylan finally has a chance to make things right for the first time on several fronts. Unexpectedly, Logan has returned home to Montana, to Stillwater Springs Ranch, and has begun laying down roots in the rich Montana soil. Even with all their rambling, it felt natural to call the ranch home. Dylan knew the lay of the land there, what had to be done, and what Logan was up against. He also knew what many others didn't, and that was the very simple fact Logan Creed was a very rich man. He had always been sharp, business savvy, and when Dylan got wind of his new company all those years ago, he had invested what he could, and talked Tyler into doing the same. Their money grew exponentially, and as Logan thrived and got richer, so did his brothers. When Logan sold his multi-million dollar company, another boost was given to the brother's bank accounts, and once again, they had their freedom of choice due to Logan. It was not an easy thing to admit, with his two-year-old daughter in hand; Dylan was probably going to have to trust in Logan's talents yet again. This time, with Bonnie's life and future at stake, he was more than willing to try and make a clean start with his estranged family...
There were three things Kristy Madison loved beyond measure, horses, books, and Dylan Creed. Two out of three were lost to her by twists of fate and the unexpected. The horses she had to give up when her parents died, and ranch went to the bank, but by then her beloved Sugarfoot was gone and buried. Her books, she still had them in abundance because she was the librarian of the Stillwater Springs Library. Dylan Creed she lost when his father died and the brothers split after one horrendous town lighting fight at Skivvies. Kristy knew when she first fell in love with Dylan Creed she could never love anyone else. Now, years later when she finds herself face to face with Dylan over the head of one of the most beautiful little girls she has ever seen, her heart was lost all over again. The little girl was Dylan's for certain. She has the Creed look, the sassy and mischievous twinkle in her eyes, and the most winning of ways. It broke Kristy's heart to think of him married to someone else, but he wore no ring, looked frazzled and lost, and if anything, more handsome than she remembered. Never let it be said she was not one to help a neighbor in need, and if she was certain of anything, Kristy knew Dylan was in over his head with this one.
Helping Dylan by riding herd on Bonnie was only the neighborly thing to do. It was necessary and in Kristy's case, it truly was a labour of love. In spite of it all, the missing years, the scarce trips home with no visits and his total failure to communicate with her, Kristy still loves Dylan with everything she has in her heart and soul. Then all her world crashes in when the Sheriff tells her there may be a body hidden in her beloved horse's grave, and finds not one, but two, and one of the bodies is that of a missing girl. From the gossip surrounding Kristy due to Dylan's return, to the recent events at her family's former ranch, the danger escalates with Dylan doing what he can to ease her fears. Tension is high anyway due to the upcoming election for a new sheriff, and things are only made worse when Doc, the local vet and father to Kristy's one-time friend Lily. Dylan is not fazed by the ups and downs, and keeps Kristy at his side as battles for sole custody of his child. Against all odds, he has been the one strong force in the turbulence around her, the pool of strength and calm she can draw from but if he runs true to form, he won't stay...
Through all this current muddle and uncertainty, and through thick and thin, one thing Dylan and Kristy, especially Kristy, have tried to ignore is their love. But as the The Fates will, it will not be ignored or put aside. They have both been hurt, Dylan by Kristy’s apparent rejection, and Kristy by Dylan’s apparent desertion. But those hurts, deep as they were, are way in the past. Both have changed, and although neither is willing to admit it, they are still in love. When Kristy's life is on the line, however, things change, and when anonymous threats come to her, Dylan jumps to the fore. With everything Kristy has learned and remembered about the events on Madison Ranch in the past few days, she doesn't know who she can trust, except Dylan. Old habits die hard, and he has always been, and if he has his way, will always be her champion. Dylan has always been the one to ride to her rescue like a knight on a white horse, but will he be in time? Can they find the love they shared growing up, or is that lost forever? But over and above all else...will he stay? For both Dylan and Kristy there are a lot of surprises, and Dylan's homecoming is a lot more than he could have imagined. For the first time, Dylan begins to hope, the first tentative steps have been taken with Logan, steps necessary to heal the breach ripping them apart from so many years ago. Now if only Tyler would come through, but even Dylan has little hope in that direction...
Dylan does not seem to have as far to go as Logan and Tyler. He's kept tabs on the home spread, kept an eye on the comings and goings in Stillwater Springs. He is still in for a lot of surprises, however, as he comes face to face with his brothers, his daughter, and an old love in a new package. If you want some insight as to what Dylan is and will be facing ahead of time, you will have to go to Linda's Website and read an Excerpt: The Montana Creeds: Dylan. You will be very pleased with the chemistry in the story of Dylan and Kristie, and the series as a whole, so please, if you want some good reading, look for The Montana Creeds: Dylan coming in March of 2009 from Linda Lael Miller, and enjoy some more!
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The Montana Creeds: Tyler
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Release Date: April 2009
Jake's youngest son, Tyler Creed, has a lot of crap to deal with when it comes to the past, a lot overcome and maybe forgive. Is he ready to do it yet? That remains to be seen. He was so young when his mother committed suicide, young when Jake was killed, and the hard judgment in Logan's voice after Jake's funeral put him on edge easier than the town's pernicious gossip and Dylan's teasing. When Logan smashed his guitar, he lost his family, his life, and Tyler was not going to forgive and/or forget. Bitterness has become a part of his life, and in spite of all his successes in investments, modeling, stunt work, and the rodeo circuit, he still finds the trail leading back to Stillwater Springs, and the ranch he used to call home. It was never happy, but there were some good memories, but most of them are bad, yet the place draws him like a lodestone. He tells himself he just wants to punch Logan in the face, but he's tried that, and it didn't work, he can't forget. Dylan isn't much better than Logan, yet Tyler is surprised to find both of them married, and apparently happy. Now he is faced with a whole new dilemma, and it makes him very much an outsider and uncomfortable to say the least. It is not the money either, for he invested in Logan's company, made his millions, and he had work that was good for his bank account as well. Tension, from that long ago fight, is still strong, his issues not sufficiently dealt with quite yet.
Tyler figures he had his chance with happiness, but an accident took her away. He doesn't think he will love again, not like he loved Shawna. She was one of a kind, but he is now fairly resigned that he, and the newly found mutt he calls Kit Carson, will remain alone. When his truck breaks down and he comes face to face with Lily Ryder, the doc's daughter and his high school sweetheart, his thoughts begin to change. There is also the small matter of the wild child he has found in his cabin, Davie McCullough. There’s just something familiar about the boy, but Ty has not a clue as to what. When he finds out the boy is the son of one of his former lovers, the older woman who taught Tyler what the physical side of love was all about, it is a shock, but in doing the math, no matter what Davie’s mother says, Tyler realizes the not-so-little hell-raiser actually could be his. Oh yeah, and oh boy, what a welcome home. And the fun doesn’t stop there. Doreen’s shady past is only a small part of the myriad of things making up the whole. Her current amour du jour is a hands-on type of guy, and Davie is sporting the bruises to show Roy’s cowardice. Yup, as if rodeoing wasn’t hard enough, as if he didn’t have enough aches and pains due to loneliness, and if “home” wasn’t bad enough, Tyler just had to go and add more problems…
Lily has a lot on her emotional plate, and it is actually almost too much to handle. She has never really gotten over the fact her dad deserted her after the divorce, and still harbors the grudge. Things might be different otherwise, but when the call came to let her know Hal Ryder has had a heart attack, all thoughts are temporarily scrubbed as she heads for his side. There is a lot for Hal to account for, at least in her mind, but as the days go by, and her dad recovers, she discovers for herself the love is still there. What Lily is not expecting, as she returns to Stillwater Springs to care for Hal, is meeting up with Tyler Creed. She has ached for him, pined in her own way for his loss, and set him as the "Gold Standard" of a man in her subconscious. Too late did she realize her husband Burke just did not measure up to the Tyler of her dreams. Too late did Lily find out about the many infidelities, his affairs with stewardesses, his mistress, and the deception he perpetuated on her and her daughter Tess. Burke's image and indiscretions paled when held up to the bright memory of Tyler Creed, and when he committed suicide, Lily was mainly upset for Tess.
Seeing Tyler face to face after so many years is upsetting in its own way. He is still tall, dark, and handsome, with the leggy and lithe form of a hard working cowboy. He reeks of strength, sensuality, and all the mystery Lily felt as a teen. Then he was forbidden fruit, now it is a different story. If they get together, it would only be to get him out of her system. OK, it sounds good, but deep down, Lily knows she will always love Tyler Creed, in spite of their history and her hurts. She doesn't know how Tyler fells about her, one time she thought he loved her, but his affair with a waitress as Skivvies left her wondering. What she didn't understand at the time, it was only about sex for Tyler, and his feelings for her were just as shattered when she left town with her mother and didn't return. Now she had to realign her thoughts, come up with some new ones concerning him, and realize he was human like everyone else, made mistakes, and got on with life. There was turmoil in the Creed house, she had been warned away by Hal, but new his outlook had changed. When Jim Huntinghorse and Dylan Creed saved his life, Hal had to take another hard look at the men the Creed boys had become. Now he was urging her to give Tyler a chance. If only he was really home to stay...
Tyler knows what he wants, and he also knows now he has always loved Lily. He did his best to care for and love Shawna, but they never had a chance. A slippery road in Nevada clinched that deal when it took her life. With those dreams shattered, Tyler had remained at loose ends. He has his ghosts to face, and in a lot of ways he had many more than Logan or Dylan. There are things he knows, things he is learning, and most of all, things he wants to change. But there is danger in the wind for him, and it comes in the form of Roy Fifer. He figures Tyler owes him big time and he is going to collect. He has a hate on for him for taking Davie, giving Doreen money, and just for being alive. Tyler knows the man will attack when his back is turned if he can. But there is one thing Tyler is finding out for certain, and that is Dylan, and maybe even Logan have both changed for the better at the hands of their wives. Now each man seems happy, has a family, and with Lily back in town, Tyler is tempted to hop the same train. Maybe what Cassie said was true, and Tyler didn't have to end up like Jake. Too many hits and too many shocks have left him uncertain, but there are more to get through before his life will settle down.
Tyler's answers don't come easy unlike some things in his life have, and he has a lot of anger to get rid of when it comes to both Logan and Dylan. In spite of it all, he does miss his brothers, and the ranch. He actually does realize things weren't all Logan's fault, no matter how much he wants to blame him, and to some extent Dylan as well. If you want to find out exactly how the start of his reconcilliation with his oldest brother comes about, you will have to go to Linda's Website and read an Excerpt: The Montana Creeds: Tyler. You will be very happy with this story and the way it wraps up the series, so please, if you want some good reading, look for The Montana Creeds: Tyler coming in April of 2009 from Linda Lael Miller, and enjoy this final chapter in these men’s loves and lives for now!
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Now you have a good snapshot, and a look into the lives and loves of Linda Lael Miller's boys, The Montana Creeds. The cowboy's reunion will transport you to the comings and goings at the newly busy Stillwater Springs Ranch, with the three hard-headed, hard fighting, hard loving men who own it. These brothers, torn apart by a very miserable, drunken, and brutal father, are finally brought together again by three things: (1) a set of circumstances they can't ignore, (2) friends left behind, and most of all (3) by three special women they are actually coming to love. The things they inherited from their father are not the best. Quick tempers, flashing fists, and noses for trouble make them bad to the bone cowboys, no matter how civilized a veneer they cover up with, or the respectable personas they hide under. But there is one thing each inherited from his mother that cancels out all the rest, and that's a heart, bigger than Big Sky Country itself. The proof of this lies in the very dogs they choose as companions. Each has a down-on-their-luck story, and end up finding a good home with one of the boys. As for the women they love? Well, who can resist the bad boy gone good for very long, even if they are bad for you.
Love, however, is considered volatile and highly dangerous territory for these men, and the trips the three have to make to realize that happiness can truly be theirs are the bones of some really great reading by a Mistress of Great Reads, Linda Lael Miller. Reuniting this fractured family had to be some hard work, take some strong loving women, and stretches the men to their limits, but the results are tales worth their weight in gold. Their surrogate grandmother loves them all equally, and Cassie Greencreek's love and wisdom always had to work overtime when it came to her Creed boys, and helping them put their lives back together again as men was not an easy chore either. But that is what grandmothers were for, so Cassie carries on dispensing her wise advice, knowing it is only a matter of time before the boys come to heel, and to heal in all the ways that matter.
When Linda Lael Miller decides to write, the reader is in for a treat. Not only do you get the stories about the main characters, but you also receive a rich background that tells the reader more about the surroundings of her heroes. You get a complex tapestry of characters, lives, and yes, even the odds and ends of other's dreams. You know the town, its people, the ups and downs, and if you are observant, you can find yourself involved deep within the everyday occurrences as they happen. If I were to rate this trilogy of books, I think I would have to give them five out of five roses! Once again, Linda has shown her mastery of the art, and her talent in drawing a truly magnificent story from her characters, and then giving it in total to her readers. The Montana Creeds Trilogy is a set I highly recommend, so get yourself some exceptional reading and look for Logan, Dylan, and Tyler Creed's stories coming in February, March, and April of 2009 from Linda Lael Miller because I know they are tales you will surely enjoy!
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
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