MONTANA CREED: LOGAN

Author: Linda Lael Miller ISBN: 9780373773534 2/2009 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: HQN

Descendants of the legendary McKettrick family, the Creeds are renowned in Stillwater Springs, Montana—for raising hell... After years of wandering, Logan Creed, a cowboy with a dusty law degree, has returned home. To put down roots, to restore his family's neglected ranch ...to have kids of his own proudly bearing the Creed name. Divorced mom Briana Grant has heard the stories about her gorgeous neighbor. So Logan's kindness with her young boys is a welcome surprise, especially when her ex reappears. And when an unknown enemy vandalizes her home, Logan shows Briana—and the folks of Big Sky country just what he's made of. Meet the Creed cowboys of Montana: three estranged brothers who come home to find family—and love.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Linda Lael Miller sets her western romance, MONTANA CREEDS: LOGAN (the first in a series of three about McKettrick relatives) in present day Montana, where Logan Creed returns to the abandoned family ranch in Stillwater Springs (that’s a bit of a picture—still water that springs) because he’s tired of the fast life he’s lived. He wants to restore the ranch, put down roots and start a family. On his first day back, he finds just the woman he’s been looking for. Briana Grant, divorced mother of two lively young boys, is renting Logan’s brother’s house on the ranch acreage. His grandmother reminds him that before he can find happiness with any woman, he needs to forgive his now dead father and reconcile with his estranged brothers, Dylan and Tyler. Briana has her own crosses to bear. Her deadbeat ex arrives in town with his new wife Heather and declares that he’s settling in so he can be around his boys. Then everything goes haywire when Briana and her home become the targets of several vicious attacks. Will Logan be able to fit Briana and her boys into his life despite the obstacles?

Miller always creates such complicated characters! Logan has been a cowboy on the rodeo circuit, a lawyer, a special forces soldier in Iraq, and most recently, an internet mogul who sold his website for a very large chunk of change. He’s got a home in Vegas and two ex-wives, but what he really wants is to settle down quietly on the ranch he owns with his brothers. Briana grew up on the road, the daughter of a rodeo clown. She married Vance, a rodeo cowboy when she was young, and they bounced from place to place, following the rodeo, settling down, hitting the road again. She, her two boys and their dog were abandoned in front of Wal-Mart one night when Vance got itchy feet. She’s definitely sending down roots now and, despite Vance’s dire predictions, she’s actually doing okay. It’s been two years since he ditched them and though she’s stronger than ever, she wouldn’t mind a big, strong, sexy cowboy like Logan coming in and rescuing her from all her cares.

Despite the formulaic strong, but broken man and the gal under attack, MONTANA CREEDS: LOGAN is a great romance. The story line around Logan rescuing abandoned pets is an added bonus. Having grown up in a rural western town myself, this story brought back a lot of memories of open spaces, horses and cattle. Linda Lael Miller addicts won’t be disappointed in either the story or the steamy summer nights.

Susan Barton