Montana Rose (Montana Marriages)

Editorial Reviews. From Publishers Weekly. Christian novelist Connealy ( Petticoat Ranch) Montana Rose (Montana Marriages) by [Connealy, Mary].
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Jan 30, Erin rated it it was ok Shelves: I grew up reading westerns, and every now and then I like to read one for old time's sake. I'm also a sucker for marriage of convenience stories, so the combination enticed me as soon as I read this book's description. A pregnant woman is widowed one day and married the next?

I wanted to find out more. Cassie Griffin has never been allowed to have a thought in her head that wasn't placed there by someone else, and usually by her newly deceased husband. Griff is no sooner in the ground than she is I grew up reading westerns, and every now and then I like to read one for old time's sake. Griff is no sooner in the ground than she is literally circled by men wanting to marry her, as women are scarce on the Montana prairie and Cassie is as pretty as they come.

Seeing her hand will be forced to choose one of these men, Cassie chooses the one who makes her skin crawl the least, and immediately sets to learning how to do everything exactly the way he wants. Red Dawson has always thought Cassie was a beautiful woman, but he didn't want to marry her.

See a Problem?

Not with her reputation of being quite spoiled, or with her questionable belief in the God that Red serves. But when he saw her surrounded by men who would never consider her best interests, Red threw his hat into the marriage market and wound up hitched to the lovely and naive young woman. He finds Cassie eager to help but almost comically helpless.

She's not spoiled, she's just never been allowed to do anything or think anything or say anything that wasn't approved by someone else. He begins trying to teach her that as she is safe in his care, she is free to learn how to be herself instead of the image that was always thrust upon her in the past. This book takes quite an effective look at what it is like to come out from a controlling situation and the challenges one faces with that.

The writing style was simplistic, and I wondered if that was done to reflect the way Cassie's thinking had been molded. However, the simplicity worked against it for me as a reader because everyone's motives were so obvious and overstated that it wasn't nuanced at all. There were two side plots that also disturbed me - one about Cassie's lack of knowledge about the intimacies of marriage and birthing babies, and the other was danger from a local rancher who was obsessed with Cassie and who stalked the Dawsons' cabin looking for an opportunity to kill Red and take Cassie for himself.

Since most of the book was written so simply that a child could read it, those felt way too adult and overplayed. I would only recommend this book to those above age I never felt invested personally in the characters, although I was thoroughly intrigued by minor character Belle Tanner Santoni and I'm in the middle of her book now. Stay tuned for that review in another week or so.

Montana Rose

This review originated at http: Jan 25, Abbie rated it really liked it Shelves: Cassie husband dies and leaves her broke and pregnant. All the men of her small town want to marry her since there are not a lot of women around. Red saves her from having to marry her neighbor so he can have her land. Red has admired Cassie from a far since she had first moved to the area and now he is learning there is more to her then he first thought. Will thes Cassie husband dies and leaves her broke and pregnant. I enjoyed this book a lot but there where parts of the book that moved a little slow.

The underlying subject of this book was a little hard to swallow. It was fun to see Cassie come out of her shell and start to take charge of her life. As is the authors style she also starts to introduce the main characters of the other books in this series. Wade who will be the main character in the 3rd book is one of the men who wanted to marry Cassie before Red stepped in. He is a scary man but you start to see there is a good man under all the hurt. I had trouble with the huge turn around this character took as well as how fast he went from a scary villain to a friend.

I have read the whole series that follows this one and when I realized who Wade was my mouth fell open. We also get to know Belle who will be the main character in the 2nd book. It was a little hard in the first book to read about all 3 characters, but the author did a good job and I did not feel the main story of this book was over shadowed.

You definitely need to read this series in order or you will miss part of the story. Over all another great book by Mary Connealy! If you have not read any of her books your missing out! I was provided a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley to review it. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. View all 4 comments. Aug 01, Michelle rated it it was amazing Shelves: Montana Rose is a good title for this book because it shows how genuine love and concern for another human being can cause a person to bloom who had been previously stifled by fear.

There were many things I enjoyed about this story. At first I found the repetition about the heroine Cassie's submissiveness, her abuse history, and the reference to her being a China doll a bit annoying. I clearly caught that early on. But the story was strong enough to pull me along.

I quickly forgot that issue onc Montana Rose is a good title for this book because it shows how genuine love and concern for another human being can cause a person to bloom who had been previously stifled by fear. I quickly forgot that issue once the story picked up speed regarding her developing marital relationship and all of the peaks and valleys they experienced along the way. There were so many wonderfully romantic scenes in this story that I couldn't choose just one. There was also a lot of humor like when Red told her to speak her mind and she bowled him over during her birthing pains.

That was LOL funny and also very believable.


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Red was the ultimate hero and such a godly example to his wife, yet he was human and obviously flawed, too. His character's strengths and weaknesses seemed very balanced to me. The subplot with Belle was heartbreaking, but I have a sneaking suspicion that we haven't seen the last of Belle. I also enjoyed how the author showed that loving relationships can cause people to see what they are missing whether it's in relation to each other or between them and God.

She did a great job showing how that inspires people to want something better. To want to change. In Montana Rose it created a longing for something more than they are currently experiencing. That was very well done. So while this story wasn't perfect in the beginning, it really warmed my heart as the story developed and I believe the message is powerful and beautiful if the reader pays attention to it.

This story has the potential to help women who are stuck in a rut like Cassie had been, and like Belle remained, and hopefully readers will seek something more for their life like respect as a result. May 05, Laura rated it it was amazing. What will it take to be set free from this nightmare? Red is a real sweet hero, but sometimes he became a bit difficult, so he did have some flaws. Looking forward to the next book in this series. Nov 20, Lori rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Christian fiction fans, historical romance fans, western romance fans.

The very same day Cassie Griffin's husband dies, the men of Divide, Montana practically fall all over each other trying to determine who will marry her! When the richest rancher in town tries to force the visiting parson to perform the wedding ceremony, Red Dawson intervenes Cassie has already decided that she hates Red, due to a previous encounter with him, but she quickly discovers that she hates the other townspeople more.

To save he The very same day Cassie Griffin's husband dies, the men of Divide, Montana practically fall all over each other trying to determine who will marry her! To save herself from a terrifying situation, Cassie reluctantly accepts Red's offer of marriage. I found Cassie and Red's story to be heartwarming, as well as, encouraging. There are no slow, or boring, parts in Montana Rose; I read it in about hours! Cassie and Red will have you laughing, and crying, right along with them. I can't wait to find out what happens next!

Be sure to watch for books 2 and 3: I hadn't noticed that this was a Christian romance before I started reading, and in fact it wasn't until the second half of the book that it really picked up and ran with the Christian message. I wasn't planning to read another overly Christian story for awhile, so I am actually pleased I didn't know in advance otherwise I would have missed out on a fantastic book. I also loved the humour; it had me laughing out loud a number of times through the book. I highly recommend 'Montana Rose' by Mary Connealy. Mar 05, Rina rated it really liked it Shelves: No need to worry.


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    • But Flower Bride was a nice wrap to the series. The romance is clean and sweet, characters struggle with real life problems and biblical principles are brought into the story in a non preachy way. The dr his was the second book by Mary Connealy that I have read. The drama with Wade keeps you turning the pages and it's quite fun to learn so many life lessons along side Cassie. Complete review first posted on my blog: Feb 26, Tressa Wishful Endings rated it really liked it Shelves: This is the first of Mary Connealy's new series. This is about a pregnant woman who is vertually a lone woman in Montanna after her husband dies.

    She ends up marrying another man the almost immediately after her husband is barried. There is one man who wants her for himself that causes some strife in the book. There is also another character that begins her story, but ends it in the next book of the series. I enjoyed this one. Jun 30, Wilburta Arrowood rated it it was amazing.

    Montana Rose (Montana Marriages #1) by Mary Connealy

    Being able to stand up for yourself is not all bad, as long as it is done with love. What a great read. Mary is a master at believable characters including villains. Jan 12, Crystal Barnes rated it really liked it. So good I read it again. Jan 04, Linda Bourg rated it liked it Shelves: Well this book didn't hold my interest for long. It took me a while to read but i finished it.

    I did enjoy the ending though. Aug 06, Aerykah rated it it was amazing Shelves: Another great read by Mary Connealy! She hasn't disappointed me yet! Feb 17, Rebekah Hart rated it it was amazing Shelves: If I could, this book would get 6 stars. Mary Connealy is an amazing author! Feb 20, Amanda rated it liked it.

    Love Island's Montana Brown Has No Regrets About Her Time in the Villa

    This book sucked me in right from the beginning. I usually need a few chapters to get to know the characters before I feel attached so this was a pleasant surprise. Cassie's plight and need to marry quickly in that time and place felt realistic and made me curious. Red also seemed like a decent guy from the start. I was rooting for him.

    Their marriage in the beginning was sweet, and it was fun to watch them figure out how to get along. Then, unfortunately, the book just seemed to run out of steam This book sucked me in right from the beginning. Then, unfortunately, the book just seemed to run out of steam. Several of the scenes of Wade watching them could have been cut and pasted from the previous one. I wanted to skip ahead whenever we got to his point of view. Red's insistence that Cassie "sass" him made me uncomfortable. If he wanted her to be herself, he shouldn't be making such specific demands.

    Also, the main love story wraps up kind of early to let the side plot take center stage, which I already said wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I read 2 first by mistake. Mary Connealy has a wonderful ability to tackle tough topics in her writing without losing her humor. I quite enjoyed reading Red and Cassie's story, as well as the tidbits that were poured in about Belle that I'll read more about in the next book. Although I unknowingly read the series that follows this first Sophie's Daughters and therefore knew how this and Belle's story turns out, it didn't ruin the reading for me.

    Mary did an excellent job sharing the characters in the other books witho Mary Connealy has a wonderful ability to tackle tough topics in her writing without losing her humor. Mary did an excellent job sharing the characters in the other books without retelling what she'd already written here. I look forward to the next book by Mary Connealy. Nov 15, Joan Arning rated it really liked it.

    Montana Rose (Montana Marriages #1) by Mary Connealy

    Montana Rose is a story of the Montana Territory in the s. Beautiful Cassie Griffin has been sheltered but also abused by her husband. When he dies, dozens of men come to the funeral wanting to marry Cassie and to claim her property. Red Dawson steps in and asks Cassie to marry him to protect her. You will admire Red as he always tries to do what God wants him to do. You will feel sympathy for Cassie and the life she had in the past. Mary Connealy has done an excellent job writing Montana Rose. Jun 16, Ann rated it it was amazing Shelves: I was able to relate to this story in many ways and on many levels.

    Like Red, my husband now has rescued me from previous abusive husbands. Will Red win over this seemingly fragile and spoiled china doll's heart. Will Cassie find true love with her cowboy -- and his God -- when she exchanges smooth silk for coarse calico? Buy from Amazon Buy from our partners. What Readers Are Saying What do you think?

    Write your own comment on this book! Mary Connealy I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for a review. This book is no exception! It is a definite must read for anybody who loves Inspirational romance, the West, and humorous situations. God can fill that emptiness. Griff had taken everything out of Cass. All that was left was a shell of a person when he died and Red Dawson marries her. Griff had been so controlling and beat her to get the perfect wife.

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    Red is patient, loving, and kind toward Cass trying to teach her what she needs to know. She had no faith in God and no courage. Red is also the town minister and teaches Cass about God. Wade Sawyer is mad because he wanted to be the one to marry Cass.

    She threatens to kidnap her and give her everything she wants. He comes to take Cass away and she says whom shall I fear? Belle and Anthony are married.