A Gentle Giving [Mass Market Paperback]

Dorothy Garlock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1993

Willa Hammer has nothing left after narrowly escaping the lynch mob that unjustly hanged her foster father except her dog, her faith, and the protection of a secretive family. She joins their wagon train heading West, never realizing she is traveling to the wilds of Bighorn Mountain, where a rundown ranch and the arms of an untamed, hardened cowboy await her.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Willa Hammer's guardian is lynched and her home burned, she finds herself heading west with teenage Charlie and Jo Bell Frank, whose down-and-out father has been killed for cheating at cards. The three are heading for the ranch of Oliver Westwood, Charlie and Jo Bell's uncle. They don't know that Oliver has died until they meet up with Smith Bowman, a former protege of Oliver's who predicts that Maud, Oliver's mean-spirited widow, won't let the young people cross her threshold. Arriving at the ranch, Willa finds Maud sprawled on the kitchen floor with a broken leg. They settle in: Charlie to become a cowboy, Jo Bell (who is beautiful, ill-tempered and foul-mouthed) to be a nuisance until she finally runs off with a man, and Willa to perform endless chores and fall in love with Smith. Smith meanwhile tortures himself and the reader with feelings of guilt over Oliver's death. Not even this frontier romance's flood of crude language can obscure the fact that Garlock's ( Glorious Dawn ) boring characters are trapped in a paper-thin plot.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

National bestselling and award-winning author of thirty-five romances that often feature the exciting backdrop of the Old West, Dorothy Garlock is one of America's-and the world's-favorite novelists. Her books, all enthusiastically reviewed, now total more than eight million copies in print with translations in 15 languages. She lives in Clear Lake, Iowa

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446359904
• ISBN-13: 978-0446359900
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #891,476 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( G ) > Garlock, Dorothy

More About the Author

National bestselling and award-winning author of thirty-five romances that often feature the exciting backdrop of the Old West, Dorothy Garlock is one of America's-and the world's-favorite novelists. Her books, all enthusiastically reviewed, now total more than eight million copies in print with translations in 15 languages. She lives in Clear Lake, Iowa.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of Garlock's better Western Adventures, September 19, 2002

By 

scottmax "scottmax" (NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Gentle Giving (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of Dorothy Garlock's better books, in my opinion. The characters are well developed and the plot is full of adventure. Willa is a strong, intelligent heroine who always manages to make the better of whatever hard situation is thrown her way - escaping a wild mob, fending off the advances of a lecherous gambler, taking on the role of semi-guardian to two orphaned teens along the way, nursing their injured aunt back to health, and taming the heart of a grief-stricken cowboy (Smith, our hero) who has up until now sought comfort in only a bottle. A very entertaining read and a lot of romantic tension between the hero and heroine. It grew a little weak towards the end, which is why I gave it only 4 stars, but it was still a very enjoyable book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Historical romance, A Gentle Giving, May 9, 2002

By 

Jody L. Schoth (Katy, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Gentle Giving (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished A Gentle Giving, by Dorothy Garlock, and it was wonderful! This one was not one of my favorites of hers, but it was very good. Willa actually escaped a house in flames, caused by the angry townsfolk, in nothing more than ther nightgown. The family she joins up with, lends her clothing... so not even owning the clothing on her body, she is thrust into the hard life of a wagon trail. When the father is killed, leaving behind two teenagers to fend for themselves, Willa chooses to help them get to their next of kin in the Big Horn Mountains. This was an excellent read... and I'm off to read The Listening Sky by Dorothy Garlock now.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a gentle giving, want to read it? i would pass....PASS..., September 6, 2008

By 

Loverofsunflowers "Sunflower" (florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Gentle Giving (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm on the fence about this book. the beginning of the book was artfully done and i couldnt bring myself to put it down. towards the end of the book it started to get very dull. I love willa's spunk, and i loved the way the romance was slowly developed during the course of the book. I also loved the interactions between all of the characters, it will have you laughing out loud a lot. but there were times where i got so bored because i felt like things werent going fast enough, and i would always wonder...gosh why wont they talk about X or why wont they talk about Y. i got so sick of waiting to see how it would end, that i had to put the book down 3 times. and for that, i guess whats why i only gave the book 3 stars...

There are some beautiful momments in the book that will bring tears to your eyes.

This has to be said.....I dont think i have ever read a book and wished a character would just die, or just fall off the face of the earth as soon as possible. Without spoiling the name of the character, ill leave you all to read and find out for yourself (but if i were you i would read another novel of hers because im not sure if i enjoyed this one as much as her other ones). On a brighter note, it shows how genius D.G. is when creating a character, right? *shrug*

I have only read four of her books but, Im started to get a little sick of her writing style...sometimes she will put some of the most cheesest lines Ive ever heard in the book. especially when the love scences come up...If i read one more of her novels that mentions "sweetheart" or any other little cheesey overly done one-liners, i will barf.


The ending is sweet, maybe it will even tear at your heart a little....but the middle and part of the ending were a little lame...she needs to work on her love scenes too(there was only one)...very disappointing...in this book anyway...