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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Kissin' or Killin' Connealy Classic, December 20, 2009
This review is from: The Husband Tree (Montana Marriages, Book 2) (Paperback)
Mary excels at male-female banter, adventure, romance, and especially humor. The Husband Tree is no exception. With two strong characters leading the way, and a herd of great supporting characters, you'll get caught up in this story just to see if Belle and Silas will end up killing each other, or falling in love. :-)
I appreciate how Mary takes this hard-shell of a woman, and moves the reader past Belle's façade, to a wounded heart that is now as callous as her hands. Watching her grow, break, and trust herself again is a beautiful process. And even more beautiful is how surprised Belle is when she meets a good man - who truly wants to care for her.
It's so similiar to the constant care God shows his children to woo them to him. His faithfulness weedling away at our defenses until we realize He IS as good as He says He is.
If there's one thing Mary can write (of course she can write more than one thing) - it's heroes. I'm always drawn to her heroes, even though I liked Belle too - I especially enjoyed reading about Silas. His struggles, his internal (and external) arguments, his desire to do the right thing, all make him such a believable and likable character. I rooted, laughed and hurt with him as I read. He's one of those people you refer to as 'a good soul'...and when he comes up with the ruse to pretend to be married to Belle (oops - gotta read to find out), it's hilarious! Love it!
This book is about second-chances...or in Belle's case a fourth chance :-) It's also about trusting your heart. There's something powerful about a wounded person making the choice to trust again, and both Belle and Silas must do that.
The Husband Tree is certainly a worthy addition to my shelf of Connealy classics and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the Montana Brides series - Wildflower Bride.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worthy of my favorite character, Belle Tanner, April 11, 2011
This review is from: The Husband Tree (Montana Marriages, Book 2) (Paperback)
I fell in love with Belle's character in Montana Rose, the first book in the Montana Marriages series. She was a strong, stubborn woman who had no affection for the men in her life. She had married three worthless husbands; each one was either unfaithful, abusive, or lazy (or in some cases, all of the above). As each one died, she buried him beneath the "husband tree." (I love how she uses the word "plants" instead of "buries." It's hilarious when she talks about planting her worthless husbands. Belle insists the only thing her good-for-nothing husbands gave her was her daughters--3 of the hardest-working, beautiful girls in Montana and one sweet baby girl.
When this story begins, Belle has just "planted" Anthony and now must begin a cattle drive before the winter sets in. She and her girls are able to do most of the work, but she really needs a few extra hands. Few men are willing to sign on to help a woman on a cattle drive, but she finds a helpful hand in Silas Harden, a drifter who happens to be in the right place at the right time. They are perfect for each other, since neither is interested in marriage. You can probably guess the basic story, but rest assured that there are plenty of interesting turns along the way. Silas does indeed prove himself worthy of Belle and her girls, but the journey to that point is both tender and hilarious.
Wade plays a minor role as well, setting up the events that will take place in the third installment. He rustles up a few extra hands to help Belle, and along the way he becomes entangled with a beautiful young woman who has been raised by American Indians.
This series just gets better and better. I can't wait to read book 3!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
loved this one as much as the first in the series, June 7, 2010
This review is from: The Husband Tree (Montana Marriages, Book 2) (Paperback)
This is the second book in the Montana Marriages series. Belle Tanner's story about her 3 husbands and her brood of girls was introduced in the previous book.
Belle has a habit of picking no-good husbands and giving birth to girls that look just like the husbands. In the last book, she gave birth to her 4th girl that looked just like her 3rd husband, Anthony. Anthony is just as no-good as the first 3 and by the beginning of this book he has already found a way to be buried under The Husband Tree with the first 2 husbands.
Belle isn't looking to add any more husbands under the tree and plans to keep her widow status. When Silas Harden agrees to help with her cattle drive, she is tempted to change her mind, but neither her nor Silas are looking to get hitched.
Admittedly, at the beginning of this one I was not sure I was going to like it that much. Belle was a little annoying and it frustrated me. Throughout the book both her and Silas grew and developed and I liked both of them along with the 4 girls. I was actually surprised how much I liked them all.
Wade Sawyer returns in this book as well. He has cleaned up his act and is a very different man than the first book. A wonderful way to show how God can change us. We are all able to be good people if we choose to let God lead us.
Another wonderful book in the series. A good romance that keeps God in the center. I recommend reading Montana Rose before picking this one up so that you can really understand the whole story.
*I received this book from the publisher through netgalley to review.*
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