McKettrick's Pride (The McKettrick Series #7) [Mass Market Paperback]

Linda Lael Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2007

The only wide-open space Rance McKettrick wants to see in his future is his hometown in his rearview mirror. The down-to-earth ex-rancher is determined to make a fresh start with his two young daughters—and leave his heartbreaking loss and family's successful corporation far behind.

He sure doesn't need Indian Rock's free-spirited new bookstore owner Echo Wells confusing his choices—and raising memories he'd rather forget. But her straightforward honesty and reluctance to trust is challenging everything Rance thought he knew about himself. And when their irresistible attraction puts their hearts on the line, Rance and Echo must come to grips with who they really are to find a once-in-a-lifetime happiness.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Miller enthralls, once again, in the second entry of her new McKettrick Men series (following McKettrick's Luck), an engrossing, contemporary western romance starring Rance McKettrick, a handsome, successful businessman and cousin to the last volume's hero, Jesse. Having buried himself in work since his wife's death five years earlier, Rance gets a wake-up call in the form of a blonde newcomer to the small ranching town of Indian Rock, Ariz. Riding up in a hot pink VW Bug, eccentric Chicagoan Echo Wells sparks the whole town's interest when she opens up Indian Rock's first bookstore. Echo sets up shop next to the Curl and Twirl, a beauty parlor and baton-twirling school owned by Rance's kindly, nosy mother-in-law, Cora Tellington. Echo quickly befriends Cora and Rance's two daughters, whom he leaves with Cora during his frequent business trips. Once Rance meets Echo, their mutual attraction stirs feelings of love the stolid, scarred man thought he'd put away forever. Miller's masterful ability to create living, breathing characters never flags, even in the case of Echo's dog, Avalon; combined with a taut story line and vivid prose, Miller's romance won't disappoint. (Mar.)
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About the Author

Linda Lael Miller is the author of seventy historical and contemporary romance novels, many of which are set in the American West. She was awarded the Romance Writers of America's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Books; First Edition edition (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373771908
• ISBN-13: 978-0373771905
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #335,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In January of 2006, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Linda Lael Miller left the Arizona horse property she's called home for the past five years and listened to the call of her heart. Packing up her work-in-progress for HQN Books; her dogs, Sadie and Bernice, and her four horses, the author of more than 70 novels bid farewell to her home in the desert and returned to the place of her birth, Spokane, Washington.
The daughter of a town marshal, Linda grew up in Northport, WA, a community of 500 on the Columbia River, 120 miles north of Spokane. Her childhood remembrances include riding horses and playing cowgirl on her grandparents' nearby farm. Her grandparents' spread was so rustic that in the early days it lacked electricity and running water.

As delightful as this childhood was, Linda longed to see the world. After graduating as valedictorian of her high school class, she left to pursue her dream. Because of the success of her author career, Linda was able to live part-time in London for several years, spend time in Italy and travel to such far-off destinations as Russia, Hong Kong and Israel. Now, Linda says, the wanderlust is (mostly) out of her blood, and she's come full circle, back to the people and the places she knows and loves.

Before Linda begins her writing day, she takes her first cup of coffee while enjoying the scenic view of the wooded draw behind her new home. The first morning there, a snowfall blanketed the pine trees, something she had missed in the desert outside Scottsdale. Still enamored with the people she came to love in Arizona, she says she will still set books in that starkly beautiful area, and, of course, in other stories the action will take place in Washington.

Devoted to helping others pursue their dreams, the author will launch her sixth round of Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women in May of this year. A talented speaker, she donates all her speaking honoraria to her scholarship fund. The stipends are awarded to women who seek to better their lot in life through education.

It's no wonder the protagonists in Miller's novels are women her readers admire for their honor, courage, trustworthiness, valor and determination to succeed, despite overwhelming odds. 'These qualities make them excellent role models for young women,' Miller explains. 'The male leads possess equally noble traits that today's woman would be delighted to find in her life's mate.'

The author traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she made her first sale.

Although Linda has written successfully in other genres, she is best known for stories set in the West'stories like McKETTRICK'S CHOICE (HQN Books March 2006 paperback); THE MAN FROM STONE CREEK (HQN, June 2006 hardcover) and that very first novel, FLETCHER'S WOMAN, which is being reissued in 2006. Her stories, set in yesterday's world, and today's, are historical romances, romantic thrillers, and other contemporary tales. They consistently score on prestigious national bestseller lists.

Linda has come a long way since leaving her sheltered life in Northport at age 18 to experience the world. 'Growing up in that time and place, in a family grounded in Western values, served me well,' she allows. 'And I'm happy to be back home.'

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 5-star read, part 2 of trilogy, March 25, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: McKettrick's Pride (The McKettrick Series #7) (Mass Market Paperback)

McKettrick's Pride is the second in Linda Lael Miller's newest contemporary trilogy. And what a terrific story it is!

Rance McKettrick is a widower, father and businessman. He lost his wife six years ago, and is struggling to balance being a single father with his work for McKettrickCo, the company he runs with his cousin, Keegan. Since his wife, Julie, died suddenly in a horseback accident, he's immersed himself in work, to the detriment of his relationship with his two daughters. His mother-in-law helps out as much as she can, but he struggles to relate to his girls, and carries around with him a bruise on his heart from working too hard and not spending enough time with the girls. All of this begins to change as he meets Echo Wells. Echo herself has had many difficult things happen in her life, but she believes in signs, and works very hard to make good things happen for her. When she and Rance meet, he is immediately attracted and realizes that he needs Echo in his life.

Once again, Miller has created a wonderful dynamic between two very different characters. Rance is a goal-oriented guy, and once he sets his sights on Echo, he is determined to do what he must to build a relationship with her.

You spend most of the book in Echo's head, hearing her thoughts, and experiencing both her exhilaration and confusion over Rance's attention. Being a practical woman, she realizes that she's confused by her attraction to him, and soon finds that she can't fight it. The tension between the two of them is delicious, and the sparks they set off of each other are entertaining to say the least.

Armchair Interviews says: If you are looking for a strong western love story, this book is for you!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars: Lost Souls, a Pink Volkswagen bug, and a love potion, May 1, 2007

By 

D. Merrimon Crawford (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: McKettrick's Pride (The McKettrick Series #7) (Mass Market Paperback)

Since the death of his wife, Rance McKettrick has thrown himself into his work with a passion. At least these transglobal flights and business deals hold down the overwhelming grief even if his two daughters suffer from his absence. Julie's mother Cora is there to pick up the pieces... and stir things up as well with the love potion she bought before Echo's move to Indian Rock.

When her fiance Justin leaves her at the altar, Echo Wells packs up and moves her bookstore and online business to Indian Rock, Arizona. From the very beginning, the residents are drawn to her including the mangy, wet, muddy lost dog that she names Avalon and shelters in her newly detailed VW Bug and names Avalon. When she runs smack into a handsome businessman who has parked his gas-guzzling SUV just a little too close to her Pepto-Bismal pink Volkswagen bug, the sparks fly. Can electricity turn into real love between a spooked skittish woman and a handsome man with a heart just as wounded as hers?

The first half or three-quarters of this book is one of the most moving romances I have read. The reader feels the pain of the characters as well as the electric energy between them. Even the hurt of Rance's two little daughters and their innocent exuberance for Echo Wells and pink Volkswagen bug grab the reader's heart throughout the story. Other than the animal abusers, every single character enchants the reader and creates a longing for a world like Miller's where lost souls no longer ring out like an echo in their emptiness but instead find their heart and family.

The ending of this romance disappoints and suffers from being the middle book in a terrific series. Miller tries to tie too many threads in too short a space and without enough preparation for the minor characters. Despite the slight stylistic imperfections, this second book grabbed deeply and put Linda Lael Miller on my favorite author list. A must read book!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than 5 stars!, April 23, 2007

By 

K. Tibble "hooked on Romance" (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: McKettrick's Pride (The McKettrick Series #7) (Mass Market Paperback)

If I could give this book more than five stars, I would. No one writes characters like Linda Lael Miller. I really feel like I know these people and didn't want the book to end. Rance and Echo are incredibly believable, warm, and passionate! And did I mention the dog and the kids??? I know of no other romance writer who includes dogs and children as major characters in their stories. I absolutely loved the entire storyline involving the stray dog. She reminded me of my own dog.

The romance here is top-notch and very hot! Are there really men like that out there?? One can only hope. This is a great second installment to a wonderful trilogy. Another must read from Linda Lael Miller.