Customer Reviews

No Longer a Stranger

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Joan Johnston's, "No Longer A Stranger" is a tale of adventure, danger and romance. It takes place in the Rocky Mountains, just post civil-war time. "Reb" is a young woman who is fearless. Born to a Mountain man's family, she was no stranger to the wilderness and was an expert with a rifle. Dressed in dirty buckskins,with short cropped hair, she passed as a boy, which is just what "Kincaid", the injured(but very handsome) man she rescued and nursed back to health in a remote mountain cabin, thought.He called 'the boy' "Rebel", which fit her to a tea, not knowing he was really being cared for by "Rebecca", and under those dirty old buckskins, a beautiful young woman was falling in love with him.Kincaid also has secrets.He was on a mission for the government and had plans he dare not let on about to this young Rebel who held his life in his hands.

When finally the truth about each other is revealed, they realize they are overcome with the feelings they have for each other. But...Kincaid cannot bear to have a woman who lives such a life of danger(having lost his first wife tragically), and Reb could never leave her beautiful Mountain home for a "mindless Yankee tenderfoot". The dangerous and torturous situations they face together on their travels home may have them realizing they cannot live without each other.

If you have read others of Miss Johnston's adventure/romance novels, you will recognize her definitive style of having the hero and heroine at odds with each other from the start. But what's nice and always different is the personalities of the main characters. In this case, she adds some humor to the mix, as the Reb and Kinciad are constantly bickering like children, and they will make you chuckle with their antics.All though Reb seems young at 17 to us, considering the time and place, she was probably considered a grown woman. .

If this is your first Joan Johnston book, beware..you will get hooked! I especially love the stories that take place in the frontier time of history. The added danger and tension and the Western adventure of the time era she adds,makes for a gripping story.And of course, she has quite a knack for the romance side of the story as well, that gets a little steamy on occasion. Miss Johnston always has a couple of other substories intertwined, concerning the family history(sometimes a bit predictable), and often those stories will show up as another book.

I would also recommend the "Sisters of the Lone Star" trilogy starting with Frontier Woman, then "Comanche Woman" followed by "Texas Woman"(my personal favorite)for those that enjoy Western adventure/romance.

Happy Trails and enjoy the read....Laurie

I really enjoyed this book! It made me smile and cry. Reb Hunter is a woman who dresses in buck skin and could match the skill of any man. Her brother Adam and her are making a trek to see "Blue" a mountain man whom Reb visits each year. While making this journey they come across a band of souix renegades who have captured a white man and have him tied to a tree. Reb is a good shot and they decide that the only way to free him is to shoot him (just above the heart) then go in and take care of the 8 braves. It works out fine except one of them gets away. Standing Buffalo is his name and he vows revenge on the three of them. Then Reb and Adam take this stranger to "Blue's" cabin and Reb nurses him back to health. While there they learn a lot about each. His one biggest revelation is that she is a women. He doesn't let on however but is waiting for the right time to teach her a lesson. She learns that he is working with the transcontinental railroad. They both fall helplessly in love with one another but aren't sure what to do with that information.

When he finally recovers enough to head down the mountain, they make camp the first night only to be jolted by the vibration of the ground. Reb realizes that it's a buffalo stampede and they need to saddle up and move out quick. Her horse hits a deep hole and breaks a leg. Kincade gets her out of there. His comfort leads to an intimate evening. Her father and Adam find the two of them the following morning. Kincade asks her to go away with him but she refuses because she loves the outdoors and he was headed for New York. She realizes that she has made a grave mistake by letting him go. What will Reb do? Does Kincade feel the same way she does? What does her sister Dillion do to help her? Is Adam for her or against her? Guess you'll have to read it to find out.

I promise you won't regret this tale. There are very suspenseful moments as well as very touching moments. I couldn't put the book down once I started it. This is a keeper for my shelf. I hope sometime Joan would consider writing a story about Adam and Morning Dove. Happy Reading!

Author Joan Johnston is a wonderful author. 'No longer a stranger' is another delightful read. The characters have depth and compliment one another and are likeable.Ex union officer Christopher Kincaid is on a mission to assess the feasibility of a railroad at the bottom of the rocky mountains. The stage he is on is attacked by indians and he is captured. Near dead, he is rescued by "Reb" and her brother Adam. Unfortunately the only way they can rescue kincaid is to shoot him! Reb spends her time trying to keep him alive and because of her short hair and buckskins he thinks she is a boy, which is ok with this "calamity jane" type gal anyway. She doesn't want her wonderful wilderness to be brutalized by civilization so she's not too happy with this stranger.Naturally sparks fly when her sex is discovered. The underlying story is that being a woman doesn't have to prevent one from being independent and strong as both our hero and heroine find out. Kincaid wants Reb to be domesticated......his first wife died because she was too independent....and Reb won't be tied down....Sparks fly. The only reason this isn't a 5, is that I think the author carried Reb's boy impersonization a bit too far having her wear rank, smelly buckskins day after day after day......As far as I can tell reb had 3 wardrobe changes during the whole book: Buckskins, a crimson gown, and an indian dress!

Almost perfect

This book was almost perfect! I am a hard read, meaning, it takes a very good book for me to be happy. No Longer A Stranger was wonderful; I almost couldn't put it down, and let me tell you that does not happen too often. I have read 100's upon 100's of novels and it takes an excellent one for me not to be able to put it down. The problem came in the last 60 pages. One of the most important scenes was left very much lacking! Instead of developing the scene, it was hurried and it lacked depth and interest, it could have been the crowning glory of the book, but instead let the whole story drop. Read this book, but be aware that it lacks in the end.

No Longer a Stanger
by: Joan Johnston
Reviewer: Pamela Ackerson (author Home of the Braves Trilogy)
When I first started reading the book, my first reaction was, oh no--another story where the woman is dressed as a man and a city-boy oblivious to the wilds of the American West. But, it wasn't just another one. It was captivating and full of action. It's one of those books you don't want to put down. You don't want to start reading this book just before you go to bed, because you're going to spend the next day saying, "I only had a couple hours sleep last night. It was my fault though, because I stayed up to read this really good book."

This was an innocent, pleasant western yarn about a wounded man saved by a 'young boy' from marauding Indians. Nice story, fairly exciting, predictable, feel good ending. Worth the time to read.

I highly enjoyed this book. The storyline was great as well as all the people you meet in the book. O.K. so Reb is a tomboy but unlike another reviewer I enjoy that every now & then. She did bathe & attend to Kincaid's medical needs for 10+ days so you can't say she wasn't the least bit ladylike. You don't find many men in these books that do the sort of caring that Reb was doing. This book had me glued to the pages & I'd highly recommend it. My only complaint was that I think it got a bit sloppy towards the end with typos like "Standing Bill" instead of "Standing Buffalo" & saying "she" instead of "he" at certain parts but all in all it was a great book.

I read constantly, usually two books per week, most all of them in the western historical romance genre. I was perusing my local used bookstore and came across this book by Joan Johnston which sounded very interesting. By chapter 10 I found myself skimming just so I could say I actually finished. My biggest problem was the fact that Kincaid did not realize Reb was a girl. HUH??? I could understand if he was delirious with fever or bed-ridden, but he spent a huge amount of time with her, had long conversations with her, traipsed through the woods with her, etc. and the entire time thought she was a boy?? All I could think was she must be homely as all get out to pass for a boy for almost half the book. The relationship almost felt creepy to me the way Kincaid was laying around naked on top of the covers while they talked, him thinking she was a young teenage boy. Even after he discovered she was a woman, the scene in the bed did nothing for me either for the simple fact that I couldn't get past Reb wearing those nasty buckskins that must have reaked to high heaven by that point. I also did not find all the bickering to be endearing, but rather annoying. For me to really invest myself in a book I need to love the main characters and root for them to be together. I just couldn't do it with Reb and Kincaid. For those looking for a good love story of this genre I would suggest 'Keegan's Lady' by Catherine Anderson or 'A Wanted Man' by Linda Lael Miller.

The beginning of this book was promising, but then it hit a plateau and didn't go anywhere.

My biggest complaint would be the heroine's character, Reb. She was a tomboy to the extreme and not the least bit ladylike. The entire story took on a "Brokeback" feel. In fact, the hero believed Reb was a boy for more than half of the time they were aquainted.

It was an odd story that was all over the place with a handful of subplots as well. I don't recommend.

Filled with epic scenes and memorable characters, No Longer a Stranger is a richly satisfying novel and propelled by a central story of remarkable strength, honesty, love and warmth.

If you're looking for a different and exciting novel, read LUST OF THE FLESH by Beverly Rolyat. A story about district attorney, Nick Allapapalaus, who finds himself caught up in a web of lust, deceit, mystery, suspense, betrayal, murder and sex galore. Is he really the biological father of his ex-wife's promiscuous teenage daughter's infant son? Or has he been set up? A compelling, riveting, engaging, pageturning novel. Enjoy!