Customer Reviews

The Rivals: A Bitter Creek Novel

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

 

 

In Jackson Hole, Wyoming no one except the families and the Teton County Sheriff Department cared about two missing teens. That abruptly changes when Kate Grayhawk never makes it home as she is the daughter of influential Texas mogul Clay Blackthorne and the granddaughter of his powerful enemy King Grayhawk.

Deputy Sheriff Sarah Barndollar, raising three kids alone since her spouse vanished last year, investigates the serial vanishings. Meanwhile the feuding families' hatred for one another interfere with her case because they suspect the other side abducted Kate and set out to prove it. Clay's cousin Drew DeWitt offers a rare dose of sanity, but insists on being part of her inquiries. As they race to save lives, they fall in love, but she is Wyoming wilderness while he is big shot urban.

This solid entry in the continuing saga of the Blackthorne family is a fine police procedural romance. The story line moves at a fast clip while readers will shake their heads at the setbacks caused by the family feud. Though a government conspiracy has been used so often that one wonders how any trees remain in the forest, Joan Johnston's latest thriller is a delightful investigative romantic suspense.

Harriet Klausner

This review refers to "The Rivals" by Joan Johnston...

This is the 5th in the Bitter Creek series. The stories of the modern day descendants of the Sister of the Lone Star series("Frontier Woman", "Comanche Woman", and "Texas Woman"). The last we knew, the Blackthornes had made an attempt at ending their long running feud with the Creeds,but... they still are at odds with the Grayhawks(this was the first I read about them, but I intend on picking up some of the books with their back story as well). Although the first 4 books in this series will fill you in on the Blackthorne/Creed feud,and the various Romeo and Juliet type lovers, it is really not necessary to have read them all to enjoy this one. The character of Drew Dewitt, a cousin to the Blackthornes, and one of the major characters in this story gets his start in the 4th in the series "The Price", but even so the plot of this one stands on it's own.

Having said all of that, I have to say that I enjoyed this one very much.Maybe it was because this one was packed with adventures and mystery(which is a big draw for me), and although you know with Johnston there will be the steamy love sequences(also a draw), they were there, only not too too steamy and they seemed to take a back seat to the rest of the plot.

Kate Grayhawk, teenaged granddaughter of two very powerful men, King Grayhawk of Wyoming, and "Blackjack" Blackthorne of Texas, is kidnapped. Not only is she the granddaughter of these two wealthy powerhouses but she is also the secret daughter of Clay Blackthorne, Attorney General(the reader is privy to this early on). The local Deputy Sheriff Kate Barndollar gets involved in the search, and happens to be a beautiful woman raising three kids on her own. Drew Dewitt, rich, playboy cousin of the Blackthornes, is also on hand to help with the search. The mystery of why Kate was kidnapped, combined with some very menacing characters, the search in the snowy mountains with avalanches looming, and the ever daring and mischievous adventures of Sarah's young kids kept me turning the pages.I found it a little strange at first, that the women could think of making love while the children where missing, but the I think the tense and frightening situations, combined with ex-lovers and Drew and Sarah being thrown together with a passion, leads to them finding comfort in each other's arms(and beds).

It's a great follow up to Drew's story, and a nice little escape for a while. Adventure, mystery, suspense, and passion.If you are interested in the the others in this series and want to start at the beginning, you can either start with the Sisters of the Lone Star(adventures and passion in the old west) mentioned above, or the modern day Bitter Creek series, which include "The Cowboy", "The Texan","The Loner", and "The Price"(in order of events).

As always a most enjoyable read from Joan Johnston.Here is a large print edition:The Rivals Large Print

Next up in the series is The Next Mrs. Blackthorne: A Bitter Creek Novel, the rest of Clay Blackthorne's story.Also if you are lucky you may be able to find:Bittercreek Set of Six - The Cowboy - The Texan - Loner - Price - Next Mrs. Blackthorn - Rivalsfrom an outside seller and pay only one time for shipping

Enjoy the read...Laurie

I was a little disappointed in this book. AND I'M A HUGE JJ FAN. So it was really hard to write that last line. I don't know, it just didn't have the same magic as the first three. Even the Price wasn't that great. I mean it's not that they're bad, it's just getting too " who done it" for me. I guess I'm not a big muder mystery fan, maybe that's my problem. It's worth reading, I guess. But I threw it away after I finished it because I was so disappointed (and I have kept every single one of her other books). The Loner, The Cowboy and the Texan were awesome. I definetly suggest those. The Hawks Way books are awesome and all of her ones are awesome. Please believe me I'm a huge JJ fan, just kind of sad on this one, hate to give bad review, just being honest.

I too am a hugh Joan Johnston fan. I own all of ther other books. But I was highly disappointed with this novel. Please don't judge her by this book. This is the first thriller romance novel she has attempted. The story was not engaging, and the characters lacked depth and their relationships were not beliveable. The passion and excitement just wasn't there. I hate to give her a bad review because all of her other books are so great. Try any of her other books and see the real Joan Johnston and why she is a bestselling author.

I loved this book so much that after I finished reading it I immediately ordered "The next Mrs. Blackthorne", the sequel. It just arrived and I started reading it, and I really like it alot! I usually read Norah Robert's books, (I am so spoiled by her amazing writing!) Unfortunatley I have read all the Norah Roberts books, as well as her "J.D. Robb" books, so it is nice to find a new author that I enjoy!

I highly recommend this book to any Nora Roberts fan, BUT first read The Cowboy, The Texan, The Loner, and The Price (all by Joan Johnston). This was the first Joan Johnston book I ever read, which hurried me to read more. After reading this book, I went on to read the rest of the Blackthorne/Creed/Grayhawk stories (I only wish I had read them first and then this one). I am a huge Nora Roberts fan and would definitely say that Joan Johnston's novels are up to speed with Nora's books. Every single one of them is interesting and has made me want to read more, sometimes I wish the stories would continue a little longer. I recommend all of the Blackthorne books and her Bitter Creek series. I am finally about to read The Next Mrs. Blackthorne.

This is the first book I've read by Joan Johnston and it definitely won't be my last. I really enjoyed the story line and the characters, although trying to understand the geneology of the Blackthornes and the Grayhawks got a little confusing. I had to go back and read past reviews from Ms Johnston's previous books on the this rival family on Amazon.com to get caught up-to-date. I can't wait for her next book to be released.

My second book by JJ, I read The Price first so I knew some of Drew's history. I too found things just too mixed up. Sarah was always worried about her kids and needing to check on them but instead she was falling into bed with a man she just met, and almost the first night before he even knew her name. If she hadn't been rudely interrupted by her cell phone. Everyone has them right? JJ has tried to involve too many characters in her plots and they all go racing off willy nilly into the back country and blizzard with no heed at all and yet find just what they were headed for. Give me a break, I grew up on the prairie and people died in their cars or walking across a prairie to home when their cars got stuck. They needed ropes from the house to the barn to find it. How those 3 inexperienced kids stumbled on the yurt when expert trackers couldn't find it is a stretch of anyone's imagination. JJ always leaves you hanging so you need to pick up the next saga to see if things ever straighten out, but I don't give these characters an ounce of sense. They seem to be lacking the brains they were born with and are driven by greed.

Sad to say, but this book was a huge disappointment. I really like her books-all but this one. The characters were flat and unbelievable; their decisions,actions and conversations were predictable and stereotypical. I was so frustrated after the first few chapters, I wanted a refund. I can't remember the last time I strongly disliked the protagonists of a book, but these characters turned me off in a big way. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come from her future books

A lot of reviewers have already said it - this book just isn't up to Joan Johnston's standards. If you're reading the series and following all the characters then certainly read it. If you're just looking for a good book to read, try almost any of her other novels. The research in this one, while great for the geography just doesn't do it for the characters... example, a police detective who looks to the side character/secondary hero to determine how to go find a missing person. Some detective. Also the secondary characters are so powerful in this book, probably because the fans are highly in anticipation of their story, that it was hard to remember to book was about the two main characters its written for. I suppose the one thing this book did do for me is that, I can't wait for the next one (about the side characters! :) ).