Customer Reviews

Song of the West (Silhouette Romance #143)

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This book reminds me of one of my favorite Nora Roberts books, "Montana Sky". Even though the plot is different, they both have that "Big Sky Country" feel to them. Samantha comes to Wyoming to help out her pregnant twin sister and falls for the attractive rancher next door. Can she give up the big city and settle in Wyoming?
Excerpt from the back of the book:
"Rugged rancher Jake Tanner was the most irascible and bossy man Samantha Evans had ever met! Though he frustrated her with his demands, she couldn't ignore the electricity in his touch. Samantha had traveled to the majestic mountains of Wyoming in order to help her very pregnant sister. She never expected the long, lean cowboy next door ro rustle up dreams of a family of her own."

WHY DID SHE FIND IT SO HARD TO LEAVE WHOMING? Family obligations had led Samantha Evans to the land of windswept plains and towering mountains. But she had every intention of returning to the East after her sister's baby was safely born.Unexpectedly, she felt like changing her mind. She found that she didn't want to say good-bye after all, evan though she knew her sister no longer needed her. Was it because she had fallen in love with the beautiful country, or should she admit to herself that a tall, commanding rancher had corraled her heart forever?

Samantha came to Wyoming to look after her pregnant twin sister, who was on medically prescribed bedrest. While she was there she fell in love with the wide-open spaces, the country air, and the lifestyle on the Wyoming ranch. She wanted to remain in Wyoming permanently, but what made it impossible to stay was that she also fell in love with the rancher next-door. She thought he was committed to a more sophisticated woman, and she couldn't bear to stay while he made a homelife with someone else, so she decided to leave as soon as possible. It's hard to imagine that someone as strong and as self-sufficient as Samantha would walk away from the challenge of another woman being interested in the man she loved.

One thing I find very annoying in romance novels is incessant and unnecessary bickering between the characters, supposedly representing sexual tension or a conflict. Samanatha started off as a giving and unselfish woman, yet I was immediately turned off by her antagonistic and hostile reaction to Jake. Yes, he was very flirtatious, but definitely not the arrogant condescending playboy he is made out to be, and Samantha seemed to overreact in such a silly negative way to his charm. In the end, Jake became quite aggresive in his pursuit of her, but quite frankly it was a welcome break in the plot, and the only way he'd get through to her stubborness and they'd finally come together and resolve the conflict.

Song of the West is an early book by Nora Roberts which captivated me from the first page. And as only Ms. Roberts can do in her books, this title had me turning the pages all too quickly till I ended with a smile on my face.

When her sister Bree needs care duing her pregnancy, Sam gives up her job in the east and goes to help care for her in Wyoming. Sam quickly falls in love with the landscape and ranch life but never expected to fall in love with a handsome ranch owner as well. Although one knows there will be a happily ever after ending its always fun to make the jounrey of boy and girl meet and how they ultimately fall in love.

I really enjoy what I call Nora Roberts pure romances. Song of the West was written in 1982 and showed how Nora Roberts was well on her way to becoming the beloved romance author she is considered today.

I read this book as part of a 2-book volume "With Open Arms". I can surely see how this was one of Nora's early works, due to the fact that it was pure drivel. Samantha was a spineless character and Jake was a pig. I'm so glad Nora has come along way from this depth-lacking story!