Customer Reviews

Willow

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

 

 

Willow is not one of my favorite books by Linda Lael Miller, but I enjoyed it.Willow was a very strong willed young woman torn between love for her husband Gideon, who is a US Marshall and her outlaw brother, Stephen. However, in the end , love does conquer all and everyone has a happy ending.

Willow is a remake or redo or rewrite - wish she would have just left it alone. I think it was much better as a shorter story. What's up with the heroines lately? Is it just me or do they make others want to toss the book across the room in frustration. She is, to me, the most immature, foolish & unthinking character. She goes ahead and does things that bring great hurt to others, e.g. like her father, then does the equivalent of "oops" guess that was the wrong thing to do. Hard for me to imagine how anyone could have found her that lovable to put up with such infantile behavior. Just bought it at the store & it will go up for sale. Linda Lael Miller can do so much better which makes this even more of a shame.

I saw that this was originally a much shorter story, which was lengthened by Ms. Miller. Like the bandaid being ripped off quickly, she should have left it alone. Shorter would have been much less painful for this reader.

Authors should leave their earlier publications alone. Even if it was not a good book, it's just embarrassing when the author tries to fix it -- and inevitably makes it worse.

This one doesn't even rate one star. Come on, Ms. Miller, we all know you are capable of much better.

This was the first book I read by Linda Lael Miller and I don't believe it will by my last. I enjoyed the main characters Willow and Gideon. I also enjoyed how Ms. Miller developed the other characters in the book like Daphne and Devlin. I truly felt Willow's undying love for her mis-guided brother.

I did find some parts confusing like how the bloodline worked between Willow, Steven and Devlin. And I didn't feel completion between Willow and Zachery; and Gideon and Zachery.

But all in all, I would recommend this book if you are looking for a light, entertaining read.

Willow by Linda Miller

Western- Sept. 28th, 2010

3 Stars

At first, I thought this book was strange. It deals with the main heroine falling in love with her step-brother. I guess once I got over that, then this book is good though complicated. Willow is the name of the main character. Her father, Devlin Gallagher, married a woman who already has two sons, Zachary and Gideon. When her father Devlin met his ex-wife, Chastity, their passionate response resulted in Willow's existence.

Willow has a school girl crush on Gideon but he is ten years her senior. As part of a practical joke, they get married only to find out that the marriage is legal and binding. Both Willow and Gideon are initially upset but this soon changes. Gideon realizes he can use Willow to find out more about a man named Steven. Willow's relationship with her friend Steven is a source of trouble. Steven is a wanted outlaw who robs trains. The fact that Willow and Steven are close has put her in jeopardy. A bounty hunter is out to get Steven, and he isn't above threatening Willow. Gideon is interested in stopping Steven since his family's railroad business has had run-ins with Steven and his gang. However, he realizes, perhaps just in the nick of time, that he is more invested in Willow than anything or anyone else. What was supposed to be a joke of a wedding turns out to be the real deal.

I found that Willow was an easy read, but it was not one of my favorites because Willow is a little too whimsical and childish. I just couldn't relate to her character. However, that being said, the story did flow well and was easy to read.

Reviewed by Sophia from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

Nineteen year old Willow Gallagher will do anything to protect her outlaw brother, Steven Gallagher, including marrying her blackmailer. Poised at the altar to wed, the ceremony is interrupted by Gideon Marshall who claims that Willow is already his wife. Faced with the man whose picture she fell in love with, losing her brother to the hangman's noose, or marrying a blackmailer - what's a girl to do?

Gideon came to town for one reason . . . to capture the outlaw Steven Gallagher and perhaps to stop a wedding from taking place as he had married the bride two years previous as a joke. Now Gideon has a fiancée that would increase his financial empire, an outlaw that could destroy it, and a wife that may hate him if he brings her brother in to face the justice he deserves.

Willow was a fluffy romance read that never really delved deep enough into the characters for me to enjoy the book. Willow, the title character, seemed to act very immature and naïve at times and then at other times she seemed brilliant beyond her years. Gideon, who we are told is 31 when the story opens, acted just as childish as she did on several occasions especially given the circumstances of their "fake" wedding ceremony.

The secondary characters took a lot away from the main characters because I found myself more interested in them than the lead characters. One thing that bothered me was the time frame in the story. Willow's father should have waited the year before remarrying especially since he felt so much guilt for the way things turned out with his wife. I found myself more interested in Willow's brother's love life and wanted to get to know Gideon's older brother, Zachary, too. His character didn't seem properly fleshed out and I had lingering questions in regards to him and his relationship with his brother, Gideon. If they didn't like each other so much then why would he stay and help Gideon to set up his ranch? Why would a mutual friend who claimed that the brother's didn't get along offer up Zachary as a possible escort? It felt like he was more of a plot device, i.e. excuse to get the two main characters together and occasionally cause a bit of strive between them. Then of course the final scene that he shares with Willow is never really handled or dealt with. I was expecting so much more of Willow, but felt like it only skimmed the surface on so much and I was left wondering if the original work would have been the better bet.

Vanessa

Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I get nearly all my books from you or through Kindle. Easy ordering and great service. I try to get all book from this author.

I loved my book Linda Leal Miller is a awseome Author. I am always looking for books that she has written, love the historical novals the best. She can make me feel like I am there with the characters in the book. She can make me laugh and cry all in the same story.

Ordinarily Linda Lael Miller is one of my favorite authors-- but I didn't like this one at all. Trite and uninteresting. Sorry.

In the Montana Territory, the father of two, Devlin Gallagher married a woman with two kids of her own. Ten years younger than her stepbrother Gideon Marshall, teenage Willow believes she loves him, but understands nothing can come of this because of their age difference.

Willow and Gideon are married by a fake minister. After they exchange their vows jokingly, they learn the minister is real and their wedding genuine. Willow goes home humiliated after the nuptials are annulled. Years later she is to marry, but he arrives and stops the ceremony. Meanwhile her biological brother Steven, once kidnapped by their mom, Chastity, has become a train robber. A bounty hunter wants him dead or alive and does not mind collateral damage like using and even killing Willow. Gideon also seeks out Steven as the robberies are of trains owned by his family. He stays near her as she is the ticket to her sibling, but by being in close proximity he can no longer conceal he reciprocates her feelings.

Linda Lael Miller's myriad of fans will appreciate the author rewriting a much shorter historical she wrote in 1984. Having not read the previous entry, I cannot make comparisons. The 2010 book is fast-paced with several strong characters especially the title heroine, her stepbrother and her brother as they forge an intriguing triangle. The ending is a fabulous spin that only Ms. Miller could have devised and also makes it feel genuine. This is a wonderful Americana romance as the trains come to Montana but it is love that ties the bonds of families.

Harriet Klausner