McKettrick's Choice (McKettrick Cowboys, #4) (McKettricks, #4)

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McKettrick's Choice (McKettrick Cowboys, #4) (McKettricks #4)

4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 · rating details · 2,016 ratings · 99 reviews

When news came that there was trouble back in Texas, Holt McKettrick left his mail-order bride at the altar and never looked back. He just hoped he'd be in time to save the man who raised him as a son and stop his best friend from hanging. Setting fire to her wedding dress in the town square probably wasn't the best way to stand her ground, but Lorelei Fellows was through...more

Mass Market Paperback, 464 pages

Published March 1st 2006 by HQN Books (first published 2005)

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Nov 17, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Linda Lael Miller is known for writing heart-tugging, emotional Western romances, and with MCKETTRICK'S CHOICE, she delivers yet again. The MCKETTRICK BROTHERS TRILOGY began in 2002 with HIGH COUNTRY BRIDE, followed in 2003 with SHOTGUN BRIDE, and finished in 2004 with SECONDHAND BRIDE. The saga now takes a surprising turn in 2005 with MCKETTRICK'S CHOICE, the story of the oldest McKettrick brother, Holt, who was raised away from the iron fist of family patriarch, Angus, and the three brothers f...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Kara Jorges rated it 4 of 5 stars

Holt McKettrick is just about to hitch himself to his mail-order bride when a rider comes into town, telling Holt that Gabe Navarro, a good friend of his, is about to hang in Texas, and his foster father is about to be run off his ranch. Secretly relieved at delaying his nuptials, Holt abandons his wedding and heads for San Antonio. One of the first things he sees when he gets there is lovely Lorelei Fellows burning her wedding dress in the town square, after catching her husband-to-be en flagra...more Holt McKettrick is just about to hitch himself to his mail-order bride when a rider comes into town, telling Holt that Gabe Navarro, a good friend of his, is about to hang in Texas, and his foster father is about to be run off his ranch. Secretly relieved at delaying his nuptials, Holt abandons his wedding and heads for San Antonio. One of the first things he sees when he gets there is lovely Lorelei Fellows burning her wedding dress in the town square, after catching her husband-to-be en flagrante delicto with a house maid. Holt runs into Lorelei again at her home when he goes there to speak to her father, the judge who sentenced his friend Gabe to hang. His meeting with Judge Fellows goes nowhere, however, as Holt knows the man is in league with Templeton, a wealthy rancher who is after Holt’s foster father’s ranch and who framed Gabe for the crimes for which he is about to hang.

Holt isn’t the only one who has problems with Lorelei’s father, however. When Judge Fellows threatens to commit Lorelei to an asylum for refusing to marry her cheating fiancé, she starts to think about changing her life and actually living it. When she finds out she’s the owner of a small tract of land, she packs up her things and the Mexican couple who raised her, and heads out to start a new life on her own ranch. The house is a wreck and she has to start from scratch, but even the hardships Lorelei finds herself facing are exhilarating compared to her boring life in her father’s house. Even more exhilarating, though annoying, is the fact that Holt McKettrick is staying on a neighboring ranch. Against Holt’s better judgment, he invites Lorelei along on a cattle drive so that she can purchase some stock for her ranch, and the close proximity they find themselves in is of great amusement to the rest of their group, as just about everyone but Holt and Lorelei can see that they’re falling in love.

I picked this book up simply because I was looking for a sweet historical romance and knew Linda Lael Miller would deliver. I don’t read as many romances as I used to so I haven’t read everything by this author, but everything of hers that I have read has been satisfying, and this book was no exception. Though the pace of the story dragged a bit in the middle and the relationship between Holt and Lorelei could have used just a touch more flash, this was a very good historical romance novel with engaging characters and it made me feel like I was right there on the dusty Texas trail. As usual, Linda Lael Miller is worth the read.
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Apr 14, 2012 June rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-western-romance, linda-lael-miller, mckettrick-cowboys

Holt's book may be my favorite of the 4 McKettrick's brother's books. Like Miller's other books in this series the secondary characters were great, and added so much to each of the books. This book had a little of everything in it from bad guy rancher to cattle drive to Commanche Indians. It took place in Texas and not at home on the Triple M in Arizona. There was some humor also between the H/h and secondary characters. Rafe was in this book. My how he has changed (his attitude and handling of...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance, cowboy

Considering this is the story of a couple that branches off a whole line of characters in other books, I expected a lot more for it. Sadly, this one just turned out average for me. The characters were only so-so and the plot slow moving. I've come to expect better from Miller. Or maybe its just because its one of the earlier ones in the series (although you don't need to read any of the others) and her writing improved as she went along.

After hearing his friend has been sentenced to hang, Holt M...more Considering this is the story of a couple that branches off a whole line of characters in other books, I expected a lot more for it. Sadly, this one just turned out average for me. The characters were only so-so and the plot slow moving. I've come to expect better from Miller. Or maybe its just because its one of the earlier ones in the series (although you don't need to read any of the others) and her writing improved as she went along.

After hearing his friend has been sentenced to hang, Holt McKettrick gallops back to Texas to try to right things. There he meets the fiery Lorelei as she's burning her wedding dress. The two can't stop arguing but there's definitely attraction there. However, too much is going on to dwell on it as they have to go get some cows for a ranch, find a lawyer for Holt's friend, and try to tame their wild hearts as they fight the attraction.

For characters, Lorelei and Holt are just kind of annoying. In fact, all the side characters are better than them and I would have rather read about them. Holt is just kind of a jerk (and despite the times I know he could have been better) and Lorelei never really struck me as interesting. She was kind of just there as someone for Holt to pair up with. As said before though I did like the side characters and found all of their stories very intriguing. They are what kind of saved the book.

The plot was very slow to start and drug along for about 2/3 of the book. Then the last 1/3 of the book just rushed right by. The pacing definitely could have been better. The love story in this one too wasn't as compelling. I don't see what made Lorelei and Holt attracted to each other. In fact, they didn't seem to like each other at all despite the sexual tension. And that is something to note, there are sex scenes in this book, if you don't like that, don't read. After all, this is a romance.

It wasn't a horrible book, but not too good either. I guess I'll just have to keep reading to see if Miller's normal good books come back. There's still a whole lot of McKettrick I haven't experienced.

McKettrick's Choice
Copyright 2005
457 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2011
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Feb 08, 2012 Felicia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-read, kindlepurchase2012

Read for Fun!
Challenges: Read for Fun
Overall Rating: 4.50
Story Rating: 4.50
Character Rating: 4.50

First thought when finished: Great end to a series I really did enjoy.

What I Loved: I loved Holt! Granted I have loved Holt the entire time but it was nice seeing him come full circle. I loved that Rafe was redeemed in this book (in my eyes). I felt he finally accepted Holt and he was one of the family. I loved the romance, the setting, and just about everything in this story.

What I Liked/Wished ther...more

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Feb 07, 2009 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: romance lovers/cowboy lovers

Shelves: historical-romance, western-romance, linda-lael-miller

This was a book that I kept waiting for the love story to pick up. I liked the characters and the back ground characters as well, yet it didn't pick up the way I hoped it might. Holt is a Man on a mission to save his friend from hanging for murder and to save his foster fathers ranch from an overpowering neighbor. When he arrives in San Antonio Loralei is burning her wedding dress in the town square. He is drawn to her over time yet there could have been much more built on this. Something that I...more

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Oct 31, 2011 Mindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Holt McKettrick heads back to Texas to bail a friend out of jail and save his foster father's ranch. His mail order bride opts not to wait for him and marrys someone else. Once in Texas he meets Lorelai, the judges daughter. She is burning her wedding dress in the town square and almost sets herself on fire. Holt puts out the fire on the ground but turns out sparks of another kind are still flying. In order to get his ranger friend out of jail Holt needs to find another friend and ranger. In ord...more

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Jan 23, 2011 Cynthia rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Usually I'm not that into western themed romances but this one was recommended by a friend from a class at college so I gave it a try and you know.. wow.. this was a good book!

Unlike so many other romance novels that come out lately, this one actually had a good, solid plot and solid characters. It was more than just poorly written smut .. in fact there was really only one romantic scene and it was very tastefully written, without the overl...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Ferne rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was given this title to read by a friend and did not realize until I looked at the author's web site - after reading the book - that it was the 4th book in a series. I read it as an 'independent' title and thoroughly enjoyed it! The characterizations were strong and wonderful, the conversations lively, and the settings were described so clearly that I could picture each scene, each character, each conversation as clearly in my mind as if I was watching an exhilarating movie about the ol’ west...more

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Mar 24, 2011 Elise Wilson rated it 3 of 5 stars

I would rate this 3-1/2 stars, but it had the potential to be a 4 star book. What I liked about the book, which revolved around Holt, the half-brother and (fourth of McKettrick's brothers stories in this series), was that it was well-written, had descriptive and detailed prose and vivid, interesting and diverse characters. I was disappointed for much of the same reasons -- the story, while well-written, had too many sub-plots. It was difficult to know what was the "main" story being told. Nor, w...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Willow Brook rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

This very enjoyable, action-packed fourth and last entry in the McKettricks series tells the story of the oldest son, Holt and the woman he falls in love with, Lorelei. A whole lot happens in this book which starts with Holt leaving his wedding to a mail-order bride he likes but does not love to rush off to his old stomping grounds in Texas when he receives word that a good friend is sentenced to hang, another friend is missing and the man who was like a father to him is being forced off his ran...more This very enjoyable, action-packed fourth and last entry in the McKettricks series tells the story of the oldest son, Holt and the woman he falls in love with, Lorelei. A whole lot happens in this book which starts with Holt leaving his wedding to a mail-order bride he likes but does not love to rush off to his old stomping grounds in Texas when he receives word that a good friend is sentenced to hang, another friend is missing and the man who was like a father to him is being forced off his ranch. He arrives in San Antonio to find the judge's daughter Lorelei burning her wedding dress in the town square after finding her fiance in bed with a housemaid. Holt is astonished, irritated and drawn to her against his better judgment. However, he has his hands full trying to save one friend's life, another friend's ranch and also locate the missing third friend. He has no time or intention to pursue the feisty Lorelei.

Except Lorelei has decided she's tired of living a boring life, trying to please her father and not scandalize society. She moves to the land next to Holt's friend's ranch, right in the middle of a burgeoning range war. On top of that, she doesn't know how to ride a horse, purchase livestock, use a gun, run a ranch, cook or do any housekeeping. In other words, she is a menace to herself but what she lacks in practical skills, she makes up for in determination and guts. She and Holt end up together on a long trail ride to buy cattle. Along the way they encounter old friends, hostile Comanches, and even some ghosts.

At first I was disappointed when I realized Holt was leaving Arizona and the colorful McKettrick clan. But there is still much talk and thought of his family, and a whole new cast of colorful, interesting characters and menacing villains. As always, I found Miller's descriptions of frontier life engrossing, whether the details are about hardships of ranch life, perils on a long drive or simple everyday events. After some consideration, I did knock my rating down to 4 stars because things were wound up a bit fast and one major, climatic event lacked almost all details. It was like Miller ran out of room for her sprawling plot and had to cut scenes.

Too bad, because even with a busy plot and the slow pace of the romance, I loved this book. Lorelei was a great match for Holt, both of them stubborn and determined to do whatever needed to be done to achieve their goals. I loved that while Holt wanted to protect Lorelei, he also respected and valued her strength of will. While Lorelei could easily have been a TSTL heroine, given that she knew nothing about the hard, often dangerous life she wanted to live, she was instead enjoyable, fun, and admirable. Only at the end of the book, does she rush into a situation in a way that made no sense, but I think that was due to the rushed or overly edited ending.

The four books in this wonderful series read as one long saga and are best read in order (High Country Bride, Shotgun Bride, Secondhand Bride and McKettrick's Choice). I've thoroughly enjoyed reading about this family and will miss these McKettricks, their wives and friends now that I am moving on to other books. (less)

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Sep 15, 2011 Jayne rated it 4 of 5 stars

While at the library, wandering among the books as I do, I came across a bunch of books with the McKettrick in the title. Browsing quickly, I was unable to tell how the books fell in order, so I grabbed one. If I'm understanding the order correctly now, this would be the 4th book in this particular series. I'm going to read the others and I'm curious to see what my response will be since I didn't read chronologically.

I liked this book. Set in 1888, it includes a bit of everything expected in a s...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Giulia~Bubbles rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

Ok so I picked this up on a whim, I haven't read any of the other books in this series or by this author and had no idea what to expect. The story wasn't bad but a lot of scenes (fights with Natives) were vague and happened really quick. Didn't do much for me in the excitement department. I like Holt well enough (though I suspect I'm missing a lot if back story) but Lorelei only struck me as okay. Somehow I expected more blaze from this character (after all she burns her wedding dress in the tow...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Madonna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed reading McKettrick's Choice. The plot was fast moving and yet very detailed so that there was no confusion as to what was happening. I enjoy seeing the women in these books being strong, stubborn, and independent..just the way we should be. I think that all the women in this story showed both strengh and compassion...as did the men. I like when there are twists to the story so you kind of know what will happen, but not totally. Good endings help too.

Loved this and have read many o...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Stephanie rated it 2 of 5 stars

So I am finally done the story of the original 4 McKettrick boys. I am happy to be done and to know what happened to all 4 boys but I could have done without reading this book if I knew how boring it was going to be. I'm sorry to those who liked it but I wasn't thrilled by it at all. I normally love a boy meets girl, girl hates boy but eventually falls in love with him kind of story but this one didn't keep me interested and I read it fast to get it over with. Chloe & Jeb are still my favori...more

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May 12, 2013 Pat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, favorites, always-worth-re-reading, romance, ride-a-cowboy-western, series, series-r-us, chick-lit

4.5stars actually
It was so easy to get back into the old west of the McKettrick as Holt interrupts his wedding to go back to his roots & save the family homestead.

This series is so easy to read with lovably layered characters that it raises the genre on my tbr. The comfort of an older western that ensures the good guys riding straight and tall in the saddle win and the villains so obviously twirling their moustaches don’t get away. There are even feisty heroines along the way. The conspirac...more 4.5stars actually
It was so easy to get back into the old west of the McKettrick as Holt interrupts his wedding to go back to his roots & save the family homestead.

This series is so easy to read with lovably layered characters that it raises the genre on my tbr. The comfort of an older western that ensures the good guys riding straight and tall in the saddle win and the villains so obviously twirling their moustaches don’t get away. There are even feisty heroines along the way. The conspiracy afoot is one that the county judge, the town banker, the town lawyer and a greedy rancher are in cahoots to strip a poor black farmer with a slow-witted daughter of their home to satisfy the greedy rancher. What they failed to take into consideration is that just because you look alone doesn’t mean to you are lone as Holt rides in hell-bent for justice, meeting the almost spinster daughter of the judge Lorelei Fellows – who will not be bullied into marrying the town lawyer.

Lorelei Fellows is tired of waiting for life to happen, tired of having decisions made for her, tired of not being able to do things because of her sex – she’s just tired. But Lorelei also decides that she’d rather be alone than put up with her father, her fiancé or the Ladies Benevolent Society. So when an opportunity leaves her with a bit of land she seizes the opportunity. Never mind that a range war is brewing, never mind that she can’t do any of the things necessary for a ranch, never mind that she has no idea how to run a house – and never mine Holt Cavanaugh McKettrick! Holt has come to town on short notice to help a friend in need and his foster father – along the way he meets and falls for the most frustrating female ever born personified in Lorelei Fellows. To his thinking she should just go back and be a proper lady in her father’s house and wait until her future husband comes to claim her. Rafe comes to help which means we see more of him than the other drool worthy McKettrick brothers – and they are missed. Lorelei’s independent streak and her willingness to do everything she can to succeed makes her a fun character as she trades barbs with elder brother McKettrick. Holt is pretty much as we’ve seen him in the other books, there is just more of him.

This refreshing read is suitable for anytime and the pages go quickly. The characters are layered and detailed enough to give them personality and strong voices so that you are clear who is speaking and the unsaid things of their conversations. The story is evenly plotted to provide romance, action, drama and moments of suspense as with all tales from that bygone era - a good old-fashioned moral of the story delivered subtly. If this is your genre or your type of series you couldn’t go far wrong by giving it a read. If it’s not your genre this series may help you increase your horizons.
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Jul 15, 2010 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: at-library, cowboys-studs-in-spurs, historical-romance, read-in-2010, romance

I finally finished this book at 1:00 am. I'm a little tired today, lol.

Ok, review time. I really enjoyed this book. LLM is such a talented author. Her desriptions are great without being overwhelming. The majority of this book takes place on a cattle drive. It was great seeing the perils and hardships they faced on the long trek and their will to survive and be prepared.

The theme of this book was about not just going through the motions of life, but actually living. Living life to the fullest i...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Guna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

On Lorelei's wedding day she found her groom in bed with her housemaid. Furious, she burned her wedding dress in front of the town, and refused to marry the man. At odds with her father, she runs away to a derelict ranch that had belonged to her mother, and tries to make a life for herself. But she is in the middle of a range war, and is persuaded to go with her neighbor, Holt, to buy cattle in Mexico. When they get back, they need to free Holt's good friend who has been unjustly sentenced to ha...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Katy Rustemeyer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-reads-2012, i-adore-you, 2012

My absolute favorite of the McKettrick brothers, I've loved Holt since book one I was speed reading to get to his book. It was Lonesome Dove-ish and it was flawless. Lorelei was my favorite, she was hilarious this book felt way more funny, they are all funny and heartbreaking but this is by far her best book in my eyes I loved it. I loved having the story not at the Triple M for a change too, it was the best story, the best characters all of it just went above and beyond. They are all great book...more

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Aug 31, 2009 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, romance-western, 2009, romance-historical

The fourth book in the McKettrick series finally comes around to eldest brother, Holt.

Holt returns to Texas to help his friend, Gabe Navarro, who has been wrongfully accused of murder and sentenced to hang. Also, the man who took him in as a teenager and whose last name he used for many years, John Cavanaugh, is in danger of losing his ranch.

Lorelei Fellows is tired of not living her life. She just caught her fiance in bed with the housekeeper on their wedding day. She decided to burn her fabu...more

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Mar 25, 2008 Isis FG rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, info-full, genre-romance-historical-frontier, author-linda-lael-miller, series-mckettricks, stars-3

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 02, 2013 Kate Vale rated it 4 of 5 stars

An historical Western that shows that yet another woman can scandalize without necessarily joining a brothel. In this case, Lorelei burns her wedding dress and walks away from the marriage her judge father has arranged and then insists--without knowing what she's getting herself into--on taking ownership of a small ranch and going with a McKettrick brother to Mexico to buy cattle.

Much happens, going and coming, that shows her that verbal confrontations with the man can lead to much much more.

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Feb 21, 2011 Tasha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: how-the-west-was-won

I think I might go 3.25 stars on this one. This is Holts story from the McKettrick Cowboys series. I think his and Jeb's are neck and neck for me. The reason being, they are both strong, loud, fiesty, and completely out of their heads when it comes to the women they don't know they love. Even though this one has some not so happy parts they are well done and really do a good job of giving you an idea of what life must have been like during the setting of the west.

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Feb 03, 2013 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who like historical romance

Wonderful story. Holt McKettrick is not an easy man and I think if I had been in Lorelei's place I would have crumbled and given up. Even as all the subplots in the story resolved themselves, Ms. Miller left the romance hanging until the very last page. I honestly thought it was only Christmas romances that appealed to me, but I am definitely going to read the rest of Ms. Miller's books. (Glad she wrote the two Christmas romances to get me started!)

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Mar 12, 2010 Sej rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked it but I felt like the main characters weren't given enough time alone to get to know each other. There was just too much going on and with all these other characters. And plus I didn't really see inside of their heads too much. I like deep point of views, ya know? It's my first LLM I think and first impressions and all that, it just was disappointing b/c I was really in the mood for some good old fashioned western/cowboy historical romances!

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Jul 28, 2011 Jcfrazier rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This was an amazing story set back in the old days. I loved that our heroine wasn't a whiny lady & fought for what she wanted (even if it took her a while to discover it was Holt!) Burning her wedding gown is priceless. I would've done the same thing. And probably would have said a few more choice words to Holt for stomping it out! The characters are believable even if we don't know what times were truly like back then!

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Jul 19, 2010 Valley Cottage Library rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-reading-club

SUMMER READING CLUB: "This is a typical old west adventure/romance. Hold McKettrick meets Lorelei Fellows as she burns her wedding dress. They hate each other. As the novel progresses they encounter Indians, rustlers, scoundrels and thieves. Each develops a respect for the other. All of the characters are interesting but predictable, as is the novel's ending. This is typical fare for a Hollywood movie." -Audrey DuBovy

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Mar 24, 2013 Michele rated it 4 of 5 stars

Liked Holt and Lorelei. Thought the end wrapped up a little neatly. Reminded me of a student I had in 6th grade who was writing an interesting saga but got tired of doing. Had her heroine get hit by a car and die. This story ends better but there was an element of getting hit by a car and cleaning up the end quickly here. Otherwise, this was a really good read.

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Dec 26, 2010 Marshall Thornton rated it 3 of 5 stars

Parts of it were very good, but the characters were too often completely contemporary 21st century creatures. (spoiler coming) - and at the end the hero saves the heroine twice in about five pages. That she's feisty was fun, that she was that stupid was not.It also didn't help that characters conveniently died and money just falls into everyone's lap.

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Feb 25, 2010 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a very good book about Holt McKettrick the oldest son of Angus McKettrick. Set in Arizona (Indian Rock) and the Triple M for this three sons, before he knew about Holt. Holt had found out that he had a dauthger. The books that came after this and the others are all of the next generation.

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About Linda Lael Miller

Twenty-four years after she sold her first novel, Linda Lael Miller is having what anyone would call a stellar year.

The self-proclaimed barn goddess and author of novels set in the West of today and yesterday is celebrating exciting career milestones. With 70-some books to her credit, Linda is watching her modern-day McKettrick Men trilogy soar to the top of all the national bestseller lists, and...more Twenty-four years after she sold her first novel, Linda Lael Miller is having what anyone would call a stellar year.

The self-proclaimed barn goddess and author of novels set in the West of today and yesterday is celebrating exciting career milestones. With 70-some books to her credit, Linda is watching her modern-day McKettrick Men trilogy soar to the top of all the national bestseller lists, and the Romance Writers of America have announced Linda as the recipient of their prestigious 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award.

And the year is still young.

But what makes these successes all the more enjoyable is that Linda has come home, home to Spokane, Washington, home to writing the stories of her heart, stories set in the Western culture of her childhood, and home to living where she can pull on her boots and ride her beloved horses. Inside, there's the clatter of little paws, her dogs, Sadie and Bernice, and the elegant treading of two cats that Linda claims rule the roost.

The daughter of a town marshal, Linda grew up in Northport, WA, a community of 500 on the Columbia River, 120 miles north of her birthplace, Spokane. Her childhood remembrances include riding horses and playing cowgirl on her grandparents' nearby farm. So rustic was her grandparents' spread that in the early days it lacked the conveniences of electricity and running water.

As delightful as this childhood was, though, 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. Inspired by the view, which occasionally includes a wandering moose, she focuses on her work-in-progress. It might be another contemporary Western romance, like McKettrick's Luck, McKettrick's Pride or McKettrick's Heart, or it might be a new Western historical, such as July's hardcover, A Wanted Man. It also might be a romantic thriller, such as Deadly Gamble, which launched another winning Linda Lael Miller series for her enthusiastic publisher, HQN Books.

Devoted to helping others pursue their dreams, Miller is excited about another endeavor. Each year she sponsors a round of competition for her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women. The stipends, which she funds from her writing and speaking earnings, enable women 25 years and older to improve their lot in life through education. Unlike traditional scholarships, Linda's may be used for childcare, transportation, or any other expense that stands between a woman's dreams and their fulfillment.

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 timelessly admirable 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."

And speaking of finding, Linda is excited about her association with The Humane Society of the United States, for whom she has become an advocate for the group's Pets for Life program. Once someone finds a furry friend to bring into their home, Linda and The HSUS want to help them learn how to keep the critter for life.

Linda 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 bef(less)

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title link	preview: McKettrick's Choice (McKettrick Cowboys, #4)
avg rating	preview: McKettrick's Choice (McKettrick Cowboys, #4) Goodreads rating: 4.19 (2016 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/73437.McKettrick_s_Choice_McKettrick_Cowboys_4_?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1170838110l/73437.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/73437.McKettrick_s_Choice_McKettrick_Cowboys_4_?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]McKettrick's Choice (McKettrick Cowboys, #4) by Linda Lael Miller[/url]

McKettrick's Choice (McKettrick Cowboys, #4) (McKettricks #4)

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