Six white horses

Americana #36

by Janet Dailey

Every novel in this collection is your passport to a romantic tour of the United States through time-honored favorites by America's First Lady of romance fiction. Each of the fifty novels is set in a different state, researched by Janet and her husband, Bill. For the Daileys it was an odyssey of discovery. For you, it's the journey of a lifetime. Your tour of desire begins with this story set in Oklahoma.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Fiction, Harlequin Presents, Contemporary, Category Romance

188 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Janet Anne Haradon Dailey was an American author of numerous romance novels as Janet Dailey (her married name). Her novels have been translated into nineteen languages and have sold over 300 million copies worldwide.

Born in 1944 in Storm Lake, Iowa, she attended secretarial school in Omaha, Nebraska before meeting her husband, Bill. Bill and Janet worked together in construction and land development until they "retired" to travel throughout the United States, inspiring Janet to write the Americana series of romances, where she set a novel in every state of the Union. In 1974, Janet Dailey was the first American author to write for Harlequin. Her first novel was NO QUARTER ASKED.

She had since gone on to write approximately 90 novels, 21 of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List. She won many awards and accolades for her work, appearing widely on Radio and Television. Today, there are over three hundred million Janet Dailey books in print in 19 different languages, making her one of the most popular novelists in the world.

Janet Dailey passed away peacefully in her home in Branson on Saturday, December 14, 2013. She was 69.

Reviews

[*CJ* · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Six White Horses" is the story of Patty and Morgan.

Our h is a tomboy, and a rodeo star, who helps her grandfather run their ranch. She was always infatuated with OM (the hero from Land of Enchantment), and utterly heartbroken when he got married. Even looking at him makes her tear up! That does not stop the H, a fellow rancher, from taunting her and reminding her of her unrequited love. Ofcourse they enter a long battle of wills, filled with denial, banter and drama, during which they somehow fall in love with each other. The confession happens at the very end after looooads of yearning. Phew.

Exhausting plot which was average at the very best.

Safe
2.5/5

[Naksed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was overall a cute story even though it felt at times like one long, drawn-out bickerfest. I really liked how the author wrote so plausibly of the rodeo cowboy circuit setting without delving into hokey cliches. And the job she gave to the heroine as a trick rider specializing in roman riding (when you ride two horses by putting a foot on each) was a breath of fresh air after reading about so many secretaries, babysitters, or nurses in the romance genre. Not that there's anything wrong with those professions, it just gets repetitive so this was really interesting to me.

The premise of the story is that the heroine travels the circuit with her grandfather while suffering of unrequited love for one of the rodeo cowboys, the married hero from Land Of Enchantment: New Mexico. The heroine is not an OW at all, she never had a romantic relationship with the OM, only wishful thinking, she is certainly not trying to break up their marriage, and she is nice and polite to his wife, even if she feels agony on the inside.

There is a cowboy on the circuit who teases her mercilessly about her obvious feelings of unrequited love. This is apparently the only way the big doofus has found to get her attention. Any attention is better than none, and even though his remarks always put her on the defensive and they end up arguing, he is happy that he finally gets her to focus on him for those brief moments instead of pining for the OM. He just keeps inserting himself into her life, at times protective, other times cruel, tender, or in full seduction mode. Somehow it always ends up with them fighting! Poor guy is trying everything to win her over lol.

The heroine initially only sees him as annoying, rude and overbearing. She gives as good as she gets which is why she is a good match for him. All the other women swoon over him and would be easy conquests (not that he gives any of them the time of day), no wonder he was attracted to the only one who talked back and even slapped him a couple of times lol. The key giveaway is that when he manipulates her into meeting his parents, it is evident that he has been talking about her to them for quite some time and they are elated to meet her.

Over time, some traumatic events (don't worry no horses have been harmed in the making of this story) makes them grow closer together. Heroine realizes she has fallen in love and has long ceased to think about the OM. But Great Big Terrible Misunderstandings and Miscommunications keep them apart until the hero is so scared that she is going to hurt herself trying to ride a "buck horse" that he hauls her off and tells her angrily that he is going to have to marry her to keep an eye on her, to which, to his great shock and inconceivable pleasure, she responds delightedly, taking the wind right out of him. I have no doubt they will have a wonderful longstanding HEA where they continue to bicker for all eternity but as a form of foreplay instead of actual arguments :)))

[Ivy H · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok so I started this years ago and never finished it because the MC's got on my nerves. Patty, the heroine started off in the first chapter by crying her eyes out over the H from Land Of Enchantment. That was just too annoying. Patty was so obsessed with Lije ( LOE's hero ) and and was eating herself up with jealousy because he'd married a gorgeous model. I really had little patience for Patty's self pity party. Patty had no self esteem and everything she had done in the recent years had all been because of Lije. She had become a trick rider in the Rodeo Circuit just because it had given her a chance to always be near to her precious Lije. I know Lije is hot ( I loved him in LOE ) but there's this other hottie Morgan ( the H in this novel ) and Patty keeps fighting with him and insulting him. He keeps insulting her too. That level of snark wasn't for me but I kept reading for a little while until I got to the part where Morgan and Patty are in a bar with Diana and Lije and other people from the circuit.

I got fed up with both MC's because Patty kept mooning over Lije's hunky good looks and casting jealous glances at the bombshell blonde Diana. Then Patty almost had an inner meltdown after Lije tells everyone how proud he is that he is going to be a daddy. Morgan makes me want to kick him in his teeth when he whispers to poor plain Patty that she's just a freckle faced little Annie Oakley while Lije's wife is the goddess Diana. Wtf ? I loved Diana from LOE and yes she was fabulously beautiful but I didn't want to read about the heroine in this novel being belittled because she's a plain mouse compared to the other woman. It irritated me. And Morgan is supposed to this H who has felt a secret love for Patty all these years. I guess maybe Morgan was trying to be cruel to be kind since he was jealous of Patty's obsession with a married Lije, but I couldn't keep reading this story after this point. I just gave up. A part of my giving up also has to do with the fact that I get bored reading about plain heroines and wallflowers in regency romances. I prefer BOTH my MC's to be very attractive. Yeah, superficiality is a little flaw of mine...

[Annarose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Everyone knew Patty loved Lije Masters for a long time and became a rodeo performer after following him around. Everyone knew accept him! Yet, when he fell in love and married another woman noone rediculted, humiliated, belittled and taunted her about it as much as Morgan Kincaid. He seemed to have a sick kick from torturing her, or so she thought. Therefore, she fought him every step of the way refusing to let him crush her pride and self-confidence even when he kept calling her "Skinny"!

The story is simple enough to finish within two hours. Not totally bad. However, it's silly and childish characters give it definitely away. The heroine is too immature for my liking. She's 22, but not acting her age at all. The hero is even worse. Instead of wooing his so called a three-years-old long beloved girl after the one she loved got married, he chose to verbally abuse her!! What a choice!!

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like the western version of Pride and Prejudice. Never could figure out how to pronounce one of the side characters names: Lije.

[Last Chance Saloon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The heroine (22) has loved the hero from Land of Enchantment for 4 years and he has been married for over a year and she’s still a sap. The hero (35) has loved her for four years and is putting a final effort on to win her over… by shaming her, picking on her and bickering with her. However, he is the best of the two as she is HARD WORK and manages to make everyone around her tired. After various contretemps he sells his business so they won’t have to meet again, then a final stupid act by her results in his losing his temper and telling her she is going to marry him. Of course she is glad and then HEA.
This was less appealing than it could have been as she lacked any charm.
3 stars for the hero.

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

La storia ricorda vagamente "Orgoglio e Pregiudizio" della Austen versione western. Non mi è dispiaciuta, anche se la questione "enemies to lovers" si risolve troppo in fretta. Peccato, l'avrei tirata un po' più per le lunghe, mi piacevano i battibecchi dei due protagonisti :)
Ambientazione interessante e insolita: non si vedono spesso cowboy e rodei in giro. Mi devo documentare :D
Nell'insieme è stata una buona lettura di intrattenimento.
3 stelle e 1/2

[Live2Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5?
As a rule of thumb, I never expect much from Janet Dailey, Diana Palmer or Sandra Brown. The first two authors are the most lacking for me. I see potential but they usually never fully deliver leaving me unsatisfied every single time! I only bother because sometimes I’m in the mood for that certain plot.
It was a quick read. I thought I like bickering, battle of the will trope but when Dailey does it, it’s like teenagers fighting. Cats & dogs. No chemistry, no tension. Characters were flat. Don’t even know how she came to love him. He sounded immature for a grown man, she was just annoying. Gaaaad! What more can go wrong with this book!

[RomLibrary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pride had blinded her to the truth!

Patty King knew it was foolish to cherish any feelings she'd had for Lije Masters- now married to someone else. She didn't need the arrogant Morgan Kincaid to tell her. It was none of his business anyway.

She resented Morgan but couldn't ignore him. He seemed to have appointed himself her personal counselor, watchdog and conscience. Sparks flew every time they met.

It was a long time before she learned that Morgan's concern was based on love. And by then, Patty was able to give a much more appropriate response!

[LiMa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a handful of Janet Dailey titles back in the day, all from her early days as a Harlequin writer. Her style in these titles was spare, a little pedantic, while at the same time describing storylines that were often a little wild and some not PC. I revisited some of these recently and then read a few more from the old Harlequin Presents line.

Six White Horses was one of the titles I only read recently. It was written in 1977. Storyline is that Patty is suffering from unrequited love after the OM marries someone else. She's a trick rider on the rodeo circuit where she trailed around after the OM until he got married in the prequel to this book. Another cowboy on the circuit is trying his best to turn her attention away from the OM and on to himself. He's not particularly good at this. Almost all of their interactions are hostile and the so-called banter is really just verbal abuse on both sides. It got tiresome at points and I did not enjoy slogging through some of it. But the end is really delightful. After all the silly name-calling and criticisms, their love for each other and delight in finally revealing it is heartfelt, low-key sexy, lovely. I truly enjoyed it and even went back to re-read that section a handful of times.

Would I recommend? Yes. The end is worth the slog.

[Consuela Rossetto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Da qualche anno Patty King gira da una città all'altra del Texas in compagnia del nonno, presentando nei rodei il suo numero di alta acrobazia, con sei cavalli bianchi. Il rodeo è tutta la sua vita e Tom Lee Masters, uno dei cowboy più bravi, l'idolo della sua infanzia, il suo amore segreto. E un brutto giorno lo ritrova… sposato con un'altra. Povera Patty! Come farà a vincere il dolore e l'angoscia? Come farà a sopportare la compassione altrui e, soprattutto, gli assidui sarcasmi di Morgan Kincaid, l'organizzatore, che non le da tregua? Rialzando orgogliosa la testa, Patty s'impenna come un impetuoso purosangue, oppure morde il freno, ma non si lascia domare…

[iStarr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many typos!

The thing about re-reading these books is that every man depicted would be considered an abusive and controlling man by anyone’s standard.

The typos in every on of these books is pathetically unprofessional and distract from readability. What the hell happened to proofreading and editors?

There simply isn’t any excuse for the word *Party* to ever be substituted for the name ‘Patty.’

Otherwise, this is one of my favorite Dailey books.

[Teresa Mott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard to finish

I liked the information on Oklahoma, informative and interesting. BUT... Always arguing! There is no real conflict in the book. Buy the middle of the book, I couldn't stand the heroin. She slaps the hero twice and he is suppose to fall in love with her? Please write something I can believe.

[Carrie Goins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love or hate this book. I just never really connected with the characters. It was a good short read after a series though.
I definitely won't be reaching for it again, but this is my Aunt's favorite book and I told her I'd read it.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

gd read

[Debby · Rating 2 out of 5]

She keeps worshipping that other guy. I don’t like it when the h (or H) has eyes for someone else.

[AnneMarie White · Rating 1 out of 5]

A domineering "hero" is no hero at all

I cannot seem to enjoy this book enough to finish reading it. I find the "hero" to be domineering at best. Manhandling women is not okay in real life, why would it be okay in a book. The end (true love) does not justify the means (Manhandling, disrespect, forcing affection on an unwilling participant, etc). If my husband had treated me like that we would not be married. If I saw my son behave that way we would be having a very serious conversation about how people are to be treated. I am sad that a book I looked forward to reading disappointed me so greatly.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rolled my eyes through the first half of the book, but once they arrived in Oklahoma and I learned a little more about the rodeo circuit and the history of Oklahoma I actually enjoyed the story. Did you know that Oklahoma City is the only state capital with an oil well underneath? Makes sense, but I didn’t know it. So, it was melodramatic, but the small historical details made it tolerable.

there's more on my blog http://stacybuckeye.wordpress.com/201...

[Jacqueline J]

sequel

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

The man handling of the main character can be really cringey. The leading man is always cutting her down and at times physically assaulting her under the guise of romance.

I do really love the history that's included, there's interesting facts about the state throughout that pique curiosity