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Montana Mavericks: 20 Years in the Saddle #6
A Very Maverick Christmas
A Christmas to Remember
Rust Creek Ramblings
Holiday greetings, dear readers! As our cozy little town battens down the hatches for the biggest blizzard Montana has ever seen, everyone is talking about mysterious newcomer Julie Smith. No one knows much about the quiet blonde, least of all herself! A tragic accident left her with no memories of her past - and no clues to her real identity. And with the Yuletide season bearing down, you've gotta wonder where the poor gal will turn for shelter.
Never let it be said that a Rust Creek rancher leaves a damsel in distress! For the way sexy cowboy Braden Traub has been looking into Julie's blue eyes, could our last living Traub bachelor provide the key to Julie's future - and her happiness? Snuggle up by the fire and join us as we discover who Julie really is and share a Christmas Rust Creek Falls will never forget!
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 18, 2014
About the author
Rachel Lee
379 books144 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Rachel Lee is a New York Times best-selling author and the winner of Six Romantic Times magazine Reviewers' Choice Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and is a five-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America's RITA® Award. She has penned a wide variety of novels in several genres including fantasy, romantic suspense, and romantic comedy. She resides in Tampa, Florida.
Rachel Lee is a New York Times best-selling author and the winner of Six Romantic Times magazine Reviewers' Choice Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and is a five-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America's RITA® Award. She has penned a wide variety of novels in several genres including fantasy, romantic suspense, and romantic comedy. She resides in Tampa, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 14, 2015
Very good book. We've seen Julie several times in previous books, always quiet and not saying much about herself. Now we discover that it's because there's not much to say. Four years earlier she had woken up in a hospital with no memories of who she was or where she had come from. She had no identification and the police never found out what happened to her. She was given a new identity and she tried to make a new life for herself.
Over the months since her recovery, she has felt a constant pull toward the state of Montana. After reading of the troubles after the flood in Rust Creek Falls she moved there to help in the recovery. She feels more at home there than anywhere else she's been, but it still doesn't feel quite right. She's haunted by her lack of memory and worried what people would say, so she doesn't tell anyone. It makes her nervous when people ask questions that she can't answer and she's learned to be somewhat evasive. It makes it impossible to have any kind of relationship, especially since she worries that she might not like the person she used to be.
Braden is the last of the unmarried Traub men. He seems like something of a recluse as he is usually very busy running the family ranch. On a rare trip into town he has a chance to meet Julie and is immediately intrigued by her. Besides the beauty that instantly attracts him, he senses a vulnerability to her. There is also that air of mystery, which gets his interest in puzzles focused on her. After a couple of times having coffee together, his interest is well and truly hooked. They are slowly getting to know each other when a freak blizzard traps them together.
It's during this time that Julie, who has remembered that her name is actually Jennifer, takes courage in hand and tells Braden about her amnesia. She worries that it will send him running, just as she's becoming more willing to take a risk with her emotions. I loved Braden's reaction. He was surprised of course, but what really impressed me was his sensitivity. He admitted that he couldn't imagine what it was like, but also made it clear that it didn't matter to the way he was beginning to feel about her. I really liked the way that he listened to her fears and tried to help her through them. He takes a big risk when he makes a phone call that could either help her or ruin what they were beginning to feel for each other.
Julie's fears were completely logical and they were creating some real dilemmas for her. She was getting comfortable in her new life so she wasn't sure if she wanted to keep searching for her past. On the other hand, the lack of a past has left a huge hole in her heart. Getting closer to Braden has made her want to know more, but also afraid of what she might find. The information he discovers makes her wonder if all her fears were well founded and she has to decide what to do with it. The ending wasn't quite what I expected, but it was very good anyway. Braden was especially sweet and awkward as he tells her of his feelings.
I liked the appearances of Braden's family and Julie's friends. It was an easy way to get a feel for her relationships with others and the effect her amnesia had on the way she went about it. I really enjoyed the teasing that Braden got from his brothers, especially Dallas. I wish there had been more about the old guy, Homer. I'd had the feeling that he was going to play a larger part in the story than he did. Hopefully there will be more of him in a future book, because I am interested in what his story is.
Over the months since her recovery, she has felt a constant pull toward the state of Montana. After reading of the troubles after the flood in Rust Creek Falls she moved there to help in the recovery. She feels more at home there than anywhere else she's been, but it still doesn't feel quite right. She's haunted by her lack of memory and worried what people would say, so she doesn't tell anyone. It makes her nervous when people ask questions that she can't answer and she's learned to be somewhat evasive. It makes it impossible to have any kind of relationship, especially since she worries that she might not like the person she used to be.
Braden is the last of the unmarried Traub men. He seems like something of a recluse as he is usually very busy running the family ranch. On a rare trip into town he has a chance to meet Julie and is immediately intrigued by her. Besides the beauty that instantly attracts him, he senses a vulnerability to her. There is also that air of mystery, which gets his interest in puzzles focused on her. After a couple of times having coffee together, his interest is well and truly hooked. They are slowly getting to know each other when a freak blizzard traps them together.
It's during this time that Julie, who has remembered that her name is actually Jennifer, takes courage in hand and tells Braden about her amnesia. She worries that it will send him running, just as she's becoming more willing to take a risk with her emotions. I loved Braden's reaction. He was surprised of course, but what really impressed me was his sensitivity. He admitted that he couldn't imagine what it was like, but also made it clear that it didn't matter to the way he was beginning to feel about her. I really liked the way that he listened to her fears and tried to help her through them. He takes a big risk when he makes a phone call that could either help her or ruin what they were beginning to feel for each other.
Julie's fears were completely logical and they were creating some real dilemmas for her. She was getting comfortable in her new life so she wasn't sure if she wanted to keep searching for her past. On the other hand, the lack of a past has left a huge hole in her heart. Getting closer to Braden has made her want to know more, but also afraid of what she might find. The information he discovers makes her wonder if all her fears were well founded and she has to decide what to do with it. The ending wasn't quite what I expected, but it was very good anyway. Braden was especially sweet and awkward as he tells her of his feelings.
I liked the appearances of Braden's family and Julie's friends. It was an easy way to get a feel for her relationships with others and the effect her amnesia had on the way she went about it. I really enjoyed the teasing that Braden got from his brothers, especially Dallas. I wish there had been more about the old guy, Homer. I'd had the feeling that he was going to play a larger part in the story than he did. Hopefully there will be more of him in a future book, because I am interested in what his story is.
January 4, 2023
Part of the Montana Mavericks series in which Julie/Jennifer doesn't really know who she is, only that mountains have drawn her to Rust Creek Falls and a tiny cabin outside of town. She fears telling anyone that she has amnesia, but when she finally shares that news with rancher Braden Traub, he doesn't reject her. Far from it! He ends up helping her find out who she might be and that the adoptive family she ran away from may still want to know that she's alive.
Too bad Braden doesn't think to use protection when they make love. Or will an unexpected baby end up cementing their relationship? We'll never know, as the tale ends before we know that.
Too bad Braden doesn't think to use protection when they make love. Or will an unexpected baby end up cementing their relationship? We'll never know, as the tale ends before we know that.
October 1, 2023
More than any time in our history, this is a lesson we all could use.
I love this book. It really made me believe that no matter what is in your past good or bad it’s you who gets to decide you want to be and how you want to live your life that’s most important. Whether you’ve gone down the wrong path in life or you’ve had a devastating speedbump we make the decisions that decide our future. It was a great reminder.
I love this book. It really made me believe that no matter what is in your past good or bad it’s you who gets to decide you want to be and how you want to live your life that’s most important. Whether you’ve gone down the wrong path in life or you’ve had a devastating speedbump we make the decisions that decide our future. It was a great reminder.
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December 7, 2023An enjoyable Christmas read.
January 22, 2026
Can you ever imagine having amnesia & not knowing your past? Not even when/where you were born? She finds a place in Montana to settle for awhile. The mountains seem familiar & she's not sure why.
December 15, 2014
"A Very Maverick Christmas" by Rachel Lee gets you hooked right at the beginning of the book. You'll find out that new local Julie Smith only knows her history back as far as 4 years. She lost her memory after a tragic accident, but slowly things are starting to come back and she eventually remembers that her name is actually Jennifer (Jenn.)
Braden Traub is the sexy, cowboy, rancher of Rust Creek Falls that has his eye on Jenn. They are thrown together and she finally opens up and lets Braden know what has happened to her. He might be the key to helping her realize her true identity, but will her past stay in the past? Jenn is afraid to find out who her true self really is because she is beginning to like the person she is now.
There is quite a bit to this story. I have to say that I didn't want to put it down. You'll enjoy the route that this book takes. It is a part of the "Montana Mavericks: 20 years in the saddle" series. If you haven't read any of the previous books I highly recommend them. You won't need to read them to keep up with this story but there will be characters that are mentioned throughout the series. Kind of like a really good saga.
Braden Traub is the sexy, cowboy, rancher of Rust Creek Falls that has his eye on Jenn. They are thrown together and she finally opens up and lets Braden know what has happened to her. He might be the key to helping her realize her true identity, but will her past stay in the past? Jenn is afraid to find out who her true self really is because she is beginning to like the person she is now.
There is quite a bit to this story. I have to say that I didn't want to put it down. You'll enjoy the route that this book takes. It is a part of the "Montana Mavericks: 20 years in the saddle" series. If you haven't read any of the previous books I highly recommend them. You won't need to read them to keep up with this story but there will be characters that are mentioned throughout the series. Kind of like a really good saga.
December 23, 2014
A Very Maverick Christmas by Rachel Lee,the last book in one of the Montana Mavericks: 20 Years In The Saddle series, was a good book. I was disappointed in one part of the book. There was this older man, Homer, a bum. He was in other books in the series. We never found out where he came from or what happens to him. Some people took him in for meals. One was able to have him sleep in an empty room in the church. He was one of the reasons I wanted to read the last book in the series. Julie Smith can't remember her past after an serious accident injured her. She can only remember the past four years since the accident. Braden Traub is interested in Julie. He helps her deal with things.
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December 1, 2014"Lee’s tale is a combination of a sweet ‘n’ spicy holiday romance with nail-biting mystery. The provincial setting complements her real-deal cowboy hero and courageous amnesiac heroine. The previous character catch-ups are great and her memory loss conundrum is intense" (RT Book Reviews, 4 stars).
Miniseries: Montana Mavericks: 20 Years in the Saddle!
Miniseries: Montana Mavericks: 20 Years in the Saddle!
August 13, 2016
Julie Smith finally finds where she belongs! With help from Braden she finally finds some answers to her questions since waking up 4 years ago with amnesia. wonderful story.
April 1, 2017
A sweet Christmas romance story set in Montana. Bachelor rancher Branden Traub is intrigued and smitten by the Amnestic Julie Smith. As cowboys are prone to do, Branden develops a soft spot for the lovely but lost lass. Despite red flags and warnings from his family to protect his heart he plunges in to the a quest to find Julie's lost background and along the way win her heart. Hey, its Christmas time - why not. Well written with good dialogue and intimacy. Highly recommended for a December read, curled up next to the fireplace.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews