Big Sky Country (The Parable Book 1)

Despite a promising beginning, this novel is a mess. Within a few short chapters it started to drag, with lots of details that contributed nothing to the plot. For example, lots of words to describe how the heroine gets ready in the morning (she showers, tames her frizzy hair in a pony tail or a braid, etc.) and goes to work. The first time I thought it was to give us an idea of how she looked when H sees her, or something like that. But no, there is no purpose to the detail and we have to read it almost every time someone gets up and ready to face the day - all through the book.Then while the lust between H/h is well done, it is hard to see where forever-after love comes in - there really isn't enough communication between them to make the love believable. There is lots about the dog and cat but they feel like filler. Oh, and how come we had to read pages about the cat's pregnancy and never hear about the kittens? There are also a lot of unanswered plot questions which are never resolved and presumably are meant to whet your appetite for the next installment (e.g. what happened in London? to name but one unanswered question) -- it had the opposite effect on me; I will not be reading the sequels. I cannot recommend this book and I wish I hadn't spent the hours reading it all the way through, I should have stopped as soon as it started to drag.

I am half way through and there's been precious little action in the book. Some errands, a barbecue, a horseback ride, and a lot of feeding of pets. Do I really need pages and pages of making coffee and sandwiches? Where is the substance? I'm not talking about sex. But no one's getting laid, either. I never give up on books but this books is feeling like a chore.Edited to add: I skimmed through to the end. I could not care less about Joslyn and Slade. I do have one question: where the hell are the damn kittens?This book sucks.

Quite a bit of fluff. So predictable and formulaic. I got it thinking it would be somewhat about the Montana setting....wrong...the geographic references , which were few and far between,we're totally inaccurate. This very light romance could have been set anywhere in the west. Don't waste your time or $. Hard to imagine a whole series about the fictional town of Parable and it's shallow characters. No thanks.

The beginning of this book almost had me putting it down. It took me forever to be able to tell the two half-brothers, Slade and Hutch, apart. It wasn't until I started seeing their families around them that their names really started to stick for me - which made some things a tad confusing at first.Now once I got that little piece of information down, the story was quite good. It was told in a slow, easy pace that seemed to reflect the life in Parable, Montana - a small town where everyone seems to know everyone and things take a long time to change. What I learned of the town was amazing, makes me want to visit to get away from the city and find a little peace and fresh air - and stare at all the cowboys.The romance between Slade and Joslyn was very slow to build up. But that is what real life is like - it takes time to get to know someone all over again and make the decision to open your heart. Joslyn took a huge risk returning to Parable after her step-father did a lot of damage to a lot of people. She wants to fix what he did - but things aren't always as easy as they seem and she knows that.Slade is dealing with his own family drama - the kind this small town will be talking about for ages. But he doesn't really seem to care about what the town thinks or talks about. He's going to sit and thing about things before making any decisions. That's just the type of guy he is. So when he sees Joslyn for the first time in years, he's taken aback. Especially by his body's reaction to her.Theirs was a sweet and slow romance that you really just fell into to. It was a lazy afternoon of lounging in the sun just to enjoy it. I look forward to visiting Parable again to see what everyone is up to and find out who is next to fall in love.

Big Sky Country is the first in a new series by best-selling author Linda Lael Miller. Set in the town of Parable, Montana, it offers a glimpse of a small town and the rugged men and women who inhabit it.Sheriff Slade Barlow is the illegitimate son of wealthy-and now deceased--rancher John Carmody. Slade is a hometown boy, often looked down on for his humble beginnings. He's had a failed marriage and isn't looking for anyone, but that's before Josslyn Kirk returns to the town where she grew up. Joss lived in a mansion belonging to her stepfather. She was rich, priviledged and, admittedly spoiled. But that has changed, and she's back, needing to right some wrongs, even though she wasn't to blame. Two friends stood by her-Kendra Shepard and John Carmody's son, Hutch. She's come to work for Kendra in her real estate office.Soon after arriving, she runs into Slade Barlow and the sparks begin to ignite. There's a lot of mis-concepts to put to rest. Slade didn't run in Joss' circle, and even thought he's attracted to her, he knows they're worlds apart. It doesn't help that she's friends with his step-brother, with whom he doesn't get along. And worse, when Slade discovers the man who never acknowledged his while living, has left him a grand inheritance, it only compounds his troubles with Hutch.This is a complex story, well told. The reader sees the conflicts that drive each character, sees Slade's tender relationship with his mother and his stepdaughter. Joss finds herself wanting to fit in to a town that both likes and condemns her. And she can't get her desire for Slade out of her system.Readers will enjoy Slade's interaction with stepdaughter Shea, Joss' encounters and discussions with various four-footed creatures and her joy at being reunited with beloved housekeeper Opal. The romance is slow-moving in the nicest way. And when Joss and Slade finally get together, there are sparks enough to ignite the town. Ms. Miller is an expert at believable passion and she writes a beautifully paced story.4.5 stars.

Oh I found me a new author!! I thoroughly enjoyed all of the "Big Sky" books and have read each one. If I was to find fault I would say Linda Lael Miller drags out the anticipatory anxiety of the romance a bit too much and the romantic couple seem to get together all of a sudden at the end of the book.

As expected. It's a good story.

I buy this book because i like linda lael miller & it a good book can read it over again.

Good read

While I enjoyed the characters, I felt the story was slow for the first 85-90% then a big surge to the end. I think pacing would have went a long way.