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jscarpa14's review against another edition
3.0
***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***
Steven Creed has just become the adoptive parent of his best friend’s 5 year old orphan son. He wants to give Matt a new start, stability and somehow make up for all the pain in the little boys life. Finding relatives in Stone Creek, Steven buys a rundown ranch and since money isn’t something he worries about set about fixing it up, while open a pro-bono defense attorney’s office in the little town. He’s done his best to create a quiet life for Matt and himself but when he meets district attorney Melissa O’Ballivan sparks fly and his life becomes anything but quiet and predictable. Matt pegs Melissa as the woman he wants as his new mom from the moment he meets her and Melissa falls instantly for the little boy and his sexy Dad. But can two opposing councils make love work?
The story was alright but a lot of things didn’t set right with me. The biggest of which is the way the views on strong independent women come across. Whether intentional or nor Miller gives the impression that there’s something wrong with being a strong career minded female who takes crap from no one. She’s basically saying if said woman wants love and a family she needs to change her ideas about her career and lifestyle. And she goes so far as to have the female lead making a change in careers from prestigious district attorney to some sort of charity animal shelter legal counsel in order to make the love story work. I’m sorry but I have a lot of respect for women who make their way into powerful careers like that. I find it offensive that to have love, the woman has to defend puppies and kittens instead of putting criminals behind bars where they belong. She doesn’t ask the guy to change his career or his plan in fact the stubborn man isn’t really required to change at all, the female lead instead over hauls her life to fit his and the idea of that is all sorts of wrong and in the real world the relationship she’s created here would stand no long chance what so ever because eventually Melissa would resent what her relationship with Steven cost her. So that alone put this book on all the wrong foot with me. The next big thing that got me was Matt, Miller pulled the ultimate kid copout here by describing Matt as gifted so she didn’t have to create a realistic five year old. The boy is like a cross between an adult and a toddler and hiss eccentricities are supposed to be acceptable because he’s gifted. It’s not an uncommon copout to take, but it irritates me when writers do so just because they want kids in their story and don’t know how to create an accurate one. And for a writer with Miller’s experience its beyond unacceptable. Another thing that put this off for me is the discrepancies in the book. And I don’t mean between this and another book but between one chapter and the next in this one. We have one scene where Steven is acting as Nathan Carter’s attorney in the jail and a few chapters later his supposedly meeting Nathan for the first time? What meeting in the jail doesn’t count? I mean seriously discrepancies are irritating enough when they’re between two different series novels they are completely unacceptable in the contents of the same novel. And then there’s the love story Steven says some nasty things to Melissa when they’re opponents making it seem like she’s the bad guy for doing her job and she just shrugs it off like it’s okay somehow and falls head over heels for him. I guess it was more than a few things that didn’t set right for me in the novel. However the close-third person narrative which alternated between Melissa and Steven’s points of view did have its positive attributes as well. It included a few humorous scenes and didn’t use sex to tell the story. Granted the first sex scene was too soon and didn’t make any sense in the how and when it happened, but since the story only offered two I guess that’s acceptable. However with the above mentioned flaws and a plot that had too much going on it’s hard to call the book well written.
The characters were however very well developed. Both Melissa and Steven had flaws and strengths and came across as distinctive individuals. The same can be said for the secondary characters, though there were many they were for the most part well developed, distinctive and memorable.
Overall readers of contemporary western romance may enjoy the novel but I definitely wouldn’t cite the book as one of Miller’s better works. It wasn’t a bad book per say but definitely not one I’d want to read twice, I’m not even sure I really want to have read it once.
Steven Creed has just become the adoptive parent of his best friend’s 5 year old orphan son. He wants to give Matt a new start, stability and somehow make up for all the pain in the little boys life. Finding relatives in Stone Creek, Steven buys a rundown ranch and since money isn’t something he worries about set about fixing it up, while open a pro-bono defense attorney’s office in the little town. He’s done his best to create a quiet life for Matt and himself but when he meets district attorney Melissa O’Ballivan sparks fly and his life becomes anything but quiet and predictable. Matt pegs Melissa as the woman he wants as his new mom from the moment he meets her and Melissa falls instantly for the little boy and his sexy Dad. But can two opposing councils make love work?
The story was alright but a lot of things didn’t set right with me. The biggest of which is the way the views on strong independent women come across. Whether intentional or nor Miller gives the impression that there’s something wrong with being a strong career minded female who takes crap from no one. She’s basically saying if said woman wants love and a family she needs to change her ideas about her career and lifestyle. And she goes so far as to have the female lead making a change in careers from prestigious district attorney to some sort of charity animal shelter legal counsel in order to make the love story work. I’m sorry but I have a lot of respect for women who make their way into powerful careers like that. I find it offensive that to have love, the woman has to defend puppies and kittens instead of putting criminals behind bars where they belong. She doesn’t ask the guy to change his career or his plan in fact the stubborn man isn’t really required to change at all, the female lead instead over hauls her life to fit his and the idea of that is all sorts of wrong and in the real world the relationship she’s created here would stand no long chance what so ever because eventually Melissa would resent what her relationship with Steven cost her. So that alone put this book on all the wrong foot with me. The next big thing that got me was Matt, Miller pulled the ultimate kid copout here by describing Matt as gifted so she didn’t have to create a realistic five year old. The boy is like a cross between an adult and a toddler and hiss eccentricities are supposed to be acceptable because he’s gifted. It’s not an uncommon copout to take, but it irritates me when writers do so just because they want kids in their story and don’t know how to create an accurate one. And for a writer with Miller’s experience its beyond unacceptable. Another thing that put this off for me is the discrepancies in the book. And I don’t mean between this and another book but between one chapter and the next in this one. We have one scene where Steven is acting as Nathan Carter’s attorney in the jail and a few chapters later his supposedly meeting Nathan for the first time? What meeting in the jail doesn’t count? I mean seriously discrepancies are irritating enough when they’re between two different series novels they are completely unacceptable in the contents of the same novel. And then there’s the love story Steven says some nasty things to Melissa when they’re opponents making it seem like she’s the bad guy for doing her job and she just shrugs it off like it’s okay somehow and falls head over heels for him. I guess it was more than a few things that didn’t set right for me in the novel. However the close-third person narrative which alternated between Melissa and Steven’s points of view did have its positive attributes as well. It included a few humorous scenes and didn’t use sex to tell the story. Granted the first sex scene was too soon and didn’t make any sense in the how and when it happened, but since the story only offered two I guess that’s acceptable. However with the above mentioned flaws and a plot that had too much going on it’s hard to call the book well written.
The characters were however very well developed. Both Melissa and Steven had flaws and strengths and came across as distinctive individuals. The same can be said for the secondary characters, though there were many they were for the most part well developed, distinctive and memorable.
Overall readers of contemporary western romance may enjoy the novel but I definitely wouldn’t cite the book as one of Miller’s better works. It wasn’t a bad book per say but definitely not one I’d want to read twice, I’m not even sure I really want to have read it once.
kairosdreaming's review
3.0
*This review is based off of a Free Advanced Reader's Copy. Obtained through the Goodreads First Reads program.
This was the first work I've read by Linda Lael Miller so I don't know much about the other books by her, other than they're all related in some way. So I guess I missed out on a lot of background, which is ok, I still was able to understand most of what was going on in this book (it is the first of ITS series after all). I thought, as far as romances go, that it was average. There were some good parts but there were also many flaws that I found as well.
Steven Creed has become the newly adopted father of his dead friend's son. Sensing that his high powered life isn't a good fit for the boy, he buys a run down old ranch in Stone Creek and sets up a pro-bono defense lawyer's shop there. He and his son Matt are adjusting well, especially when he gets the chance to scope out local prosecutor, Melissa. Melissa too is instantly drawn to the new cowboy in town but she has a lot of other things on her plate as well. She is the parade committee chairman this year (it accompanies their annual rodeo) and someone she put in jail has just been released and has come back to town. She just doesn't have time for romance, and even if she did, she wouldn't want to risk getting attached again anyway.
The characters in this book were only half developed. We knew a little bit about them but not really enough to ever know what their motivations were in this book. I didn't see what the attraction was (aside from looks) between Melissa and Steven. Matt was cute but he was kind of just an add-in to say quippy little lines and throw the two together. All the other side characters had their roles, and I actually thought they were written better than the main characters.
As far as plot goes I suppose this is what could go on in a small town, but some of it felt contrived and rushed, especially towards the end. I did like the concept of a high powered lawyer going rancher, but then since he decides to work full time as a pro-bono lawyer, it took that away. Miller's writing is full of references to current pop culture as well. Maybe its just me, but I'm not a big fan of this, it ages the book too quickly and makes it less relevant for later times (references to the show The Bachelor in here as an example). There are also a couple of sex scenes so this book may not be appropriate for those who aren't fans of reading about this aspect of romance. I know it sounds like I'm throwing out a lot of negatives, but this book did end up entertaining me. I don't ask a lot from the romances I read, they are just brain candy, and a good way to settle down and relax. Which I was able to do with this book.
I just don't think this is one of the better formulated romances out there, but as said before I was entertained. I'll probably take a look at some of her other works as well just to learn about the widespread families that are mentioned in this book and are the main characters of her others.
A Creed In Stone Creek
Copyright 2011
384 pages
This was the first work I've read by Linda Lael Miller so I don't know much about the other books by her, other than they're all related in some way. So I guess I missed out on a lot of background, which is ok, I still was able to understand most of what was going on in this book (it is the first of ITS series after all). I thought, as far as romances go, that it was average. There were some good parts but there were also many flaws that I found as well.
Steven Creed has become the newly adopted father of his dead friend's son. Sensing that his high powered life isn't a good fit for the boy, he buys a run down old ranch in Stone Creek and sets up a pro-bono defense lawyer's shop there. He and his son Matt are adjusting well, especially when he gets the chance to scope out local prosecutor, Melissa. Melissa too is instantly drawn to the new cowboy in town but she has a lot of other things on her plate as well. She is the parade committee chairman this year (it accompanies their annual rodeo) and someone she put in jail has just been released and has come back to town. She just doesn't have time for romance, and even if she did, she wouldn't want to risk getting attached again anyway.
The characters in this book were only half developed. We knew a little bit about them but not really enough to ever know what their motivations were in this book. I didn't see what the attraction was (aside from looks) between Melissa and Steven. Matt was cute but he was kind of just an add-in to say quippy little lines and throw the two together. All the other side characters had their roles, and I actually thought they were written better than the main characters.
As far as plot goes I suppose this is what could go on in a small town, but some of it felt contrived and rushed, especially towards the end. I did like the concept of a high powered lawyer going rancher, but then since he decides to work full time as a pro-bono lawyer, it took that away. Miller's writing is full of references to current pop culture as well. Maybe its just me, but I'm not a big fan of this, it ages the book too quickly and makes it less relevant for later times (references to the show The Bachelor in here as an example). There are also a couple of sex scenes so this book may not be appropriate for those who aren't fans of reading about this aspect of romance. I know it sounds like I'm throwing out a lot of negatives, but this book did end up entertaining me. I don't ask a lot from the romances I read, they are just brain candy, and a good way to settle down and relax. Which I was able to do with this book.
I just don't think this is one of the better formulated romances out there, but as said before I was entertained. I'll probably take a look at some of her other works as well just to learn about the widespread families that are mentioned in this book and are the main characters of her others.
A Creed In Stone Creek
Copyright 2011
384 pages
shelleyrae's review
2.0
There was a time when I would have swooned at the idea of a millionaire cowboy hero with a heart of gold, riding into town and saving the lonely spinster from a life without love and babies, however it has been sometime since I have found this plot very satisfying. Unfortunately I found Miller's story to be naive and, despite the contemporary setting and a few intimate scenes, rather old fashioned. The book's label as a contemporary romance hides a plot that feels transplanted from the 1970's (except Melissa would have been a secretary instead of a lawyer).
Miller paints her characters with a brush laden with sterotypes. Despite a successful career as a prosecutor, "..an amazing body..", owning her own home and a custom roadster, Melissa who is barely 30, laments her life is empty without a man and babies to share it with.
Steven is a handsome defense attorney from a moneyed family whose summers at his father's ranch qualifies him as a cowboy and whose heart of gold is proved by his adoption of his best friends orphan son. Had Melissa had a bit more self esteem, Steve been a little less perfect and Matt not nearly as precocious, I would have been more willing to surrender to the fairytale of happy ever after.
The romance seemed to center around Melissa's biological clock, with the mutual attraction between the pair a lucky concidence. The relationship conflicts seemed hollow and inconsistent with Melissa's character in particular. I didn't think her sudden bitterness about their opposing lawyer roles made much sense.
I was much more interested in Byron's storyline, and would have liked to have had more depth to it. I also enjoyed the naked, dancing senior citizens and the toilet paper war. I just felt that the connections between the subplots and main storyline weren't as cohesive as they could have been.
I had hoped to enjoy the story more but A Creed in Stone Creek was an undemanding and quick read. I am sure fans of Millers McKettricks, Montana Creeds and Stone Creek series will be happy with this latest installment, as will romance readers dreaming of rescue by prince charming.
Miller paints her characters with a brush laden with sterotypes. Despite a successful career as a prosecutor, "..an amazing body..", owning her own home and a custom roadster, Melissa who is barely 30, laments her life is empty without a man and babies to share it with.
Steven is a handsome defense attorney from a moneyed family whose summers at his father's ranch qualifies him as a cowboy and whose heart of gold is proved by his adoption of his best friends orphan son. Had Melissa had a bit more self esteem, Steve been a little less perfect and Matt not nearly as precocious, I would have been more willing to surrender to the fairytale of happy ever after.
The romance seemed to center around Melissa's biological clock, with the mutual attraction between the pair a lucky concidence. The relationship conflicts seemed hollow and inconsistent with Melissa's character in particular. I didn't think her sudden bitterness about their opposing lawyer roles made much sense.
I was much more interested in Byron's storyline, and would have liked to have had more depth to it. I also enjoyed the naked, dancing senior citizens and the toilet paper war. I just felt that the connections between the subplots and main storyline weren't as cohesive as they could have been.
I had hoped to enjoy the story more but A Creed in Stone Creek was an undemanding and quick read. I am sure fans of Millers McKettricks, Montana Creeds and Stone Creek series will be happy with this latest installment, as will romance readers dreaming of rescue by prince charming.
setaian's review
2.0
"A good story is life with all the boring
bits taken out."
- Alfred Hitchcock
He found a flower shop after some searching, but it was closed. From there he proceeded to the supermarket. He'd seen seen roses and various house plants in the produce section of grocery stores lots of times. He'd have preferred something a little fancier, a big bouquet with exotic blossoms and a ribbon tied around the vase but for tonight anyhow he'd have to make do. Inside the store, Steven chose between daisies, rose-buds just opening up, and what was probably some kind of lily. He considered buying several bunches and putting them together but he wasn't sure which colors went with which so he settled for a dozen yellow roses.
I blame Facebook. Before Facebook nobody was really interested in the fact that you had a tomato sandwich for lunch.
Things I would rather do than finish this book
Attend the synchronized swimming final at the Commonwealth Games.
Go to a Star Wars convention dressed as Darth Vader
Watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy on an iPod Touch
elvenavari's review
4.0
The chemistry between Steven and Melissa sizzled right off the page. The story was touching in parts and all in all a good read.
lumbermouth's review
3.0
Adopted son: yes
adopted dog: yes
lady with career incomplete without husband and baby: yes
references to previous animal whisperer/ghost time travel canon: yes
adopted dog: yes
lady with career incomplete without husband and baby: yes
references to previous animal whisperer/ghost time travel canon: yes
cifritz's review
3.0
I have been burning my way through the romance genre for research purposes and this is one of the first ones I read. The plot was believable but I think I like more groveling in my men.
darcijo's review
3.0
This cover makes the book look like a Harlequin romance novel and I wasn't sure I wanted to read it. I needed the genre though for a contest at the library, so I read it. It was pretty good and I would actually read more of the series.
missie_bee's review
3.0
Hello, Cherry Pop, on my very first western romance read! And I can't think of a nicer way to get introduced to the genre than saddling up with the Creed men.
I really don't think there is anything hotter (or sweeter) than a handsome, single, and well-off man adopting his best friend's son after tragedy strikes the family. But that is Steven Creed for you. A honorable heartthrob who vows to take the little boy, Matt, who lost both his parents, and do right by him.
Eager to establish his own roots with Matt, Steven buys himself a run down ranch, a fixer upper that his is all to pleased to make his own, in Stone Creek, thinking it will be a great place to raise the new charge that now owns his heart completely.
Upon arriving at Stone Creek, Steven soon meets the beautiful and smart county prosecutor, Melissa. But being that Steven is a criminal defense attorney, it doesn't take the two of them long to butt heads... and other things. Still, Melissa doesn't know if she can find a place in her life for a man with an adopted son.
I guess I shouldn't have been, but what surprised me the most was how slow going the story was. It seemed like it took forever to get the story moving and then when it did get somewhere, it seemed likely to never wrap up.
The set up was rich, telling of family histories and giving background stories for the main and secondary characters. There were a lot of people to keep track of, but it never felt overwhelming because of how thoroughly explained they were.
I did feel that the conflict between Steven and Melissa was forced. I mean, why would she sleep with Steven on their first date, declare it the best sex she's ever had, then not talk to him for weeks because he agrees to help advise a young man who finds himself wrongly accused? She was a bit too silly and over exaggerated at times for my taste.
Needless to say, that whole situation was a little off putting, but thankfully, Steven was a take charge kind of fellow who quickly won me over with his quiet sentimentality and honest demeanor. All in all, Steven, his adorable son, and the mystery behind his twin cousins, Brody and Connor, who are feuding kept me hooked in the story. Since I'm anxious to find out if those twin brothers can work out their differences, I'll definitely be checking out the next book in the series, Creed's Honor.
http://www.theunreadreader.com/2011/06/review-creed-in-stone-creek.html