Big Sky Country with Linda Lael Miller

My Review

Slade Barlow is sherriff in Parable, Montana. This is a big deal. Slade was born out of wedlock. This is why, when his father dies, he does not expect to be mentioned in his will, let alone inherit half of Whisper Creek Ranch. This does not make Hutch, Slade's half bother too pleased. Hutch offers to purchase Slade's half of the ranch.


Joslyn Kirk used to be the town's beauty queen. She and Hutch used to date. Although Joslyn had eyes for Slade. Only Slade would not have known it as he thought she was a spoiled rich girl. Joslyn is only in town to make mends to all the people her step father burned and than she is leaving again. Joslyn's friend, Kendra tells Joslyn that she is not responsible for her step father's actions.

The longer that Joslyn stays in town the harder it is to resist Slade.

It has been a while since I have read a book by this author. Seeing that Linda Lael Miller had a new series coming out, starting with Big Sky Country, I thought I would check Mrs. Miller out again. I have to say that Mrs. Miller does know her cowboys and how to write a good book. I liked Slade. He was a gentleman but he also had a sense of humor about him. When I think of men in uniform, I don't think of sherriffs near the top five of my list but if the guy looked anything like Slade, than I woold have to make an exception. It was easy to see why Joslyn feel for Slade. Although, it felt like it took a really long time for either Joslyn or Slade to admit their feelings toward each other and hook up. For a while, I thought Slade's half brother, Hutch, was going to end up on top. Speakling of which. Hutch was a jerk in tbe beginning but as the story progressed I changed my mind about Hutch and did like him. Good thing as I can not wait to read his and Kendra's story in Big Sky Mountain.

Reading this book, it did feel like there were two stories going on...one involving Slade and Joslyn and the other involving Hutch and Kendra. I would say that this book was more on the serious side and not so much on the lovey, dovey, romance side. Still a good book. I think that fans of this authors will enjoy this new series. Big Sky Country is filled with open skies, romance, good characters, and is a nice start to a new series by Linda Lael Miller!


Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than one hundred historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West. Raised in Northport, Washington, the self-confessed barn goddess now lives in Spokane, Washington. Linda hit a career high in 2011 when all three of her Creed Cowboys books—A Creed in Stone Creek, Creed’s Honor and The Creed Legacy—debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. To learn more about Linda, visit http://www.lindalaelmiller.com/





1. What inspires you when you’re writing?


Music—especially country. I knew Johnny Cash and his lovely wife June Carter Cash personally, so of course “Jackson” gets the creative juices flowing for sure. Randy Travis is another favorite, and so is Marty Robbins. Something about their music energizes me, big-time, and starts the pictures unrolling in my brain.

2. How much, and what kinds of research went into creating this novel?

I do a sort of ongoing research—I consult a friend who’s an expert on rodeos, for instance. Most of my stories, though, are pure imagination. I try to get things right, but I’m much more interested in giving the reader an emotional experience and a little vacation from the real world.

3. How did you come up with the character, Joslyn Kirk?

Joslyn, like most of my characters, simply came to me as a brown-haired woman returning to her hometown to right an old wrong—one she’d had nothing to do with. As I wrote about Joslyn, she sort of flowered into a person I’d know if I met her on the street. It’s that way with all my story people—they become friends and I’m convinced that they’re real, somewhere.

4. Are any characters in the book based on people you know or have met in your personal life?

Not directly. They’re all composites of many people I’ve known, I suppose; once they’ve gone through the unconscious alchemy process, they develop into unique individuals in their own right.

5. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in the book?

I would worry less about getting it perfect and just have fun with the process. Since “Big Sky Country” is the first in a series, the staging has to be just right to carry not only that book, but the others coming after it.