Contemporary Springwater

Linda Lael Miller transports readers to the rugged beauty of the American West, where Springwater, Montana, once a dusty stagecoach stop, is now a frontier town for the twenty-first century. Cattle rustlers have gone high-tech, and the Internet is the newest highway in town. But Springwater is still a place of strong passions and second chances.

Maggie McCaffrey came home determined to restore the dilapidated Springwater Station. But she didn’t count on running into deputy marshal J.T. Wainwright, the hometown boy who broke her hearts years before. No sooner does J.T. lay eyes on Maggie – and realize that she’s always been the only woman for him – than the peaceful town erupts with a wave of deadly attacks on neighboring ranchers. Now, one homegrown cowboy lawman must face down some very sophisticated outlaws. Because if he can just get Maggie to say "yes," he’s got a wedding to attend...


I got to visit the town of Springwater (founded in the late 1800s) one last time in the book Springwater Wedding by Linda Lael Miller. It’s the final novel in the series but it’s set in present day with the descendants of the very first people of Springwater (the McCaffrey’s & the Wainwrights) as the main characters. In it Miller blends the past with the present in some ways that I thought was very nice but this Springwater just didn’t have the same friendly, small-town feel to it nor is the community as close-knit as it was back in June-Bug’s day (although you can tell that it’s still a nicer town than most).

Meeting the descendants of my favorite town and seeing how Springwater has grown was a real treat but I just didn’t care for the main heroine Maggie McCaffrey. She annoyed me to no end because she cried at the drop of a hat when I know for a fact that her ancestors were built of stronger stuff. Especially the women! I liked J.T. and the rest of the people in the town though and I wouldn’t mind finding out more about them someday.

In each book of the Springwater series, Mrs. Miller makes the reader feel like they’re a part of the community but in trying to do so in Springwater Wedding, she just made the book feel strained under the weight of so many relationships and information. Nonetheless, it was still a good story, just not as wonderful as the rest of the series.

Springwater Seasons
Springwater (1998)
Jessica (1999)
Miranda (1999)
Rachel (1999)
Savannah (1999)
A Springwater Christmas (1999)
Springwater Wedding (2001)

Roughing It in the Old Frontier

Evangeline Keating came west because she had to: after her husband's passing, she needed to build a new life for her young daughter, and marrying a stranger from Montana Territory was her best chance. After a difficult winter journey, she arrives at an isolated outpost called Springwater Station. But the handsome man who's come for her is not her husband-to-be, and Evangeline soon finds herself thrust into a most inconvenient -- and highly improper -- arrangement.

Scully Wainwright never intended to be left alone with his ranching partner's fiancée. But his partner's not due back until spring, and he can't leave a defenseless woman and her child unguarded -- not with wolves and Indians threatening. Biding his time with the lovely Evangeline begins to feel dangerously close to setting up a real home. But as a reckless passion sparks between them, Scully and Evangeline discover a destiny -- and a passion -- as boundless as the open frontier.

Title: Springwater

Author: Linda Lael Miller

Series: Springwater Seasons, Book 1

Published: December 1, 1998

Publisher: Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster)

Pages: 304

Genre: Historical Romance

Springwater is the first book by author Linda Lael Miller that I’ve ever read and it’s also the first in the Springwater series. It’s a historical romance set in the Montana Territories shortly after the Civil War. I loved the isolated setting of the cabin and how beautifully the landscape is described. Even though the characters are so far from the town, the story never sags or gets boring. I’m really looking forward to reading this series!

Springwater Seasons
Springwater (1998)
Jessica (1999)
Miranda (1999)
Rachel (1999)
Savannah (1999)
A Springwater Christmas (1999)
Springwater Wedding (2001)

First Paragraph: She would never, in her long, long life, forget that first sight of him, riding through fresh snow high as the breast of his Appaloosa stallion, with the sky broad and ice blue at his back. Never forget those gleaming golden moments when she thought he was someone he was not.

Find Linda Lael Miller Online
Official Site
Blog

Links:

Clothes from the 1870's

Author Wikipedia

Source: Personal copy, paperback

Related Reviews
Linda Lael Miller
Forever and the Night (1993)

Springwater: Five Years Later

Intelligent and outspoken, Jessica Barnes will never make a docile wife, and she’s never met a man who’s wanted anything more. She left her home back East to help her seriously ill brother run the Springwater Gazette, but she arrives in town to find the family in upheaval and the newspaper about to go bankrupt. Ever efficient, and not shy with her opinions, Jessica rolls up her sleeves and takes charge. Springwater has never met a woman like Jessica, a fact which becomes abundantly clear to one of the town’s most distinguished men.

As mayor of Springwater, Gage Calloway can’t stand the way Jessica criticizes his decisions. As a man, though, Gage is finding her a delectable armful he would dearly love to know better. And when a blizzard strikes, stranding them alone, these two strong-willed people find a passion in common they’d never thought possible.


The story of Jessica Barnes is told in the historical western romance called Jessica by Linda Lael Miller. It’s the fifth book in the Springwater series and there are actually only two more in this series (although Ms. Miller has said she might do more) that I have left to read. I’m pleased to say this is the last of the short ones (150 pages) though.

I have to admit that I was a little upset that Jessica takes place five years after Miranda (in the winter of 1880) but it was nice to meet new people and see how much the little stagecoach stop has grown. It’s actually a town now with a mayor and everything! The people in Springwater and their families have grown a lot as well.

This was such a good story! Jessica was a little harsh and snippy at first for my taste and Gage had his own shortcomings but I liked both of them by the end. I have to admit it was fun to see the two of them match wills though. I can’t wait to come back to this enchanting little town when I read A Springwater Christmas.

Springwater Seasons
Springwater (1998)
Jessica (1999)
Miranda (1999)
Rachel (1999)
Savannah (1999)
A Springwater Christmas (1999)
Springwater Wedding (2001)

There’s No Place Like Springwater for the Holidays

When Jack McLaughlin drifted into Springwater, he carried little more with him than his bitter memories of the Civil War – and the shattering secret of a promise betrayed in the heat of battle. Wounded soul-deep, and fearing the wrath of his own parents, Jack has hidden his identity and come to Springwater to see his mother and father from afar, even if he can’t bear to face them. Taking odd jobs and keeping a low profile, Jack finds a safe haven at the town’s rooming house.

Olivia Darling had never done anything impulsive – until she left the east and opened a boarding house in Springwater. But still an outsider at heart, and struggling to make a success of her business, Olivia finds herself turning to the other newcomer in town, the rough-hewn and embittered man she’s taken in. As the Christmas season brings them together, Olivia finds in Jack’s arms a passionate sweetness she never knew existed. And with the stunning revelation of Jack’s true identity, all of Springwater witnesses a heartwarming reunion that will change their lives forever.


Linda Lael Miller's Springwater Christmas is the last story in the Springwater series set in the late 1800's. There is one more book after this one but it’s set in present day so I’m not sure how I’m going to feel about it yet. All I know is that I’m going to miss visiting this place! The town and the people sure have grown since I first met them and now that I have to leave the rustic Springwater for good it’s kind of bittersweet. I’ll miss everyone so much but at least I’ll know what happened to everyone and the town when I read Springwater Wedding.

I enjoyed Olivia and Jack’s story and although Olivia is a bit of a pain at first, you eventually get used to her and she starts to soften up. I always assumed that at least one of the McCaffrey’s boys was alive, because they’re mentioned in just about every book but this went above and beyond my expectations! I sincerely hope that I have interested someone in this fabulous western romance series from all of the posting I have done on these books.

Springwater Seasons

Springwater (1998)

Jessica (1999)

Miranda (1999)

Rachel (1999)

Savannah (1999)

A Springwater Christmas (1999)

Springwater Wedding (2001)

~Songs Mentioned in this book:
Lorena, In the Garden, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Silent Night

Reminder: As always, the pictures are also links to various things (interviews, information, etc.)

Even Teachers Need Learn How to Love

Rachel English has traveled to Springwater to take a post as the frontier town’s first teacher. Although the ramshackle schoolhouse – and her half-wild pupils – are not what she has envisioned, Rachel spiritedly makes the best of her new surroundings. But when she takes a stand against the scandalous saloon across the road from the school, she is more than surprised by her own powerful attraction to the bar’s part-owner, handsome widower Trey Hargreaves.

The father of a beautiful part-Lakota Sioux girl, Trey appears to be everything that Rachel, with her proper Eastern upbringing, should avoid. When Rachel’s fiancé died during the Civil war, she turned her passions to teaching, and closed a door in her heart. Now Trey, with his troubled past, is the only man who can soothe her hidden sorrow, and give Rachel a chance to embrace the love of a lifetime.

I really enjoyed Rachel by Linda Lael Miller. It’s the second book in the Springwater Seasons series and you get to see the little stagecoach start to slowly start to grow into a proper town. Each of the books feature a different woman finding love in the heart of the tiny western town (more of a settlement really) in the Montana Territory a few years after the Civil War. This is the story of Evangeline’s (from the first book called, aptly enough: Springwater, which is set 4 years before this one) school teacher friend Rachel English.

This is only the second book I’ve read by Ms. Miller but what I find most intriguing about her heroines, (besides the fact that they are so well-written!) is that all of them are stubborn, strong-willed women that have seen and endured many hardships. None of them are afraid to get their hands dirty but I guess you had to be pretty tough back then, especially if you were a woman.

The only problem I had with this book is that it’s just too short! Actually the next couple of books in the series are all incredibly short (unless you get Springwater Seasons which is all of the "name" books put together into one novel) but they are still just as rich in detail. It feels good to visit Springwater again!

Springwater Seasons
Springwater (1998)
Jessica (1999)
Miranda (1999)
Rachel (1999)
Savannah (1999)
A Springwater Christmas (1999)
Springwater Wedding (2001)

Here is the song Lorena that Trey and Rachel dance to.

Love Can Heal All

Savannah Rigbey has made a living pouring whiskey and singing in saloons since she was sixteen years old. She’s come to Springwater to take up her half-ownership of the local bar – but her work begins before she even sets foot in town. On the stagecoach to Springwater, a young girl goes into labor – and Savannah, with her level head and steady hand, aids a gruff doctor in abating a crisis.

Dr. Prescott Parrish has never met a woman like Savannah. Despite her rouge and bangles, she is a virtuous – though decidedly stubborn – woman, who ignites his most infuriating emotions. But behind his prickly exterior, Pres harbors painful memories of the Civil War, heartache that may be soothed by a new and fulfilling love. Slowly, Pres and Savannah begin to see each other for who they really are, with masks removed – and with passion flaring unexpectedly...


Savannah is the third book in the Springwater series by Linda Lael Miller which I’m currently working my way through. It’s a wonderful historical western romance that takes place in a tiny, stagecoach-stop town (that slowly starts to grow in every book) in the Montana Territory. This story picks up where the last book (Rachel) left off a year later in the summer of 1875.

If I had to pick one of the women I’ve met so far in the Springwater series as my favorite, Savannah would be near the top (after Miss June Bug of course!). She is such a caring and interesting person, which is really surprising considering the hard life she’s had. She’s a brave person too because women in general, didn’t own their own businesses and particularly not saloons! I was very happy with her decision at the end though. I do like all of the men of Springwater but Pres isn’t my favorite (I rather like Trey and Scully). He’s still a very good character though even if he’s a bit rough around the edges.

This was a very sweet story and my only regret is that it wasn’t long enough (all of the "name books" in the series are only 150 pages long unless you read Springwater Seasons which is all of them compiled into one volume)! I’m really looking forward to spending some more time in Springwater soon.

Springwater Seasons
Springwater (1998)
Jessica (1999)
Miranda (1999)
Rachel (1999)
Savannah (1999)
A Springwater Christmas (1999)
Springwater Wedding (2001)

~ I don’t recommend trying to read the series as out of order because although each could stand alone, the plots from the previous books are given away in each successive story.

Miranda’s Story

Thrown out by her father for bearing an illegitimate child, Miranda Leebrook and her newborn ended up in Springwater completely by chance. But in this kindly town, Miranda finds what she most desires: acceptance and friendship for herself and her baby boy. When rancher Landry Kildare offers her a marriage of convenience, Miranda accepts, and is happy at last to find a place to settle down.

To Landry’s way of thinking, the arrangement is purely practical: Miranda needs a home, and he is desperate for a caretaker for his two mischievous boys. But Miranda’s sweet sensuality soon has his thoughts turning in a different direction. With Miranda as his wife, Landry wants nothing more than to show her all the joys of life, and share with her the daily surprises, special moments, and deepening passion of a marriage that was meant to be.


Miranda by Linda Lael Miller, is the fourth book in the historical Springwater western romance series; that takes place the fall of the same year that the previous book Savannah was set in (1875). We actually first meet Miranda in Savannah’s book on the first page because Savannah helped deliver her baby.

I thought that this story was actually one of the most exciting and intriguing of all the books in the series. There is actually a villain and real obstacles for the main character to overcome and you get to watch a sweet love slowly start to grow. Miranda may be a fallen woman but she’s still innocent and somewhat naive. I had a harder time with liking her at first that I didn’t have with any other of the Springwater women because although she isn’t stupid by any means, she is mainly "common sense smart." I did eventually come around though and was rooting for her by the end.

This is another very short story (142 pages to be exact) that I wouldn’t have minded being a bit longer after I got over my initial disinterest in Miranda and started to like Landry (although his occupation makes me kind of sick, FYI: he raises and butchers pigs). I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series soon!

Springwater Seasons
Springwater (1998)
Jessica (1999)
Miranda (1999)
Rachel (1999)
Savannah (1999)
A Springwater Christmas (1999)
Springwater Wedding (2001)

~ I don’t recommend trying to read this series as out of order because although each could stand alone, the plots from the previous books are given away in each successive story.

Professional Girlfriend on the Run

Not much can go wrong when you're traveling first-class with your fabulously wealthy boyfriend -- until you find his wife's body in your hotel suite. Convinced she's next on Nick Noble's hit list, Jennifer Chaise takes off down the Vegas Strip armed with only her wits and a Kate Spade bag full of money. Giving herself a drastic makeover -- complete with a new name -- she lands herself a waitressing job in a nearby town. For someone used to private jets and waterfront condos, the change in lifestyle couldn't be greater. Yet, oddly enough, Jennifer couldn't be happier.

And then she meets Alex Nichols. One of the Las Vegas police department's finest, he's everything she's ever wanted. But when Nick's bodyguards arrive in town, Jennifer knows that if she wants a future she's going to have to deal with her past . . .

Title: Runaway Mistress
Author: Robyn Carr
Start & Finished: 6/14/08
Published: 2005
Publisher: MIRA Books
Pages: 376
Genre: Romance

Robyn Carr, the bestselling romance author of the Virgin River series published several stand-alone novels that were generally received well such as Runaway Mistress. This 2005 release was more of a women’s fiction novel than an actual romance that has a fresh plot with great characters.

Despite her recent popularity with her newest series, I had not had the pleasure of reading anything by Ms. Carr. Nor had I realized that I actually owned one of her books in my massive collection of unread paperback romances but while I was in the mood for a “fluff” romance, the cover and the title captured my attention. Unfortunately, this wasn’t quite as fluffy as I had hoped it would be and it actually had enough substance to pull me out of my mood for romance but since I enjoyed it, so much I’m not complaining!

Thanks to Linda Lael Miller’s Springwater series, I discovered that I have an affinity for friendly little small towns so the fact that Runaway Mistress was mainly set in one made me enjoy it even more. I sincerely hope Carr decides to go back to this little Nevada town someday, maybe using Buzz (the person who gives Jennifer a job when she comes to town) as the main character? I'd like to see him happily settled and find out more about the pretty much unofficial "meals on wheels" thing he has going. I guess I'm hoping for a contemporary version of what Miller did with Springwater.

This was a wonderful town with very interesting characters. I'm honestly not sure whether I like the town more than the main character (although Jennifer had a good story to tell too)! Sure the whole "running away and becoming another person because of an abusive husband, boyfriend, etc. isn't exactly new (hello, Sister Act?) but Carr took a common book and movie idea and turned it into something, while not exactly new, very very good.

Links: Author (Wikipedia)

Picture Explanations
Black Lab: This is Alice. "Doris" (Jennifer) makes friends with an elderly lady at the diner and is asked to pet and house-sit when the lady goes out of the country.
Private jet: Jennifer was a professional girlfriend to one of Vegas' high-rollers whom the casino always personally flew in.
Sheep: "Doris" (Jennifer) gets up close and personal with some wild sheep on accident...