Someone recommended that I read this book and it was the first of Joan Johnston's for me. The story was very touching at times, but often predictable. I will definetly give another of her books a try.

I enjoyed reading this book, but it was a little different than I thought it would be from the cover. The road to happiness was a dificult one for Delia. Some of the storyline I was not expecting. I would recommend this book.

Totally predictable. I was excited to see this author after reading The Texan and The Cowboy. This book is not even in the ball park. Characters were one-dimensional. Circumstances were unreal. If I had read this book first, I would not have ready anything else with her name on it.

Ms.Johnston did not spend time making her characters have depth. They were flat with a few hormones. I was truly disappointed. I felt like someone with a word processer and spell check, but no editor was at it again.

I thought this books was ok. Not the best I've ever read but pretty good. The character's needed to be a little less hormonal and a little more....how should I say it...human I guess. More down to earth. Dallas seems to be living in the past but he's really in the future. That was a big dislike. Angela starts off as an innocent but suddenly she's kissing a total stranger she's never seen?? I gave it a three.

I thought this book was good, but there were too many storylines. I would have liked this book to focus exclusively on Jake and Hope, but the secondary characters were interesting.There were a few things that really bugged me about this book, however. Jake and Amanda obviously disliked each other. They even kept asking each other things like, Do you think wer'e doing the right thing? or Do you still want to marry me? I mean they were constantly second guessing their relationship. You think they would realize that they would not have a great marraige. And then Amanda catches Jake cheating on her with Hope and he STILL insists on marrying her. It got kinda old. Another thing that really bothered me about this book was Charity and why she was given away. I mean COME ON. You don't just give a two year old away. I am the mother of a two year old and I can tell you that no financial strain on this earth could posses me to do this. And then the way her family treats her when she confronts them. They act like she's an evil thing and they can't imagine why she would be so upset. Geez, I wonder? But besides from the problems the book had, I really did like it.

I recently purchased this novel from my favorite retail store and I love it I stayed up all night just to finish I could not put it down. This book has gotten a lot of mixed reviews but I personally liked it.

All the characters are great and I found myself Laughing Lot Loud a lot.

I recommend this and all the Hawk's Way books

Family reunions and weddings should bring joy, not chaos, but the latter is what the Butler sisters find in this book. Though Faith is happy in her romance, she knows her sister, Hope is miserable as she watches Jake Whitelaw, who she has loved for ages, prepare to marry her former teacher, Amanda. Faith also knows that neither Jake nor Amanda will be happy in this marriage; Amanda is in love with Jake's brother Rabb, and Jake does love Hope, but feels he is too old for her. Yet, both are so darned honorable, they would rather go through with something that they don't want rather than cause the other the shame of being jilted. So, Faith is determined to make sure the right couples match up before four lives are ruined and hearts broken.

Then, the Butler family gets a little surprise. The third daughter they gave up for adoption over twenty years ago finds her way home on the arm of Jake's cousin. Charity is naturally resentful to discover that she was given away, and the shock is a definite one for her family. It will take a lot of tears and rage for this family to unite, and there are still three weddings to make come together!

...Told so well that all of the subplots merge smoothly and none are left dangling or short changed, this realistic novel is heart warming and heart rending at the same time. Each sister, and Amanda makes for a believeable heroine, and all of the heroes are truly Texan, strong, sexy, and honorable to an almost painful degree. Fans will not be at all disappointed...

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

After reading the The Cowboy and the The Texan, I could not wait for The Loner to come out. Having said that it was not a good book especially if you read the first two books in the series.

This is the second time this year when I have been less than satisfied by an installment in a series which I was very much engrossed in. In general I have loved Joan Johnston's Blackthorne/Creed series. The characters all have flaws and yet they are all deeply romantic. However this installment seemed to not develop the richness of the characters in the same way the previous books did. I also realize that it's difficult to keep up the intensity of a series that has so many installments; and I do look forward to the next book nonetheless. Readers of the series will enjoy this book to see what has happened to some of their favorite characters and especially to see Summer and Billy finally bring and end to the family feuds.

I thought this was an excelent book as are the rest of the books in this series. I can't wait for the 4th book in this amazing series to be published. If you are intested in this book i'd recomend that you read "The Cowboy and The Texan" first they are just as good as this one. Joan Johnston never fails to write a book that totally captivates the reader.

Can the secrets to finding the right significant other be found in a book? To believe or not to believe, that is the question, but what is the answer? The book suggests ideas on what to wear on a first date, what kinds of questions to ask, as well as many other ideas. To find out what other answers you can find, go to your library or bookstore and pick up a copy of Marriage by the Book by Joan Johnston. I really enjoyed reading this exciting romance. In fact, I couldn't put it down, I was amazed at how much the main character reminded me of myself. My favorite character was protagonist, Megan. She was a single mother who went from being very shy and sheltered around all men to being very open and honest around one man. She was also comical during this change, because I realized a lot of the stuff she was doing, I usually do also. When Megan got a book called You Don't Have to Stay Single from her two children for her birthday, she was skeptical but decided to try it out to please her children. I think I would have been as shocked as she was if someone gave me a book like that. After sincerely trying she realized that the advice was actually helping, until the end of her and Tom's first date. He could sense that she was hiding something, but what could such an innocent looking woman like Megan possibly be hiding? She thought a quick peck on the cheek was going to be the extent of the good night kiss, but the kiss quickly turned into a long passionate kiss, which would normally be shared between two long time lovers. I thought that was interesting because the two of them had been so nervous about everything the entire night. After literally running from him at the end of their first date, she thought that avoiding him would prove to be beneficial to both of them. Avoiding him worked for a while, but it wasn't his fault he wasn't the one who ran, she was. She had to approach him and try to fix her mistake. At this time, Megan still hadn't told Tom that she had two children, but that wasn't all that was keeping them apart. Tom was hiding something from Megan. The two of them began to spend more time together, and finally Tom met Megan's kids. For Megan that was a big step, because she didn't want them to get attached to Tom if their relationship would turn sour, and he'd just step out of their lives as quickly as he had stepped into them. I think knowing that Tom and her children got along so well made her a little nervous at first, but comforted her afterward. As time went on, Megan was able to trust him more and more, and she allowed herself to get close to him. A long time passed before Megan could admit to herself that she really did love Tom. When she finally did, was it too late? Had she already lost Tom for good, or would he be there to have and hold her forever and always? Personally, I don't think that in real life everything is so romantic, but the thought is there. Overall, this was a very exciting book, I know I couldn't put it down. I know that I'm going to look around for other books by Joan Johnston. I also know that I will be sure to recommend this book to all of my friends and family. Maybe they'll find romance too.

This book was just plain bad. I had read Joan Johnston's books The Cowboy, and the Texan and loved them so I expected this book to be the same. It was very poorly written, and it seemed at times that a fourth grader wrote it. The two main characters were kissing each other before they had time to build chemistry together, and it was very choppy. This must have been one of Johnston's first books ever written. I usually do not talk badly of people's work because I know they work hard on writing these stories, but I felt I should warn people, Don't buy this book. SAVE YOUR MONEY!

The problem with re-issued books is that they tend be be "dated," this book is no exception. Times change, writing styles and preferences... The premise of the story was good, but the story and the writing could have been better. It was okay but nothing great, and I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that this book was written over 10 years ago. The author has obviously grown a great deal as a writer in the last 10 years, fortunately for us.

Another problem with re-issued books: they're released with new covers and we, the readers, are rarely told they're re-issues! I really resent that!

I gave it 2 stars because I loved the cover art, even if the story and the writing were a bit too simplistic.

Another great book from Joan Johnston. The male and female characters were strong and evenly matched. Even though it was a reissue of a book the author wrote ten years ago, the alterations in this edition only made for a better story.