Montana Grit (Bear Grass Springs)

Set in Bear Grass Springs, Montana in June 1885, this book begins with the wedding of Alistair MacKinnon and his bride Leticia Browne. The MacKinnon clan is a close-knit Scottish family consisting of three brothers and one sister who emigrated from the Isle of Skye ten years prior. Leticia is already very much a part of this family along with her young daughter Hortence who already considers Alistair her “Papa.” Everything is picture perfect until the past catches up with the present and the perfect day falls apart.

The story’s timeline may leave some readers frustrated at the start because the first chapter begins on the wedding day with the groom waiting at the end of the aisle, then changes to two days before the wedding. Then the second chapter starts with the groom on the morning of. The written brogue may overwhelm some readers slowing the pace because readers may have to reread a sentence or paragraph to understand the meaning. The storyline does drag in places, and one may feel as though characters’ reactions are not realistic in some instances.

However, one thing is certain. Readers will enjoy the author’s depiction of the old west. In addition, the characters developed in this story create a wholesome vision of times past. When Alistair comes to Leticia’s rescue pulling the story full circle to the satisfying happy ever after romance readers crave, one can’t help but settle back and smile—happy and contented.

Becca Windsor