Come the Spring by Julie Garwood

Come the Spring
Clayborne’s bk 5
by
Julie Garwood

Cole Clayborne has been tricked into accepting a badge and the title of U.S. Marshal by Sheriff Marshall Ryan. He would refuse the badge if he could, but the Blackwater Gang is up to no good and Cole feels compelled to help.

Sheriff Ryan has been chasing the gang for two years–ever since they murdered his wife and daughter during a bank robbery–and he needs Cole to help him solve the case.

When the Rockford Falls bank is robbed, only one witness is left alive. Terrified by the ordeal, the lone survivor won’t come forward to testify; Cole and Daniels’s only clue to her identity is a list that includes the names of three women who conducted business at the bank that afternoon. Is the eyewitness the beautiful, aristocratic Rebecca James or the exquisitely lovely Grace Winthrop? Could it be the seductive Jessica Summers? Somehow, Cole and Daniel have to keep the three women safe while solving the bank robberies and tracking down the killers. But the biggest danger of all may be the threat of losing their hearts to one of the beautiful women.

REVIEW: Have you ever picked up a book and felt like you were reconnecting with old friends? That is how I felt when I picked up this book for the first time in at least 5 years. In fact when I was about half way through I had to go put it down and read the books that come before this one in the series (reviews of those to come). As I did so I remembered that my favorite character from all the books was Cole..

Cole makes no pretenses on who he is. He is who he is. A man that’s past has forged him. A former New York City street rat, that along with his adopted brothers and sister leave NYC to forged their way in the west as children on their own. All of those experiences have created a man that does what he has to to protect his family, and those that are innocent. His gruff and fierce exterior hide a tender heart.

Cole hates Marshall Ryan and has been hunting him down for more than a year, because he had the nerve to steal from Cole’s mama. When he finally gets a hold of Ryan he is tricked into being a US Marshall, and quickly discovers that he has a knack for being a Marshall.

US Marshall Daniel Ryan has an ax to grind…The Blackwater gang killed his wife and daughter for fun as they robbed a bank. When he meets Mama Rose (Cole’s blessed Mama), and she tells him all about her boys, he knows that Cole is the key to helping him stop this vicious gang. He steals the gift that Mama Rose has purchased specifically with Cole in mind, knowing that Cole won’t stop till he has hunted him down and that is exactly what he needs to stop this gang.

When these two finally come to terms, they begin to piece together the clues from the last robbery and mass murder. In the course of their investigation they encounter Grace and Jessica. Two very headstrong women, who each have definite ideas about how Cole and Daniel should handle them.

As they make the trek to Blackwater each man has to confront the intense feelings that these women bring out in them, and the women have to accept the feelings that these men have, and also the dangers of their job.

I loved this book, because it was more about the men’s perspective than the womans. It is refreshing to see how men view the world in a romance book. Of all the books that I have read this is one of my all time favorite books. I could make this post go on and on as Clay is one of my all time favorite characters however I think that I will let you discover him…

I do have to say that my favorite part of the book was the very end when Mama Rose is sitting on the porch telling one of the new babies a story and Cole and his siblings come out and ask her what she is doing and she tells them that she is telling the babies a story about 4 little boys in NYC that find a baby girl and become a family. To me there is no better ending than this to this series.

This was read for the Spring ’09 Reading Challenge: A title or cover that reminds you of spring

I give this book a 5 out 5.