Lone Rider

Forget slow-simmering romance: the multiple story lines weaving in and out of Big Timber, Mont., mean the second Montana Hamiltons contemporary (after Wild Horses) is always at a rolling boil. Bo Hamilton grew up with Montana’s Crazy Mountains as her backyard, so she heads there to clear her mind before facing an auditor in Big Timber who may be able to identify the thief stealing funds from the foundation named after her mother. When Bo fails to return on time, cowboy Jace Calder chases after her and winds up helping her escape her from a suspected murderer who wants to make Bo his bride—willing or not. Meanwhile, Bo’s father, a senator and presidential candidate, is juggling the ambitions of his second wife with the needs of his first wife, who was presumed dead but has returned to Big Timber with suspicious amnesia. New readers will struggle to keep the large cast straight and connect with the protagonists, whose backstories are only sketched out. [em](Aug.) [/em]