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When The Bluebird Calls (2010)

by Leiland Dale(Favorite Author)

3.47 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0986981877 (ISBN13: 9780986981876)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Silver Publishing

series

Heart of the Mountain

review 1: I really enjoyed this one, it was very sweet. I had never read Mr. Dale's work before and since this is the first book of the series Heart of the Mountain I decided to start with this one. Devon was a good guy and Greg was a great foil for him. I can't wait to read the next ones in this series since some of the characters we met in this one, albeit briefly, look like they will make great heroes in the next books... and, quite frankly, I want to learn more about Seth. This is a very romantic story and I really enjoyed it!
review 2: 2.5 starsWhen the Bluebird Calls shows that sometimes simplistic writing and basic emotions win over readers. This is the first book I’ve read of this author and it’s decent. There are no real surprises and the characters are pret... morety basic stereotypes in every way but the story offers a sweet, caring romance with a strong happy ending in a cowboy setting that is sure to please fans. This is the sort of easy, undemanding story that satisfies even though it’s not that good. It’s not bad though either so the quick pace and recognizable elements may be enjoyable for readers. The plot revolves around Devon Reid who moves to Montana to get away from the grief of losing his mother. He’s trying to create a new life for himself and immediately is attracted to a local ranch foreman Greg. The two waste very little time in getting together and soon they’re in love. But of course all is not that easy as an ex-boyfriend of Devon’s suddenly shows up and causes problems (predictably) and Greg’s younger brother makes an appearance while setting up for the second book in the series. The story is very basic in that Devon and Greg meet, have sex, fall in love, deal with psycho ex-boyfriend from nowhere, and live happily ever after. That’s not bad necessarily but the rudimentary plot is coupled with a very basic style of writing. The prose tends to be very simple and easy to read but also state every action, no matter how unnecessary. For example: ---He walked past the kitchen and threw the empty container in the trash on his way to the bedroom. Grabbing his clothes from the edge of the bed, Devon walked into the bathroom in need of a nice hot shower. He pushed the shower curtain aside and turned the shower on, holding his hand under the water, and adjusted the knob until he felt it was the right temperature. He quickly stripped out of his clothes and got into the shower, shutting the curtain behind him. -----Again, this isn’t bad but it lacks a lot of descriptive quality and general interest. The plot also has no real tension and attempts to throw some drama later on by resurrecting the ex-boyfriend. Now here this entire plot device makes no sense and is obviously very contrived. The ex-boyfriend is suddenly mentally unstable and not only does he do things completely out of character but of course there is the Scooby do clue on the ground to point to him and his convinent confession. These are pretty cringe worthy aspects of the story but don’t worry, everyone moves on very quickly and doesn’t dwell on this. Unfortunately it moves on to an equally cringe worthy aspect which is Greg’s young brother and of course his big announcement, which makes no sense and is pretty silly. While the story has some bad moments, the characters are ok. They are decently developed but their romance takes place off page. The reader is treated to the sex between them and their internal musings about how they’re falling in love but the real action is all stated quickly and happens off page. For example the story says the two men talked for hours about their likes, dislikes, dreams, and so on; that they spoke on the phone every night and met for dinner or lunch frequently. However none of this happens in the book but merely summarized quickly so the reader believes these two have done more than lust for each other. That’s fine but very bland and doesn’t make their instant love any more credible. I guess overall I found the story bland and just one of many cowboy stories without anything to really stand out. There are some pretty basic traps the author falls into and perhaps her writing and plots will improve with time. There is nothing horribly offensive about this so I can see why some find it pretty enjoyable. As a quick, fluff read about cowboys you could give this a try. less

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