The Clayborne Brides

The Clayborne Brides by Julie Garwood

pgs 456

rated 4 stars.

From the Back Cover

First introduced in Julie Garwood's magnificent New York Times bestseller For the Roses, the Clayborne brothers of Blue Belle, Montana, have been embraced by millions more through this trio of #1 bestselling novels. Now collected in one volume for the first time, these stories tell of three spirited brothers -- once a mismatched gang of street urchins -- who learn that love flourishes in the most unexpected places....

One Pink Rose Headstrong Travis takes a journey that opens his eyes to the splendor of his beloved West -- and his heart to Bostonian Emily Finnegan.

One White Rose Steady, quiet Douglas will do anything to protect a creature in need -- and that includes the strong-willed Isabel Grant.

One Red Rose Thoughtful Adam learns a powerful secret from the irrepressible Genevieve Delacroix -- that true freedom only comes when you trust your heart.

I really enjoyed these stories. The Clayborne Brides is three books in one. Each one was well written, and stayed true to the characters. I did feel like Travis' and Adam's stories moved the falling in love pretty fast. What are the odds that they fell in love at (almost) first sight. I felt like the heroines were very fun, and their personalities unfolded well. Granted each story was short and sweet, so everything had to happen pretty quickly, but with Douglas' story, Ms. Garwood built in some time for Douglas and Isabel to get to know and trust each other. I like that.

If I had one criticism, it would be that Adam's story was not nearly as descriptive as the others. This one could really have been super. I don't know, if because the characters were African-American, she or the publisher chose to downplay that, but you really forgot that. She really could have described the mocha skin and beautiful features of each. Something...Anything....but Nothing! It wasn't until the Heroine tells another character that her ancestors were from Africa, do we get any real kind of description of her. (in my minds eye, she looked like Iman! cuz I loved Adam, and Iman is soooooo beautiful!)

rated 4 stars.