Review: Mackenzie’s Mountain by Linda Howard

I love stories like this, where the big bad Wolf is laid low by love, especially when love in question is of the Plain Jane variety. Especially when that Plain Jane is actually quite feisty. ~ Under the Covers

Mary Elizabeth Potter is the new school teacher in the small town in Ruth, Wyoming and with her plain clothes and prim and proper personality she fits snugly into the role. But, she is passionate about her pupils and when she sees that Joe Mackenizie has dropped out of school despite having the best grades in his class, she decides to persuade him back. She didn’t expect to encounter Wolf Mackenzie, Joe’s dad, and the subject of vicious gossip in town. Nor did she expect to feel such wild passion for him…and she certainly never thought he would return it.

I love stories like this, where the big bad Wolf is laid low by love, especially when love in question is of the Plain Jane variety. Especially when that Plain Jane is actually quite feisty. I really like Mary, she didn’t let anyone boss her around and stood up for what she though was right and that included standing up for Wolf even though the whole town condemned him for nothing more than being Indian. And, although the book is quite out of date in some ways, it was originally written in 1989, discrimination and racism is very much alive and well.

But, this book isn’t a novel about racism, it is a romance, and it was a really enjoyable one. I liked Mary’s unexpected fire and back bone and Wolf was of the brooding and dark hero variety that never fails to make my heart go all aflutter. Together, they had fantastic chemistry and I loved watching the sparks fly as Wolf is baffled and enthralled by the tiny tornado that has shaken up his life.

There was also a mystery plot involving women being sexually assaulted and Wolf being framed. I guessed who was behind this almost from the very start so it isn’t that intriguing, but it is used to move the romance along as Wolf and Mary are forced in to close proximity with one another.

A great read and I can’t wait to get stuck in to the next book about Joe Mackenzie.

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[about-author author=”Linda Howard”]