Beneath Montana's Sky

A Montana Sky Novella

By: Debra Holland

Narrated by: Lara Asmundson

Plain and timid, debutante Pamela Burke-Smythe is a wallflower at the high-society Boston balls she attends, overlooked by possible suitors. One by one her friends become engaged, and Pamela resigns herself as to life as a spinster.

When rancher John Carter becomes guardian to his orphaned godson, Nick, nothing he does seems to help the grieving, angry boy. At his wit's end, he believes that a wife might help draw Nick out, and lonely himself, John's been thinking along matrimonial lines for a while anyway. But small Sweetwater Springs, Montana, has no suitable candidates. He decides to visit his great-aunt Hester in Boston and bring back a wife who is kind and compassionate, who can be a mother figure to Nick, and who can adapt to the hard life on the ranch.

Hester, who's also Pamela's godmother, plays matchmaker for the two. John responds to Pamela's kind heart and believes he's found the ideal woman. But Pamela never thought to marry a stranger and leave Boston, and her family and friends are against the idea. She musters all her meager courage to defy her loved ones and seize her only chance at marriage.

After a whirlwind courtship, the couple marries and travels west. Pamela discovers a run-down ranch house, a bunch of unruly cowboys, a sullen boy, and a different way of life. Can their new marriage survive the challenge?

Set in 1883, Beneath Montana's Sky is a prequel to New York Times best-selling author Debra Holland's Mail-Order Brides of the West series and Montana Sky series.

©2014 Debra Holland (P)2014 Debra Holland

I'm hooked

I didn't usually read historical western romances but I'm loving this series. These books transport me into another world. I'm looking forward to retiring in a few yrs, & these books have me realizing I want to live in the country, grow a garden, go to town on Sunday. No way am I working as hard as these farm and ranch women do! I've researched some of the historical things mentioned, looked at pictures of the antique furnishings mentioned. These books are a wonderful world I escape to. I'm on to the next one.

I love Debra Holland

I felt in love with the mail order brides of the west so I decided to listen to this series.
This is the story of Pamela and John and its just as sweet as the one on the mail order brides series, I cant wait to continue with the Montana sky series.
It sounds like a wonderful little town where everyone knows and helps each other, I would love to live there but I would require an indoor bathroom dunno how they used to bathe outside in the river.
#tagsgiving #sweepstakes #audible #listeningatwork #mybooks

Enjoyed the Story.

Nice story and good intro to the Montana Sky series. Liked the characters a lot. Wasn’t enamored of the narrator. Inflections often wrong- awkward character voices (often with wrong accent) that sometimes changes. She didn’t add to the story.


Look forward to future stories.

Beneath Montana's Sky

This story was enjoyable to read. Carter Cameron is the main character who decides to travel back east to the town of Boston in search of a bride. He feels that having a wife could help him deal with his Godson; Nick who has lost his family in a tragic accident.
Pamela, is the bride that Carter decides will be the best choice. They travel back by train to his ranch, and tries to prepare Pamela for the hardships that she will have to deal with.

A Beautiful Begining to a Wonderful Series!

What did you love best about Beneath Montana's Sky?

I loved the relationship between John and Pamela. She is a quiet "wallflower" who is best friends with one of the most sought after women and yet when she meets John, a handsome ranch owner needs a female guardian for his ward and a wife for himself, she sees what life could be outside of her Boston upbringing. Both knew that they were not in love and yet they committed to each other and their mutual honoring of each other became a wonderful part of their relationship and only benefited everyone around them.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I must say that John was my favorite. He needed to find a bride and yet the one woman who seemed to be the best choice according to society was not the one he chose. John chose the one who he felt would be the best for his ward and himself. His care and the way he treated Pamela was precious and yet not overbearing. You could tell that he was wanting a friend and wife and not just a companion and mother to his future children.

What does Lara Asmundson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I liked some of her inflections and the way she made the story flow.

Any additional comments?

All of the characters dealt with death and loss in one way or another as many would in the 19th century and yet all found that it was love and compassion that soothes the wounds that will take a very long time in healing if at all. Debra was a master at drawing the reader/listener into this undertone of dealing with grief without overwhelming the story with the grief.

I was introduced to Debra Holland through her book: Grace: Bride of Montana. I liked it so much that I decided to try Debra's Montana's Sky series. I was given this audible book for review and am so thankful that I had the chance to listen to it! I also have the book and will be reading this story very soon! I look forward to listening/reading the rest of the series!