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Sweet Mountain Magic
RAPTURE IN THE ROCKIES
Sage MacKenzie had been alone in the mountains too long when he came upon the gorgeous woman who claimed she'd lost her memory. Even though she gazed at him through innocent violet eyes, he convinced himself that no decent lady would be wandering by herself deep in the forest. Delighting in her curvaceous form, Sage had his way with her only to discover he couldn't let her go. Soon he wanted the good-loving beauty to share his future and he desperately prayed she wouldn't leave him once she remembered her past.
PASSION IN HER HEART
Once she was rescued by the tall, black-haired trapper, the white girl known only as "White Deer" didn't want to regain her memory. She knew it must be horrible if she had so thoroughly blocked it out. Here was a man who'd saved her from vicious Indians, the cruel elements and wild animals now all that mattered was the present. Even though deep down she suspected that loving Sage was wrong, the mysterious woman embraced him even tighter, living only for his gentle touch and his overpowering SWEET MOUNTAIN MAGIC.
Sage MacKenzie had been alone in the mountains too long when he came upon the gorgeous woman who claimed she'd lost her memory. Even though she gazed at him through innocent violet eyes, he convinced himself that no decent lady would be wandering by herself deep in the forest. Delighting in her curvaceous form, Sage had his way with her only to discover he couldn't let her go. Soon he wanted the good-loving beauty to share his future and he desperately prayed she wouldn't leave him once she remembered her past.
PASSION IN HER HEART
Once she was rescued by the tall, black-haired trapper, the white girl known only as "White Deer" didn't want to regain her memory. She knew it must be horrible if she had so thoroughly blocked it out. Here was a man who'd saved her from vicious Indians, the cruel elements and wild animals now all that mattered was the present. Even though deep down she suspected that loving Sage was wrong, the mysterious woman embraced him even tighter, living only for his gentle touch and his overpowering SWEET MOUNTAIN MAGIC.
510 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1990
About the author
Rosanne Bittner
78 books603 followersI am a USA-TODAY best-selling author with 41 years, 76 books, and numerous writing awards behind me. My major genre is historical romance. I have always written for standard publishers but am now writing strictly for Amazon so I have more freedom to write real history. My most recent publication is SHADOW TRAIL, the 6th book in my Outlaw Hearts series. I also wrote and published my first full-length contemporary story, DANCING BENEATH YOU, in September 2022, a romance involving mystery and a depiction of reservation life in the Badlands of South Dakota. My best sellers are my SAVAGE DESTINY series (7 books) and my OUTLAW HEARTS series. See my website (www.rosannebittner.com) for details on all my books - most available for Kindle and in print. I am known for great love stories filled with real history and high emotion. I have also written many Native American stories, all based on real history.
I love American history. For those of you who have not yet read my books, my stories are generally set in the American West of the 1800s and feature vividly described, historically accurate settings that span the US from Missouri to California, from Canada to Mexico. Many of my books portray the poignant history of our Native Americans, and though the characters are my own, I use real historical locations and events in all my novels. I have also written about the French & Indian wars, American Revolution, the War of 1812, the war with Mexico (the Alamo), and the Civil War.
National magazine ROMANTIC TIMES has called me the "Queen of Western Romance" and an "emotional powerhouse." My husband and I have traveled the west for nearly 40 years and I have visited just about every location mentioned in my books.
Visit my website at www.rosannebittner.com and my Facebook Author page. And be sure to join Rosanne Bittner's Heart of the West Street Team! Happy reading!
I love American history. For those of you who have not yet read my books, my stories are generally set in the American West of the 1800s and feature vividly described, historically accurate settings that span the US from Missouri to California, from Canada to Mexico. Many of my books portray the poignant history of our Native Americans, and though the characters are my own, I use real historical locations and events in all my novels. I have also written about the French & Indian wars, American Revolution, the War of 1812, the war with Mexico (the Alamo), and the Civil War.
National magazine ROMANTIC TIMES has called me the "Queen of Western Romance" and an "emotional powerhouse." My husband and I have traveled the west for nearly 40 years and I have visited just about every location mentioned in my books.
Visit my website at www.rosannebittner.com and my Facebook Author page. And be sure to join Rosanne Bittner's Heart of the West Street Team! Happy reading!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
March 14, 2024
DNF @ page 90 of 428.
Ok, I really liked this story as it started out. I have been searching for a grumpy mountain man rescues a damsel in distress storyline for quite awhile. And this seemed to be exactly that.
Yet this mountain man had a surplus of manners, emotions and patience. Didn't exactly fit the stereotype I was expecting. Not that this is a bad thing, yet.... it was obvious right from his first meeting of the heroine that she had been raped recently/wasnt a virgin. And he repeatedly kept apologizing to her for sullying her and her reputation because he looked at her, lusted after her, etc. Surprisingly citified-mannered mountain man.
I also just could not understand the heroine's quick reaction to accepting the hero's touch. I would think if the heroine's brain is still stuck in trauma mode from her recent rape, then she would still be terrified to be touched sexually. But I am not well-educated on this topic, so I could be way off. It just surprised me at how quickly that topic resolved...
Then a second mountain man showed up and kept trying to steal the heroine away from our hero so he could take her behind a bush for a few minutes of fun. He would sneak up in the middle of the night, he attempted to clobber the hero to steal her, he shot the hero to steal her but this mountain man hero had so much patience, he amazingly kept asking the nasty would-be rapist to 'please leave our campsite and do not return!' Really? A few attempts at murder and rape and our hero just politely asks the bad man to leave? Shoot his ass, come on! He eventually needed to use violence to stop the harassments, but his attempts at handling the situation were pathetic in my eyes.
At around page 80, our hero came to the realization that he loved our heroine. I looked at the page numbers, and I still had another 300+ pages to go. That's not a good sign. So I jumped on to GR to read some reviews and came across a good one explaining that the rest of the story is filled with more unfortunate rapes done to our heroine, more mental trauma and violence. That's just not my type of storyline that I enjoy relaxing with, so I abandoned the book. I'm more into watching the main characters falling in love, once they profess their love, it's pretty much over.
Oh, another reviewer complained of the love scenes being too racy. Not at all! I felt they were very clean and minimal description was given. (at least up until page 90)
Ok, I really liked this story as it started out. I have been searching for a grumpy mountain man rescues a damsel in distress storyline for quite awhile. And this seemed to be exactly that.
Yet this mountain man had a surplus of manners, emotions and patience. Didn't exactly fit the stereotype I was expecting. Not that this is a bad thing, yet.... it was obvious right from his first meeting of the heroine that she had been raped recently/wasnt a virgin. And he repeatedly kept apologizing to her for sullying her and her reputation because he looked at her, lusted after her, etc. Surprisingly citified-mannered mountain man.
I also just could not understand the heroine's quick reaction to accepting the hero's touch. I would think if the heroine's brain is still stuck in trauma mode from her recent rape, then she would still be terrified to be touched sexually. But I am not well-educated on this topic, so I could be way off. It just surprised me at how quickly that topic resolved...
Then a second mountain man showed up and kept trying to steal the heroine away from our hero so he could take her behind a bush for a few minutes of fun. He would sneak up in the middle of the night, he attempted to clobber the hero to steal her, he shot the hero to steal her but this mountain man hero had so much patience, he amazingly kept asking the nasty would-be rapist to 'please leave our campsite and do not return!' Really? A few attempts at murder and rape and our hero just politely asks the bad man to leave? Shoot his ass, come on! He eventually needed to use violence to stop the harassments, but his attempts at handling the situation were pathetic in my eyes.
At around page 80, our hero came to the realization that he loved our heroine. I looked at the page numbers, and I still had another 300+ pages to go. That's not a good sign. So I jumped on to GR to read some reviews and came across a good one explaining that the rest of the story is filled with more unfortunate rapes done to our heroine, more mental trauma and violence. That's just not my type of storyline that I enjoy relaxing with, so I abandoned the book. I'm more into watching the main characters falling in love, once they profess their love, it's pretty much over.
Oh, another reviewer complained of the love scenes being too racy. Not at all! I felt they were very clean and minimal description was given. (at least up until page 90)
Read
August 13, 2017Sage MacKenzie had been a trapper since he was 16 and he was now 30. He was on his way to Fort Bridger to pick up winter supplies. The demand for furs had diminished and earned money sometimes as a guide for parties traveling through. He saw smoke in the distance and headed that way. He hid when he saw Indians headed away from the smoke mumbling something about a Crazy Woman. He found a burnt wagon with a man charred underneath it. A dark haired women with violet eyes was nearby but staring off into space. He checked her for injuries and found none and she wasn't talking so he placed her on his horse to take her with him to the fort. He ran into some men he knew and one of them came back the next day to try and take the woman from him. He ended up killing Moose in self-defense and burying him. The woman still didn't talk but made it clear that she wanted to have sex with Sage and she began cooking for him.
They made it to the fort and she still wasn't talking. Sage called her Venado which was Indian for little deer. Sage spoke with a preacher at the fort and he agreed to let her join their wagons. She then yelled Sage and started crying as he left. Sage missed her and felt like he might have loved her. One of the guys from the fort, Sax, found Sage during storm a few days later and told him that the woman had run off and hadn't left with the wagon train. Sage began a search for her that lasted three days. An Indian friend, Red Dog found Sage and told him that his woman was with his wife and was sick. Sage went to her and nursed her back to health while staying a few days with the Indians.
He went back to the fort for supplies and there were a couple of guys there who were running from the law. Sage and Venado headed to a cabin through the snow and Sax delayed the men at the fort from leaving for a few days. Soon after they arrived at the cabin, Venado told Sage that her name was Mary and she seemed to be less afraid. Then the two men from the fort found her alone in the cabin and one of them raped her. She fought back and was badly bruised. She retreated back into her mind to where she had been raped by what she remembered as the Comanche Indians. Sage returned to the cabin and killed the two men and threw them off a nearby cliff because there was no way to bury them. Mary no longer appeared to recognize Sage and her progress had been reversed. She no longer talked and Sage kept her with him when he left the cabin.
They were out collecting wood one day when Mary saw a grizzly bear and ran from it. The bear changed directions and attacked Sage. Mary began talking and it was as if she had never lost her voice. She took Sage back to the cabin following his directions. Mary didn't remember anything about the last few days at all. Sage knew that she recognized him again and knew he was badly injured. Mary wasn't sure what to do but knew she had to remain in the moment so she could nurse him back to health.
Mary was Marietta St. Claire. Her father was a banker and had moved to Austin before it became a state. A friend of her fathers from New Orleans came to visit with their son. Rafael Cousteau and Marietta fell in love and were married in New Orleans when she was 17. They lived in Austin with her parents and Rafe worked with her father at his bank. Ten months after their wedding she had a baby girl. They were taking a buggy ride one afternoon when they were attacked by renegade Comanche Indians. Rafe had been shot in the back with an arrow, their daughter, Elizabeth had been tossed around like a ball until she was dead and Mary was taken. She had been repeatedly raped by the Comanche and other Indian warriors who visited the camp as they traveled. She was eventually sold to a whiskey trader and ended up in Wyoming. Her father and husband searched for her for sixteen months before they stopped. James had not returned to work and spent most of his time in bed. He left the running of his bank to Rafe. Charlet blamed James and Rafe for Mary's disappearance. Rafe moved out of their house because it was no longer the happy place it had once been.
Sage started running a fever and Mary could tell the wounds on his chest had become infected. She didn't know what to do so she poured whiskey over them and wrapped his chest again. Red Dog and Walks Slowly came to the cabin and Mary let them in to see if they could provide help for Sage. They put some herbs on him and chanted over him. Sage recovered and Mary unknowingly called him Rafe while preparing food for him. Red Dog and Walks Slowly left and told Sage that they would return in the spring but they weren't sure that Sage would be there. They felt he would be returning to the white man's world with Mary. Sage wasn't so sure but knew that faced with the decision of leaving the mountains or leaving Mary, he would choose Mary.
Mary had started to remember small things in her past but not yet any people They discussed the possibility that she might be pregnant. About a month after the pregnancy discussion, Sage brought in some wet wood and was banging the pieces together to separate them. The banging of the wood caused Mary to remember what the Comanche had done to her child. She remembered them hitting her baby's head against some rocks. Her memory came flooding back and with it the knowledge of the Comanche's raping her, the other Indians who had done things to her, the whiskey trader and the men at the cabin. She told Sage that she didn't know who the father of her baby was and that she didn't want it. She was going to lose it and she didn't care. She wished she was dead. Sage then noticed that she was bleeding heavily and she lost the baby. It took her a week to recover but she did survive the ordeal. She thought that her husband might be dead but she wasn't sure. Sage told her that he would take her back to Texas from Wyoming when the snow had melted enough for them to travel. Her family needed to know that she was alive.
They headed towards Texas a few months later. Mary was sorry to be leaving the cabin and her memories there. They encountered more Indians on their journey and another bear. Sage killed the bear without being injured this time. The bear had killed an Indian's 8 yr-old son. Mary learned that Indians were people with feelings too. She learned to trust Sage's judgment of people and they arrived safely in Austin.
Sage took her home to her parents house. Her mother wasn't happy with Sage being there and knowing that her daughter had slept with him. She didn't take into account all the Mary had gone through and that she thought her husband was dead. Charlet was seemed more concerned with what other people would say and think about Mary after being gone for so long and being with Indians. Sage was angry but there was nothing he could do. Sage then went and talked with Rafe to tell him that he had returned Mary to her parents. He made him promise to take care of Mary and not let her stay too long with her mother. Rafe promised to take Mary away and start over someplace else. Rafe allowed Mary to see Sage the next day to tell him goodbye. Sage told Mary that he would be okay and so would she. This was the way things were meant to be and he left. She crumpled and wept bitterly as Sage rode away. He had cried before he set out to tell her goodbye.
Within a few days, Mary knew that she was pregnant with Sage's child. Rafe was being patient about having sex with Mary and knowing that she was pregnant, she agreed to sex with him. She decided to pretend the child was early when she had him. She told Rafe that she was pregnant when she was sick on their journey from Austin to their new home in St. Louis. Her parents had also left Austin and returned to New Orleans.
Sage left to wander through Texas and see the country. He ran into a boy who was in an unfair fight and decided to help him out. That was when he met Randy Lucas. They continued south and joined in the Mexican - American war effort. Randy was 18 and had been on his own for a few years since his mother had died of a beating by his father. They traveled together and fought in the war together. Sage was injured by a bayonet being thrust into his right him. It was five months before he could walk again and riding was painful and would most likely always be. He and Randy went back to Austin to check on Mary and found out that she had moved to St. Louis and had given birth to a boy.
Mary tried to pass off the baby as premature but Rafe quickly realized that the child was Sage's. He was bitter over the fact that this child would inherit the millions he owned and he would not even be his own flesh and blood. The named the baby James Raphael after Mary's father had Rafe. Rafe had tried to get over what had happened to Mary but was losing the battle. They could put on a show for others but they both knew that things between them had changed. Sometimes when he made love to her he could see the Indians mauling her, he imagined the whiskey trader and others using her. Now he had a constant reminder having to raise Sage's son.
Mary attended a party given by Henry VanCouver and he asked her to dance. Mary watched Rafe dancing with Henry's daughter and recognized that Roslyn and he were in love with each other. Rafe had been spending more time away from Mary and they hadn't made love in months. Mary left the party and Rafe followed her out. They talked of what was happening to them. Mary understood but she was angry because Rafe was being unfaithful knowing exactly what he was doing. Mary had given up Sage even though she was still in love with him and had no way of reaching him after all the time that had passed.
Sage and Randy left Texas and stopped for a drink. They both ended up sleeping with barmaids who mentioned gold being found in California. Randy talked Sage into going there with him. They ended up striking in rich and Sage didn't spend much of his share of the money they made. Randy tended to spend a lot on drinking and women. Sage was getting tired of working the mine. Randy was reckless and bought a lot of blasting powder to use in the mine. Sage told him that he should hire someone to blast the claim for them rather than work with explosives that they were not experienced with. Randy and he argued and Sage left him on the mountain. Sage was getting ready to talk to an explosives man when there was a huge explosion on the mountain where his claim was. He went back to find Randy's body and buried him there. Sage headed back to Wyoming. He had money now but still couldn't seem to get over Mary.
Mary hadn't seen Sage in three years. She and Rafe had divorced and he had married Roslyn. Mary joined another family and headed west to find Sage. The trip was brutal. One man accidentally shot himself and died from infection. There were bugs, snakes and heat that they all had to deal with. The trip was long and tiring. The wagon train was delayed when measles broke out and James got sick. They finally arrived at Ft. Laramie and Mary could see that James was regaining his strength. Thankfully, she had been spared from the disease.
Sage was also at Ft. Laramie looking for work. Mary was napping and thought she heard his voice. She got out of the wagon she was resting in with James and saw him talking to some men. He had been hired to lead her wagon train to California. He had an Indian girl with him. Mary was worried that he had found someone to replace her but Sage told her that she was Sioux. She had been captured by the Crow and he had purchased her to return her to her people who were camped just outside of Ft. Laramie. Mary introduced Sage to his son who was now two and a half years old. Mary and Sage were married that evening after her returned from taking Sweet Bird back to her people.
They made it to the fort and she still wasn't talking. Sage called her Venado which was Indian for little deer. Sage spoke with a preacher at the fort and he agreed to let her join their wagons. She then yelled Sage and started crying as he left. Sage missed her and felt like he might have loved her. One of the guys from the fort, Sax, found Sage during storm a few days later and told him that the woman had run off and hadn't left with the wagon train. Sage began a search for her that lasted three days. An Indian friend, Red Dog found Sage and told him that his woman was with his wife and was sick. Sage went to her and nursed her back to health while staying a few days with the Indians.
He went back to the fort for supplies and there were a couple of guys there who were running from the law. Sage and Venado headed to a cabin through the snow and Sax delayed the men at the fort from leaving for a few days. Soon after they arrived at the cabin, Venado told Sage that her name was Mary and she seemed to be less afraid. Then the two men from the fort found her alone in the cabin and one of them raped her. She fought back and was badly bruised. She retreated back into her mind to where she had been raped by what she remembered as the Comanche Indians. Sage returned to the cabin and killed the two men and threw them off a nearby cliff because there was no way to bury them. Mary no longer appeared to recognize Sage and her progress had been reversed. She no longer talked and Sage kept her with him when he left the cabin.
They were out collecting wood one day when Mary saw a grizzly bear and ran from it. The bear changed directions and attacked Sage. Mary began talking and it was as if she had never lost her voice. She took Sage back to the cabin following his directions. Mary didn't remember anything about the last few days at all. Sage knew that she recognized him again and knew he was badly injured. Mary wasn't sure what to do but knew she had to remain in the moment so she could nurse him back to health.
Mary was Marietta St. Claire. Her father was a banker and had moved to Austin before it became a state. A friend of her fathers from New Orleans came to visit with their son. Rafael Cousteau and Marietta fell in love and were married in New Orleans when she was 17. They lived in Austin with her parents and Rafe worked with her father at his bank. Ten months after their wedding she had a baby girl. They were taking a buggy ride one afternoon when they were attacked by renegade Comanche Indians. Rafe had been shot in the back with an arrow, their daughter, Elizabeth had been tossed around like a ball until she was dead and Mary was taken. She had been repeatedly raped by the Comanche and other Indian warriors who visited the camp as they traveled. She was eventually sold to a whiskey trader and ended up in Wyoming. Her father and husband searched for her for sixteen months before they stopped. James had not returned to work and spent most of his time in bed. He left the running of his bank to Rafe. Charlet blamed James and Rafe for Mary's disappearance. Rafe moved out of their house because it was no longer the happy place it had once been.
Sage started running a fever and Mary could tell the wounds on his chest had become infected. She didn't know what to do so she poured whiskey over them and wrapped his chest again. Red Dog and Walks Slowly came to the cabin and Mary let them in to see if they could provide help for Sage. They put some herbs on him and chanted over him. Sage recovered and Mary unknowingly called him Rafe while preparing food for him. Red Dog and Walks Slowly left and told Sage that they would return in the spring but they weren't sure that Sage would be there. They felt he would be returning to the white man's world with Mary. Sage wasn't so sure but knew that faced with the decision of leaving the mountains or leaving Mary, he would choose Mary.
Mary had started to remember small things in her past but not yet any people They discussed the possibility that she might be pregnant. About a month after the pregnancy discussion, Sage brought in some wet wood and was banging the pieces together to separate them. The banging of the wood caused Mary to remember what the Comanche had done to her child. She remembered them hitting her baby's head against some rocks. Her memory came flooding back and with it the knowledge of the Comanche's raping her, the other Indians who had done things to her, the whiskey trader and the men at the cabin. She told Sage that she didn't know who the father of her baby was and that she didn't want it. She was going to lose it and she didn't care. She wished she was dead. Sage then noticed that she was bleeding heavily and she lost the baby. It took her a week to recover but she did survive the ordeal. She thought that her husband might be dead but she wasn't sure. Sage told her that he would take her back to Texas from Wyoming when the snow had melted enough for them to travel. Her family needed to know that she was alive.
They headed towards Texas a few months later. Mary was sorry to be leaving the cabin and her memories there. They encountered more Indians on their journey and another bear. Sage killed the bear without being injured this time. The bear had killed an Indian's 8 yr-old son. Mary learned that Indians were people with feelings too. She learned to trust Sage's judgment of people and they arrived safely in Austin.
Sage took her home to her parents house. Her mother wasn't happy with Sage being there and knowing that her daughter had slept with him. She didn't take into account all the Mary had gone through and that she thought her husband was dead. Charlet was seemed more concerned with what other people would say and think about Mary after being gone for so long and being with Indians. Sage was angry but there was nothing he could do. Sage then went and talked with Rafe to tell him that he had returned Mary to her parents. He made him promise to take care of Mary and not let her stay too long with her mother. Rafe promised to take Mary away and start over someplace else. Rafe allowed Mary to see Sage the next day to tell him goodbye. Sage told Mary that he would be okay and so would she. This was the way things were meant to be and he left. She crumpled and wept bitterly as Sage rode away. He had cried before he set out to tell her goodbye.
Within a few days, Mary knew that she was pregnant with Sage's child. Rafe was being patient about having sex with Mary and knowing that she was pregnant, she agreed to sex with him. She decided to pretend the child was early when she had him. She told Rafe that she was pregnant when she was sick on their journey from Austin to their new home in St. Louis. Her parents had also left Austin and returned to New Orleans.
Sage left to wander through Texas and see the country. He ran into a boy who was in an unfair fight and decided to help him out. That was when he met Randy Lucas. They continued south and joined in the Mexican - American war effort. Randy was 18 and had been on his own for a few years since his mother had died of a beating by his father. They traveled together and fought in the war together. Sage was injured by a bayonet being thrust into his right him. It was five months before he could walk again and riding was painful and would most likely always be. He and Randy went back to Austin to check on Mary and found out that she had moved to St. Louis and had given birth to a boy.
Mary tried to pass off the baby as premature but Rafe quickly realized that the child was Sage's. He was bitter over the fact that this child would inherit the millions he owned and he would not even be his own flesh and blood. The named the baby James Raphael after Mary's father had Rafe. Rafe had tried to get over what had happened to Mary but was losing the battle. They could put on a show for others but they both knew that things between them had changed. Sometimes when he made love to her he could see the Indians mauling her, he imagined the whiskey trader and others using her. Now he had a constant reminder having to raise Sage's son.
Mary attended a party given by Henry VanCouver and he asked her to dance. Mary watched Rafe dancing with Henry's daughter and recognized that Roslyn and he were in love with each other. Rafe had been spending more time away from Mary and they hadn't made love in months. Mary left the party and Rafe followed her out. They talked of what was happening to them. Mary understood but she was angry because Rafe was being unfaithful knowing exactly what he was doing. Mary had given up Sage even though she was still in love with him and had no way of reaching him after all the time that had passed.
Sage and Randy left Texas and stopped for a drink. They both ended up sleeping with barmaids who mentioned gold being found in California. Randy talked Sage into going there with him. They ended up striking in rich and Sage didn't spend much of his share of the money they made. Randy tended to spend a lot on drinking and women. Sage was getting tired of working the mine. Randy was reckless and bought a lot of blasting powder to use in the mine. Sage told him that he should hire someone to blast the claim for them rather than work with explosives that they were not experienced with. Randy and he argued and Sage left him on the mountain. Sage was getting ready to talk to an explosives man when there was a huge explosion on the mountain where his claim was. He went back to find Randy's body and buried him there. Sage headed back to Wyoming. He had money now but still couldn't seem to get over Mary.
Mary hadn't seen Sage in three years. She and Rafe had divorced and he had married Roslyn. Mary joined another family and headed west to find Sage. The trip was brutal. One man accidentally shot himself and died from infection. There were bugs, snakes and heat that they all had to deal with. The trip was long and tiring. The wagon train was delayed when measles broke out and James got sick. They finally arrived at Ft. Laramie and Mary could see that James was regaining his strength. Thankfully, she had been spared from the disease.
Sage was also at Ft. Laramie looking for work. Mary was napping and thought she heard his voice. She got out of the wagon she was resting in with James and saw him talking to some men. He had been hired to lead her wagon train to California. He had an Indian girl with him. Mary was worried that he had found someone to replace her but Sage told her that she was Sioux. She had been captured by the Crow and he had purchased her to return her to her people who were camped just outside of Ft. Laramie. Mary introduced Sage to his son who was now two and a half years old. Mary and Sage were married that evening after her returned from taking Sweet Bird back to her people.
November 20, 2014
There's something about Mary . . . that makes every man want to rape her
Seriously, I haven't read about a heroine being this used and abused since Sweet Savage Love
But the worst part was reading about what happened to poor baby Elizabeth
FREAKING HORRIBLE!
A good story and a hero (Sage) that really, really loved his heroine (Mary)unconditionally
Just a lot of bad stuff to stomach
What I enjoyed the most about the book was a look at a trapper's way of life as their way of life was ending. It was nice to read a book about that territory (WY, MT, CO, SD) before all the wars between the government and Native Americans (Sioux, etc.)
Seriously, I haven't read about a heroine being this used and abused since Sweet Savage Love
But the worst part was reading about what happened to poor baby Elizabeth
FREAKING HORRIBLE!
A good story and a hero (Sage) that really, really loved his heroine (Mary)unconditionally
Just a lot of bad stuff to stomach
What I enjoyed the most about the book was a look at a trapper's way of life as their way of life was ending. It was nice to read a book about that territory (WY, MT, CO, SD) before all the wars between the government and Native Americans (Sioux, etc.)
July 29, 2020
Was a little out there, I’m not talking about the camels but the story itself. Probably one of my least favorites from this author.
June 23, 2023
Also known as Rape Mountain.
In my review of Rosanne Bittner's other work, Tennessee Bride, I noted how the book's heroine "has the unholy power to compel absolutely every male on the face of the planet to want to rape her." Sweet Mountain Magic has a protagonist cut from the same cloth. Venado/Mary has had a shit life before she even hits her twenties. She's been raped multiple times by multiple men, has been pregnant multiple times, and attacked by multiple grizzly bears (who probably wanted to rape her and get her pregnant the way this story was going.) Like the hero of Tennessee Bride, Sage MacKenzie spends most of the book trying - and not always succeeding - to keep all these men off of Mary.
(Rosanne discovers the word 'travois' and goes hog wild with it.)
In my review of Rosanne Bittner's other work, Tennessee Bride, I noted how the book's heroine "has the unholy power to compel absolutely every male on the face of the planet to want to rape her." Sweet Mountain Magic has a protagonist cut from the same cloth. Venado/Mary has had a shit life before she even hits her twenties. She's been raped multiple times by multiple men, has been pregnant multiple times, and attacked by multiple grizzly bears (who probably wanted to rape her and get her pregnant the way this story was going.) Like the hero of Tennessee Bride, Sage MacKenzie spends most of the book trying - and not always succeeding - to keep all these men off of Mary.
(Rosanne discovers the word 'travois' and goes hog wild with it.)
September 1, 2024
Great read
…..loved every minute of these book! Great character development …would love for there to be a sequel!! Will be looking for this author’s future books.
…..loved every minute of these book! Great character development …would love for there to be a sequel!! Will be looking for this author’s future books.
February 8, 2017
I love Sage and Mary's story so much!!! Despite Mary's fragile state, especially at first, she also had an amazing sense of survival, an incredible inner strength, and a sweet personality that I totally identified with and loved! Sage.... swoon! That man! Picture a big, burly, man-bear, who has a tender, caring side wrapped up deep in his intense manly-man exterior! That's Sage. Now, when he meets Mary and discovers and wrestles with this hidden inner side of him -- watch out! Sage's devotion and acceptance for Mary and unfailing love for her totally made me melt for him.
This is one of my most fav Rosanne Bittner books - way up there with Zeke Monore, Jake Harkner, John Hawkins, and Luke Fontaine, and so many others! You don't want to miss this!
This is one of my most fav Rosanne Bittner books - way up there with Zeke Monore, Jake Harkner, John Hawkins, and Luke Fontaine, and so many others! You don't want to miss this!
April 3, 2018
Good story
Not as involved storyline as many of Bittner's books, but I still enjoy the background information on history of that day that wasn't written about much such as this attempt to integrate the use of camels in the Old West.
Not as involved storyline as many of Bittner's books, but I still enjoy the background information on history of that day that wasn't written about much such as this attempt to integrate the use of camels in the Old West.
December 24, 2019
I thought I would really like this but.... I found it too drawn out, and while the hero was likeable, he was over the top emotional FOR A MOUNTAIN MAN!
January 7, 2022
An awesome read by the great Rosanne Bittner! She hit it out of the park with this one! I gave this novel 5 stars because I love this genre and Mrs. Bittner really drew me into the world of the mid 1800’s. I could actually feel the raw emotions of these characters. No spoiler alerts but I want to convey how determined and strong people had to be to survive the times. It was not easy to leave one’s life in the East (even if it wasn’t the best one) for a life of unknown to immigrate west. Folks took the gamble of their lives to make something of themselves. A lot made it and suffered along the way and a lot also lost their lives. I’m not so sure how strong I would be to survive during this time frame. With that said, this novel begins when Sage MacKenzie sees smoke in the distance and decides to look into the matter. He comes upon some Indians who say she’s crazy woman. They don’t say anything else. A little perplexed, he continues the path toward the smoke and finds a woman at a burnt-out wagon with a dead man’s body underneath. Although the woman is alive, her eyes remain open but she is unresponsive. It’s as if she is physically there but mentally, she is somewhere else. Sage cannot leave her there and decides to take her to the nearest trading post. He sees her beauty, vulnerableness along with bruises and scratches on her body. He knows something bad has happened to her. Along the way to the fort, he names her Venado meaning little deer. This is where their story begins. You will fall in love with this novel.
February 5, 2020
I enjoyed this interesting Historical Fiction book for several reasons. First and foremost is the development of the two main characters. Sage and Mary. Here are two people from very different background brought together by circumstances beyond their control in the mid 1800's in the "wilds" of Montana. This was a time of trappers, Indians who were seeing the end of life as they knew it, by the coming of so many "white" men to the area and mountain men, who loved the freedom of doing what they wanted, when they wanted. Now add a young woman who had been raised with wealth, who was captured and abused by a group of Indian's who were truly out of control and then sold to a whisky peddler and who has "lost her mind" and cannot speak and just stares into space. The story goes on from here with many twist and turns and finally an ending that you might expect. However this book must be read with an open mind to try and understand what life might have been like during that time period. You may learn a lot!
January 6, 2020
Predictable story line. Almost everything in the book has been a storyline on Wagon Train, or in a western movie. That being said, I still highly recommend this book because of the character development of Mary and Sage. I found myself not wanting the book to end because I wouldn’t have any idea what the characters were doing once I did. I was able to guess what was going to happen before it actually did, but it still did not spoil the story for me because it was Mary and Sage’s story. It was their feelings, their love, their way of coping that made the story a worthwhile read.
May 1, 2024
I think I'll skip this author. I thought Sweet Mountain Magic had a powerful love story but she just throws to many violent/sad things into her stories. Plus the book was close to 500 pages, too long for my taste. Often her books have H & h separated for a good chunk of the story, in this one they were separated for about 20% of it. I've tried to read several of her books but don't get past the preview or the reviews. It's to bad because this book certainly held my attention, brought tears to my eyes. Would have liked an epilogue.
February 11, 2017
The h/h were a great pairing and their character arcs were solid. I loved the different twists and turns in the plot. The big reveal came a bit too early. I would have preferred it came from the heroine's POV. Other than that this was a wonderful read. Again, Ms. Bittner wrote another great story.
September 1, 2019
Not my favorite
Started off good, until Mary made it back to Texas and then it was hard to read, I skipped most of the Sage and Randy chapters, and Mary and Rafe did nothing for me, plus ending could have been better. Not the best book this author has written, my least favorite of all of her books that I have read.
Started off good, until Mary made it back to Texas and then it was hard to read, I skipped most of the Sage and Randy chapters, and Mary and Rafe did nothing for me, plus ending could have been better. Not the best book this author has written, my least favorite of all of her books that I have read.
November 28, 2019
An entertaining novel about a mountain man who finds a young woman who is unable to talk due to trrauma. He takes her along on his journey and tries to find out who she is. She finally starts talking and they fall in love. Life intervenes when he finds out her husband is still alive. They must part but find each other again.l
April 7, 2022
This book deserves 5 Stars!!!
I didn't want to stop reading this reading this beautiful story. The characters were so real that I almost felt I was watching them as they lived their incredible lives. So many events were based on real historical facts and that's one of the many reasons that I love all of Bittner's books.
I didn't want to stop reading this reading this beautiful story. The characters were so real that I almost felt I was watching them as they lived their incredible lives. So many events were based on real historical facts and that's one of the many reasons that I love all of Bittner's books.
August 8, 2024
sweet Mountain Magic
I list Rosanne Bittner as one of my favorite authors and a top story teller. Once I start one of her books, I am unable to stop reading until I finish. The stories also stay with me and I thinking about each one as I go about my day.
She has the storytelling gift.
I list Rosanne Bittner as one of my favorite authors and a top story teller. Once I start one of her books, I am unable to stop reading until I finish. The stories also stay with me and I thinking about each one as I go about my day.
She has the storytelling gift.
February 18, 2020
Not great to start but okay at the end
The beginning was pretty crappy... Most of the book was pretty tedious and repetitive. By the end it was a little better but still not great. Not her best work.
The beginning was pretty crappy... Most of the book was pretty tedious and repetitive. By the end it was a little better but still not great. Not her best work.
April 15, 2021
I love Roxanne Bittner's books!
The reason I love them is I get so into the story the people in the story are like friends. I get tears in the sad parts & can laugh at the funny parts. I have not read one book of hers I didn't like. She is a really good storyteller.
The reason I love them is I get so into the story the people in the story are like friends. I get tears in the sad parts & can laugh at the funny parts. I have not read one book of hers I didn't like. She is a really good storyteller.
April 22, 2024
I Absolutely LOVE this book!! I Love Rosanne Bittner’s Wild West books about Indians and Settlers. I Love Sage Mackenzie in this book, how he saved the woman (Venado, little deer, as he called her) whose wagon had been attacked by Indians.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2017
This has to be one of the best books I have ever read. It was such a great story line. I could not put it down. A totally must read.
May 7, 2018
Best Book!
One of the best stories ever, I have always loved stories about mountains and mountain men! Hope to find more from this Author!
One of the best stories ever, I have always loved stories about mountains and mountain men! Hope to find more from this Author!
December 28, 2018
Storyline was too negative for my taste.
June 9, 2019
A little more graphic and violent than I usually read. I really enjoyed the story and the writing. I will be looking for more of Bittner's books.
November 17, 2019
Best book
Fantastic one of the best books i have ever read. I enjoy a good romance and this was very good
Fantastic one of the best books i have ever read. I enjoy a good romance and this was very good
December 30, 2019
Beautiful story of commitment
Very good story about strength, love and commitment. True love and honesty in life of hardship. God's plan for our lives always wins out.
Very good story about strength, love and commitment. True love and honesty in life of hardship. God's plan for our lives always wins out.
April 21, 2020
Nope
Would have been a good. Why must good story lines be demeaned with graphic descriptions of intimacy between the characters?
Would have been a good. Why must good story lines be demeaned with graphic descriptions of intimacy between the characters?
July 26, 2020
Good read
This book has everything I enjoy! Love, emotionally stirring, friendship, and adventure. Read it! Excellent story! Well written. I couldn't put it down.
This book has everything I enjoy! Love, emotionally stirring, friendship, and adventure. Read it! Excellent story! Well written. I couldn't put it down.
Read
December 22, 2020Couldn't get past him considering raping her
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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