Janet Daly" Calder books are synomous with hard earned romance and beautifully described scenery and western communities. I do not have to read the synopsis to know I will love her book, she has earned her entry on my permenent TBR list.

The story follows Joe Dollarhide signing up for a cattle drive for Benton Calder, during the drive Joe is thrown during a stampede given up for dead he is rescued and plans on revenge against Calder for leaving him to die. After he is healed he settles in with rustlers even though he knows it, it is wrong, and when he is shot he is taken to a town where he is seen by a woman who has wanted to become a doctor and has taken over from her deceased uncle. Sarah and he have a special bound and when later she finds she is pregnant she also realizes she cannot go to medical school. She hears that Joe has married and will raise the child on her own. She meets a man who knows Joe and wants to tell him of the child but she refuses. Later she is offered a teaching job in the town nearby where Joe lives now and where he is raising his child by himself since his wife passed. A good story with much going on. Good characters.

Calder Brand by Janet Dailey. While the Calders are in the story, it is actually about two other people that are loosely connected to them, Joe Dollarhide and Sarah Foxworth. They first meet when Joe saves Sarah from some men who have her cornered. From there they become friends and agree to meet up at a later date. Unfortunately life had a different plan for both. As time goes on they do meet again and in the end…well to find out you will need to read the story. Don’t want to spoil it!
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this story for an honest opinion.

This was a sweeping story of romance, loss, survival, greed and finally happiness. It spanned many, many years but I was glad that there was a happy ending.

Joe is a young man who just wanted to be a cowboy and during his first cattle drive from Texas to Montana, he was caught in a bad situation and left for dead. When he finally escaped his circumstances, his savior's weren't necessarily good for him. Through his experiences, he gained wisdom and knowledge.

He met Sarah early on in the cattle drive and made plans to meet up with her at her final destination when he was coming through on the cattle drive. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond either of their control, that didn't happen. Their lives continued to intersect with many years in between each meeting but their feelings for one another never really faded.

It was a bit of a long read which matched the saga of the story. It was a good story, although, I didn't really feel as connected to the characters as I really wanted to be, for some reason. There was a bit of foul language and some coarse talk and one descriptive, while not too graphic, sexual encounter, and an attempted rape scene.

While I liked the story, I didn't love the story. I was given an arc copy of this book through netgalley and I willingly offer my honest review.

Joe Dollarhide wants to be like his boss on the cattle drive north to Montana. When he’s been left for dead that turns his admiration into revenge. On a stop in Dodge City Joe comes to the rescue of a young woman. Sarah Foxworth is on her way to live with her great uncle a doctor. Her dream is to become a doctor. When Joe and Sarah meet sparks fly and they can’t stop thinking about each other. Their lives will intertwine bringing them together several times. Revenge and love just make these two people wear a Calder Brand.

Janet Dailey brings the reader back to her Calder series by going back to the beginning of the family in Montana. A cowhand on the Benteen Calder cattle drive will be followed through the years of wanting revenge. He won’t be able to forget the young woman he saves along the way. Danger and near-death experiences play a key role in how this cowboy’s life will change along the way. A young woman will face trails and death of her dream. An emotionally charged story of wanting revenge for years and finding an soul deep love and the beginning of a dynasties. Calder Brand keeps the reader on the edge of their seat wondering if these two characters will be reunited again and if their love will survive the revenge and struggle of live in the 1800s Montana. Janet Dailey’s Calder Brand brings back a much-loved series but with the twist of starting at the beginning of a trip to start the Calder family saga. Who’s next to come against the the formidable Calder first patriarch or the next generation of the Calder Brand books. Janet Dailey is always a great and wonderful read and will have you wanting to get to know the entire Calder family.

Calder Brand by Janet Dailey is a historic, cowboy love story, but it is so much more. It is about the American dream. And the dream came true. Joe Dollarhide is on a cattle drive. It's his first as he is only 16, but he has big dreams. He has gone into town with another drover to pickup merchandise ordered by their boss. With time to kill, he and his friend head to a whorehouse. To be fair, Joe didn't know where they were going. Before they made it, Joe spied a couple of men attaching a young woman. He ran to her defense and saved her from what would have been an unpleasant situation. She bought him lunch and they made plans to meet up on Oglala, which was her destination, and a stop off for the drive. There was a storm and the cattle got all riled up. Joe got knocked off his horse and landed under him. Joe could not moved at all and reconcile himself to death. Then he heard Jess and Benteen talking. He tried to cry out but they couldn't hear him. Jesse wanted to come down and check out the area, but Benteen made them move along. If he lived, Joe swore, he would make Benteen pay. As it turns out, Joe lived, but never made it to Oglala to see Sarah. He ended up with a band of rustlers for a while and then with an elderly horse breaker, who treated him like a son. Life moved on.

This is a cross between a regular Western and a romance. Joe went through a lot to end up with his dreams. So did Sarah, although her dreams had to change. They both made good friends. Sarah was resilient, stubborn, smart, and beautiful. Joe was a hard worker and a good man who did his best in every situation. He still hated Benteen but was determined to get him legally. The plot was good. It covered a span of years with both good and bad happening to both Sarah and Joe. From a distance, good things just fell into their laps, the author having left out most of the hard work. There was romance and friendship as well as love of the land and of the animals. It was a heady mix of romance and Old West. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of Calder Brand by Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own and freely given. #netgalley #calderbrand

Let just say that this was just a good read for me. Nothing that wowed me. I read it in one sitting, but not really my cup of tea. I just didn't really connect with the characters.
Just good. 3 stars.

Calder Brand is supposed to be a spin-off series - where I did not read the main series first.
Drawn in by the amazing colors and landscape on the cover I did the unthinkable - request a romance book.
I knew that I had to read this this month or I would probably not enjoy it anymore.

And I did. I think the story was well written, the characters were fleshed out enough for a romance story. I liked that they came off as strong and ambitious in their own way. The overall storyline fell a bit flat for me. It is very predictable and there are just some bits and pieces that I would classify as not realistic. I do understand that these tropes - as unrealistic as they may seem - make for a good romance and have their place. That place is not in my world though.
I do think this book is a great book for people who are into Western romantic fiction and want to get lost in a love story.

Thank you to netgalley to giving me access to a free review ebook in exchagne for an honest review.
This book will be included in my wrap up video going live on my Youtube Channel on March 11, 2021

Calder Brand by Janet Dailey
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Publication date: February 23rd

If you have been following me for a while now then you know I love Historical fiction, especially set in the westward expansion. If you give me some romance also, even better! Calder Brand did not disappoint.

We follow a young man, Joe Dollarhide, who has joined up on a cattle drive. Joe is eager to learn and eventually find land of his own. He looks up to his boss and wants to be just like him however, tragedy happens. Joe is left alone and lost during during a stampede. We follow Joe through his journal on survival, revenge, and growing up.

We also follow a youung woman, Sarah Foxworth, who is all alone traveling to meet her uncle. She has dreams of becoming a doctor. Sarah meets Joe briefly on her way to her Uncles town and they both have a automatic connection.

As we follow the hard life of Joe, we also follow the struggles Sarah faces. I enjoyed this one and now I am thinking about picking up her companion series, The Calder Saga.

Thank you @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for my free e-copy in exchange for an honest review

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I was a bit confused at first with this book. Using the Calder name in the title of this book made me think this was a book about the Calder family that we know and love. It was a bit about the Calder family, but not very much. Once I read more, I understood this was a book about an employee of the Calder family who had an unfortunate incident happen to him and he felt he was left behind.

Joe Dollarhide is young and ambitious. He wants what the Calder's have, a spread of land and a ranch. When he is injured during a stampede on the first cattle drive he was part of at age 16, he is angry. His survival is dependent on the outlaws that found him, and he has to join them. Things were different back then!

He meets and falls in love with Sarah Foxworth, who is on her way to her Uncle, a doctor, since she wants to follow in his footsteps in the medical profession. She nurses him back to health after another incident and they are together and Joe promises Sarah to meet her when he goes through the town where she will meet her uncle.

Time passes, as time does, and Joe is grown and married with a son. Sarah is not able to be a doctor and becomes an outcast. She is asked to come to Montana to be a school teacher.

Anything more will come in the form of spoilers so I don't want to say more.

The book is very predictable and is a nice way to take an afternoon to yourself if you're a fan of Western romantic fiction or Janet Dailey. Because I've read the first in this series, I'll probably read the next as well, but I don't expect it to be profound...more of a nice afternoon read. I enjoyed this book, but it won't be one I can't wait to read again!

I received an ARC of this book from Kensington Publishers and NetGalley for my honest opinion.

A book about a young boy who wants nothing more than to own his own ranch who leaves Texas at sixteen and takes a job with the Calder’s. Time and time again Joe finds himself in precarious situations but fate or God help him. When Mr. Calder leaves him for dead, after a search where they can’t find him, Joe is nursed back to health by Sarah.
Years later, he is married with a son and he finds out that he has another son. I understand why he wanted revenge on Benteen, but it did appear to be the exact opposite of how Joe would act. A story with excitement that will keep you turning the pages, and likable characters. I hope there is at least on book about his sons.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Loved this book!! If you love reading about cattle drives, chuck wagons and rustlers in the 1800’s you will enjoy this book. It shows how hard life was during that time and how people could succeed with a lot of hard work. It has suspense, romance and a lot of excitement. I highly recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

This is the first in a new series by Janet Dailey. Janet Dailey has been around for what seems like forever and I have loved all her books. Her name isn’t as well known as others like Danielle Steel but Dailey ranks right up there with the greats.

In this story we meet Sarah and Joe who have a second chance at love. They met and were together years ago and now Sarah is back in Joe’s life and their son in tow.

I really love Dailey’s stories. She is a perfect read for fans of women’s lit that are an enjoyable read. Dailey brings romance, friendship, and angst to the real world feel of her stories.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I've always enjoyed Janet Dailey's tales of the old west, and this is no different. The start of a new series, taking parts and characters from previous Calder tales, Joe Dollarhide begins his journey west, embarking on adventures and challenges that change his life forever. The book is colorfully descriptive of the American West before it became populated and changed.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Enjoyable read with likable characters and a page-turning plot. Calder Brand is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. The story is told as a flash back memory from two perspectives, Joe’s and Sarah’s; however, it mostly centers around Joe’s story and perspective. The story brings us into the world of 1879 with a cowboy determined to make a life and name for himself and a young woman determined to be a doctor. Their journeys take them through times of love and times of hurt.
And what an incredible journey it was! Joe said it best, “Luck and fate had played a vital role in his life, but none of what he’d gained had come without a price.” And boy did it! He should have died several times over, but each time fate or luck intervened and lead him on another crazy adventure. I was seriously so anxious to know how it ended, for the first time in ages I actually had to glance at the end before I could calmly continue reading. This is definitely a page turner! I liked the characters. Surprisingly and probably going against the story, I really liked the Calder group, especially Rusty and Lorna. The revenge part didn’t sit well with me. It was at odds with Joe’s true character. I was so happy with how the author had the end play out, it was absolutely perfect!
An enjoyable read through and through!

Calder Brand is the first of a new Calder Series by Janet Dailey. While the Calders are part of this story is it really Joe Dollarhide and Sarah Foxworth’s story. A romance but more a sage as their lives cross, separate then cross again.

In some ways I was reminded of Lonesome Dove with the cattle trail, the dangers, the harshness of the land and some of the people. The story has dual POVs of Joe and Sarah which is great because much of the time they are apart. Easy to read, pulling you into their stories. A story as big as the West giving the reader a ringside seat to the perseverance, resilience and determination of those who settled the land.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, Janet Dailey and Kensington Books for the ARC of Calder Brand. This is my personal review.
Calder Brand is the first in a new series by Janet Dailey.
The story tells about Joe Dollerhide. Joe is a young cowboy who joined the cattle drive for Benteen Calder. On the cattle drive he goes into Dodge City with one of the other men and this is where he meets Sarah.
Situations happen and Joe must find his own way to get to the life he wants for himself. He knows after meeting Sarah she is important to him.
I enjoyed this story very much and look forward to reading more in this series.

An author I've always enjoyed reading.
Calder Brand by janet Dailey.
A great book that I couldn't put down until finished.
First book in the Calder Brand series.

Complementary copy of the book given from Netgalley for honest review and opinion. This was a decent historical romance. It seemed to be all over the place at points but it wrapped up well. That beginning starting in the future was difficult because I knew what was coming.

This is a western story about a young cowhand Joe Dollarhide and getting revenge for being left behind gravely wounded from a thunderstorm stampede. He manages to safe himself, but is put in another dangerous situation, The story is about how Joe matures and the choices in life he makes. He falls in love with Sarah at a very young age and knows he is to young, but the paths cross again and again. It was be in the stars. This is a sweet story about basically growing up and learning what is really important in life. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story.