To start I want to mention that I am a fan of Jane Porters. I am also a fan of the Murietta series. I am also very selective about what historical romances I read. I go for more flirty and fun historicals and when choosing to check out this story, I did not know it was a historical.

Yes you read this right, it is a historical.. The book starts in 1889 and it is an american historical, which is one I never read. So if my ratings are harsh, understand I very occasionally read historical romances and never in the genre of the turn of the center America.

Now that said I did not like this story. The writing was great and I really got into the characters head. The problem was I didn't want to. This story was not fun and flirty. It was atually harsh and unforgiving. It was more about the harsh realities of a woman who made a mistake and how society treated her after her mistake.

Was it well written, YES! Was it sad and did I feel sorry for Mkenna, YES. But thats also why I did not like it. Mkenna, our heroine goes to college and after college she decides she wants more than to settle down in marriage an so starts her down hill spiral to disgrace.

And everyone treats her that way, even the man who said he loves her. Added to the depressing state of the book is Mkenna's father who tries to marry her off to Sinclair. This was anot a happy story. It really showed how/why college could destroy a girls reputation and change her so much she forgets about marrying an jusr producing babies.

In conclusion I did enjoy the authors writing. I just did not a fun and flirty type of book which I seek when reading romance stories.

I have an infected foot. It's been driving me up the wall with an and frustration and so today I decided to do the right thing by it and rest. This, of course meant reading, and Jane Porter's latest novel beckoned me. Away In Montana is, I think, Jane Porter's first historical western and I can't tell you how pleased I was that my sore foot gave me the perfect excuse to read.
This story sang to me from the first page. I just couldn't put it down. McKenna, with her stubborn streak and Sinclair, always so caring and protective of those he loves, are both characters that I related to and card about from the first. I admit I wanted to knock some sense into McKenna's head on more than one occasion, but more than that I wanted to knock some caring and compassion into the fine women of Marietta. I found myself so engrossed by this tale. I'm thrilled that Jane Porter has ventured into historicals and delighted that there's another on the way. If it's as good as this story has been I'll find it impossible to put down too.

Away in Montana by Jane Porter takes the reader back in time to a harsher and less forgiving Marietta. At least it has been for women such as McKenna Frasier and Dr. Jillian Parker. It was interesting to also see the town snobs’ treatment of Jenny Zabrinski, whose family generations later are pillars of the community. The look back is certainty revealing on how the town has progressively changed perhaps partly in due to McKenna.

It has several tropes going on of second chances, rich girl and poor boy but mostly it is a story of reforming and recreating yourself and your dreams. The McKenna now is a revised better, new edition of her former self. From McKenna’s admissions, she needed to grow up and mature. Her down fall was the making of a much better woman who no longer was selfish and self-centered. I don’t think I would have liked the younger McKenna but I found the Teacher McKenna to have many admirable traits. As for Sinclair Douglas, he was a good boy who grew up to be a great man. I would agree with his sister, he deserved someone who was much more than the younger spoiled McKenna.

I was surprised to see this historical fiction by Ms. Porter. I guess I think of her as a contemporary romance writer. However, Away in Montana is an enlightening but also delightful read. Thumbs up for the first book in the The Douglas Ranch of Paradise Valley Series.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley.

If you have ever wondered about Montana Born’s fictional town of Marietta before it became the modern day Marietta we all know and love, this is the book for you.

The year is 1889 and McKenna Frasier has returned to Montana after a scandal left her the disgrace of New York society. Her father has disowned her too. She is starting her life over as a school teacher and living in a modest cabin without the luxuries she was accustomed to. She has avoided Sinclair Douglas, her first love, since returning. She couldn’t face him after the mistakes she made while living in New York. But he was always in the back of her mind as her one true love.

Sinclair has worked hard for everything he has, starting as a teenager working in the mines that McKenna’s father owned. Sinclair now owns a large ranch with cattle and making a good living for himself. The only things missing in his life are a wife and children. When Sinclair sees McKenna at The Bramble’s Halloween party, he has to talk to her. He never stopped loving her. But his heart was broken by the way she left him waiting for her return while she studied, traveled and eventually falling in love with someone else. Even after all of that, Sinclair still can’t help but want McKenna to be his wife. But his mother and sister have already picked out a woman for him, Ellie Burnett, the daughter of a Texas cattle rancher. Will Sinclair be able to convince McKenna that they are meant to be together or will he give in and ask Ellie to marry him?

The writing in this book is very impressive. I could tell each scene was well thought out and researched. The characters and their backgrounds were interesting and I enjoyed reading about the ancestors of the modern day Marietta characters that I have come to know so much about. This is a great kick-off to a new series.

I love visiting Marietta, Montana but this story is set in historical period of the late 1880's. You will see some familiar family names and places in Marietta that we all have become to love!!

McKenna and Sinclair have a history from years previous but McKenna did not want to settle down, the little rich girl wanted to experience life but all it got her, was the title of being scandalous. She has know been disowned by her family and is now the new school teacher in Marietta. Sinclair has always loved McKenna, the poor boy in town. Now the wheels have turned and Sinclair has made it beyond rich. His heart still belongs to strong, independent McKenna but can he change her mind.

I loved this book!!!! The banter between McKenna and Sinclair is wonderful. McKenna is such a strong independent girl, nothing will stand in her way. Sinclair, just needs to find away into McKenna's heart, he won't give up! I can't wait to read more historical romances set in Marietta. I highly recommend this wonderful story!!

Jane Porter has another winner with Away in Montana, the first book in her brand new series, The Douglas Ranch of Paradise Valley. This is a historical romance, a genre that I usually do not enjoy. However, anything written by Ms. Porter is an automatic purchase for me. This book blew me away with its engaging plot, three-dimensional characters and emotional circumstances. I read it in one day and I am still reflecting upon its genuineness.

McKenna Frasier had it all. She was smart, beautiful, and lived the life of luxury. Her father owned a few mines and was quite wealthy. In addition, McKenna was his princess. Before McKenna left for college, she promised the love of her life that when she returned, they would settle down. McKenna's unique experiences at school, in New York City and abroad, only added to her need to be independent.

A woman's reputation meant everything during the late 1800s, and McKenna destroyed hers by dating the wrong man. She thought she was above the societal norms of the time. As a result, she was shunned by society and her father, which left her virtually penniless. She was lucky to find a job as a teacher not very far from where she grew up. Her new life is incredibly lonely and she lives in a cottage that is not fit for any human being.

The son of Irish immigrants, Sinclair Douglas grew up very poor. He was almost sixteen when his father died in one of Frasier's mines, and he had to quit school in order to support his family. He was now the breadwinner, working very long hours in the dangerous mine that his father died in. Sinclair knew he had to work himself up into management in order to prove to McKenna's unscrupulous father that he was worthy of her hand in marriage. In addition, as a manager, he knew he had a better chance of keeping his miners as safe as possible. Sinclair was successful in his career and invested his money wisely. Now he owns a successful ranch not too far from his hometown, however, his mining expertise remains in constant demand. McKenna is always in his thoughts and he is hopeful that one day she will be his again.

This is a compelling holiday story, and the summary above is only a glimpse of the significant happenings that are going on. I felt the connection between McKenna and Sinclair immediately, and their pasts colliding with the present are replete with a powerful sensuality. I felt every emotion known to woman while reading this book, and my heart ached throughout most of the story. McKenna and Sinclair get a second chance at love, and the author does a terrific job of evolving their happily ever after.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

The rules for women in the late 1800’s were far, far different than those we face today. Then a mistake, even a perceived mistake could cost a young woman her reputation, and just about everything else, for in that time a woman’s reputation was her fortune… no matter her wealth. McKenna Frasier was young, beautiful, headstrong, stubborn and convinced that the stupid rules of society didn’t apply to her. They were ridiculous and she ignored them when it suited her, even those times when that little voice was saying in her head… you’re going too far… still, she continued doing what she pleased. Oh, there wasn’t a mean bone in her body, she simply wanted her freedom and independence. Her mistake, the real one, was in trusting the wrong man – a man with a very different agenda than hers. And her fall, when it came was long, painful and life changing.

Sinclair had loved McKenna since she was around 13. Yes, to start it was a friendship that slowly turned into a deep, abiding love for her that it seemed nothing could ever change. He knew the chances of ever being able to marry were against them. He was the son of a miner, then a miner in one of her father’s mines. She was an heiress. So he, at least, had no rose colored glasses to see the true situation. Yet he was determined to become a man she would be proud to marry and he worked his way up through the mines to management. Right up until a horrific accident took lives – then he walked away and sought his fortune elsewhere. And was successful. He had let McKenna go when she went off to college, then trips to New York or the continent. They wrote, well, he tried but he never was too good at writing and his work in the mine was exhausting so the letters dwindled over time. Still he held on to his hopes. Right up until McKenna’s fall from grace. Even in these backwaters, the gossip mills still worked very well.

Now, McKenna was back in Marietta, Montana. Her father had disowned her, cut her off from funds and family. She was hired as a school teacher for the area, with a tiny split log cabin on the edge of the school property. She lived on the kindness of neighbors, well, the ones who actually spoke to her. She kept her head down, did her job and survived. It was a Halloween party that she had forced an invitation to that McKenna finally realized just how long reaching her actions were as she was snubbed, ignored and looked through by the town’s good citizens. People she once called friends would have nothing to say to her. And the man she’d loved and hurt gave her the biggest set down of all. She truly was at rock bottom now, and she, as well as the townsfolk, knew it.

I have been waiting to read Away In Montana since I first heard of it – and it was a wonderful experience. To go back in time to meet the founding members of some of the well known families I’ve come to love in modern day Marietta was a pure joy. McKenna and Sinclair Douglas was the perfect couple to start this series off. I cannot remember a time when I felt a character’s pain so vividly as I did with McKenna. There were moments of tears, I’m not ashamed to admit that. She was so isolated, so lonely, so determined to make it no matter what. She would survive. Sinclair’s pain was equally strongly felt, but for different reasons. It was so obvious that these two people belonged together, yet society’s rules of the time simply stood in their way.

This review has gone on too long as it is – but the truth is I could talk about this story for hours. If you have ever visited Marietta, Montana and enjoyed the uniqueness of that town, the surrounding areas and the amazing people who live there then you owe it to yourself to go back in time to the beginning for a fantastic story of love, loss and rediscovery. I cannot give high enough praise for this story. It will draw you in and wring every emotion possible from you as you fall into the lives of McKenna and Sinclair. It’s impossible not to. And the ending… there are no words for that ending. You need to read this one. You deserve it.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this novel. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this story.*

4 Not Victims of The Times Stars
* * * *
Over the years I have read about a place called Marietta, Montana. There have been many tales referring back to those who were there from the start... back when Cowboys were really serious Cowboys and Women...well women....

Had better know their place and what the rules were...
Because make no mistake...in the 1800's....there were many rules about all the things a woman could and could not do.... and if she pushed that line a little too far...or fell in love with the wrong man...one who had other ideas than the best...this woman in the 1800's could loose Everything.

Men had it a bit easier but had their own issues ... People needed to stay within their "Stations".... if you were a worker...then loving and marrying an heiress of the company you worked for was not attainable...This didn't seem to deter our main fella though... Sinclair Douglas was taken with McKenna Fraiser ever since he was a teen. His father was a worker at her father's mine.
When they were young, their friendship was innocent... but as they grew up, he felt in his heart...she was his. It didn't matter their different status.

Awww Puppy love, so pure..so naive...

Sinclair finally had to let McKenna experience the life she was supposed to... travel the world, go to college... take advantage of all the privileges afforded her.
Things were going well for McKenna yet, she had a very hard time playing by all those stuffy, silly rules...She would do things which were not the society's way. She didn't listen to those around her... and unfortunately, she didn't heed her own little voice whispering to her...when she was lead astray and betrayed.

McKenna paid the ultimate price for her betrayal and had to return back to Marietta not as the Carefree Heiress but as the School Marm. Those who loved gossip and had been mean girls in the making thrived on McKenna's situation... using any opportunity to remind her of her fall from grace. What annoyed them was McKenna's determination to be strong and stay her course...be the woman she wanted to be.

During McKenna's time away, Sinclair was maturing and making his way. He became much more than a miner, moving into management and then starting out on his own. He was now a man to be looked up to... a prize catch...invited and part of the town.... and from this perspective, he sees what the town is doing or trying to do to McKenna...and he does not like it...not one little bit.

This was a top notch read and wonderful way to get a taste of times gone by and what the Marietta history was ...first hand, so to speak...
I think there may be more coming and I will be on the look out for the next.

I would like to mention another Goodreads member, Marsha Spohn, had an amazing review... it was just perfect. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

McKenna Frasier had fallen for Sinclair Douglas when the pair were very young and McKenna has the opportunity to tutor Sinclair. But McKenna’s family was incredibly wealthy and Sinclair’s father simply worked in the mines which seemed to also be the path that Sinclair himself would head down one day.

When it came time for McKenna to leave for college and an introduction to society she pledged her love to Sinclair but as the years past McKenna found herself to be having to much fun in the big city to return to Montana and Sinclair. But then the day came that McKenna’s reputation came into question and she had to return home a shamed woman after which her father disowned her.

Now making a life for herself as a schoolteacher McKenna finds herself crossing paths with Sinclair once again. Sinclair had waited patiently behind for McKenna and made something of himself while she was gone but McKenna finds herself not trusting anyone after her experience in the city so will there be any hope for this pair after all this time?

Away in Montana is the first book of the Douglas Ranch of Paradise Valley series. What I didn’t realize when I picked this one up was that this particular read is actually historical fiction and takes place back in 1889. This was actually a lovely surprise to get to visit the small towns life of Montana that I’ve read about in many other stories but back while the towns were being formed.

The story had great characters to go along with the lovely setting and really seemed authentic to the times. It’s a clean romance where the characters do share a past together but need to overcome things years later to hopefully find their happily ever after in the story. I’d definitely recommend this one to any fan of historical romance.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

A festive historical western romance, where the heroine and hero rekindle their love in Montana. A lovely treat.

Loved this!! I've enjoyed most of the Marietta stories and it was fun to read the history of one of my favorite fictional towns. McKenna and Sinclair were friends throughout their youth. Their feelings went far deeper than friendship but in 1889 society's rules said that the two could not be together. He was a poor miner and she was an heiress. After going off to college, McKenna's strong will and resentment towards the rules society placed on her leave her with broken dreams and a damaged reputation. She has no choice but to return to Marietta. Sinclair has spent this time working hard and raising his status in life. No longer is he a poor miner, he is a mine owner and someone who demands respect. Sinclair is not happy about how the town is treating McKenna when she returns and vows to do everything in his power to help her. Keeping her out of his heart again will be the hardest thing he's ever tried to do.

This one is very well done and definitely a book I recommend.

This is a historical set at the end of the 19th century in the town of Marietta made popular by the Tule contemporary novellas set in Montana.

Sinclair Douglas and McKenna Frasier grew up in Butte, a big city at the time. He came from a poor mining family and her father owned the copper mine empire. You can see where this is heading.

Sinclair met McKenna at school. She was in his sister's class and he was older. Despite the difference in class, they became friends, even when he was forced to leave school at the death of his father to work in the mines to support his family. Aided and abetted by his sister they continued their friendship. And then McKenna went away to college back east.

This is the story of a young woman who has grown up spoiled and pampered by an indulgent father. Her love for Sinclair was something outside that and in her immaturity she didn't value it. Instead she allowed herself to be lured by the bright lights of New York high society. She didn't realise the cost to herself and her reputation, thinking as the rich Miss Frasier she would be immune to censure when she pushed the limits of allowable conduct for a young single woman.

Now she is reaping the result of her immature rebellion, the only job she could get at an isolated school outside Marietta, but looked at askance because of the scandal.

It is here she meets Sinclair again. He has settled in Marietta with his mother and sister. These old friends are less than happy to see her again and McKenna knows she is not marriage material any longer, being tainted with her past misbehaviour.

It is very sweet and a little bit painful watching Sinclair and McKenna circle each other, him the faithful swain, humiliated and discarded by the rich miss and she hurt by her own folly that lost her everything she didn't know she valued until it was gone.

It was a lovely story with some angsty moments and very suited to the season. We meet the heroine of the next in this series and she will have some redeeming of character needed as she doesn't come across well in her dealings with McKenna.

I received this from Netgalley for an unbiased review.

(Goodreads and Amazon)
"Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review"
A solid written story that can be read as a historical depiction of an era and a particular setting (Montana), focused on the harsh conditions of mining. Even if I enjoyed the beginning and the writing style is good this book didn’t work for me.
As for the main characters, I felt that both are a bit inconsistent, the heroine with her supposed feminism vs. her concern with innocence/virginity/chastity. What could have been an interesting approach to feminism in 19th century America turned into a rather boring rambling.
There was really nothing very remarkable about the handsome, blue-eyed and broad-shouldered hero: he’s a self-made man, generous, hard-working. One moment he wanted the heroine and the next he didn’t.

Mackenna and Sinclair have been in love since school days but a huge divide of mine owners daughter and son of a miner. The reader is swept back to 1880s Marietta to watch these two work through scandal, observed norms for society and the opening of the west. Historical Marietta Montana draws you in to find the history of modern residents. Definitely recommend this to bother historical readers and to Marietta fans.

Ebook from netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

After having so many stories revolving around the town of Marietta, Montana, it was delightful to read the story of how it all began in the late 1800's. I hadn't realized, prior to reading, that the book was a historical romance, or that it takes place in the very same town of Marietta that I'd come to enjoy reading about.

Ms Porter did a remarkable job of setting up the historical foundation for all the stories to follow for the town and the Sinclair Douglas family. Her depiction of how hard life was for a woman, as well as the prejudices that took place towards what the town considered an outcast, was eye opening and just plain said. The hard conditions were laid out so perfectly that it was easy to immerse myself in the story and feel McKenna's fear and pain. The interactions between Sinclair and McKenna were enlightening, their relationship touching. I look forward to reading more books by Ms Porter, her style of writing was enjoyable to read.

This book was provided by the Publisher and Netgalley, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Away in Montana is a really quick but good red. It is by Jane Porter and the first book of a series, and I can't wait to read more!

This book has all the good things in a romance, love, hate, hard feelings broken promises and redemption. It tells the story of McKenna Frasier, a 25 tear old young woman full of life and beautiful, the heiress to the Copper Kings Mine, and her fall from grace after going to college and then after travelling and staying in New York until she was totally disgraced and forced to go back home, and disinherited by her father and totally unable to marry because of her scandalous behavior.
She is so alone and now is forced to take a job as a school teacher in Marietta, and she knows that she will never be the same after everything.

However she does not know that the love of her life Sinclair Douglas, her friend since she was a child, the man she promised to return to and marry also has moved to Marietta, and he is no longer an employee of her father, and he is extremely wealthy. He is so sad how things turned out because he always loved her and still does.

When they run into each other at a Halloween party and he gives her a ride home, he knows she will not last in the cottage that the school house furnishes it does not even have a stove. He also knows she has hardy any money to buy anything to eat, and he can't stand by and watch her being turned into an old woman before her time, but though she loves him, she feels he is better than her and it is so heart wrenching, some of the scenes they go through. But the heart wants what the heart wants and you need to read to find out what happens-will they have a second chance, and will her father come around -you will get the answers when you read this awesome read.

I gave this book 5 stars!

Away in Montana by Jane Porter is book number one in the Paradise Valley Ranch series. This is McKenna Frasier and Sinclair Douglas' story.

This story takes place in 1889. Things were definitely different during that time especially for women. If a woman made a mistake, it could cost her everything.

McKenna and Sinclair 'Sin' have a history and their relationship did not end well. McKenna has been forced to return to Montana due to her reputation being destroyed. She has also been disowned by her wealthy father. McKenna is lucky to get a job teaching school.

Sinclair doesn't want to help McKenna or love her. But, will Sinclair move on with his life or take a chance on McKenna again? Will McKenna and Sinclair get a second chance at love?

This story was an emotional and sweet romance during a difficult time for woman. Be prepared for surprises and twists in this story.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Historical fiction at its most fun and its set during Christmas!! Loved this story to bits!!