The MacKade Brothers:
Looking for trouble--and always finding it. Now they're on a collision course with love.
The Return of Rafe MacKade
The Pride of Jared MacKade
The Heart of Devin MacKade
The Fall of Shane MacKade
SIM #631
Silhouette paperback April 1995
The Return of Rafe MacKade
After 10 years, Rafe MacKade has returned to Antietem. He had left the town a bad boy, on the brink of manhood, and has returned the prodigal son, the hometown boy who made it big. Regan Bishop is a newcomer to Antietem who owns an antique shop, and Rafe just happens to need some antiques. (Don't you just love those big coincidences?) Rafe has bought the Barlow place, a house haunted by spirits dating back to the civil war, and plans to renovate it and turn it into an inn. The professional relationship between Rafe and Regan soon turns into a personal one as sparks fly. These two fiery personalities must learn to love each other and to lean on each other. And as a friend's abusive husband targets Regan, their time may be running out.
Murialisa's Review - ****
Rafe's story, the first of the MacKade quartet, is a touching story of two souls in need of each other. Rafe and Regan are amazing characters, so vividly depicted that the reader could imagine that they were standing next to her. Nora's depiction of smalltown life is also wondrously vivid and realistic, from the town busybodies and gossips to the town institutions. As these two strong souls struggle to bend and find happiness together, they also set the stage for the three books to come. If you're a Nora fan, this is a must read!
SSE #1000
Silhouette paperback December 1995
The Pride of Jared MacKade
Jared MacKade's story is the second in the MacKade quartet. Jared has grown up and left his hellraising days behind him. Once one of the town bad boys, he is now a successful lawyer with expensive suits and a cold office. Savannah Morningstar is new in town, a woman with a shady past. The daughter of a rodeo rider, she set out on her own at 16, pregnant. Now she's risen from the slums and is forging a better life for herself and her son in Antietem. From the start sparks fly between Jared and Savannah. But can Jared deal with Savannah's questionable past? And can Savannah deal with her own sense of inadequacy?
Murialisa's Review - ****
Jared's book, the second in the MacKade quartet, was as dazzling as the first. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the book is the continuation of the story and characters. We see Cassie Dolin and her kids, still coping with their own personal problems. We see Rafe and Regan living in marital bliss and renovating the inn. The story of the two ghosts, the two corporals from the Battle of Antietem, is continued as well. The story of Jared and Savannah can be read and enjoyed by itself, but the richness of the book comes from the continuation of subplots and storyline throughout all four books. Their own particular story is about two people who must deal with their own inadequacies and self doubts before they can fully give themselves to each other. Savannah must deal with her own feelings of not quite measuring up, of gross inadequacy since she didn't finish high school or attend college. Jared must deal with Savannah's past and accept it and the things that she has done to survive. This book tells the amazing story of two people who not only fall in love, but are able to attain a deeper self understanding and conquer the fears and doubts that stand in the way of their love.
SIM #697
Silhouette paperback March 1996
The Heart of Devin MacKade
Devin MacKade has grown up to be an upstanding citizen, much like his brother. This former bad boy is the town sheriff. He has loved Cassie Dolin since high school, but waited too long to make his move and had to stand by and watch as she married Joe Dolin. For twelve years he has stood and watched, unable to protect her from the monster that she married, until finally her husband went too far. Now Cassie is trying to make it on her own with two young children, even more skittish of male attention than Cassie herself. Can Cassie and Devin find a way to deal with the legacy of Cassie's marriage and be together? And can Devin stop Cassie's ex-husband from coming to haunt them once more?
Murialisa's Review - ****
The continuation of the MacKade story is stunning and riveting. Another level is added to the story of the two corporals - that of Abigail Barlow, who sought to save a rebel boys life and watched as her husband killed him in cold blood. The story of Abigail parallels in many ways the story of Devin and Cassie. Devin has always had to stand by and watch Cassie suffer, and now he wants to step in and take care of her with her abusive husband gone. However, Cassie and her children must deal with the fallout from an abusive marriage and are not so amenable to the idea of another man. This conflict is very realistically depicted, and Devin and Cassie seem much as two people who were really caught in such a situation might seem. Cassie is proud, and unwilling to take the help of others - she makes an interesting character. One of the striking characteristics of this quartet has been to see women characters who are not like the usual romantic heroines, but more often off to the sidelines. First we met Savannah, with a shady past. Though she never sold herself, she worked in strip bars and and pulled herself out of the slums in an unorthodox fashion. Now we are presented with Cassie, who is the classic abused wife. Again, she is a character who you often see on the sidelines of a book, but rarely as a protagonist. Another interesting character that serves to make the plot richer and more realistic is Cassie's 'devout' mother who doesn't believe in divorce and aids Joe in his attempt to get revenge. I highly reccomend this book - it's a keeper. :)
Silhouette paperback April 1996
The Fall of Shane MacKade
Shane is the youngest and final MacKade brother. He has stayed close to home and hearth. His love has always been the land, and he has tilled it with the occasional help of his brothers. Unlike his brothers, he is resistant to the idea of ghosts and the dreams that he has that link him to yet another layer of the story of the two corporals. This makes the appearance of Dr. Rebecca Knight, who wants to study the ghosts, all the more difficult for him. Rebecca is a genius - she had been pushed too hard too far from a young age and at 25 was ready to break free of the academic mold that she had been forced into. She took a scientific view of ghost hunting, and set out to study the legend of the two corporals. In the process she and Shane are thrown together. Shane has always resisted the idea of marriage, but will Rebecca make him rethink his stand?
Murialisa's Review - **** This final MacKade story is amazing. The quartet truly comes full circle. Another layer is added to the story of the two corporals - that of the MacKades who found the Union boy and buried him despite their efforts to save him. The continuation of the lives of Antietem and the MacKade family are a compelling reason to read this novel, aside from the riveting tale of Shane and Rebecca. Often a book ends with happily ever after. However, Nora allows us to see the Mackades as they travel through life. We see them as they grow, not just within their own books, but within the series as a whole. Rebecca and Shane are amazing characters as well. Rebecca is the typical overachieved under socially developed genius who is starting to break out of her mold and deal with the world. Once again, Nora has a unique take on this process as Rebecca explores the scientific side of ghosthunting; and we see another side to Shane, a humble farmer, than just the stereotypical farm boy. That is one of the most appealing aspects of Nora's characters - the use of unstereotypical stereotypes, the way they don't quite fit the normal molds.
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