Big Sky Secrets is the bittersweet finale in Linda Lael Miller's heartwarming Parable, Montana series. I have greatly enjoyed each of the installments and I am little sad that I have to say good-bye to the town and its inhabitants.

Beginning about a year after they were introduced in the previous novel (Big Sky Wedding), Big Sky Secrets is Landry Sutton and Ria Manning's story. They both moved to Three Trees around the same time and their properties border one another. Although a little zing of attraction accompanied their introduction, neither has been interested in a relationship. As a matter of fact, each of their encounters have been a bit fractious since Landry's escape artist buffalos are wreaking havoc on Ria's flower farm. Of course underscoring the tension between them is their (mostly ignored) desire for one another. But on his latest trip to rescue his wandering buffalo, Landry changes the status quo when he pretty much dares Ria to go on a date with him. Ria accepts because she cannot resist his challenge, but are either of them ready for a relationship?

The romance between Ria and Landry is secondary to their personal growth. There is never any doubt there is love between them but they have to work through their personal baggage to uncover it. Widowed Ria has to make peace with issues that stem from her previous marriage while Landry is plagued with conflicts arising from his childhood. Both characters are quite contemplative as they reflect on their respective problems. Landry is a bit quicker to resolve his problems while Ria's resolution takes almost the entire novel.

As with other novels in the series, secondary story arcs revolve around extended family. Ria's relationship with her older sister Meredith is troubled, but she shares a tight bond with Meredith's daughter Quinn. When her relationship with her mother hits a rocky patch, Quinn unexpectedly shows up on Ria's doorstep. Landry's father abandoned him and his brother Zane when they were young but that doesn't stop him from turning up when he is in trouble (which happens with alarming frequency). Landry and his brother Zane have made significant progress in mending the rift in their relationship but it is still a work in progress.

Big Sky Secrets is another heartfelt romance in the delightful Parable, Montana series. This last stop in Three Trees wraps up most of the previous storylines and provides readers one last glimpse of favorite characters. It is always difficult saying goodbye to a beloved series, but I am eagerly awaiting The Marriage Pact, the first novel in Linda Lael Miller's upcoming Western Wyoming trilogy. ( )

These two buttheads, lots of lighthearted, warm moments. Sweet romance, both have to deal with their pasts and difficult family. One of my favorites from Linda
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This is a love story about two broken people who have scars to prove it. Landry has been dealing with his fathers abandonment for most of his life. It has altered his trust in love. Ria, lost her heart in fire when her husband firefighter perished. These two butt heads, have some real feisty moments and eventually find their way to a rough friendship. The friendship is the first step to a much bigger and harder one for both of them.
The rest of the Montana gang are wonderful to revisit. We get a peek into where they are now in their new lives. The marriages, the babies, the happiness surrounding them. They help this couple deal with many issues that arise and are a strong community.
Not to be miss by fans of this series. ( )

4 stars

I was waiting for a big secrets, I think others books in this series had bigger secrets. I did enjoy the book though. This is supposed to be the last book in this story line.

Ria has a flower farm in Montana. It makes you want to see her flowers. She has only lived there for around a year. Her half sister wants her help to go check out one of her branch office. Ria tells her no.

Landry has a herd of buffalo all of two. They keep getting out and going to Ria's house and eats some of her flowers. Landry has a butler on his ranch. He got from the divorce back in Chicago. He is not sure he will stay in Montana or sell his half of the ranch to his brother.

It seems like most of the characters have problems carried over from childhood. It made me wonder how bad have I messed up with my girls. Landry's father comes for a visit. While Ria's niece hitchhikes to Montana because of her mother wanting to send her to camp.

Their are a couple of love scenes in last part of the book that I skimmed over.

This book is mostly about characters dealing with different relationships between family, friends and each other.

I was given this ebook to read and in return asked to give honest review of it by Netgalley and Harlequin.
Expected publication: December 31st 2013 by Harlequin HQN 384 pages ISBN:0373778317 ( )

I loved this last book in the Parable series. It was a really fun wrap up. When Landry came to Parable he wasn't planning to stay, but life seemed to have other plans for him. Ria had come to Parable on a whim, looking for a new beginning after the death of her husband. The two of them struck sparks off each other from the beginning.

The introduction to Ria sets the tone for the book. She is relatively new to Parable, having bought her farm sight unseen and started a flower growing business. She's made some good friends, but still keeps pretty much to herself. One person who is NOT her friend is next door neighbor and buffalo rancher Landry Sutton. For the last year his buffalo herd (all two of them) have been escaping his land and coming to feast on her flowers. Once again they are back and she's had enough. When he arrives to get his animals she lets him have it, getting more frustrated as he just stands there grinning at her. When he tells her that all that passion has a better use and kisses her, it rocks her world. She's been emotionally numb since the death of her husband and the last person she wants to feel anything for is Landry. He's too handsome, has the women falling all over him, and she just doesn't like him - or so she keeps trying to tell herself. She doesn't want to admit that what she's feeling is far stronger than what she felt for her husband, especially at the end. He had cheated on her, destroying her trust in him, and making it hard for her to trust another man. But Landry won't let it go and tricks her into agreeing to go on a date with him to the local saloon. Between the events of the date and his refusal to let her hide any longer, Ria finds herself letting go of her fears.

I loved Landry in this book. In the previous book, as Zane's younger city-slicker brother, he comes across as pretty snobby. He came to Parable to sell his land to his brother and head back to the city. By the time this one begins, he has begun to settle in on his property. He still hasn't fully decided to stay, but he's a lot happier than he had been. This book starts out with Landry going head to head with a bucking bronc as he's trying to prepare for his first rodeo. It isn't going well. Things look up when he gets called to Ria's farm to retrieve his animals - again. He has enjoyed their spats and realizes that the woman really appeals to him. He would like to see where the attraction might go, but she won't give him a chance. I loved seeing him confront her with his belief that her dislike is really because she's afraid of the way he makes her feel. I loved their date and seeing Landry show himself to be a gentleman really sealed the deal for me. He had decided that she was definitely the woman for him and his gentle yet relentless pursuit of her is so romantic.

I always enjoy the humor that LLM uses in her books. The events are described so well that I feel like I'm right there and I usually find myself laughing out loud. Two prime examples are when Ria finds the buffalo in her yard and the date at the saloon. Just the description of what she saw out the window that morning made her problem with Landry seem perfectly logical. Even better was the narrative of the date. From her niece's commentary on her clothing to the events of the next morning, I was laughing all the way. I loved the description of Ria's beer consumption and her disbelief of the effect that Landry could see that it was having - until it was too late. The trip back to her house and what happened when they got there was a riot. Then Landry's care for her later was the sweetest thing and really showed that he cares. I also loved Landry's butler, Highbridge. He is such a proper British fellow that seeing him rag on Landry in that slightly snooty way is hysterical. Highbridge is quite fond of Ria and I love his combination of protectiveness and matchmaking. His antics for the rodeo were fun to see.

LLM also makes family of central importance in her books. Landry and Zane had grown apart during their adult years, but with his arrival in Parable they start to repair that relationship. Zane can be a bit of a pain as a know it all older brother, but it's obvious that he cares. We also learn more about their early lives with their mother. Even the rocky relationship with their father undergoes some changes. Ria has some family issues of her own to deal with. Her older half sister, who comes across as a real witch at the beginning, has always made Ria feel like an outsider. The only good part of that relationship has been Ria's niece Quinn, who runs away from home and comes to Parable, rescuing a dog along the way. They talk her mother into letting her stay for the summer and we see Quinn grow and change during the time she is there. There are also brief appearances by earlier couples as we see how their families are doing. ( )