From Publishers Weekly
Following a slew of well-received romance paperbacks (Come Spring; Blue Moon; etc.), Landis serves up a tender, satisfying historical romance as her hardcover debut. Born in 1842, Kate Whittington, abandoned daughter of the Applesby, Maine, town tramp, is raised in a cloistered orphanage. Approaching spinsterhood at the age of 30, Kate answers the newspaper ad of Reed Benton, a widowed Texas rancher seeking a mail-order bride. After months of correspondence, she agrees to a marriage by proxy, packs her bags and heads off to the Texas frontier. When she arrives at Benton's sprawling Lone Star ranch, she is surprised to discover that her new husband is a Texas ranger who defends the frontier against Native Americans, has recently been wounded during a raid on a Comanche village and has captured an eight-year-old Comanche boy he believes may be his long-lost son, Daniel. Even more surprising, Reed Benton denies having ever placed the ad, written the letters or married Kate. Devastated by her crushed dreams yet determined to tame young, wild-haired Daniel, who is fierce in his conviction that he is a true Comanche, Kate agrees to stay on at the ranch to take care of the boy. As Reed convalesces, he finds himself lusting after Kate despite his suspicion that she is a charlatan, responsible for their sham of a marriage. Fully recovered, Reed returns to the frontier as a ranger, only to return to the ranch soon after because Daniel has run away. Kate and Reed team up in their search and not only find the boy but also discover that they have fallen in love. This sweet but not-too-sugary romance is a breezy, beach-blanket read, offering up well-developed characters, a compelling plot line and a pleasing slice of Americana. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Kate Whittington is caught between a rock and a hard place. The orphanage in the Maine seacoast village where she grew up and later taught has closed. As she scans the newspaper's help-wanted ads, she finds that a Texas widower wants a mail-order bride. After corresponding with the rancher, Kate is married by proxy to Reed Barton. When she arrives at his home, she is told that he had been wounded in a raid on a Comanche village and had brought a boy home with him who was thought to be his son, captured by Indians five years earlier. Reed swears that he never heard of Kate, never wrote to her, or received any letters from her. He makes it clear that he doesn't want a wife but needs someone to care for his son. The wild, frightened little boy touches Kate's heart and she agrees to stay. Well-developed characters drive this story. Daniel Barton struggles to find his identity in the white world. He had Indian parents who loved and cared for him, and he now finds himself in a foreign culture with people who don't understand his ways. His story is reminiscent in some ways of Cynthia Ann Parker's story in Carolyn Meyer's Where the Broken Heart Still Beats (Harcourt, 1992). An interesting and heartwarming story set in the latter half of the 19th century on the Texas frontier.Carol Clark, formerly at Fairfax County Public Schools, VACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Abandoned by her prostitute mother, raised by nuns, and cast adrift at 29, teacher Kate Whittington impulsively answers a newspaper ad and leaves her native Maine for the sun-drenched, windswept plains of Texas to marry a man she has never met a man who, it turns out, was set up by his estranged father, has never heard of Kate, and definitely doesn't want a wife. But Reed Benton has little choice he is wounded, and the wild son he reclaimed from the Comanche needs care and so Kate stays, determined to fight for her dreams. A heroine seeking a new beginning, a hero trying to come to terms with a soul-shattering past, and a terrified, confused little boy in search of his identity drive this poignant, heartwarming novel that steers in the direction of women's fiction. Featuring good writing and exceptionally well-drawn characters, it should appeal to fans of LaVyrle Spencer and Kristin Hannah. Landis is a multiple-award-winning writer (The Orchid Hunter) and lives in Southern California and Hawaii. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"If you love romance, you'll adore Jill Marie Landis."
--KRISTIN HANNAH

"Jill Marie Landis' writing reaches into your heart and brings tears and joy."
--Romantic Times

Book Description
The tender tale of a woman without choices who risks everything for one last chance at happiness.

RANCHER SEEKING WIFE - for Kate Whittington, the modest words in a newspaper ad are the answer to her desperate prayers. Daughter of a dockside harlot and raised in a bleak orphanage, she has no prospects in the unforgiving Maine village of her birth. Correspondence from the lonely Texas widower looking for a mail order bride sparks tempting dreams of a house, a family and a future in a land filled with possibilities.

Kate arrives at the magnificent Lone Star Ranch eager to meet her new husband. Instead she is greeted by the news that Reed Benton has been wounded during a raid on a Comanche village and has returned with a prisoner - a wild-looking boy who may be his long lost son. Even more shattering, however, is the fact that Reed has never heard of Kate, never wrote the letters that charmed her soul.

Reed Benton doesn't want a wife. But he does need someone to look after the boy - a bitter reminder of a past ravaged by lies and betrayal. It will take a miracle to heal these two damaged souls . . . Or the faith of one woman with nothing left to lose but her heart.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Jill Marie Landis brings us a compelling tale of Texas ranch life following the Civil War -- a time when the full moons of summer often heralded brutal Comanche raids that devastated families. Born the daughter of a dockside harlot in a tiny village in Maine, and raised by nuns there in a school for girls, teacher Kate Whittington had few romantic dreams. Answering an advertisement for a mail-order bride was a miraculous chance to gain the home and family she longed for. The wonderful letters she exchanged with her prospective husband in Texas convinced her to risk everything for this one chance at happiness. The proxy marriage went off beautifully, and her new home was even more magnificent than she'd been told. Unfortunately, her husband was more surprised than delighted by his new bride. In fact, Reed Benton Jr. was absolutely furious to learn that his dying father had orchestrated a long-distance courtship on his behalf -- and forged his marriage documents as well. The proud Texas Ranger has just inherited a ranch he doesn't want and a bride he doesn't know. And to top it all off, his young son, Daniel, whom he'd long believed dead, has just been found living among the Comanche -- and Reed's lovely and loving not-quite bride may be the only one who can reach the boy, who is desperate to return to the only life he knows.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Acclaimed author Jill Marie Landis has gifted readers with award-winning love stories that express the most intimate longings of the human heart. With unique insight and irresistible wit, she breathes vivid life into her characters while depicting superb settings of stunning beauty and realism. Now, in her long-awaited hardcover debut, Jill Marie Landis tells the tender tale of a woman without choices who risks everything for one last chance at happiness.

RANCHER SEEKING WIFE. For Kate Whittington, the modest words of a newspaper ad are the answer to her desperate prayers. Daughter of a dockside harlot and raised in a bleak orphanage, she has no prospects in the unforgiving Maine village of her birth. Correspondence from the lonely Texas widower looking for a mail-order bride sparks tempting dreams of a house, a family, and a future in a land filled with possibilities.

Kate arrives at the magnificent Lone Star Ranch eager to meet her new husband. Instead she is greeted by the news that Reed Benton has been wounded during a raid on a Comanche village and has returned with a prisoner--a wild-looking young boy who may be his long lost son. Even more shattering, however, is the fact that Reed has never heard of Kate, never wrote the searing letters that charmed her heart.

Reed Benton doesn't want a wife. But he does need someone to look after the boy--a bitter reminder of a past ravaged by lies and betrayal. It will take a miracle to heal these two damaged souls . . . or the faith of one woman with nothing left to lose but her heart.

Summer Moon is a deeply moving story of broken promises and new beginnings, crafted by a true master of romanticfiction.


From the Paperback edition.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Abandoned by her prostitute mother, raised by nuns, and cast adrift at 29, teacher Kate Whittington impulsively answers a newspaper ad and leaves her native Maine for the sun-drenched, windswept plains of Texas to marry a man she has never met a man who, it turns out, was set up by his estranged father, has never heard of Kate, and definitely doesn't want a wife. But Reed Benton has little choice he is wounded, and the wild son he reclaimed from the Comanche needs care and so Kate stays, determined to fight for her dreams. A heroine seeking a new beginning, a hero trying to come to terms with a soul-shattering past, and a terrified, confused little boy in search of his identity drive this poignant, heartwarming novel that steers in the direction of women's fiction. Featuring good writing and exceptionally well-drawn characters, it should appeal to fans of LaVyrle Spencer and Kristin Hannah. Landis is a multiple-award-winning writer (The Orchid Hunter) and lives in Southern California and Hawaii. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Kate Whittington is caught between a rock and a hard place. The orphanage in the Maine seacoast village where she grew up and later taught has closed. As she scans the newspaper's help-wanted ads, she finds that a Texas widower wants a mail-order bride. After corresponding with the rancher, Kate is married by proxy to Reed Barton. When she arrives at his home, she is told that he had been wounded in a raid on a Comanche village and had brought a boy home with him who was thought to be his son, captured by Indians five years earlier. Reed swears that he never heard of Kate, never wrote to her, or received any letters from her. He makes it clear that he doesn't want a wife but needs someone to care for his son. The wild, frightened little boy touches Kate's heart and she agrees to stay. Well-developed characters drive this story. Daniel Barton struggles to find his identity in the white world. He had Indian parents who loved and cared for him, and he now finds himself in a foreign culture with people who don't understand his ways. His story is reminiscent in some ways of Cynthia Ann Parker's story in Carolyn Meyer's Where the Broken Heart Still Beats (Harcourt, 1992). An interesting and heartwarming story set in the latter half of the 19th century on the Texas frontier.-Carol Clark, formerly at Fairfax County Public Schools, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews