This Calder Sky by Janet Dailey
Publisher: Pocket Books
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

The great Calder empire stretched across the Montana plains as far as the eye could see. Everyone knew a Calder’s word was law and that one day Chase Calder would carry the family name to new glories. But for handsome, arrogant Chase Calder there was also beautiful Maggie O’Rourke, who came to him in innocence and stirred in him a deep, insistent longing. But Maggie was determined to be free from the harsh codes of hard men. And even Chase Calder’s strong arms couldn’t keep her. Still, in them both burned the raw passion of the land…where even the greatest love must fight to live beneath This Calder Sky.

Two souls bound to come together, but boy are there some wrinkles in this plan.

I’ve only read a couple books by Janet Dailey, but I was urged to read more by this author because these are some of the classics of romance. This is some of where the romance genre really came into its own. I’ll certainly read others by this author because I see why this author is so well-loved.

The pacing was interesting. There were moments when the characters weren’t together, but they weren’t far from each other’s mind. I liked that. I liked that Chase was so alpha. He knew what he wanted, but he was smart enough to realize he wasn’t ready to have it. That takes guts.

I have a few quibbles with this book though. Maggie is fifteen when the story starts. When she and Chase get together the first time…she’d underage and he’s not. That really bugged me because I kept thinking she was a child. It wasn’t right. Another thing that bothered me was how she went from naïve to experienced in seconds. It seemed a bit unrealistic. I get that this book was originally published in 1981, but even then, the age gap at that time seemed too much. I also didn’t get into the big chunks of the book where the main characters were so far away from each other. But that’s just me. There’s also the trigger warning that there is animal abuse in this book. This might not bother some, as it’s fiction, but if you’re not a fan, then you might want to skip those pages.

I’ve left quite a bit of negative about this book, but there are some positives, too. I liked the interaction between Chase and Maggie in the second half of the book. The tenderness showed right through. I liked how Chase was with Ty, too. He came into his own as a father.

If you’re looking for a book that’s certainly vintage, but still interesting, then this might be the book to try. Give it a shot.