When I l learned The Next Mrs. Blackthorne was again on The New York Times bestseller list, I was thrilled! I want to personally thank all my readers for your support!
I sincerely appreciate having such loyal readers.
The Bitter Creek Series
Suggested reading order: The Cowboy, The Texan, The Loner, The Price,
The Rivals and The Next Mrs. Blackthorne.
* * *
THE COWBOY First of the Bitter Creek series Pocket Books, ISBN 0-440-22389-6
THE COWBOY tells the story of two feuding Texas ranch families--the Blackthornes and the Creeds--one rich and prosperous, one struggling, and the animosity that's existed between them since the Civil War. The trouble starts when the eldest Blackthorne son falls in love with the Creeds' eldest daughter. This is a novel about family, about roots, about getting through the hard times and enjoying the good times. But most of all, it celebrates the power of love. The Blackthornes in this book are the modern-day descendents of the Duke of Blackthorne from the Captive Heart series. The Creeds (and Coburns and Guerreros) are the modern-day descendents of characters from the Sisters of the Lone Star series. Read Excerpt....
THE TEXAN
Bitter Creek Series Book #2 ISBN 0-440-23471-9
Set against a majestic backdrop of sprawling modern-day Texas, The Texan weaves a tale of two feuding families--the Blackthornes and the Creeds--and of two extraordinary people, loner Owen Blackthorne and beautiful, headstrong Bayleigh Creed, irresistibly drawn to each other despite the desperate odds against their love.
Owen Blackthorne was a lone wolf, a man who didn't need anyone. Until Bayleigh Creed appeared on his doorstep, demanding his help into the desolate West Texas wilderness together, a Blackthorne and a Creed, mortal enemies obliged to join forces to survive. Neither counted on the unwanted attraction that drew them together, or the bitter truths that would force them apart. Until the ruthless wilderness compelled them to make life-and-death choices--between family . . . and duty . . . and love. Read excerpt . .
THELONER Bitter Creek Series Book #3 ISBN 0-440-23472-7
The Blackthornes and the Creeds. Two powerful Texas dynasties--and lifelong enemies.Set in the heart of the modern-day West, New York Times bestselling author Joan Johnston brings to passionate life the clash of wills between Blackthorne and Creed . . . as a man and woman discover a love stronger than the forces trying to tear them apart.
Summer Blackthorne swore she'd never forgive Billy Coburn for running out on her and their future together. But that was before she found out she wasn't Jackson Blackthorne's child--Billy was. And now the "Blackthorne Bastard" has come home for a final day of reckoning...to the town that damned him and the woman he had always wanted. Only Summer can satisfy the hunger burning deep within him. Only she can help him hold on to his own unwanted son. It will be a marriage of expedience only. Until doubts and mistrust vanish in the heat of passion. . .and a man and a woman who never stopped loving each other fight bitter blood and impossible odds for a glorious second chance. . . Read Excerpt...
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THE PRICE Bitter Creek Series Book #4
Atria Books, ISBN 0-743405432-4, hardcover
Mass Market Paperback, Pocket Books
Even though the stress and the punishing hours of his job as a litigation associate at DeWitt & Blackthorne have cost him his marriage and quality time with his two young daughters, Luke Creed remains fiercely driven to succeed. When Luke takes on the defense of a pharmaceutical company in an explosive wrongful death suit that could make or break his career, he is surprised to find himself squared off against the woman he has always loved, Amy Hazeltine Nash, his high school sweetheart. A single mother recovering from a failed marriage, Amy is a passionate advocate for her bereaved client and is shocked that once-rebellious Luke is now a member of the Establishment, representing corporate interests. But Amy cannot deny the feelings that seeing Luke rekindles in her heart.
Concerned that his client may be lying, Luke investigates the case more closely, which means spending more time with Amy with whom a new romance begins to blossom. But when one of Luke's colleagues dies under suspicious circumstances, he finds he is in danger of losing not only the case, but his life. With help from Amy and a trio of fearless colleagues, Luke delves into dangerous web of corruption that involves his client and his firm. In doing so he has no choice but to question the price of his own ambitions. From the towering skyscrapers of Houston to the majestic plains of south Texas ranch country, THE PRICE sweeps readers into a powerfully engrossing, passionate novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seats as it explores the questions of what is truly important in life and how high a price a person is willing to pay to achieve his or her ambitions. Read Excerpt . . .
THE RIVALS Bitter Creek Series Book #5
Pocket Books, ISBN 0-7434-5440-5 To ORDER, click here
Juggling single motherhood and her job as deputy sheriff of Teton County, Sarah Barndollar hasn't lost hope of solving two cold cases of missing women. When a third vanishes, all hell breaks loose—because she's the illegitimate daughter of Texas scion Clay Blackthorne and the granddaughter of his mortal enemy King Greyhawk. The crisis pits the two powerful families against each other in a race against time.
Playboy Drew DeWitt, a Blackthorne cousin insists on taking point in the search—putting him on a collision course with Sarah. Her cop instincts tell her the sexy Texan is trouble. But when evidence emerges of a conspiracy against the U.S. government, Sarah accepts Drew's high-powered help as she negotiates a shadowy landscape of hidden rivals and ruthless greed where every moment counts in saving lives, including her own. Read more...
The NEXT MRS. BLACKTHORNE
Bitter Creek Series Book #6
Pocket Books, Mass Market Paperback
September 2005: Re-issue February 2008
ISBN 0-7434-5441-3 | $7.99
New York Times bestselling author Joan Johnston returns to the drama, passion, and intrigue of Bitter Creek, to reveal who will vow to love and honor powerful Texas ranching scion, Clay Blackthorne.
A lavish summer wedding is being planned at Bitter Creek ranch. In one month, Clay Blackthorne will wed socialite Jocelyn Montrose. But when she hears stirrings of a corporate takeover by the family's archrival, North Grayhawk, Jocelyn covertly heads to North's ranch to offer a valuable commodity-herself-if North will call off his plans. Striking a deal to spend the summer with the steely, seductive North, Jocelyn fails to see that her sacrifice to protect the man she loves may have dire consequences.
Stunned by his fiancée's rejection, Clay, a newly appointed federal judge, begins presiding over an incendiary terrorism trial, which brings him face to face with his first love, Libby Grayhawk. As tensions mount, forces beyond Clay's control threaten the women most precious to him in the past and the present. And only in a daring act of sacrifice will he know which woman will become the next Mrs. Blackthorne. Read excerpt
THE COWBOY tells the story of two feuding Texas ranch families--the Blackthornes and the Creeds--one rich and prosperous, one struggling, and the animosity that's existed between them since the Civil War. The trouble starts when the eldest Blackthorne son falls in love with the Creeds' eldest daughter. This is a novel about family, about roots, about getting through the hard times and enjoying the good times. But most of all, it celebrates the power of love. The Blackthornes in this book are the modern-day descendents of the Duke of Blackthorne from the Captive Heart series. The Creeds (and Coburns and Guerreros) are the modern-day descendents of characters from the Sisters of the Lone Star series. 
Set against a majestic backdrop of sprawling modern-day Texas, The Texan weaves a tale of two feuding families--the Blackthornes and the Creeds--and of two extraordinary people, loner Owen Blackthorne and beautiful, headstrong Bayleigh Creed, irresistibly drawn to each other despite the desperate odds against their love.
Set in the heart of the modern-day West, New York Times bestselling author Joan Johnston brings to passionate life the clash of wills between Blackthorne and Creed . . . as a man and woman discover a love stronger than the forces trying to tear them apart.
Even though the stress and the punishing hours of his job as a litigation associate at DeWitt & Blackthorne have cost him his marriage and quality time with his two young daughters, Luke Creed remains fiercely driven to succeed. When Luke takes on the defense of a pharmaceutical company in an explosive wrongful death suit that could make or break his career, he is surprised to find himself squared off against the woman he has always loved, Amy Hazeltine Nash, his high school sweetheart. A single mother recovering from a failed marriage, Amy is a passionate advocate for her bereaved client and is shocked that once-rebellious Luke is now a member of the Establishment, representing corporate interests. But Amy cannot deny the feelings that seeing Luke rekindles in her heart.
Concerned that his client may be lying, Luke investigates the case more closely, which means spending more time with Amy with whom a new romance begins to blossom. But when one of Luke's colleagues dies under suspicious circumstances, he finds he is in danger of losing not only the case, but his life. With help from Amy and a trio of fearless colleagues, Luke delves into dangerous web of corruption that involves his client and his firm. In doing so he has no choice but to question the price of his own ambitions. From the towering skyscrapers of Houston to the majestic plains of south Texas ranch country, THE PRICE sweeps readers into a powerfully engrossing, passionate novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seats as it explores the questions of what is truly important in life and how high a price a person is willing to pay to achieve his or her ambitions. 
Juggling single motherhood and her job as deputy sheriff of Teton County, Sarah Barndollar hasn't lost hope of solving two cold cases of missing women. When a third vanishes, all hell breaks loose—because she's the illegitimate daughter of Texas scion Clay Blackthorne and the granddaughter of his mortal enemy King Greyhawk. The crisis pits the two powerful families against each other in a race against time.
A lavish summer wedding is being planned at Bitter Creek ranch. In one month, Clay Blackthorne will wed socialite Jocelyn Montrose. But when she hears stirrings of a corporate takeover by the family's archrival, North Grayhawk, Jocelyn covertly heads to North's ranch to offer a valuable commodity-herself-if North will call off his plans. Striking a deal to spend the summer with the steely, seductive North, Jocelyn fails to see that her sacrifice to protect the man she loves may have dire consequences.
