Category: Young Adult/Teen Publisher: Booksurge
ISBN-10: 1439220638
Type: Fiction
Pages: 215
Copyright: Nov 15 2002
ISBN-13: 9781439220634
Leslie Cahill, 17, falls in love with neighboring cowboy, 28-year-old Sloan Stroh. Why can’t her family understand? McClellan’s Bluff, a contemporary western, takes place in eastern Washington’s ranch country.
In McClellan’s Bluff, Leslie Cahill, seventeen, falls in love with an “older” man, twenty-eight year old Sloan Stroh. She’s flattered by the attention of this neighboring cowboy and is swept along by her strong emotions. Sloan dominates Leslie’s every thought. Her father and brother strongly object to the relationship not only because of the considerable age difference, but because they do not trust Sloan’s intentions.
Leslie learns Sloan’s dark secret, which dates back many years to her mother’s death. McClellan’s Bluff takes place in Washington’s ranch country.
Excerpt
That night, alone with her thoughts, sleep wouldn’t come. She vaguely remembered that Jordan had called. She’d tried to cover her impatience with him. They closed the conversation with Jordan saying something like, “I guess you’re busy now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” It wasn’t that she’d been busy–she just wanted time to think about Sloan.
Now, lying in bed, she envisioned dancing with Sloan, riding with Sloan, going for a drive with Sloan. She still felt his breath on her cheek, his arm on hers. Hot, she threw off the covers, then shivering, covered herself again. Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, she fell asleep, only to wake thinking of him. Deep inside, her stomach ached.
Professional Reviews
McClellans' Bluff, Review by Cindy Penn, Wordweaving.com
Impressive! Very highly recommended
While visiting a neighboring ranch on business with her father, Leslie Cahill meets Sloan
Stroh. His older habits and attitudes immediately make her current boyfriend look terribly
immature and uninteresting. Even his habit of chewing tobacco or keeping a pint of rum in
the glove compartment makes him seem attractive, sophisticated, and interesting. But
Sloan's invitation to go dancing at the local tavern quickly draws attention to their age
differences.
Even when he does realize the age difference between them, Sloan does not back away.
Instead, he shows up in his old truck after school to invite Leslie to ride around awhile
before taking her home. Leslie finds herself intoxicated with the heady experience of an
older man's interest, concealing her growing relationship with Sloan from her family. Little
does she suspect the emotional complications and physical dangers that can result from her
growing attraction to Sloan.
In MCCLELLAN'S BLUFF author Mary Trimble proves her gift for confronting the
complexities teens face as they learn to define their identities and establish their
independence as young adults. Indeed, Trimble truly understands the driving restlessness
of teen years and the incredible attraction inherent in the interest of a much older man. She
cautiously avoids the intricate legal implications by avoiding intimate relations between
Leslie and Sloan, although in most states Leslie is certainly of the age of consent,
including Washington where the story is set. Further, Trimble does not in any way back
away from the emotional issues a romance between a seventeen year old and a man eleven
years older. As Leslie learns, dating a much older man not only arouses the concern of
family, but also thrusts her into a relationship with expectations she is not prepared to
fulfill. An impressive example of the complications of teen years, MCCLELLAN'S BLUFF
comes very highly recommended.
Cindy Penn editor@wordweaving.com
McClellans' Bluff, Review by Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews
Mary E. Trimble: McClellan's Bluff
(Sequel to Rosemount /Young Adult)
Leslie Cahill was in eleventh grade. Her father, John, owned the "Circle C" ranch in
eastern Washington. her older brother was named Wade and was the foreman. Her
mother had died eleven years before in a wreck.
Life on a ranch was filled with chores, but she loved everything about it. Her brother
was getting ready to wed, move out of the house, and into his own. The problem for
Leslie was that her father was serious about a lady named Lilith. Wedding bells were
definitely due to chime soon. It was hard for her to accept that he would soon remarry.
It got complicated even more by Lilith's daughter, Roxanne. Roxanne was just NOT an
easy one to like!
While juggling all this, Leslie met Sloan Stroh, the nephew of a neighbor. He was quite
a few years older than Leslie and he kept asking Leslie to sneak out on dates with him.
Being admired by a mature guy felt great to Leslie, but her father and brother had their
doubts about him. How could she show them how great Sloan was? And was he
REALLY as wonderful as she believed?
***** This is a great sequel to ROSEMOUNT, however, even if you did not read the first
book everything will be easy to understand.
The author writes in a way that teens seem to understand and relate to. It deals with
topics that hits close to home for many of today's younger generation. However, even if
the reader has nothing in common with Leslie's home life, they will almost always find
themselves in situations similar to some of Leslie's. This is another great book by Mary
Jennifer finally ends up in Apalachia after barely escaping an attack. She soon learns about her destiny and how her actions will 'put a friend in grave danger'. With everyone refusing to tell her more Jennifer must find answers for herself.
The first night Thomas spent in his new house was eventful from the screaming and moaning to objects being banged together. There was only one explanation: The house was haunted. To make new friends Thomas will have to exorcise the ghost, but will he
