Content warning: Spring’s backstory contains abuse, including sexual exploitation, and Garrett is a former slave and child soldier. Both characters face racism, and this is a major plot point. Wild Rain is a lovely, tender romance between Spring, a horse-rancher living in Wyoming, and Garrett, a reporter for a Black newspaper who has travelled out West to interview Spring’s brother. Spring is independent, prickly, and extremely competent, and Garrett is charmed by her almost from … Continue reading Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins →
This seems to be the year of great romances between fabulous fat women and Hollywood heartthrobs. If The Boot Fits continued the party Olivia Dade’s Spoiler Alert started for me. This second book in Weatherspoon’s Cowboys of California series returns to a luxury SoCal ranch setting, with two characters who are stuck in their Hollywood careers. Sam Pleasant is a movie star who just won an Oscar for a film he’s ambivalent about, and is … Continue reading If the Boot Fits by Rebekah Weatherspoon →
A respectable widow of means seeks resourceful frontiersman for the purpose of matrimony. The lady seeks passage west to land owned in Mokelumne Hill, California. The advertiser presumes her manner and appearance will recommend her and expects applications from responsible parties only. Interviews are scheduled for the 6th of next month, beginning at nine o’clock in the morning, in the front parlor of the Grand Hotel. Please be prompt. What a premise! Yes, please! Welcome … Continue reading Bound for Sin by Tess LeSue →
How the Cowboy Was Won very loosely retells Emma in a modern day Texan town. As a retelling of Emma, it wasn’t great, but as a “friends to lovers” romance I liked it a lot. Ember Alzate is a woman of Irish-Native American descent who makes a good living selling real estate. She also has a knack for matchmaking – so much so that people say she should consider it as a second career. Ember … Continue reading How the Cowboy Was Won by Lori Wilde →
Tempest by Beverly Jenkins is a mail order bride historical romance that’s light on internal conflict but heavy on awesome heroines and world-building. If you want a romance that doesn’t have a ton of emotional angst, but does have a heroine who accidentally (kind of) shoots her intended the first time she meets him, this is all your catnip. It’s also the third book in the Old West series, but can easily be read as a … Continue reading Tempest by Beverly Jenkins →
Lone Heart Pass is a sweet book that has too many stories going on and while by the end many of them are resolved, at the end, I felt unsatisfied. This is the first Jodi Thomas that I’ve read and I chose it because I’ve been wanting to read a western romance and she seems to be a reliable author. I don’t think I’d read another. As this book has so many plots in it, I’m … Continue reading Lone Heart Pass by Jodi Thomas →
I selected this book to expand my literary repertoire – I am admittedly not the target audience for a contemporary set on a ranch in Texas. However, the premise seemed interesting, and it stands alone, even as part of a series. But I had so many issues with this book that, despite the interesting set-up, I spent most of my time with this story shaking my head and muttering in irritation. The premise: First we … Continue reading Lone Heart Pass by Jodi Thomas →
So basically, this is your typical vows-never-to-love-again widower father meets ex-rodeo princess turned ex-famous movie star turned wheelchair-using recluse story. Unnecessarily complicated backstory aside, I had surprisingly high hopes for this book. I mean, how often do you actually find a book on Amazon with a 4.9 out of 5 rating–much less a series romance? Unfortunately, due to its lackluster plot and problematic main characters, the book didn’t even meet my relatively low expectations, much … Continue reading Back in the Saddle by Karen Templeton →
As the book opens, we’re introduced to Zach Talbot, a veterinarian who lives in Whispering Pines, a small town in New Mexico, and Mallory Keyes, formerly an actress and now a paraplegic woman hiding from everything and everyone. Zach is a widower, he has two boys that are 3 and 8, and while he’s kind of lonely and overwhelmed, he’s doing okay. Mallory bought a house in Whispering Pines in order to hide out from the paparazzi, … Continue reading Back in the Saddle by Karen Templeton →
I did enjoy this, but I fear I will forget it quickly. I LOVED the aspect of Two-Time, Texas, being called that because there are two feuding jewelers/clockmakers who set their clocks differently. That the feud doesn’t just cause trouble inside the town, but causes the trains to not run on time, makes it more crucial that the feud be solved. No spoilers, but “What Time Is It?” used to be a bigger headache than … Continue reading Left at the Altar by Margaret Brownley →
Texas: Yeehaw! I put on my cowboy boots, poured a nice margarita (rocks, of course), and played me some Lyle Lovett. I was all set for my RITA Reader Challenge: historical romance in a small Texas town so quirky it has TWO TIME ZONES! I settled in for a good read, but a third of the way in, I was mystified. The hero was described as distinguished looking, and tall, and distinguishably tall, but why … Continue reading Left at the Altar by Margaret Brownley →
