TBR Day: Two Texas Hearts by Jodi Thomas
TWO TEXAS HEARTS by Jodi Thomas
Jove Romance
July 1997
This book was part of my glom last year of Jodi Thomas' back list. I'm on a historical kick anyway and what better than a western for Keishon's TBR Challenge this month?
I'm a sucker for marriage of convenience stories. I don't like them to be too contrived or unrealistic though. This book comes close because the marriage comes as a stipulation in Winter McQuillen's foster father's Will. All the land on the ranch is left to Win, but the acreage around the house and the house itself are left to Win's wife. The wife he doesn't have yet. If he doesn't find one, then the house and it's acreage will be donated to the church. Meaning Win would have to buy the house smack in the middle of his land back from the church.
Kora Adams came to Texas after she stole a mail order bride's proxy. She needed a safe place for her unruly sister and catatonic brother. Believing her bad luck has followed her to Texas Kora arrives only to find her proxy husband was shot and killed in a stage robbery on his way to meet her. Kora and her siblings are trying to make ends meet on the poor farm and dirt dugout of her recently deceased husband.
Enter Win McQuillen who needs a wife in a hurry. Win eliminates all the women from the widow's meeting in town and as a last hope rides out to the farm where Kora and her family are.
That's just the first 30 pages people.
There are lots of things I like about this book. The basic plot is good and the dynamic between Kora and Win has so much potential. I really like both of these characters very much.
My biggest complaint is that there is almost too much other stuff. going on. There is more than one conflict in the story so it was hard to concentrate on which was the primary story arch. The secondary characters were interesting, but often were distracting as well. My final issue with the book was the purple prose. I hadn't noticed this as a problem in any of the other books I've read by Jodi Thomas, but it certainly was notable here.
Not a bad read, but I really wanted to like it more because of Win and Kora.
My final grade = C
I'm a sucker for marriage of convenience stories. I don't like them to be too contrived or unrealistic though. This book comes close because the marriage comes as a stipulation in Winter McQuillen's foster father's Will. All the land on the ranch is left to Win, but the acreage around the house and the house itself are left to Win's wife. The wife he doesn't have yet. If he doesn't find one, then the house and it's acreage will be donated to the church. Meaning Win would have to buy the house smack in the middle of his land back from the church.
Kora Adams came to Texas after she stole a mail order bride's proxy. She needed a safe place for her unruly sister and catatonic brother. Believing her bad luck has followed her to Texas Kora arrives only to find her proxy husband was shot and killed in a stage robbery on his way to meet her. Kora and her siblings are trying to make ends meet on the poor farm and dirt dugout of her recently deceased husband.
Enter Win McQuillen who needs a wife in a hurry. Win eliminates all the women from the widow's meeting in town and as a last hope rides out to the farm where Kora and her family are.
That's just the first 30 pages people.
There are lots of things I like about this book. The basic plot is good and the dynamic between Kora and Win has so much potential. I really like both of these characters very much.
My biggest complaint is that there is almost too much other stuff. going on. There is more than one conflict in the story so it was hard to concentrate on which was the primary story arch. The secondary characters were interesting, but often were distracting as well. My final issue with the book was the purple prose. I hadn't noticed this as a problem in any of the other books I've read by Jodi Thomas, but it certainly was notable here.
Not a bad read, but I really wanted to like it more because of Win and Kora.
My final grade = C
Labels: Book Review, Jodi Thomas, TBR
Posted by Rosie at 12:01 PM
6 Comments:
Hey Rosie, before I stopped buying books, I bought a bunch of Jodi's books at the UBS. All b/c of you my friend. LOL :P
Ames, we are all pitiful addicts. Jodi has some good ones. So far I've like her more recent books more.
I haven't read her before but I do have one of her books that I won from The Book Binge. I'll have to look into actually reading it. :)
Good review honey.
Tracy, was it TWISTED CREEK? That's Jodi's contemporary and the first book of hers I read. It's a wonderful read. Let me know. Oh, and before I give any of the books I have back to the UBS let me know and I'll save 'em for you.
I'd have to say this is the first book I've read by Jodi Thomas and it had gotten me hooked! JT just had it right...for me. Its simplistic-ness is just what I'm into. heheh Next book I'm planning to reas is Twisted Creek...if I be able to get my hands on it.
Hey Anon, glad you liked the book. I hope you do find TWISTED CREEK. It was a wonderful read.
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