Book Review: Texas Blue by Jodi Thomas

Texas Blue by Jodi Thomas

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: April 5, 2011

Paperback, 336 pages 
Fiction, Historical Romance
Setting & Timeframe: Texas, late 1800s
ISBN: 978-0425240472

My Review:
Why I read this: Jodi has me completely hooked on her Harmony, Texas series so when she contacted me about this blog tour, I was definitely on-board :)


My thoughts:
I love Jodi's contemporaries, so trying a historical was a little different.  I like historicals, but honestly haven't read many of the romances set her in the U.S. and especially those with western-like settings.  I must say that after reading Texas Blue - I will not shy away from this time period or setting any longer. Jodi writes this time-period and setting so well that I felt like I was right there.

Texas Blue is a great story that involves two people pretending to be other people.  They meet, they clash at first and then they learn there is something else there, but neither one wants love or marriage.  We all know that when that happens of course they find it, but there will be bumps along the way.  I thought the romance and characters were great in this book.  I really liked Em and her independent streak and her ability to run their ranch in their father's absence.  She's a strong female who is sure she will never marry and does not want to be involved with a man.  But she finds she has a softer side when she is with Lewt.  Lewt is a gambler, that is what he does and usually he makes no apologies for it, so when he tries to pass himself off as a well-bred gentleman to find a rich woman to marry, he quickly learns that the well-bred life is not the life for him.  He finds himself more at home helping out the mysterious boyish-looking Em than hanging out with the three McMurray sisters (one who is not a McMurray but standing in for Em since she doesn't want to be a part of finding a suitor) and the other two well-bred gentlemen.

There is also other conflict in the novel that made a great sidestory.  Duncan is the McMurray sisters' cousin and a Texas Ranger.  He is also the one who sent the men to Whispering Mountain to meet his cousins, though he would have never sent his gambler friend Lewt.  Duncan goes on a mission with the Rangers that goes wrong and there is the adventure plot of the story.  I liked this part for the suspense and the edge-of-your-seat what would happen next.  And I found myself really liking Duncan.  He's one of those white hat cowboys - always doing the right thing, the good guy.

The novel moved quickly for me.  I enjoyed it thoroughly and this is a continuation of the Whispering Mountain series featuring other characters in this family and I will be checking those books out along with continuing with this series as it moves along.  But I found you do not have to read the earlier novels to enjoy Texas Blue - it stands-alone quite well.

If you love this time period and love romance, especially ones where the characters pretend to be something they are not, then this is a book for you.  Or if you are looking for one of those first beach reads of the season I urge you to pick this one up, throw it in your beach bag (or pool bag) and enjoy it one beautiful afternoon.

I'll finish with one quote that really just shows the romance in this novel (this is Lewt thinking):

When he kissed her, the whole world seemed to stop, and if he could get her to look at him he swore she had the bluest eyes in all of Texas.

My Rating: 4.25/5.0

Other books in this series (though Texas Blue can be read on it's own)




Be sure and check out my guest post from the author, Jodi Thomas about Texas Blue and also enter the giveaway.

About the Book:

Gambling man Lewton Paterson wants to marry into a respectable family, even if it costs him his friendship with Duncan McMurray. After fleecing a train ticket from one of the three gentlemen picked to call on Duncan's cousins, Lewt makes his way to Whispering Mountain. But seducing a well-bred woman is harder than Lewt thought, and he realizes that to entice a McMurray sister, he'll need to learn a thing or two about ranching and love.

About the Author: 

A fifth generation Texan who taught family living, Jodi Thomas chooses to set the majority of her novels in her home state, where her grandmother was born in a covered wagon.   A former teacher, Thomas traces the beginning of her storytelling career to the days when her twin sisters were young and impressionable. 

With a degree in Family Studies, Thomas is a marriage and family counselor by education, a background that enables her to write about family dynamics. Honored in 2002 as a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Thomas enjoys interacting with students on the West Texas A&M University campus, where she currently serves as Writer In Residence.

Commenting on her contribution to the arts, Thomas said, "When I was teaching classes full time, I thought I was making the world a better place. Now I think of a teacher, or nurse, or mother settling back and relaxing with one of my books. I want to take her away on an adventure that will entertain her. Maybe, in a small way, I’m still making the world a better place."

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FTC Information: I received this book from the author/publisher for a honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop Winner

I had 370 entries into this giveaway and the winner is:

#237 - Christine Jensen

I'll be emailing Christine to get her book choice.  If I don't hear from her in 48 hours I'll draw a new winner.  Thank you to all of you who entered.  Thanks to my old followers and to my new followers - I'm almost to 900 followers which makes me very excited!

Make sure you take a look at the sidebar and enter some of the other giveaways I have going on if you haven't yet.

Winners - Kathy Cano-Murillo books

 

My two winners of two sets of these wonderful books by Kathy Cano-Murillo are:

#11 - MaryAnn Langan

#33 - Kimberly Miller

Thank you all for entering, MaryAnn and Kimberly have been emailed and if I don't hear from them within 48 hours I will draw new winners.

Be sure and check out my sidebar for my current giveaways and watch for more coming soon!

Guest Post & Giveaway: Author Jodi Thomas (Texas Blue)

Today I welcome a favorite author of mine, Jodi Thomas.  I fell in love with her Harmony series last year and jumped at the chance to be a part of her new book, Texas Blue blog tour.  Texas Blue is a historical, but I know Jodi's writing and no matter what the genre I am sure to love it.  I will have a review up later today, but for now, hear what Jodi has to say about Texas Blue.

When I began writing TEXAS BLUE I knew I wanted to write two stories that ran at stampede pace through one novel.  I’ve written 23 Historical Romances and Sagas, but this time I wanted the stories to be equal.  No plot and subplot, just two full stories.  I opened in 1875, with two friends parting ways one stormy night in Austin.  Duncan McMurray, a Texas Ranger, is off to fight at the border and Lewt, a gambler, plans to find a wife while his friend is away.  He thinks he wants a quiet, wealthy lady, unfortunately in Emily McMurray, Duncan’s cousin, he finds far more than he bargained for.

Duncan is all a hero in a western romance should be, he’s wild, loyal and intelligent.  He leaves his law practice to go fight with the Texas Rangers.  Lewt, on the other hand never wants to get involved in fights of any kind.  He plays his life like a game based on luck.  Duncan wants to do what’s right, but his friend, Lewt, only wants to live a normal, quite life.  When the stories collide, Duncan must depend on Lewt’s bravery and trust his life to their friendship.  

 

I began reading western romance when I was a kid.  I think I’ve always loved it and, being from Texas, the world always seemed very real to me.  I live in a small town where you still see guys with spurs on eating lunch out and every Saturday people ride their horses up to Dairy Queen.  I’ve won Romance Writers of America’s RITA three times for historical romance.  Sometimes when I’m working I step so fully back in the past it’s hard to pull out even to answer the phone.

 

I think you will love this first book in the new generation of the Whispering Mountain series.  Ride along with me and I promise I’ll tell you a love story full of adventure, romance and laughter.

Hope I keep you up reading,

Jodi Thomas  

www.jodithomas.com 

About Texas Blue:

Gambling man Lewton Paterson wants to marry into a respectable family. After fleecing a train ticket, Lewt makes his way to Whispering Mountain. But seducing a well-bred woman is hard, and Lewt realizes that to entice a McMurray sister, he'll need to learn a thing or two about ranching-and love.

Texas Blue received a Starred Review in Publisher's Weekly - here's what they had to say:

Bestseller Thomas's fifth Whispering Mountain American historical (after 2009's The Lone Texan) is another winner. When Texas Ranger Duncan McMurray tells gambler Lewton Paterson that he's sending three men from good families to court his three cousins, Lewton, wishing for a respectable life and family, decides to take the place of one of the men. He meets the three ladies, but spends his time with Em, the ranch overseer--who is really one of the ladies and never intends to marry. When news reaches the ranch of Duncan's capture in Mexico, Lewt and Em set out to save him. Tension rides high, mixed with humor and kisses more passionate than most full-on love scenes. Fans will be delighted by this series continuation.

Publishers Weekly Review

Giveaway

Do you want to win your own copy of Texas Blue by Jodi Thomas?  The publisher has sent me one extra copy of this book to giveaway and if you enjoy historical romances (set in the west) you will want to give this one a try.  Just fill out the form below.  Open to US/Canada only.  Open through next Monday 3/28.

If you have trouble seeing the form, you can find it here.

It's Monday What Are You Reading - March 21

Come post weekly and see what others are reading too just so you can add to your tbr - I always do! For more information see Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books and join in! 

Books Completed Last Week 

• So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman
• Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
• Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris
• Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Reading Now: 

• Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton (audiobook)
• Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran (review)
• Texas Blue by Jodi Thomas

Next:

• Lessons From Stanley the Cat by Jennifer Freed
• Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
• The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry
• Red Wolf by Liza Marklund

Summary -

A good reading week even as we went crazy getting kids to and from practice and to cub scouts while balancing getting meals on the table, homework time and what we consider important - family t.v. time :)  As the weeks go by I think we'll get this more and more in hand and I hope to continue the reading pace I have been setting.  It has helped that Saturdays are my rest day and I spend the day enjoying the sunshine in my outside chair reading away the day.  Hope you all have a wonderful week. 

Best of the week:  Hands down, Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris - this is just such a beautiful book.


How was your week?

Saturday Giveaway

First off, last week's giveaway winner is:  

Lisa M (lisasworldofbooks@...)

 Lisa will be contacted today to will make her selection.

This giveaway seemed to work well so I'm hoping to make this a weekly feature.  It's simple, fill out the form and you are entered.  Open to US/Canada only due to lack of funds. Following is not required, nor is tweeting or anything like that but if you would like to, I would be thrilled.

So what is up for grabs this week, your choice of one of the following:

 

Plus these from week 1 are back in as choices:
 

Please note that Zero Day, Letters from Home, Wither and Mystify are ARCs.  Giveaway open through next Friday, March 25 at 11:00pm so I can draw the winner and announce with my new Saturday giveaway next week.  A little something for everyone.  If you win, I'll email and ask your choice.  It's simple.



If you can't see the form, you can find it here.

Book Tour and Review: Letters from Home by Kristina McMorris

 

Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris

 Publisher:Kensington

Publish Date: March 1, 2011

Paperback, 352 pages 
Historical Fiction
ISBN: 978-0758246844

My Review:
Why I read this: After reading several books based around World War II, I am fascinated by the era.  Add in romance and the stories of three roommates and I was intrigued.

My thoughts:  The first thing I have to say about this book is the fact that it really felt like I was in the 1940s in the midst of WWII.  Ms. McMorris does a fabulous job of setting the tone and setting of the book.  I felt like she really did her research from the way the characters talked to the various settings, they just felt right.  No accidental usage of current slang to take me out of the moment.  The era is the book is wonderfully done.

Next is the characters.  I love Liz and Julia and Betty grew on me.  Betty seemed a little stuck on herself at first but as I read more about her I started liking her more and more.  Liz seems to be the star of this book while still having storylines involving Julia and Betty.  I am in hopes that more books will follow and will tell the continuing stories of Julia and Betty.  In this book Liz is engaged, but then she meets Morgan the night before he heads off to serve in the war.  Then she sees him with Betty and gives up on the feelings she felt.  Then the curveball is thrown when  Betty asks Liz to write to Morgan for her since she doesn't know what to say.  A relationship grows through the letters and leads to the main storyline of the book.

I found the letters fascinating and a wonderful way to get to know the characters.  The letters are interspersed with accounts from each of the characters lives and it's a great way to get to know all the main players in the book and also to see life on the home front and on the front lines.  The focus is on the characters though and how they grow and change during the book because of the way they affect one another.

The book is beautifully written and completely captivating.  I hated putting it down to do other things and was anxious to pick it back up.  I could read it in a busy room with no problem, that was how engrossed I would become in the book.  The romance is sweet, the end is great, the tension building is wonderfully done and I just can't gush enough about this book.  This is Ms. McMorris' debut and I can't wait to see what she writes next.


My Rating: 5.0/5.0

About Kristina McMorris

Kristina McMorris lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Her foray into fiction began in the fall of 2006 as a result of interviewing her grandmother for the biographical section of a self-published cookbook intended as a holiday gift for the family. Inspired by her grandparents’ wartime courtship, Kristina penned her first novel, a WWII love story titled Letters from Home. This award-winning debut is scheduled for release in trade paperback from Kensington Books (2-22-11; U.S.) and Avon/HarperCollins (5-5-11; U.K.). The condensed book rights have been sold to Reader’s Digest, and the film rights are represented by the prestigious Creative Artists Agency of Los Angeles.
Prior to her literary career, Kristina acted in numerous independent films and major motion pictures. She began hosting an Emmy-award winning television show at age nine, and most recently served as the six-year host of the WB’s weekly program Weddings Portland Style. Adding to her diverse résumé, McMorris is a professional emcee, literary workshop presenter, and former owner of a wedding/event planning business. Her previous writing background includes being a contributing writer for Portland Bride & Groom magazine and ten years of directing public relations for an international conglomerate. A portion of Kristina’s sales proceeds from Letters from Home will benefit United Through Reading®, a nonprofit organization that video records deployed U.S. military personnel reading bedtime stories for their children. She is currently working on her next novel.
You can visit her website at www.kristinamcmorris.com.

About Letters From Home

In the midst of World War II, a Midwestern infantryman falls deeply in love through a yearlong letter exchange, unaware that the girl he’s writing to is not the one replying. Woven around this tenuous thread are three female friends whose journeys toward independence take unexpected turns as a result of romance, tragedy, and deception, their repercussions heightened by an era of the unknown.
Inspired by a true account, LETTERS FROM HOME is a story of hope and connection, of sacrifices made in love and war – and the chance encounters that change us forever.

 

Read the Excerpt!

July 4, 1944
Chicago, Illinois Silence in the idling Cadillac grew as suffocating as the city’s humidity. Hands clenched on her lap, Liz Stephens averted her narrowed eyes toward the open passenger window. Chattering ladies and servicemen flocked by in the shadows; up and down they traveled over the concrete accordion of entrance steps. The sting of laughter and music drifted through the swinging glass doors, bounced off the colorless sky. Another holiday without gunpowder for celebration. No boom of metallic streamers, no sunbursts awakening the night. Only the fading memory of a simpler time.
A time when Liz knew whom she could trust.
“You know the Rotary doesn’t invite just anyone to speak,” Dalton Harris said finally. The same argument, same lack of apology in his voice. “What was I supposed to do? Tell my father I couldn’t be there because of some dance?”
At the condescension, she snapped her gaze to his slate gray eyes. “That,” she said, “is exactly what you should’ve done.”
“Honey. You’re being unreasonable.”
“So it’s unreasonable wanting us to spend time together?”
“That’s not what I meant.” A scratch to the back of his neck punctuated his frustration, a habit that had lost the amusing charm it held when they were kids. Long before the expensive suits, the perfect ties, the Vitalis-slickening of his dark brown hair.
“Listen.” His square jaw slackened as he angled toward her, a debater shifting his approach. “When I was asked to run my dad’s campaign, we talked about this. I warned you my schedule would be crazy until the election. And you were the one who said I should do it, that between classes and work, you’d be -”
“As busy as ever,” she finished sharply. “Yes. I know what I said.” With Dalton in law school and she a sophomore at Northwestern, leading independent but complementary lives was nothing new; in fact, that had always been among the strengths of their relationship. Which is why he should know their separate activities weren’t the issue tonight.
“Then what’s the problem?” he pressed.
“The problem is, anything else pops up, campaign or otherwise, and you don’t think twice about canceling on me.”
“I am not canceling. I’m asking you to come with me.”
Liz had attended enough political fundraisers with him to know that whispers behind plastered smiles and greedy glad-handing would be highlights of the night. A night she could do without, even if not for her prior commitment.
“I already told you,” she said, “I promised the girls weeks ago I’d be here.” The main reason she’d agreed, given her condensed workload from summer school, was to repay Betty for accompanying her to that droning version of Henry V last week – just so Dalton’s ticket hadn’t gone to waste. “Why can’t you make an exception? Just this once?”
He dropped back in his seat, drew out a sigh. “Lizzy, it’s just a dance.”
No, it’s not. It’s more than that. I have to know I can depend on you! Her throat fastened around her retort. Explosions of words, she knew all too well, could bring irreversible consequences.
She grabbed the door handle. “I have to go.” Before he could exit and circle around to open her side, she let herself out.
“Wait,” he called out as she shut the door. “Sweetheart, hold on.”
The plea in his voice tugged at her like strings, halting her. Could it be that he’d changed his mind? That he was still the same guy she could count on?
She slid her hand into the pocket of her ivory wraparound dress, a shred of hope cupped in her palm, before pivoting to face him.
Dalton leaned across the seat toward her. “We’ll talk about this later, all right?”
Disappointment throbbed inside, a recurrent bruise. Bridling her reaction, she replied with a nod, fully aware her agreement would translate into a truce.
“Have a good time,” he said, then gripped the steering wheel and drove away.
As she turned for the stairs, she pulled her hand from her pocket, and discovered she’d been holding but a stray thread. The first sign of a seam unraveling.

For more tour stops see the Pump Up Your Book Website

FTC Information: I received this book through Pump Up Your Book Online Publicity Tours for a honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.