TBR Challenge: Alexis Harrington - Homeward Hearts

Chloe Maitland lives in a dying Oregon mining town and has given up her girlish dreams of love and marriage. What she needs is a man to answer her advertisement for a blacksmith to work in her shop and help save her home from foreclosure. Instead she gets Travis McGuire, an exhausted stranger who collapses in her yard, looking like the devil himself, and proves to be far more dangerous.

Comment: It's September already and today it's time for the TBR Challenge post (it's also my birthday and nothing better than to spend it with books). This month, the theme, which I always like to meet, or try to, is kicking it old school, which means something that was published 10 years ago or even before. 

I just can't help thinking it doesn't seem real that ten years ago was 2009. At that time I was finishing my master's, I was at the peak of my youth lol and now, ten years have passed. Because of this, I tend to think of ten years ago as if it was way before and that is why I chose a book published in the 90s and recently re-published in ebook format.

In this "oldie" by Alexis Harrington, we meet Chloe Maitland, a not so young anymore woman who is taking care of her house and the mortgage associated with it by washing people's clothes. She desperately needs help, though, so she puts an ad for a blacksmith but back in the 1890s, things took time to happen and when a man does show up to fill the position, she is wary since he arrives very sick and doesn't react that thankful when she and the doctor help him.

The stranger is Travis McGuire, an ex convict with secrets and the wish for a free life who thinks the time with Chloe's blacksmith business can be enough to let him get his bearings until the next thing comes along. He didn't count on this apparently uptight woman riling him up as no one else has done before and sparks do fly between them. But can two strangers become the closest of partners?

How incredible this story feels like those old western type of stories that seemed dated at a time and now they make me wish those were still the days... this is a simple story, with some tricky elements through the eyes of today's rules of behavior but that make all sense if one looks at them with the eyes of a romantic fantasy scenario. I liked this story a lot. It was not a perfect story but the time I spent reading was certainly well used.

The two protagonists did seem well matched. I think the author successfully proved they were attracted by giving us small but realistic little scenes between them way before any intimacy happened and the pace was believable too.

The romance developed in a good manner and of course my favorite aspect of it was how we got to follow their individual thoughts and they showed me two people afraid to take a step, afraid to just act on things as perhaps more contemporary people would but they still did the right thing and I got to respect them as characters. I rooted for them and what they had to do before any HEA could happen.

The plot isn't too complicated, it's obvious from the start Travis has some secrets regarding his time in prison and the bounty hunter looking for him. Of course Travis couldn't be the bad criminal we are led to doubt about here and there and although he does talk and act a bit roughly, he hides a tender heart and he starts to understand Chloe and like her for who she is.

Chloe might fear him at first but through his actions she starts to change her mind about him an when we finally have them exchanging confidences, their relationship does seem to evolve easily.

The secondary characters were a little cliché but I suppose the conflict had to come from somewhere, namely Evan, the man who hoped to marry spinster Chloe anyway and the vicar, who doesn't act anything like a religious man.

I'd say what made this not such a perfect story for me were the situations that were used to highlight the drama closer to the end of the book. I can see why the author chose to put her characters in those situations (meaning when Travis makes a decision for them both or when they act on their feelings despite the possible danger) but they don't always fit what the plot would need at that specific time to make sense. There was some interesting drama going on but I don't think it was always well placed.

Despite some flaws, this really worked for me as a romance. The hero is gruff and not always polite but he hides a heart of goal and we believe he will dedicate himself to his heroine.

She is not perfect, has always only counted on herself so it's nice to see her develop feelings for some who has her back. All in all, the most important situations related to the romance were positive for me.

The bounty hunter also has a story. I hope I can read it one day.

Grade: 8/10

TBR Challenge: Alexis Harrington - Harper's Bride

With blistering humiliation, Melissa Logan stood by in mute horror as her husband sold her to pay a debt. She’d already realized that marrying Coy Logan to escape her miserable life with a drunken father and two lazy brothers had been a ghastly mistake. Coy dragged her to Dawson City to join the Yukon gold rush. Now worse off than ever, she was penniless with a new baby and “belonged” to Dylan Harper, a man said to have a heart of stone and a meat cleaver under his store counter that he wielded without hesitation. Melissa never felt so desperate in her life.
Dylan Harper wanted his $1,200, not a wife. But afraid if he didn’t accept Logan’s offer, someone else would, Dylan couldn’t bear the idea of this woman with a bruised face suffering an even worse fate. To him, this marriage, conducted in a barroom with a dying Louisiana lawyer officiating, was nothing more than a business arrangement. Melissa would cook and clean for him, but not share his bed. But he didn’t dream this gentle female would grip his heart so fiercely. Yet, with all the hurt between them, would either be willing to take the first steps to trust again, to touch, to fall in love...

Comment: It's time for this month's TBR book, this time the theme was Historical and I chose a book by Alexis Harrington not only because she writes historicals but also because I had more than one book by her in my TBR list. It would be a nice way to get one down of the pile...

Following the western tradition of romances, the author presents us Melissa Logan, a recent mother whose husband doesn't treat her right and as soon as the story begins, gives her away to pay off a debt at Dylan Harper's store. Recognizing she would be beaten again by the lazy man, Dylan accepts the offer but regrets it when he realizes he has no idea what to do with her or her baby.

Melissa doesn't have anywhere to go nor the money to do it even if she wanted, so she accepts Dylan's help and starts her own laundry business on the side to help with the expenses and hoping to pay off her husband's debt. With time, however, Dylan stops being another possible enemy to be the gentleman and the person she easily accepts as someone who helps her. Could her feelings become reciprocated as well?

This is one of those traditional romances that we don't see being written anymore nowadays. At least, not with the feel or the vibe the older books used to have. Everything changes, including the way writers think about their stories and how to portray their characters. This book has two protagonists that wouldn't be presented exactly like this in a recent book, there's something about it that tells us it was published years ago (almost 20 as a matter of fact). It doesn't mean it's bad, just has a different aura or something that makes it a different kind of historical from historicals published today.

The story is quite sweet, it has all the elements to be so, the lady in need of help and the reluctant hero who can't help but be there. Of course this is a trope seen countless times and it takes effort and talent to make it smooth. I liked this story, I liked Melissa and Dylan and I especially liked the beginning of their relationship and how it progressed. But closer to the end, avoidable tactics in the plot just brought down the grade for me. I really think it would have been unnecessary to add the drama we see before the HEA happens, it's obvious why it's there, it's not helping anything and something slightly different would have been much better, like a conversation or an attempt to change but realizing it wouldn't have to be so, I don't know.

The romance progressed interestingly, it took time for both to realize they wanted things to change between them, it was great to see Melissa grow up emotionally so she could recognize the feelings in her and Dylan didn't jump into situations he couldn't deal with, their paths crossed but weren't fully aligned all the time, it was very nice to see them slowly accept another chance at love, at caring for someone else, at wanting to be with the other... it's great to have stories where the main couple thinks and decides before just acting and regretting or being pointlessly whiny about it.

What annoyed me the most was how, after having more than accepting they were in love, they still clung to that idea they had to be apart and so on... I mean, this is not totally unacceptable, because people often do silly things but it would have been much better that, if instead of going ahead with it, they had come to their senses and dealt with it wisely. Dylan's need to confront his past is quite expected and a loose point I obviously liked seeing done with but it didn't have o be like that. Then we have the rushed end and not a sweet epilogue to confirm us their choices. Oh well, not everything is always the way we would like.

All things considered, this was a positive story, I liked reading it, yes, some moments weren't as interesting as others but many details made up for it. I liked Dylan's relationship with baby Jenny, his friendship with Rafe, I liked Melissa's happiness when she was feeling worthy and useful...

There are many scenes that makes us want to be with the characters and feel glad they are happy.

However, I'd definitely change some things and that says it all about how perfect, or not, a book is to us.

Grade: 6/10

Alexis Harrington - Montana Born and Bred

Sarah Kincade is in trouble and has tried to escape it in Lame Horse, Montana with her infant son. Her past is quick to follow, bringing danger to her with Zach Garrett. He'll take any job, no matter how unsavory. Now Garrett has been hired to deliver her baby to the powerful family that has claimed him as theirs. But Sarah's fury begins to fade as her captor reveals a soul as crushed as her own. 

Comment: This was the last book I've read in July. It had been in my unread pile for some time and then I added it to my July list. Years ago, I've read another book by the author, Allie's Moon, and from what I can still remember, it was a good book and I expected something along the same lines. I liked this book in general but I wasn't left with such a strong positive impression as I got with the first one I've tried.

This is the story of Saran Kincade, a schoolteacher who pretends to care for her baby nephew while her job doesn't start but in reality the child is hers and she is running from his father.

The story starts with Sarah being kicked out of the house where she stays as a schoolteacher because the owner doesn't believe her and doesn't want the baby's crying so close. Sarah returns to the town's hotel but is found by a man, Zach Garrett, that comes with orders to bring her back to the father of her baby. 

Zach only wants to finish this last job so the man who has his bank note can give him his old ranch back. He thinks the job will be easy but a journey through miles and miles with a baby isn't easy, especially one who's weaned to goat's milk. Zach wants nothing to do with Sarah or the kid but close proximity and shared experiences bring them closer. Could Zach help Sarah in the end and not give her up?

Like I said, I liked this book in general, there were some interesting ideas but overall the story was pretty bland. 

The writing wasn't different from so many other books and there were moments where the narrative seemed to drag or, probably, the descriptions just didn't have an impact on me. This is not a bad book but when compared to others in the genre, I've read some more vibrant and amazing plots.

In fact, this is one of those on-the-road romances which, many times, work out pretty well and are amazing chances to put the protagonists in a position where they have to learn to trust one another without so many distractions. But here I wasn't always engrossed in Sarah and Zach and their relationship wasn't dazzling. Ok, maybe I should say this differently: I just didn't think them so amazing, despite their pasts and experiences - to the point where it seemed any moment with them was alive.

One of the best elements here was the reason why Sarah was running, even if she didn't know it. We learn her baby's father is married and his wife doesn't mind and wants to raise Sarah's child as her own. but there are some secrets we are told with time that make her a bad perspective for motherhood. This was quite the twist I wasn't expecting.

The romance between Zach and Sarah is what supposedly has center stage in this book. I can understand and see that but their relationship wasn't as sweet as I expected. Of course they're wary of one another, Sarah especially because of what Zach wants to gain from taking her and they start to, slowly, develop feelings for the other... but the way this is told makes it look so uninteresting, without subtlety, no tension - sexual or another - to make us want to see them together. When they finally got intimate and later found their HEA it was simply ok. I was not super happy about that, sure it happened but it could have been better.

Their personalities were a match yes, but at the same time the connection they said they felt seemed too easy to have appeared and it was just the way it had to be, not something we could realize internally because all the clues screamed it.

I think this was a great effort. Comparing the writing to the other book I've read by her, it seems the narrative was smoother in Allie's Moon, but then, the characters were slightly more vibrant and interesting. I'm still looking to read more by this author one day, but I hope it's a book with characters I feel more connected with.

Grade: 6/10

Alexis Harrington - Allie's Moon

Althea Ford lives alone with her invalid sister in a crumbling Oregon farmhouse, burdened by sins of the past. Desperate for help, she reluctantly turns to Jefferson Hicks, an ex-lawman who has fallen as low as a man can. But here at Allie's farm, his silent, numb heart suddenly begins to beat again. Drawn to this woman who is as much a prisoner of the past as he, Jeff discovers the healing power of love. But to claim it, they must confront spiteful enemies determined to keep them apart forever.

Comment: Some time ago, I was looking for a different author when I stumbled on this one. I read some blurbs and went for opinions and decided to try this book.
This story is sweet and simple but strong main characters who win their fights and prove that love is the biggest thing out there. Rationally, I'd have a lot to say about this story... first, because I don't believe in such love, second because the conflict was too easy to overcome, but to be really honest that doesn't matter in most romantic books I read. I want them to have a ridiculously beautiful HEA and to make me smile and ease my RL problems.
It's amazing to think that soemone would actually abandon everything just to be right and be with that special person. Personally, I don't know if I would. I stick to conventions because...well, one has to stick to something. I'm not in love so I know that shadows my perspective but still a perfect love is too hard to find, so extra romaticism for this book to accomplish that. Perhaps things are too "cute" because this is an historical, but I liked it and that's enough.
The secondary characters offered the biggest conflict, especially the main female character's sister and it was very good to see that they just didn't make up so things could end well...people fight, they hurt and they get disappointed, so this story had an extra touch of trueness because they stayed mad with each other.
I recommend it.

I'd compare it with Catherine Anderson's novels, but if hers are usually perfect 10's for me, this would be a 6.5 if I were to grade and really compare them.