Jodi Thomas - The Texan's Reward

Years ago, Texas Ranger Jacob Dalton bailed an orphaned girl named Nell out of trouble more times than he could count. But now the kid he once called "Two Bits" has grown into a beautiful young woman—and is in more trouble than ever before.
Wounded in an ambush, Nell refuses to become a burden for her former guardian angel. Unfortunately, her injury has made it impossible for her to handle the ranches she's inherited, so she decides to get herself a husband. One thing's for sure: She isn't about to let Jacob bully her into saying "I do." When Jacob steps in line for her hand, Nell is forced to weigh her need for his help against a love too strong to allow him to sacrifice his future for her.  

Comment: This is the last installment in the Wife Lottery series by Jodi Thomas. Apparently the series was supposed to be a trilogy but "evolved" into a series because Nell's story had to be told too.

 

This is the story of Nell, someone the three ladies of the previous books befriended. Nell was a secondary character but in the third story had an accident and now her story is worth telling too. Nell needs a husband to help her with her properties, an heritage from the woman who always took care of her.

Jacob Dalton is the Texas Ranger who knew Nell when she was a child and swore to protect her. Now she's a grown woman and needs help and he wants to be the person she looks up for help, not some stranger.

Despite the obstacles, mostly the emotional ones each of them thinks is what maters, can these two be finally happy together?

 

I think this book is better than the previous two. All things considered, this series works for me mostly because of the first book. I think that is the one that really focus on a romantic story. All the others seem to be more dispersed in terms of content.

This one has a heartwarming story, many amazing characters whose paths I a joy to read about, but the main romance disappointed me.

 

I liked the relationship between the characters. Every person in the story had a purpose and I liked knowing more about them. I liked getting to know them, something that happened a lot through the gestures and actions they had, more than just what they would say. Not all authors can portray engaging characters this way, but in this book that happened. Not so in the other books. Book #2 in particular seemed much more boring to me than any other and I wasn't curious about secondary people.

 

This fourth book had a great environment, characters you wanted to know more about and an execution that seemed more polished, more thoughtful than some of the others.

I think is the second best, after the first.

 

The main couple's romance disappointed me. I think each character is worthy on their own, though.

Nell has suffered a lot, but always showed a witty and friendly attitude towards everyone, she's likable and friends take seriously the task of defending and helping her.

When the book starts she's in a very difficult physical condition but she tries, she never gives up and she hasn't lost her intelligence. I liked Nell.

Jacob is an obviously decent guy but he has a job that doesn't allow him to be too long at the same place. Although I understood that, it was still one point of interference to the romance.

Their relationship started as friendship and now both think differently. However, the way things are written isn't very romantic of appealing. Honestly the romance parts between them weren't captivating enough for me and I could easily read those parts looking for the things I liked more.

 

Maybe the way things are written affects my opinion, but it just didn't seem interesting to know how they were attracted if it took the whole book for them to finally be together and even the epilogue told us they weren't always near each other because of his job. I mean, it's difficult to imagine a believable and glowing HEA that way.

As for the rest of the story, there are some action scenes that I also didn't feel very motivated to read. They seemed dislocated from the other parts. I really preferred the scenes where many characters were together.

I also found weird there was only one or two little references to the previous couple's stories, like they didn't as much now...it just seems this story was slightly isolated.

 

All in all I do have to say this is a worthy end for the series but as it happened with the previous installments, some parts of the story didn't seem to be as interesting as others so it was easy to read but not always special to do so.

Nevertheless, I'm glad they had an HEA.

Grade: 7/10

Jodi Thomas - A Texan's Luck

Captain Walker Larson received the shock of his life when a beautiful stranger boldly walked into his office—claiming to be his wife. His father may have bought Lacy Larson for him in a wife lottery, but Walker had no desire for a bride—even one as captivating as the one standing before him. So he promptly sent Lacy back to Cedar Point.
Nearly three years later, Lacy is shocked when Walker shows up on her doorstep—ordered by the military to protect his wife from a killer. Lacy wants nothing to do with the gruff soldier who once drove her away.
But despite their different lifestyles and expectations, she finds herself wondering if their marriage was a far better gamble than either of them had imagined...and what it would feel like to be in his arms.

Comment: I got this book after Reading the first one in the series and liking it quite well. Then I read the second and wasn't very impressed with it. I had hopes that was only a particular impression and not the trend for the remaining books and thankfully, this third one was better.

 

This is the story of the third "wife lottery", Lacy's fate. Lacy was rescued by an old man who wanted her to marry his son, who was away. His son is a military man and wanted nothing to do with a wife but his father had the power to marry them in his absence.

Lacy had many dreams of what a married life would be like but unfortunately her husband turned out not to be the man of her dreams and after  a quick, awkward meeting, they go their own way until the day the man Lacy and her friends were convinced they went to prison for, was himself released.

Now Lacy's husband is back and with the task to protect her. Can they salvage their marriage?

 

I wasn't totally impressed with this story, at least not to the same level I was with the first book. This story wasn't as brilliant because the main couple never seemed as passionate or balanced or even intriguing as the first one. I guess part of it comes from the fact both are constituted by two different people each, but overall this book's couple and their relationship never seemed so good.

 

I think the main issue is precisely the relationship. The couple spent a lot of time apart from the moment they acknowledged the validity of their marriage. The book starts with the way they met in person and how awkward and quick it was made it all feel uncomfortable and honestly I don't know why it had to be like that. Had they talked it wouldn't look as weird. And until this time I can't tell exactly what the purpose was because when the story really starts in chapter one, things are still hard between them anyway.

I think the author wanted a fast explanation why they couldn't hit it off right away but since Walter, the husband, maintained his reasoning of not wanting a wife, that situation remained. It's really unnecessary how the plot became like this, a simple explanation would have sufficed.

 

The couple has a rocky start but, obviously, by the end of the book all is almost well. I liked their relationship developed slowly from the moment they had to share a house and lacy had to be protected. However, I don't think they were the most passionate or well suited couple. Lacy begun as a quiet young women running her life and I appreciated this side of her quite well. When the story begun I was actually very pleased with her for doing what she could and still being a likable person - and character.

Walter always seemed too aloof, I never really felt captivated by him or his personality.

Their relationship ended up well and not sugary perfect, but balanced enough. Still, it never felt like it was meant to be, like they "had" to be together.

 

The plot was more interesting than the romance. Some things happened that pushed the story forward but were also emotional. All ended up well except a couple of issues which will be dealt in the final book of the quartet series.

I'm actually quite eager to read the final book and have even biggest hopes for it than I had for this one.

All in all this worked out but wasn't as brilliantly presented as other books in the genre I've read and although better than the previous one, it's still not as amazing as the first.

Grade: 7/10

Jodi Thomas - When a Texan Gambles

It all started when she got thrown off the wagon train. Now, a crook is dead, and Sarah Andrews has been raffled off in a "Wife Lottery." That seems bad enough—until she discovers her new groom with a knife in his back.
He just barely survives—and now if Sarah doesn't get him out of town fast, someone is going to make sure Sam Gatlin doesn't live long enough to enjoy the honeymoon. No matter what he may have done, or how many enemies he has, Sarah feels she owes him. After all, he saved her from a life in prison. But never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that this dangerously attractive Texan would steal her heart and make her want to take the biggest gamble of all.

Comment: This is the second installment of the Wife Lottery series by Jodi Thomas. I've read the first book practically a year ago and I liked it enough to keep reading.

I've purchased the remaining books and I have them for months now. A year after I decided to complete the series. This month I picked the second story.

This story features Sarah, another one of the three ladies that was put of the train and part of the allegedly murder of a man. Along with Bailee and Lacy, Sarah was given away in a wife lottery contest as a way to stay out of prison. Sarah was given to Sam Gaitlin, a man everyone knows is a bounty hunter.

Sam doesn't exactly know why he wanted a wife in the first place but she seemed so innocent and fragile he couldn't let her be. He thought only to take her to the house he has but along the way he has to keep Sarah safe, help friends and deal with his ill fame that makes everyone try to take him down. Will they reach happiness at last?

Well, after a year I have to confess I didn't remember many details from the first book but I took a look at it, especially the end so I could recall some information. Once gain, I liked the emotional end like I did when I read it but it didn't offer much information about this couple and I remembered the lottery took place in the beginning. Still I was left with the feeling I really liked the first book and I wanted to experience it again with this one.

However, I'm afraid I didn't get the same experience with this one. It's just not as romantic or captivating as the other.

Two things that obviously had to be different but still they are more lacking in my opinion happened:

First, the couple is different thus their behavior and relationship is also different.

Second, the narrative seemed more boring and dragging in this story.

I'll start with this. The plot isn't as special as the first book's. In that one, I was engrossed in the way the relationship shaped what happened because what mattered was how the couple was developing their feelings to each other and how that affected what surrounded them.

In this book the plot seemed weaker and honestly I didn't really care about Sam's need to stay alive and all the bounty hunter's job needs and issues. This narrative was heavily set on the journey Sam and Sarah had to make to reach their house but I felt the beginning was so boring that I had real trouble staying focused on what was happening.

Things dragged on and the surrounding sub plots didn't captivate me either so while this happened, the couple's relationship had to keep up the novel but I felt that it also didn't happen.

The couple of the first book was slowly falling in love and I loved their scenes together. With Sam and Sarah I never had the feeling they were falling in love. Sure we see some romantic and hero-like gestures from Sam mostly but there's not a connection I think is enough to support this romance. In my opinion they never really matched as a couple. 

Sam is a man full of secrets and hidden deeds and I got his honorable character but he didn't strike me as being special, as having some sort of trait that would make him unforgettable. I mean, there's nothing wrong with his personality or characterization, the author made him likable, but..it's not special enough.

Sarah has had a hard childhood and life. Everything that ever happened to her was duty done and I felt she never had a goal in life but going with others would make her do. I understand her need for stability and her personality was sure to be endearing to the reader. But personally I think she was too bland and not even her past which is surely meant to be emotional and heartbreaking moved me to the point where I thought the is the ultimate heroine!

So, the narrative isn't as richly done as the other book - the only other work by the author I can use as comparison - and the main couple isn't as devoted or special to make this amazing. Individually they didn't convince me and as a romantic pair it also didn't happen.

This story is a bit of a disappointment despite the trademark western elements that give some life to this story. I really hope the next one is better.

As for this one I already forgot some things and I assume it won't be one of those that remain with me for too long...

Grade: 5/10

Jodi Thomas - The Texan's Wager

Thrown off a wagon train with two other women and trying to avoid jail for a murder they committed, Bailee Moore agrees to enter a "wife lottery"--a ploy concocted by the Cedar Point sheriff to secure wives for the men in the small Texas town.
For the sensible Bailee, however, marrying Carter McKoy is like exchanging one life sentence for another--especially since her new husband hasn't even seen fit to utter a single word in her presence. But still, she can't help thinking that something about this strong, silent farmer could be the key to leaving her troubled past behind...and making a worthy wager with her heart.

Comment: This book was a gift I won in Christine's blog. I got it last year but, as usual, it's hard to read books right the moment they arrive, with some exceptions, of course. Anyway, this one has been in the pile until now but I'm very glad to have chosen it because it was a good read.

This is the story of Bailee and two friends she met on a train before they got expelled because one of them was sick and another was accused of being a witch. After a random meeting with a man who tried to rob them of the only transportation they were left with, the girls defend themselves and the man doesn't move and the girls think they killed him. After confessing to the sheriff in the nearest town, the girls accept to be part of a wife lottery where their future husbands pay their fine from jail and take responsibility for them. Bailee is the last woman to pick a name from the hat where all the possible husband's put a paper in and Carter McKoy is hers. Then Bailee marries Carter and they go to his ranch where their life begins...

I was very pleased with this story. I think it developed well and provided many enjoyable moments. I thin there were things that could have been better, namely the passion between the main couple could have been more obvious and in the final part, where Carter goes after someone, that was a bit boring and despite being quick in terms of plot, I still would dismiss it somehow.

The plot was interesting, full of unlikely possibilities, but based on history enough to be credible at times. I was fond of the girls right away and wanted them to be happy. I thought the whole lottery idea was funny and the start for interesting relationships to develop further. Bailee and Carter were strangers but their communication was slow to start, mostly because of Carter's behavior. But I was immediately captivated by them and their interactions and what they thought of each other. It was both cute and wrenching to see but I was glad everything worked out in the end and that they found someone, purely by chance, that understood and saw what was in their minds and hearts. Their relationship was well done, for the most part. Like I said, it wouldn't be bad to have more scenes where we could see how they felt about each other.

Bailee and Carter both had pasts that shaped their actions in the present. Bailee was accused of something and not only did she live with that notion over her head, but she also saw how someone she cared for forgot all about her making her feel unworthy in a way.
Carter saw his family die and from that moment on his whole existence was dedicated to silence, quietness and to create a safe heaven, in more ways than we can't think of, in order to make him feel protected.
Neither thought much of the lottery, Bailee saw it as a duty, Carter as well and he was about to quit, but after things were set in motion, they started dealing with their new arrangement and their relationship developed step by step. In the meantime they dealt with other people, expectations, things out of their control, but always acting in a way that showed the other how their hearts were and how worthy they were of the other.

I think the author took this story in a good direction, it showed the strong points of two characters who didn't feel life had much to give them unless duty and time, but after all the best things come from where we least expect them.
I was engrossed in this since the beginning and now I feel very curious over the next three stories in the series. Can't wait to read more. So far, the author, new to me, seems to be a good bet.
Grade: 8/10