Friday, May 8, 2015

Twice a Texas Bride by Linda Broday

She's hiding from a killer.  He's just bought a run down ranch that he hopes to turn into a home.  When he finds her and the boy hiding in the shed, he invites them in the house.  It's not in great shape, but it's warmer than the shed...

Sourcebooks Casablanca and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It was published May 5th, so you can grab a copy now.

Rand was dumped in an orphanage as a young boy and he's had bad luck with women ever since.  He even got left at the altar once.  Now he's determined to be a bachelor and live happily ever after on his ranch.

Callie knows you can trust no man.  Her first boyfriend got her pregnant and left her.  Her second suitor left her, too.  Her stepfather stole her baby from her.  Her brother-in-law is an outlaw and has killed her sister.  Now he wants his son but Callie is determined to keep her nephew safe from him.  She'll even defend him to her death.

The outlaw after Callie is mean to the core.  He was teaching his son how to kill things and how to con people before she interceded.  The only way he's going to be stopped is by killing him.  So Callie learns how to shoot to protect herself and her nephew.

Rand and Callie would both like to trust each other and make their relationship more permanent, but neither one can do that yet.  What makes this story a bit more unusual than typical romance tales is the fact that they begin to build a family by adopting a baby who has lost both parents and is half-Indian.  They get married to do so but still maintain a hands off relationship.  When their family is under threat by the outlaw and his brothers, Rand's "brothers" (other boys from the orphanage) gather 'round to help. The outlaw is determined but so are Callie and Rand.  It wasn't until the very end that you knew who the last man standing would be.  

This is a good story with strong characters and beliefs.  I enjoyed the young nephew's joy and excitement about the ranch.  This is one of a series of three.  The older brother got married in the first one.  I expect the younger brother will be finding a mate in the next book.  I'd love to read that one, too.

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