Texas Blue by Jodi Thomas - Book Review and Giveaway!

Title: Texas Blue
Author: Jodi Thomas
Publisher: Berkley

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.



Emily McMurray has no intention of ever getting married, so she convinces a friend to take her place when the suitors arrive, leaving her free to run the ranch as usual. But when Lewt insists that Em teach him about ranching, she finds herself struggling to keep up both her disquise and the walls around her heart. Because the more time Em spends with Lewt, the more she desires the man she's determined to escape. . .


My thoughts: I liked the premise of this story - of two people who are trying to escape who they are - one to find love and one to avoid love. Neither one of them were pretending to be someone else for shady purposes.  I thought it was a nice switch up to have the man be the one looking for love and a family though, and the woman wanting to avoid it.

Even though Lewt was a gambler, and they were looked down upon by "respectable" people, he was an honest gambler and never left anyone completely broke without an out. He genuinely cared about people.  He would probably say he was determined, but other people might see him as just stubborn. 

The only people Emily was really close to were her family.  She even kept the ranch hands at arm's length and didn't realize the extent that they watched over her.  She had a secret in her past that caused her to mistrust men.  Working every day with Lewt on the ranch though, she first had respect for him, and then realized she was beginning to trust him.

You could really feel the passion between the two of them.  I love that the author was able to convey this passion without turning the scenes x-rated. To me, it makes the love portrayed seem more pure somehow. 

This is book 5 in the Whispering Mountain series, but it reads very well as a stand-alone.  The books in order are:
1. Texas Rain (Whispering Mts)
2. Texas Princess (Whispering Mts)
3. Tall, Dark, and Texan (Whispering Mountain)
4. The Lone Texan
5. Texas Blue

~I received a complimentary copy of Texas Blue from the author in exchange for my review.~

Jodi Thomas gave me a second book to giveaway to one of you!  This giveaway is open to U.S. only and will end at midnight CST, May 7, 2011.

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Texas Blue
Publisher/Publication Date: Berkley, April 2011
ISBN: 978-0425240472
336 pages