The Texan's Wager (Wife Lottery #1) by Jodi Thomas

Blurb...

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.

"Be my wife, all my life."

That’s all that Carter McKoy asked of Bailee Moore, the woman who would become his wife if he won the Wife Lottery. That wasn’t too much to hope for, was it? And in truth, he didn’t even expect his name to be chosen. After all, there were probably 40 men waiting, hoping to be one of only three names drawn in the lottery, and Carter’s life had been anything but lucky. So why expect that to change now? Well, much to his surprise - and dismay, things were about to start looking up. And I thank Sheriff Riley for his part in that.

I’ve come to realize that if I don’t connect with the hero, if I don’t become invested in him as a person, and if I don’t feel like he’s overcome some… some… something in his life, the story just won't make it to "keeper". The poor heroine could go through hell and back and it won’t mean much to me unless the hero is amazing and has done the same. Well, dear readers of my review, I assure you - Carter is a keeper and so is his story.

The Texan’s Wager is a fast paced, comfortable read – easy, but not dumbed down. It isn’t a deep, dark tale, but it's one of the most poignant stories I’ve ever had the good fortune to come across. The Texan's Wager is a really sweet story with the key ingredients that still, after years have passed since reading it, give me fond remembrances of a beautiful happily ever after.

The bottom line:

Tormented hero – Check!
Great heroine – Check!
Believable, gut wrenching and heartwarming story – Check!
A happily ever after with a heroine worthy of the hero and vice versa - Check!

I wish I could tell all there is to know about Carter, but to do so would take too much away from the story, because his past is told in small bits and pieces beginning with his very sad childhood right up to the present time. But I will say that this man, this Carter McKoy who very seldom talks, speaks volumes with this actions and he now holds a place of honor on my Top Heroes shelf.

Click here to purchase The Texan's Wager at Amazon

Texas Glory by Lorraine Heath

Texas Glory is the second book in Lorraine Heath’s Texas Trilogy and to be honest, I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy it because the first book, Texas Destiny was such an amazing read that I didn’t see how this one could possibly compare. Well, I’m glad to say my fears were for naught. This was, quite simply put, an incredibly emotional story. I liked Dallas in the first book, but I love him now!

In Texas Destiny, Dallas Leigh stood and watched - not without putting up a fight, though - as his own mail-order bride fell in love with his younger brother, Houston, and his dream of having a son to pass his legacy onto slip through his fingers. Now, while his dream might have been temporarily waylaid, it was not forgotten! His all consuming desire for a son has Dallas taking advantage of a water rights feud with Angus McQueen, a neighboring rancher, and offering to marry his daughter, Cordelia, in exchange for the right to use water on Dallas’ land. It certainly isn’t a love match, and rumor has it that not only is Cordelia homely, she also lost her nose in a tragic accident. But the way Dallas sees it – as long as she gives him a son, he doesn’t care what she looks like!

I’m not going to go into the plot other than to say it’s pretty brutal sometimes. Gunfights, robbery, murder, and attempted murder… this book has everything we've come to expect from the Wild West, including a child abuse of the most heartbreaking kind. We're introduced to Rawley Cooper, a young boy whose story broke my heart, and I sobbed for what that child was forced to live through. Thank God for Dallas and his kindness, compassion and his sense of justice, and Cordelia for her unconditional love.

Texas Glory, like Texas Destiny, is a wonderful story. Heartwarming tales of the trials of frontier living, the love of family, and the joy of finding your happily ever after in the most unlikely of ways.

5 of 5 stars