[BOOK REVIEW] When a Texan Gambles by Jodi Thomas

Title:  When a Texan Gambles

Author:  Jodi Thomas

Genre: Historical Romance

Year Published: 2003

Number of Pages:  304 pages

Date Read: 3/11/2011

Series: Wife Lottery #2

Publisher:  Berkley Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Some Language and Gun Violence)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I have been currently reading Jodi Thomas's “Wife Lottery” series and after I have just finished the first book of the series, “The Texan's Wager,” which starred Bailee Moore and Carter McKoy, I finally got the chance to read the second book of the series, “When a Texan Gambles.” “When a Texan Gambles” stars Sarah Andrews and Sam Gatlin and boy, do they have wild adventures throughout this book! Expect a whole lot of drama, adventure and romance in this exciting sequel to “The Texan's Wager!”

After Sarah Andrews confessed to the murder of Zeb Whitaker along with her friends Bailee and Lacy, she was auctioned off in a “Wife Lottery” and ends up with a man named Sam Gatlin. Things were not going well for Sarah until she realized that Sam was stabbed in the back with a knife! Now that Sarah has taken care of Sam's wounds, she will soon discover that she is probably married to the most dangerous man the west have ever known!

Wow! I think this had to be the most action-packed story out of the entire “Wife Lottery” series so far! Jodi Thomas has done an awesome job at providing action throughout this novel, which just had me sitting on the edge of my seat every time I read about Sam and Sarah's escapades in escaping from various crooks who are after Sam's neck! What I really loved about this book were the characters themselves and my favorite characters in this book were Sam Gatlin and Sarah Andrews! I will admit that I really adored Sarah's spunk and kindness towards others as she is an innocent yet kind-hearted woman and I loved the way that she is willing to help anyone in their time of need, which includes helping various families reunite with each other. I also loved the little arguments that Sarah has with Sam because they were so cute and they always seem to make up at the end. Now, I am saving the best character for last and that is the sexiest and bravest cowboy to ever walk the planet, Sam Gatlin! Sam Gatlin is probably the most amazing romance heroes ever created because he is one-hundred percent all muscle on the outside and has a huge heart on the inside and that is what I like about my romance heroes!   Now, this book does not just have adventure, it also has hot and sizzling romantic scenes! The sexual moments between Sarah and Sam were just so steamy that I was literally fanning myself every time I read these scenes between Sarah and Sam!

The reason why I gave this book a four star rating is because I often got a little frustrated with Sarah throughout the book because she does not seem to trust Sam enough and she rarely reciprocates her feelings for Sam. Now, I do understand that she is a little reluctant in loving someone again because of her empty relationship with Mitchell, her first husband, but sometimes I think that Sarah tends to go a little overboard with telling off Sam about showing his love for her and also the fact that Sarah keeps telling Sam about the rules of love sort of makes me a little uncomfortable because I always love seeing how love comes naturally to romance heroes and heroines, rather than base it on a set of rules.

Overall, “When a Texan Gambles” is a great sequel to “The Texan's Wager” that romance fans of Jodi Thomas's works will greatly enjoy. I am definitely looking forward to reading the third book in the series “A Texan's Luck” next!

You might also like:

• The Texan's Wager by Jodi Thomas

• A Texan's Luck by Jodi Thomas
• The Texan's Reward by Jodi Thomas

[BOOK REVIEW] The Texan's Wager by Jodi Thomas

Title:  The Texan's Wager

Author:  Jodi Thomas

Genre: Historical Romance

Year Published: 2002

Number of Pages: 309 pages

Date Read: 1/22/2011

Series: Wife Lottery #1

Publisher:  Jove

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Some Sex Scenes)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I have read many romance novels by Teresa Medeiros and Lisa Kleypas, but this is the first time that I have read a romance novel by Jodi Thomas!  “The Texan’s Wager” is the first book in Jodi Thomas’s “Wife Lottery” series and it is full of hot romance, drama, adventure and excitement that will make this book one of a million!

Bailee Moore was thrown out of a wagon train along with two other women named Lacy and Sarah after Bailee had supposedly committed a murder in her hometown and was thrown out of town.  After the three women got to the city called Cedar Point, they meet up with a vicious man named Zeb Whitaker who starts assaulting them and that led the three women into beating him up to defend themselves.  The three women are then thrown into jail and the sheriff proposes that the only way for the three women to get out of jail is if they are selected in the “Wife Lottery,” which is where men come all over Cedar Point and pick one of the three women to be their wives.  Bailee Moore is then chosen to be a wife to Carter McKoy, a silent man who has not spoken a word since his parents’ brutal deaths.  However, Bailee will soon realize that there is more to Carter than meets the eye!

Wow.  All I can really say is…wow.  I have never in all my life read such an exciting and romantic western romance novel that is full of drama and pure romance!  Jodi Thomas has definitely done an awesome job at writing this story as the characters were righteously perfect and the action paced plot of the story is never truly over the top!  I can name out so many things about this book that I simply loved, but that is too many to list, so I will just mention the characters themselves.  The heroine of the story, Bailee Moore, is such a lovable character!  I loved the way that Bailee has such a caring and courageous nature, especially when she tries to do everything in her power to protect Carter from any kind of danger that comes their way, even if it means putting her own life on the line.  I will admit that sometimes I get a little irritated whenever Bailee does not seem to trust Carter completely, but her heroic actions throughout the novel truly makes up for that.  Another character I really loved in this book was Carter McKoy himself as he was the first silent hero I have ever read about in any romance novel I have read!  The aspect of Carter’s personality that truly stood out for me was his slightly silent nature because he sometimes uses sign language to communicate what he wants to say with everyone and I have always wanted to know how to sign language myself, so this aspect of Carter’s personality is so interesting to me since it shows another level of communication that I rarely seen in most romance novels.  I also loved how courageous Carter is as he will put his life on the line to save Bailee from any misfortunate that befalls her and it’s that aspect that I truly love in a hero!  The best part of the entire book was the romance between Bailee and Carter as it was genuine and caring enough to put other romance novels’ romance to shame!  Sure, at first Bailee and Carter did not really trust each other because they did not know each other at first, but as the book goes on, Bailee and Carter’s romantic relationship was truly astounding as I loved the way that Bailee did not judge Carter because he did not speak at first, but once she starts realizing what a wonderful person Carter is, she starts falling madly in love with him and does everything in her power to protect him.  I also loved the way that Carter treated Bailee because even though at first, he was really shy to be near her, I admit that the moment that Carter first began to talk clearly with Bailee, I was totally surprised yet felt cuddly inside that Carter felt comfortable talking about anything with Bailee and that proved how solid and real their relationship with each other is.

There are some brief sex scenes in this book, although it is not as explicit as most romance novels I have read.  So, anyone who does not like reading about certain sex scenes, might want to skip over these scenes.

All in all, if you are looking for drama, sizzling romance and adventure in the Wild West, then “The Texan’s Wager” is definitely the right romance novel for you!

[BOOK REVIEW] The Texan's Reward by Jodi Thomas

Title:  The Texan's Reward

Author:  Jodi Thomas

Genre: Historical Romance

Year Published: 2005

Number of Pages: 346 pages

Date Read: 3/11/2014

Series: Wife Lottery #4

Publisher:  Berkley Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Some Language and Gun Violence)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

I have been reading Jodi Thomas’s popular “Wife Lottery” series for many years now and when I finally stumbled upon the final story of the batch called “The Texan’s Reward” which stars Jacob Dalton and Nell, I was pleasantly surprised by the results of this book!

Many years ago, Texas Ranger Jacob Dalton befriended a young orphaned girl named Nell (who he fondly calls “Two Bits”) and they had been the best of friends ever since.  But years later, Nell is now a full grown woman and Jacob is having even more problems with her.  After Nell gets injured in the last book when the notorious criminal Zeb Whitaker shoots her in the back causing her to barely walk, Nell decides to get married to a man who could help her around the ranch that she had inherited from Fat Alice, the former owner of a brothel. Unfortunately, Jacob Dalton refuses to let Nell marry anyone and he tries to convince Nell to marry him instead.  Of course, Nell refuses at first for she does not want to keep Jacob down because of her injury, but as time goes by, Nell will soon discover that she might have feelings for the courageous Texas Ranger.

Jodi Thomas has done it again with her brilliant writing of the story and the characters involved!  I loved the way that Jodi Thomas wrote the story as it explores how strong love can be, even if a terrible tragedy (such as Nell getting shot and her injury causing her great pain if she tried to walk) could separate two lovers in a second. I was literally on the edge of my seat trying to see if Nell could ever recover from her injury and could she ever touch Jacob ever again due to her injury.  I loved how Jodi Thomas explored all of those insecurities and present it in an emotional context that literally had me crying and hoping at the same time. Probably the best parts about this book were the character themselves as they were extremely intriguing and brilliant to read about!  I really loved the character of Nell as she was shown as being an independent and kind hearted woman who, despite her injury, is willing to take care of her ranch and protect the people she cares about (especially Jacob)!  I also loved the fact that Nell cares so much for Jacob that she was willing to forsake her chance at marrying him just so he could marry someone who would not weigh down his lifestyle (he is a Texas Ranger after all).  I also loved Nell’s relationship with her friends such as Marla, Gypsy and Randolph Harrison as she treats all of them like family and I loved the way that Nell stands up for them whenever they are in danger. But, Jacob Dalton is probably my most favorite character in this entire book as he is truly one of the best western romance heroes I had ever read about!  I really loved the fact that Jacob Dalton truly cares about Nell and was willing to be with her despite her injury and I loved that aspect of Jacob’s character. I also loved how heroic Jacob was as he can easily take down any threat that would harm Nell and would put his life on the line for Nell.  But the romantic and giddy side of me will always love the physical aspects of Jacob Dalton as he is constantly described as being good looking and having a well toned body that I just can not help but fan myself in anticipation every time they mention his good looks!

For anyone who does not like language and violence, there is some language in this book such as various uttering of the “h” word and the “d” word, but it is not as bad as some romance novels that I had read.  Also, there is some violence in this book which involves a lot of gun shooting and anyone who does not like gun violence might be unsettled by the gun scenes in this book.

Overall, “The Texan’s Reward” is a truly great finale for the fantastic “Wife Lottery” series and I am pretty sure that any fan of western romance novels will enjoy it for many years!

[BOOK REVIEW] A Texan's Luck by Jodi Thomas

Title:  A Texan's Luck

Author: Jodi Thomas

Genre: Historical Romance

Year Published: 2004

Number of Pages: 512 pages

Date Read: 2/25/2013

Series: Wife Lottery #3

Publisher:  Jove

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Some Sex Scenes and Some Language)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

After reading the first two books in Jodi Thomas’ fantastic “Wife Lottery” series, “The Texan’s Wager” and “When a Texan Gambles,” I was definitely looking forward to reading the third book in this series called “A Texan’s Luck” and man, was I in for an enjoyable ride!

The story starts off when Captain Walker Larson discovers a shocking revelation when a young and beautiful woman named Lacy Larson walks into his office and tells him that she is his wife.  Unfortunately, Walker has no intentions of having a wife and he sends Lacy away back to Cedar Point.  Three years later however, when Lacy thought that she got over her disappointment in meeting Walker Larson, Walker ends up back in her life again when he received word that Zeb Whitaker might be after her and he was stationed to protect her at all costs.  Unfortunately, Lacy, still upset over Walker shunning her years ago, wants nothing to do with Walker and wants him to leave in the next few days.  However, both Walker and Lacy will soon discover that they might have some feelings for each other despite their differences.

Wow!  I never thought that Jodi Thomas’ “Wife Lottery” series could possibly get even better over time!  Jodi Thomas’s writing in this book was so beautiful and emotional that I found myself really sympathizing with all of the characters’ ordeals.  I loved the way that Jodi Thomas portrayed the relationships between the characters, especially between Lacy and Walker themselves, who are my favorite characters in the entire book!  Lacy Larson was such an independent and kind hearted heroine who refuses to let anyone run her life.  I actually sympathized with Lacy at the beginning of the novel since she was scorned by Walker Larson and it was pretty understandable about why she hated Walker throughout most of the book since I probably would have held a little grudge myself if I was scorned like that.  I also loved the way that Lacy helped Walker understand more about how love works and the fact that she too was new at the whole “husband and wife” situation really brought out so much chemistry between her and Walker.  Probably the best character in this book was Walker Larson himself as he is unlike any other romantic hero I had ever read about before!  Walker Larson is shown to be a gruff, secretive and yet tortured character as he felt sorry for what he done to Lacy years ago and tries to make amends for it.  It was interesting seeing that Walker had trouble trying to sort out his feelings for Lacy due to him being in the army all the time and I loved the way that he tries hard to please Lacy and protect her at all times, despite his somewhat “cold” attitude.  Even though there were not enough sexual scenes to satisfy my romantic urges, the scenes where Walker and Lacy try to get to know each other by taking each other out to dinners and spending some quality “quiet” time together were probably the best scenes in this book and I really loved their witty banters with each other, especially this little gem:

“This day was endless not seeing you.  I want to get you alone.  I don’t feel like sharing you with the world right now.”

“I know.”

“I thought of being here with you like this all day.”

“I know.”

“I ached to hold you.  Half the time I didn’t even bother to listen to what others were saying.”

“I know.”

For anyone who does not like reading about sex scenes, this book has some sex scenes, however, it is not quite as explicit as the other sex scenes I have read in other romance novels.  Also, there is some brief language in this novel, however the language only showed up once or twice in this novel and it is not quite strong enough to be offensive.

Overall, “A Texan’s Luck” is easily one of the most memorable books out of Jodi Thomas’ “Wife Lottery” series and anyone who is a huge fan of western romances should definitely give this novel a whirl!