Great historic romance
4
By lynnmpoppe
I adore Marley and her spirit. She’s feisty and independent, both great qualities in a heroine. As Marley tells her father, Duel:
“I’ll be fine,” Marley assured him. “I’m not some spineless little girl who wrings her hands and waits for someone to ride to her rescue.”
Bonus point for self-rescuing princesses!
I also appreciate that Ms. Brody writes Marley as a storyteller and artist. Marley creates stories for all the children. She also attempts to illustrate her stories with paintings and drawings. Her ability to take a small idea and make it into an full story is amazing. I’m guessing it’s a similar process that Ms. Brody goes through when writing her novels.
Roan had a rough childhood and not much better luck as an adult. But what really impresses me is that, despite all his hardship, he’s capable of loving, protecting, and supporting Marley. I also really admire the connection Roan has with the adopted kids on the ranch, especially Matt. Roan sees himself in Matt and shows his true character when he’s around the children.
The romance between Marley and Roan is believable, if a bit rushed. I welcomed how they support and encourage each other. For example, Roan encourages Marley to submit her stories to a publisher. And when none of the ranch hands are available to support Roan during his horse race in the next county, Marley is there for him. These two characters really bring out the best in each other.
My favorite secondary character in To Catch a Texas Star is definitely Granny Jack. She’s a hoot. And I’m totally making her catch phrase my own!
“Honey, every tub has got to sit on its own bottom.”
That makes me laugh each time I think about it. Classic Granny Jack!
I also really enjoyed catching up with Duel and Jessie from Knight on the Texas Plains. For me, it’s always great to see a couple I fell in love with still happily in love after close to twenty years together.
The romance in To Catch a Texas Star may have caught my initial attention, but the mystery plot kept me reading. Ms. Brody does a fabulous job weaving together separate plot lines of discovering who is trying to destroy the Aces ‘n’ Eights Ranch by wrangling cattle with the mystery of who killed Roan’s friend Mose and left Roan for dead. There were a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming in the road. Kudos to Ms. Broday for seamlessly blending the plot!
Overall, To Catch a Texas Star is a great historic romance with strong, well-developed characters. Highly recommended!
4 1/2 Stars!