On Secondary Characters: The Lone Texan by Jodi Thomas

Tribute to Secondary Characters: Bonnie and her Cowboy

It's indisputable. There are times when secondary characters can make the difference between a good book and a great one. They can take over a story and obliterate the main characters and in some cases they can even spoil the story. Then there are those wonderful times when secondary characters are so well developed and the writer weaves them into the story so well that they make the story richer and truly complete. Yes, without those secondary characters that particular story would never be the same. But do we really give them credit?

As with supporting characters in movies, we don't necessarily focus on their stories when reviewing a book. Yes, they usually get an honorable mention. Are they well developed? Do they have something to contribute? Are they a detriment or a weakness to the story? Did we love them? But, do they have their own story to tell?

In The Lone Texan by Jody Thomas there's a secondary romance worth mentioning, the story of Bonnie and her "Cowboy." Although the central love story in this book is certainly worth reviewing and deserves to have the main focus as it did in the book, this secondary romance touched me and I thought to give it more than just an honorable mention. I thought I'd share it with you.

Bonnie is a nurse from Boston who having nothing left there has decided to travel to Texas with our heroine Dr. Sage McMurray Lander. When Bonnie's parents died, they left everything to her brother with the condition that he would care for her. He ignored their wishes and she basically found herself destitute. Having cared for her sick parents, Bonnie decided to do the only thing she knew and dedicated her life to nursing. While working in the Boston hospital, she met Sage and became not only her personal nurse, but a friend as well.

Bonnie is a six-foot, plain looking spinster, with a wonderful gift for nursing, but in the surface not much else. She's never had a relationship with a man and is too shy to really speak to males. She is basically invisible to them and she knows it. When we first meet her, Sage and Bonnie have just arrived in Galveston, Texas and are making their way to their hotel. Sage almost gets killed by a carriage while trying to save a dog and a cowboy accidentally whacks Bonnie from behind with a sack of feed. He very politely apologizes, but she just stands there and doesn't say a word. He is as tall as she is... and that's notable for her, as she is a very tall woman.

In the following days, we see a Bonnie who lives up to our expectations of her character. She is the very epitome of all that is sensible. The perfect nurse, a loyal, protective friend and a woman of insight... even if she is scared of what she sees as a wild place, so different from Boston.

As Sage and Bonnie decide to leave Galveston and go on to Sage's family ranch, escorted by our hero Drummond Roak, Sage decides to say her good byes in person to her dead husband's brother -- a man of questionable character. Bonnie advises sending him a note, but Sage insists on going in person. The man's place of business is a disreputable gambling place in Galveston's docks and as they approach, they note men with guns disembarking from a boat -- they go in anyway -- not the smartest of moves, but again that was Sage's decision.

The first thing Bonnie notes when they enter is that the tall cowboy who whacked her on the streets was sitting at the bar. As Sage goes in to say her good byes to her brother-in-law, all hell breaks loose as the place gets held up. Bonnie's cowboy comes to the rescue, pulls her out of the bar throws her on his horse and rides away with her, saving her life. But things are not as simple as they seem, and as he continues to ride she realizes that he's kidnapping her too. Her adventure is about to begin.

The story of Bonnie and her Cowboy is not a long-drawn one, and in the surface doesn't seem to be a very deep one. They spend a night full of danger together that will change their lives forever. Their relationship begins on shaky ground and Bonnie is not sure weather to be grateful or terrified.

"You'll be safe here," he said as he lowers her to her feet.

"Safe!" she said, trying not to wobble. "I was safe in Boston. I was safe in Galveston.... How am I safe in here with a man who'll probably ravish me or kill me at any moment?"

The giant stood and stared down at her. "I vote for the ravishing. I've never done it with a woman I thought could take my weight before." A grin grew slowly across a face that hadn't seen a razor in a week.

Bonnie Faye did a second thing she'd never done before: she fainted.

During that one night so many things happen to these two characters. They find out things about each other and about themselves that are more than unexpected.

...."You know, once I heard a woman say that she had a lover that moved over her like warm summer storm. She said it only lasted a night, but the memory was burned into her thoughts forever. I never understood what she meant until you moved over me." ....

And later...

...."Did you feel the storm? he asked.

"Yes," she answered and felt his arms tighten. "And it was a thousand times more than I thought it would be."

This is a story of two people who didn't think they had anything to offer others and expected nothing for themselves, and yet found something in each other that was sweet and true. I don't know quite why their simple story touched me so much, but at the end of the book I believed these two people could and would make it out there in the west. If anyone could survive that harsh life with love and determination, I thought this couple could do it -- and that's what reading romance is all about, isn't it? That belief.

I have nothing but good wishes of a happy life for Bonnie and her Cowboy.

You can visit Jodi Thomas here.

This book is part of the Western Historical Romance "Whispering Mountains" series:

Texas Rain

Texas Princess

Tall, Dark and Texan

The Lone Texan

Sick and Out for a While...

Hey... I haven't really disappeared, I'm just barely hanging on with that awful flu that's making the rounds. It's been well over a week and I'm still trying to get over it. I just wanted to touch base and let you all know that I'll be back soon and hope to have some write ups on my latest reads. :)

In the meantime, I'm going to leave you all with a bit of eye candy. This one's name is Jack, and a personal favorite... yes, I named him too. The Js have it!

Enjoy and read on!

Review: Doubleblind by Ann Aguirre

As a "Jumper" who navigates ships through grimspace, Sirantha Jax is used to kicking ass. So why is she suddenly chosen as an ambassador of peace?

Ah, Jax. I've been anticipating Doubleblind's release impatiently for a year. Wanted, needed that Jax fix. I'm afraid I didn't really get it, at least not the fix I was anticipating.

I'm not going to go into too many details about this book since it's the third book in the series already. A quick recap... Jax has been assigned to Ithiss-Tor as ambassador representing the Conglomerate. They need the Ithtorians to fight the Morguts, an alien race humans cannot fight alone. Meanwhile, "mommy dearest" --Jax's mother -- who is the head of the Syndicate is doing everything she can to disrupt Jax's negotiations and making a power play against the Conglomerate through a publicity campaign.

Doubleblind, the third installment in the terrific Jax Sci-fi/Fantasy series by Ann Aguirre, was a totally different kettle of fish from both Grimspace and Wanderlust. Both those books were fast paced and so full of great action and characters my head was left spinning at times. Not so this book.

This book slows down the pace and Ms. Aguirre gives us three quarters of a book full of political intrigue and creative world building. The whole story takes place in Ithiss-Tor, Velith's home planet, where Jax has been sent as ambassador to gain the Ithtorians as allies. The world building was not only tight but excellent. Ms Aguirre weaves in some amazing cultural, environmental and physical details into the Ithtorian world that I found fascinating and it is what made this book stand out for me.

Velith's character development was also worth waiting for. Finding out more about him personally, where he comes from and what happened in his past was fascinating. And yes, I'm still in love with him. I think his is the one character I most enjoyed, along with some of the secondary Bug characters. On the other hand, Jax's crew was really missing in action in this book. Their wonderful dialogue, witty give and take and overall contribution were not only missing but sorely missed in Doubleblind.

I also missed Jax -- the real Jax -- we only get a glimpse of her in the last third of the book. The rest of the time, she comes off as this woman who is trying very hard to be perfect and who is so radically changed from our dear, chaotic Jax, I almost didn't recognize her. She was wonderful! Amazing! An incredible politician! She was... not Jax. Character growth? Maybe. But that radically different? That much of a change? Hmm... Chip induced behavior? Maybe those many perfect poetic wa...s were. But the rest? No. Not unless that chip stopped working toward the end of the book. Her behavior was just so different, I didn't quite buy it. Jax's relationship with March and his psychological situation in this story were tough to resolve and I thought Ms. Aguirre was quite creative in reaching the solution there.

Doubleblind was not my favorite book in the series so far, although I really enjoyed some parts of it. Even the end of the book seemed predictable and easily resolved and not what I've come to expect after the previous installments. But with the plot thickening... I'm expecting this crew to get some real action in the future, and who knows what Jax will do next? I'm still looking forward to that next book and my Jax fix!

You can visit Ann Aguirre here.

Series:
Grimspace
Wanderlust
Doubleblind

Review: Hex in High Heels by Linda Wisdom

Feisty witch Blair Fitzpatrick has had a crush on hunky carpenter Jake Harrison forever - he's one hot shape-shifter. Just when Blair thinks the relationship is really starting to sizzle, Jake pulls back -- the last thing he wants to do is involve Blair in his dysfunctional family dynamics.

Jake's nasty mother and brother are after him to return to his pack, and a bunch of unruly elves start causing all kinds of chaos. Blair is trying hard not to unleash the ultimate revenge spell, but when Jake's enemies try to force him away from her, Blair is pushed over the edge. No one messes with her boyfriend-to-be, even if he does shed on the furniture!

This is my first book by Linda Wisdom. The first few pages were slightly confusing as the characters were not familiar. However, I quickly picked up on the story and was able to follow without a problem.

Hex in High Heels is the fourth installment in Linda Wisdom's light paranormal romance series. This is Blair and Jake's story. Blair is one of 13 witches who in 1313 were expelled and banished to the mortal world from the Witches Academy for breaking rules, as set by the Witches Council.

I really liked Blair in this story. She is irrepressibly fun, sexy and energetic with a temper and poor self-control. She runs the local vintage shop Blast from the Past where she sells crafts and revenge spells to Moonstone Lake residents. Revenge spells are her gift and having a temper and poor self-control can become a problem as you can only imagine -- especially when she's supposed to be staying within those rules set by the Witches Council. Blair has a major crush on her hunky friend and local carpenter Jake, and is determined to have him. It seems when Blair wants something she gets it.

Jake has the hots for Blair, no question about it, but his life is complicated and he has secrets. In the last installment it was revealed that he is more than just a carpenter and all-around great handyman, he is also a Were Border collie or a canis lupus familiaris. It's a good thing Jake had a great sense of humor because dog jokes and references abound in this story. His great sense of humor, understanding and appreciation of Blair's 'hexy' ways makes him perfect for her -- but just when he might make a move, his hateful mother, arrogant brother and the Pack he willingly left behind years ago, want him back.

Jake's past sets up the main conflict in the book. Blair and Jake with help from Stasi, Trev and the townsfolk of Moonstone Lake must deal with a bunch of dirty, unruly elves and the leftover consequences of Jake's secret past. Throw into the mix horny Horace the Gargoyle, Felix the Kit-Kat talking clock, a pair of ghosts, and Fluff and Puff, Jazz' bunny slippers, and we have more than enough great characters running around this story to keep the entertaining factor high.

This is not your typical gloom and doom paranormal romance where great evil looms at all times. Blair and her witch friends deal with, and help people around them who have very real problems. I like the humor and light witchy way in which they resolve the conflicts that crop up. Blair and Jake's humorous dialogue and sizzling chemistry made them a fun, sexy couple I enjoyed.

Hex in High Heels was an enjoyable, light paranormal romance. I found it to be both sexy and entertaining, a fast paced, quick read, packed with fun characters and situations. 

Released October 1, 2009

Review based on ARC copy from Sourcebooks. You can visit Linda Wisdom here.

Other books in this series:

50 Ways to Hex Your Lover

Hex Appeal

Wicked by Any Other Name

Originally posted at Musings of a Bibliophile October 1, 2009

Author Spotlight: Mary Balogh

One of my favorite historical romance writers, Ms. Balogh has a new upcoming release and a couple of re-releases, all within the next three months. I'm a Mary Balogh fan and always look at her new releases to see if they interest me.

In October, 2009, you'll find her work in "The Heart of Christmas."

In this anthology she collaborated with Nicola Cornick whose contribution will be "The Season for Suitors" and Courtney Milan, "This Wicked Gift." Ms. Balogh's "The Gifts of Christmas," a story first published in 1998 is the story of Julian Dare, Viscount Folingsby and Verity Ewing. The story of a lord, a dancer and Christmas wishes.

In November 2009, Bantam/Dell will re-release "A Precious Jewel."

The story of Sir Gerald Stapleton whom we first met in "The Ideal Wife." A man who is quiet and unassuming, but who has needs that must be met. He meets Lady Priscilla Wentworth at a brothel. Yes, she is one of those ladies who due to circumstances beyond her control finds herself working for a living and well.... you know the rest. So here you have the prostitute as the heroine from Mary Balogh's point of view.

December 2009, brings a new release. "A Matter of Class" is a novella. I'll be reading this one. Here's the summary:

Reginald Mason is wealthy, refined and, by all accounts, a gentleman. However, he is not a gentleman by title, a factor that pains him and his father within the Regency society that upholds station over all else. That is, until an opportunity for social advancements arises, namely, Lady Annabelle Ashton. Daughter of the Earl of Havercroft, a neighbor and enemy of the Mason family, Annabelle finds herself disgraced by a scandal, one that has left her branded as damaged goods. Besmirched by shame, the earl is only too happy to marry Annabelle off to anyone willing to have her.

Though Reginald Mason, Senior, wishes to use Annabelle to propel his family up the social ladder, his son does not wish to marry her, preferring instead to live the wild, single life he is accustomed to. With this, Reginald Senior serves his son an ultimatum: marry Annabelle, or make do without family funds. Having no choice, Reginald consents, and enters into a hostile engagement in which the prospective bride and groom are openly antagonistic, each one resenting the other for their current state of affairs while their respective fathers revel in their suffering.

You can visit Mary Balogh here.