The Texan's Reward

So heartwarming! This book is the last in the Wife Lottery Series and it's officially my favorite of the four. I laughed, I cried, I was on the edge of my seat... This book had all the excitement and drama of an old fashioned western!

Jacob is beginning to see Nell in a new light since an injury took the use of her legs. When he learns she's placed an add for a husband "in name only," he rides three days to talk some sense into the stubborn girl he's known for ten years. Two Bits, as he's come to call her, is struggling to find her place in the world again. She's always loved Jacob, but because of her pain and disabilities, she believes he deserves a woman who can give him more. Now someone is trying to kill her, "strays' keep showing show more up at her door, and Zeke Whittaker's gold is still causing trouble. Jacob has his hands full.

I have to commend Jodi Thomas for her ability to write such lovable and multi-faceted characters. The Preacher was a riot and his banter with Mrs. O'Daniel made me laugh out loud. It was an endearing book and I lost myself in the story. The bond between Nell and Jacob is one I will never forget. This is a must read for western romance fans! show less

While Nell is not one of the original brides, she has become a close friend to all of them and we've watched her grow up from a sassy kid. She was injured in the last book and must use a wheelchair now. She's been in love with Ranger Jacob Dalton but due to her condition decides to put in an ad for a husband who will be content with managing her properties. Jacob rushes home to stop her which leads to some interesting confrontations.
I liked how Nell gathers odd but interesting characters around her. The supporting cast adds a lot to the story and fleshes it out well. The epilogue was good at tieing up loose ends and I appreciated knowing how these characters I've grown to like ended up.

4th in the series. Hero's known heroine since she was a young girl. He was already a Texas Ranger when he met her, so there's obviously an age difference, but it's ignored. In a previous book, she was shot in the back, & the bullet remains lodged next to her spine, so she's mostly an invalid with a lot of pain. Hero returns to town when she takes out an ad offering a half interest in her properties (there are quite a few) in exchange for marriage. He proposes, but she says no because she wants better for him. Cute because they're both so clueless, but the back & forth got to be a little much, plus the reasoning for it wasn't very clear. A couple of secondary romances, too, which was nice. And a mystery, part of which wasn't explained at show more the end. show less