What Price Paradise by Katherine Allred

I don't know how or why, but I suddenly stumbled upon this book in Goodreads and when I read the description? The only thing that came to my mind was,"I gotta read this one." And so I did.

Abby is a waitress in the local bar. Having a mother for a prostitute and labeled as the town whore, the folks also see her as that. But when Tate McCullom — a rancher and raised as a responsible man,  got her pregnant on the night he got drunk and slept with her, everything seemed to change so fast for the both of them.

Tate has a fiancee, although you can't really call it like that because of their situation. They had a fight before the night Tate found out that Abby was pregnant, but knowing Diane (her fiancee), he knew she will be back to make amends with him again after her vacation in some far away place.

But he need to do what's right. And for him, the right thing to do is to marry Abby and raise their child that she was carrying. The problem is Abby has got so much pride in her and she refuses to marry him at first. But when Tate compromised with her, telling her that she can work for him as his wife, she finally agreed to marry Tate.

I've been looking for a book with a story like this for months so I am very happy that I finally found one! I love the characters especially Abby. She's very sweet and I admire her for being strong even though she always get hurt because of Tate, and I got some issues with him. I can't understand his blindness when it came to Diane and how he always tells himself that he loves her when in fact, he just feels responsible to her. And of course, I also loved the second characters! I love Buddy (Tate's brother). How he understood the situation with Abby and Tate and he didn't looked down on her even though most of the town call Abby as the town whore. And Joe! He's Tate's best friend and I love him! Especially the part when he's making Tate jealous.

The story's very cute and romantic. And I really liked the parts when Tate and Abby slowly get comfortable with each other. The ending for me was so-so, but I still liked it.

So for those who's looking for a very sweet read, this is the one for you! Highly recommended! ;)

Rating:

A+

A Texan's Luck by Jodi Thomas (Texas Lottery #3)

This book is from a series by Jodi Thomas, Wife Lottery. It's the third and is my favorite of all four.  This is one of my favorite Western and Historical Romance novels, so far. But I think I won't be able to find another book that's so light and wonderful as this.

Let's start with Lacy, the main protagonist. She was only fifteen when they, together with Bailee and Sarah, came to Cedar Point and went straight to the town's sheriff to admit a crime that they "thought" they'd committed. And to avoid being in jail for the rest of their lives, they agreed to enter a "Wife Lottery", organized and carried out by the sheriff.

Lacy was bought by a father of a captain away from home, by proxy. And for Lacy, it's everything that she wanted. Accepted, loved, has a roof above her head and food at the table everyday. Years drifted slowly and Lacy took over the family business, a printing press, because the captain's father passed away. But still, no sign of her "husband". So when she heard that he's in a little town called Cottonwood, she decided to go to him and make their marriage whole, not in name only.

I read the first chapter of the book at the back of When a Texan Gambles, the second from the series, and I think that that first part, which was devastating and sad, was the one which grabbed me to read for more.

I really loved their first meeting, how Lacy and Captain Larson met, how Lacy asked her husband to complete their marriage, and everything in between.  And the last scene of the first chapter! I imagined clearly the facial expression of Walker there.

And now it leads us to Walker or Captain Larson. Can I just say one thing? I loved him! I really, really do. He was assigned to take care of Lacy because they were told that Zeb, the man that the three (Bailee, Sarah, and Lacy)  has confessed of killing, is on the loose to kill them. Walker's often very controlling and commanding, but sweet and romantic in other times. And in my imagination, he's really handsome and with a well-built body, just like soldiers do.

There are many funny moments in the story, especially when the two of them are fighting with each other. And there are also many romantic scenes, like one of my favorites, when they went to eat dinner at the hotel and Walker carried Lacy because of the snow.

All in all, the book was great and I've been reading it ever since, especially when I'm in a mood to read something sweet. I don't want to say any more, but you just have to try this for yourself!

Rate:

A+

Silver Lining by Maggie Osborne

For the last five or six months, I was enwrapped in reading Western and Historical Fiction novels and I really dunno why. I guess I was always amazed by how people from way back then had simple ways of living and can find contentment easily.

After many months of reading Romance books, I stumbled upon this. It's my first read from the author and I was getting hesitant if I should read it or not because I can't find a copy. Then fortunately, I finally found one and started my journey.

The introduction didn't gave me sparks at all (at first), but I told myself to continue reading because I felt that there was more to it than that and I am very, very happy that I followed my instincts because I was right after all.

Let's start with the main protagonist. Living in the Rockies along with other miners (who're men), you can easily guess that Low Down is boyish and doesn't care what her outer appearance looks like. Then there came the epidemic of the pox and Low Down was the only one who's brave enough to take care of the sick men.

Days after that inauspicious event, all of the miners were left indebted to her. They asked her what she really, really wanted and told her they would give her anything and they'll find a way no matter what. She surprised them by telling that she wants a child of her own, not an adopted child. And it doesn't mean she wants a husband, too. Just a baby.

That caused an unwanted uproar from the men and finally ended up with a compromise that states whoever draws the marble that's crossed with an X, he'll be the one to give Low Down a baby, no buts and exceptions. And that finally leads us to Max McCord, the one who pulled the marble from the hat and was married to Low Down by the priest on that very same night. He's well-built and handsome, but there's a catch. He's in love with someone else.

I really loved this book because it was funny and blithesome, but there's also the distressing parts of the book that'll make your heart hurt for Low Down, now called Louise by Max's family.

There's a lot of complications in the book that made me want to look for spoilers (I think I did at one time, I can't remember). I loved Livvy McCord, Max's mother, although at times she has this bitchy attitude (or is it most of the time?). I loved how strong Louise was. Hands down. I don't want to give any spoilers, but really, she has this amazing character that'll make you acknowledge her with reverence.

And of course, the villain of the story. I don't want to name her as the antagonist, because "villain" is a more appropriate term for her. I'm talking about Philadelphia — that cold, selfish b*tch that always think highly of herself and thought of ways to make herself ahead of anyone. I detest her. She always made me want to slap her face. HARD.

I don't want to wipe-off the suspense, so I'm just leaving it as that. A really great Romance book that'll left you asking for more from Ms. Maggie Osborne. ;)

Grade:

A+