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Wife Lottery #3
A Texan's Luck
Captain Walker Larson received the shock of his life when a beautiful stranger boldly walked into his office—claiming to be his wife. His father may have bought Lacy Larson for him in a wife lottery, but Walker had no desire for a bride—even one as captivating as the one standing before him. So he promptly sent Lacy back to Cedar Point.
Nearly three years later, Lacy is shocked when Walker shows up on her doorstep—ordered by the military to protect his wife from a killer. Lacy wants nothing to do with the gruff soldier who once drove her away.
But despite their different lifestyles and expectations, she finds herself wondering if their marriage was a far better gamble than either of them had imagined...and what it would feel like to be in his arms.
Nearly three years later, Lacy is shocked when Walker shows up on her doorstep—ordered by the military to protect his wife from a killer. Lacy wants nothing to do with the gruff soldier who once drove her away.
But despite their different lifestyles and expectations, she finds herself wondering if their marriage was a far better gamble than either of them had imagined...and what it would feel like to be in his arms.
330 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 26, 2004
About the author
Jodi Thomas
106 books2,279 followersI'm a New York Times and USA Today Best Selling author, wife, mother, in-law, grandmother, sister, friend, and owner of one fat cat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
December 4, 2020
Such a drag. I can't believe I didn't DNF this.
At times, my patience amazes me! 🙈
At times, my patience amazes me! 🙈
August 13, 2011
★★★★✩What a delightful read! I was wondering if Ms. Thomas was going to turn this one around from its disastrous beginning, and she did! Making it worthy of its place in the Wife Lottery saga, one of the best western series I’ve read.
Lacy Larson is the youngest of the brides, the one wearing rose-colored glasses; so it is no surprise that she is confronted with the harsh realities of frontier life, some at her own insistence. But she can put up with anything, as long as she knows when it will end.
Captain Walker Larson is a cool, in control, career army man who follows the rules – the perfect solider – with no need for a wife, let alone one he believes to be a jail bird his misguided father rescued. Called back to Cedar Point, a small Texas town he long ago left behind, in order to be Lacy’s unwanted bodyguard, Walker swears he will be leaving in a month.
I love how these two go from dislike and distrust to finally trying to be “just friends”. But, in this author’s deft hand we see love blossom, even in the snowy dead of winter.
“You don’t mind this?” He moved his hand over her flesh.And, the epilogue to this one was the perfect topping on any dessert, cold or not! Thanks goodness there is one more left in this wonderful series.
“No,” she answered, closing her eyes and letting the pure pleasure of his touch wash over her.
“Because I’m your husband?”
“Because it feels good to have you touch me like this,” she answered.
“Me, or would any man do?” He watched her as if testing the waters.
“Well, the doctor’s too thin, the ranger’s too dirty, and the sheriff’s too old. I guess that only leaves my husband. You.”
January 27, 2014
Treasures of time can't be put in the pocket, they have to be stored in the heart
Wow - Once again I must mention how surprised I have been to find myself loving this sub-genre. Thank you to all my GR friends (Jill, Denise, Lisa Kay & Lady D) who recommended not only this series but many other Western Romance novels.
Jodi Thomas' Wife Lottery Series contains three books that I devoured. I was drawn by the plot of three women who are auctioned off to avoid a jail sentence for killing a man in self defense. Each book contains one of their stories and revolves around a simple plot, a villain and a great cast of secondary characters. With each journey I experienced a tender, poignant love story that builds slowly. There are also many moments that had me laughing and I loved the warm, fuzzy feel good endings.
This book is Lacy Larson's story. The last of the three, orphaned and married by proxy to a man who doesn't want a bride, especially one his father bought for him. I adored Lacy's independent, gutsy personality. The hero, Captain Walker Larson met my requirements in a warrior hero and it wasn't long before he redeemed himself and for me to love him.
I would recommend this to all those who love a sweet, warm romance with a heroine you will adore and a *sigh* worthy hero. Their story is filled with laugh out loud moments and tender, poignant moments; and while there wasn't hot descriptive love scenes, the desire and sensuality flowed freely and was sufficient to make this a great read for me.
Wow - Once again I must mention how surprised I have been to find myself loving this sub-genre. Thank you to all my GR friends (Jill, Denise, Lisa Kay & Lady D) who recommended not only this series but many other Western Romance novels.
Jodi Thomas' Wife Lottery Series contains three books that I devoured. I was drawn by the plot of three women who are auctioned off to avoid a jail sentence for killing a man in self defense. Each book contains one of their stories and revolves around a simple plot, a villain and a great cast of secondary characters. With each journey I experienced a tender, poignant love story that builds slowly. There are also many moments that had me laughing and I loved the warm, fuzzy feel good endings.
This book is Lacy Larson's story. The last of the three, orphaned and married by proxy to a man who doesn't want a bride, especially one his father bought for him. I adored Lacy's independent, gutsy personality. The hero, Captain Walker Larson met my requirements in a warrior hero and it wasn't long before he redeemed himself and for me to love him.
I would recommend this to all those who love a sweet, warm romance with a heroine you will adore and a *sigh* worthy hero. Their story is filled with laugh out loud moments and tender, poignant moments; and while there wasn't hot descriptive love scenes, the desire and sensuality flowed freely and was sufficient to make this a great read for me.
June 2, 2017
1.5 stars
Pretty much one sweet moment in the epilogue and the hero Walker are the only things I managed to like about this book, the rest of the story and Lacy's histrionics just drove me up the wall. The number and frequency of mood swings this girl goes through puts any kind of bad PMS days I have to shame. Oy...I swear. This was pure torture to get through. Same problem with The Texan's Wager I had with this one as well, it lacked oomph, passion, true emotion. The author spends very little time giving her characters real POVs, emotions, inner dialogue other than stating the obvious. It just comes off very dry and matter of fact rather than engaging dialogue. In some cases this style of writing works, but this is a Western Romance, give me some meat. The world building in this I found a little lacking as well.
I was very surprised with how Lacy was written in this, I found it very incongruous to how she was portrayed in the beginning of the series. What happened to the sweet sassy girl in the first book? She morphed into a extremely selfish, short-tempered, inconsiderate, shrill, overly-judgmental drama queen in this. I didn't find her bickering and screaming at Walker at every turn entertaining or fun. It bogged down the story and made it hard to finish. I honestly felt sorry for Walker at times and found it ridiculous how he had to walk on egg shells around her through the entire book scared he would rouse her temper and having to apologize at every turn (for the dumbest things I might add). How is this sweet? How an alpha male seasoned Captain like Walker kept getting mentally paddle whipped by a slip of a girl who liked to toss out orders to him and shriek at him every time she didn’t like something I just found astounding and cringe-worthy. There was no middle-ground with these two, no fair compromise. The difficulty I had with this pairing and their rapport was Lacy's adamant belief that Walker was a cold, unfeeling man, that 'nothing beat inside his chest'. Harsh much? She goes through more than half the story thinking this. It was as if the author worked over time to try and portray Walker as the big bad bumbling wolf and readers need to sympathize and laugh along with Lucy. Um...no. What's hilarious is how off the mark this girl is in thinking she has his number through out the story and never seems to realize the error in her ways. She completely refused to give him a chance or the benefit of the doubt, something I do NOT like and find intolerable. On more than one occasion Walker goes out of his way to make her feel safe and cared for and she bullies him and resents him for it. Her behavior was just astounding and really unattractive. I wanted to punch her.
And I have to say I got really tired of reading how 'she followed his orders’ or 'he ordered her around' on every other page. What orders??!
Just because it's not stated in a form of a question does not make it an order Mrs. Thomas. This really bothered me above everything else. Lacy thinks everything that comes out of Walker's mouth is an order and I truly had difficulty reading it that way. Whatever he would say or do to make her more at ease wasn't enough. The man asks her to close her eyes and dance with her like they are on the prairie at moonlight and she thinks it’s an order. Um..okay. Total mood killer. When you have someone constantly judging or criticizing someone it's not fun and damn annoying. She misconstrues or takes offense to every. single. thing. he says to her and I just found it extremely prissy. She’s either insulted or offended and throws a hissy fit suited for a 5 year old and storms off or screams at him like a fish wife. I have no patience for characters like this. I just found her reactions unjustified and sorely over-the-top. It made it very difficult for me to enjoy this story with Lacy acting so belligerent and inconsiderate. Her reactions and number of outbursts were too much and very frequent.
And the villain Zeb Whitaker was as appealing and frightening as dishwater. I really don't understand the point of this character who only makes one appearance in this book but is touted as the 'big bad buffalo man' who everyone is terrified of and is after Bailee, Sarah and Lacy over an attempted robbery gone wrong 5 years ago. I didn't read Sarah's book but considering the fact that this guy is still alive and kicking in here and once again used as the conflict I just wasn't impressed with. I found it anti-climactic and comical because Zeb comes off like a blundering moron whose only menacing thing about him is his size and that he looks like a relative of Chubaka. Wish Thomas was more creative and imaginative about her villains because this guy did nothing for me.
There was a little more romance and sex scenes in this than Bailee's book but more than half the book was spent on the two squabbling and firing barbs at each other so it wasn't what I was hoping to get.
Pretty much one sweet moment in the epilogue and the hero Walker are the only things I managed to like about this book, the rest of the story and Lacy's histrionics just drove me up the wall. The number and frequency of mood swings this girl goes through puts any kind of bad PMS days I have to shame. Oy...I swear. This was pure torture to get through. Same problem with The Texan's Wager I had with this one as well, it lacked oomph, passion, true emotion. The author spends very little time giving her characters real POVs, emotions, inner dialogue other than stating the obvious. It just comes off very dry and matter of fact rather than engaging dialogue. In some cases this style of writing works, but this is a Western Romance, give me some meat. The world building in this I found a little lacking as well.
I was very surprised with how Lacy was written in this, I found it very incongruous to how she was portrayed in the beginning of the series. What happened to the sweet sassy girl in the first book? She morphed into a extremely selfish, short-tempered, inconsiderate, shrill, overly-judgmental drama queen in this. I didn't find her bickering and screaming at Walker at every turn entertaining or fun. It bogged down the story and made it hard to finish. I honestly felt sorry for Walker at times and found it ridiculous how he had to walk on egg shells around her through the entire book scared he would rouse her temper and having to apologize at every turn (for the dumbest things I might add). How is this sweet? How an alpha male seasoned Captain like Walker kept getting mentally paddle whipped by a slip of a girl who liked to toss out orders to him and shriek at him every time she didn’t like something I just found astounding and cringe-worthy. There was no middle-ground with these two, no fair compromise. The difficulty I had with this pairing and their rapport was Lacy's adamant belief that Walker was a cold, unfeeling man, that 'nothing beat inside his chest'. Harsh much? She goes through more than half the story thinking this. It was as if the author worked over time to try and portray Walker as the big bad bumbling wolf and readers need to sympathize and laugh along with Lucy. Um...no. What's hilarious is how off the mark this girl is in thinking she has his number through out the story and never seems to realize the error in her ways. She completely refused to give him a chance or the benefit of the doubt, something I do NOT like and find intolerable. On more than one occasion Walker goes out of his way to make her feel safe and cared for and she bullies him and resents him for it. Her behavior was just astounding and really unattractive. I wanted to punch her.
And I have to say I got really tired of reading how 'she followed his orders’ or 'he ordered her around' on every other page. What orders??!
Just because it's not stated in a form of a question does not make it an order Mrs. Thomas. This really bothered me above everything else. Lacy thinks everything that comes out of Walker's mouth is an order and I truly had difficulty reading it that way. Whatever he would say or do to make her more at ease wasn't enough. The man asks her to close her eyes and dance with her like they are on the prairie at moonlight and she thinks it’s an order. Um..okay. Total mood killer. When you have someone constantly judging or criticizing someone it's not fun and damn annoying. She misconstrues or takes offense to every. single. thing. he says to her and I just found it extremely prissy. She’s either insulted or offended and throws a hissy fit suited for a 5 year old and storms off or screams at him like a fish wife. I have no patience for characters like this. I just found her reactions unjustified and sorely over-the-top. It made it very difficult for me to enjoy this story with Lacy acting so belligerent and inconsiderate. Her reactions and number of outbursts were too much and very frequent.
And the villain Zeb Whitaker was as appealing and frightening as dishwater. I really don't understand the point of this character who only makes one appearance in this book but is touted as the 'big bad buffalo man' who everyone is terrified of and is after Bailee, Sarah and Lacy over an attempted robbery gone wrong 5 years ago. I didn't read Sarah's book but considering the fact that this guy is still alive and kicking in here and once again used as the conflict I just wasn't impressed with. I found it anti-climactic and comical because Zeb comes off like a blundering moron whose only menacing thing about him is his size and that he looks like a relative of Chubaka. Wish Thomas was more creative and imaginative about her villains because this guy did nothing for me.
There was a little more romance and sex scenes in this than Bailee's book but more than half the book was spent on the two squabbling and firing barbs at each other so it wasn't what I was hoping to get.
August 15, 2014
4.5 stars
I'm happy to say I liked this book more than When a Texan Gambles. It's a great addition to the series. I liked both Lacy and Walker, but Carter remains my favorite.
From a rocky beginning...
Three years after Walker and Lacy married by proxy, Lacy decides it's finally time for her absent husband to come home. But the Captain begs to differ. He doesn't want a wife, any wife, and he manages to alienate Lacy. Going back home, Lacy decides to stay away from her husband for good.
...To the Countdown, getting...
Two years later, the dreadful Zeb is back and Lacy is in danger. Thanks to the sheriff, Walker is forced to come back for a month to keep Lacy safe. Since neither of them likes it, they are very eager for their 24 days to be over. Now, they're forced to live together in the tiny apartment. They fight, Walker orders, Lacy yells, but they co-exist.
While living together Lacy sees, the Captain, shockingly, has a heart and can be charming, too. They get to know each other, all the while facing danger, and eventually they get...
...To love
They truly work together for me. Walker melts around her and she finally gets her dream with him. They're very sweet together...
"I found a spot on you I must have missed." He ran his tongue over her shoulder, nibbled along the side of her throat. "And you know I can't be less than complete in my duty."
Lacy rolled over, bumping her breast against his arm as she moved. "No, I remember; you've already kissed that spot." She giggled as his mouth moved up her throat and worked its way slowly across her cheek.
"Oh, sorry," he answered as he continued tasting. "Now I'll have to give all the other parts equal attention, since I've accidentally done this area twice."
"Lacy looked surprised at his observation. "I wasn't aware you were a man who welcomed a hug."
He stiffened at the prick. "I think that I would." He didn't bother to add that having been raised by only a father and living most of his life in a fort, there had been very few times he'd embraced a woman even lightly.
"From anyone?"
"No." He smiled. "The doc's too thin, the ranger's too dirty, and the sheriff is too old. I guess that leaves my wife, if she were willing to offer the service."
My thoughts
I liked this book a lot, the premise, them, everything. I do think there was a lot of build-up about the countdown, with him promising to give her everything and visiting a lawyer(remained unexplained) and then, nothing. I thought that would be a dramatic and powerful moment to realize their love. And the appearance of Samantha hinted that it would be a complication/factor as she was entered as an evil character and then-nothing. Loose ends.
Also, I think Lacy was a bit too...perfect, faultless. She's ready to sacrifice, forgive,...She's stubborn, yes, but once again it was written like she's an angel saving Walker and his soul. Which was alright, but something different would be nice.
Other than that liked everything about this book. Even Walker's jerk-ish moments.
I'm happy to say I liked this book more than When a Texan Gambles. It's a great addition to the series. I liked both Lacy and Walker, but Carter remains my favorite.
From a rocky beginning...
Three years after Walker and Lacy married by proxy, Lacy decides it's finally time for her absent husband to come home. But the Captain begs to differ. He doesn't want a wife, any wife, and he manages to alienate Lacy. Going back home, Lacy decides to stay away from her husband for good.
...To the Countdown, getting...
Two years later, the dreadful Zeb is back and Lacy is in danger. Thanks to the sheriff, Walker is forced to come back for a month to keep Lacy safe. Since neither of them likes it, they are very eager for their 24 days to be over. Now, they're forced to live together in the tiny apartment. They fight, Walker orders, Lacy yells, but they co-exist.
While living together Lacy sees, the Captain, shockingly, has a heart and can be charming, too. They get to know each other, all the while facing danger, and eventually they get...
...To love
They truly work together for me. Walker melts around her and she finally gets her dream with him. They're very sweet together...
"I found a spot on you I must have missed." He ran his tongue over her shoulder, nibbled along the side of her throat. "And you know I can't be less than complete in my duty."
Lacy rolled over, bumping her breast against his arm as she moved. "No, I remember; you've already kissed that spot." She giggled as his mouth moved up her throat and worked its way slowly across her cheek.
"Oh, sorry," he answered as he continued tasting. "Now I'll have to give all the other parts equal attention, since I've accidentally done this area twice."
"Lacy looked surprised at his observation. "I wasn't aware you were a man who welcomed a hug."
He stiffened at the prick. "I think that I would." He didn't bother to add that having been raised by only a father and living most of his life in a fort, there had been very few times he'd embraced a woman even lightly.
"From anyone?"
"No." He smiled. "The doc's too thin, the ranger's too dirty, and the sheriff is too old. I guess that leaves my wife, if she were willing to offer the service."
My thoughts
I liked this book a lot, the premise, them, everything. I do think there was a lot of build-up about the countdown, with him promising to give her everything and visiting a lawyer(remained unexplained) and then, nothing. I thought that would be a dramatic and powerful moment to realize their love. And the appearance of Samantha hinted that it would be a complication/factor as she was entered as an evil character and then-nothing. Loose ends.
Also, I think Lacy was a bit too...perfect, faultless. She's ready to sacrifice, forgive,...She's stubborn, yes, but once again it was written like she's an angel saving Walker and his soul. Which was alright, but something different would be nice.
Other than that liked everything about this book. Even Walker's jerk-ish moments.
April 12, 2024
Lacy might be one of my new favorite heroines.
I have slightly mixed feelings. Part of me wants to give this an immediate five stars, but I'm slightly hesitating due to the opening chapter(s). Walker has been married to Lacy for three years by proxy. Walker's father married him to her on his behalf via a letter. The pair had never met. Three years later, on the brink of war, Lacy goes to meet Walker and asks him to make their marriage a true marriage, i.e. not in name only. Walker submits and takes Lacy (not tenderly in the least, he doesn't kiss her, no nothing, just down to business). Later, when she leaves (more like when he kicked her out) he notices blood on the bed and realizes it was her first time. That was a hard scene for me. I know this scene was important, and it is revisited numerous times in the novel, but it was hard to see them as a couple at first thinking of how uncaring he had been that first time. I LOVED Lacy, which is why I think that scene bothered me. Lacy has been through a lot (a near abduction, being an orphan, an almost rape, taking care of a dying man, to then running a business, in which she was responsible for the livelihood of other people). She is a gem. Brave. Smart. Feisty. Lacy is everything you could want in a heroine. <- which is why I think that scene bothered me so much. I was mad at Walker on her behalf. Eventually she forgave him and moved on, so I know I should too, but still. I thought it was worth mentioning.
Walker goes to protect Lacy when her life is in danger (a man who she put in jail is out and coming back for revenge). He sees what her life has been like and needs to learn how to be a husband. Lacy doesn't tolerate his arrogant attitude. When he tells her to get rid of her cats, she storms out of the house away from him. Lacy doesn't do anything unless she wants to. Having typed how much I love Lacy, I think I'm going to round my rating up. :) <3
There is a lot to this story to keep you engaged. I read it in one night. I had to know what was going to happen. Captivating.
I have slightly mixed feelings. Part of me wants to give this an immediate five stars, but I'm slightly hesitating due to the opening chapter(s). Walker has been married to Lacy for three years by proxy. Walker's father married him to her on his behalf via a letter. The pair had never met. Three years later, on the brink of war, Lacy goes to meet Walker and asks him to make their marriage a true marriage, i.e. not in name only. Walker submits and takes Lacy (not tenderly in the least, he doesn't kiss her, no nothing, just down to business). Later, when she leaves (more like when he kicked her out) he notices blood on the bed and realizes it was her first time. That was a hard scene for me. I know this scene was important, and it is revisited numerous times in the novel, but it was hard to see them as a couple at first thinking of how uncaring he had been that first time. I LOVED Lacy, which is why I think that scene bothered me. Lacy has been through a lot (a near abduction, being an orphan, an almost rape, taking care of a dying man, to then running a business, in which she was responsible for the livelihood of other people). She is a gem. Brave. Smart. Feisty. Lacy is everything you could want in a heroine. <- which is why I think that scene bothered me so much. I was mad at Walker on her behalf. Eventually she forgave him and moved on, so I know I should too, but still. I thought it was worth mentioning.
Walker goes to protect Lacy when her life is in danger (a man who she put in jail is out and coming back for revenge). He sees what her life has been like and needs to learn how to be a husband. Lacy doesn't tolerate his arrogant attitude. When he tells her to get rid of her cats, she storms out of the house away from him. Lacy doesn't do anything unless she wants to. Having typed how much I love Lacy, I think I'm going to round my rating up. :) <3
There is a lot to this story to keep you engaged. I read it in one night. I had to know what was going to happen. Captivating.
May 9, 2011
I really liked this book. I think, because Carter was one of the first I read of her heroes, it made it harder for anyone else to live up to his standard. Jodi Thomas has to be one of the best western authors ever. If there is anyone else who does it better, I have yet to come across them.
Walker was a great hero because he didn't hate Lacy. In fact, he came into the picture with a lot of emotion due to their first encounter so he wasn't as cold as he wanted to be. I thought the reason for his leaving town was done with pretty quickly, but I loved how Lacy handled it. I was cracking up when Susannah(?) came in trying to make Lacy jealous.
I liked Lacy a lot, but there were times when she was a little unpredictable for no apparent reason. Sometimes when she got angry, I honestly was as lost as Walker. But that was over pretty quickly so I didn't think it took too much away from the story.
The story was a good conclusion, but I did think it odd that the only character that never made an appearance was Sarah. I haven't read her book yet so that may explain her absence. I loved getting to see Jacob hover over Nell after she was injured. It was so sweet to see the beginning since I've already read their story.
I would say that this book is 4 1/2 stars, and that only because I couldn't give Walker the same rating I'd given Carter. It just didn't feel right. And can I say, that even during this story I fell in love with him just a little more????
Walker was a great hero because he didn't hate Lacy. In fact, he came into the picture with a lot of emotion due to their first encounter so he wasn't as cold as he wanted to be. I thought the reason for his leaving town was done with pretty quickly, but I loved how Lacy handled it. I was cracking up when Susannah(?) came in trying to make Lacy jealous.
I liked Lacy a lot, but there were times when she was a little unpredictable for no apparent reason. Sometimes when she got angry, I honestly was as lost as Walker. But that was over pretty quickly so I didn't think it took too much away from the story.
The story was a good conclusion, but I did think it odd that the only character that never made an appearance was Sarah. I haven't read her book yet so that may explain her absence. I loved getting to see Jacob hover over Nell after she was injured. It was so sweet to see the beginning since I've already read their story.
I would say that this book is 4 1/2 stars, and that only because I couldn't give Walker the same rating I'd given Carter. It just didn't feel right. And can I say, that even during this story I fell in love with him just a little more????
November 26, 2015
DNF
I started directly with A Texan's Luck, the third in the series. I didn’t like Lacy and Walker at all. From the beginning, it was a no go. When Lacy walks into her husband, until then unknown to her and demands he bed her, I knew that was it. I insisted further, but didn't go very far. It's going to be a while before I try anything by Jodi Thomas again.
I started directly with A Texan's Luck, the third in the series. I didn’t like Lacy and Walker at all. From the beginning, it was a no go. When Lacy walks into her husband, until then unknown to her and demands he bed her, I knew that was it. I insisted further, but didn't go very far. It's going to be a while before I try anything by Jodi Thomas again.
November 27, 2022
Reviewed for THC Reviews
"4.5 stars" A Texan’s Luck is the third book in Jodi Thomas’s Wife Lottery series. It all started when three young women banded together after being thrown off a wagon train. As they struggled to reach a town before their supplies ran out, they were accosted by an outlaw who tried to steal their wagon. They managed to fight him off, but thinking they’d killed him in the process, they turned themselves in to the sheriff as soon as they made it to the little town of Cedar Point. When the sheriff was unable to find a body, he had nothing to charge them with, so instead he levied a fine against them. Any man in town who could pay their fine would be entered in a lottery to win one of them as a wife. There’s also been a running story arc throughout involving Zeb Whitaker, the man they thought they’d killed, believing that they stole his gold and he’s out for revenge against them. Lacy’s two friends, Bailee and Sarah found their HEAs in the previous two books, now it’s her turn.
The youngest of the three, Lacy was married to her husband via proxy when his father paid her fine. She’s lived with the elderly man and cared for him for the past three years, while patiently waiting for Walker to come home from the army. When she discovers that he’s stationed just an hour away from Cedar Point, she decides she’s done waiting and goes to him. However, their first meeting doesn’t go well. He’s in the process of evacuating the town due to violence that’s erupted as the result of a range war, so when she demands that he consummate their marriage before she’ll go home, it’s nothing like what she’s dreamed of for the past three years. Lacy returns home disillusioned and resigned to never seeing Walker again. Two years pass by, and then she learns that Zeb Whitaker has just been released from prison and is likely coming after her and her friends. Since Lacy lives in town, she’s the easiest of the three to find. The sheriff sends word to Walker, whose commanding officer gives him a month’s leave and orders him to return to Cedar Point to protect his wife. It’s the last thing he or Lacy wants, but they’re determined to make the best of it until Whitaker is found. Then Walker will simply return to army life, leaving Lacy to run his father’s newspaper business. However, as they run from the bad guys, they discover that they actually do like each other and start to fall in love. But if they can avoid being killed, they’ll also have to be willing to admit their feelings, and since Lacy doesn’t want to leave Cedar Point and Walker doesn’t want to leave the army, they need to find a compromise that will allow them be together.
Lacy was orphaned at a young age and passed around to various people until she was taken in as a companion to a woman headed west on a wagon train. Along the way, though, she was accused of being a witch and tossed off the train by the leaders, after which she joined with Bailee and Sarah who’ve become her best friends. At only fifteen, she was the youngest of the women to be married off in the wife lottery. It was her future father-in-law who purchased her freedom and used the power of attorney that his son, Walker, left him to marry her to Walker by proxy. Ever since she’s been a great help to him running his newspaper, learning the business like a pro, and when he became ill, she nursed him through his final days. After three years of waiting for the fabled Walker to return home and claim her, she’s fed up and goes in search of him, demanding that he consummate their marriage right then and there. It doesn’t go as she’d hoped, leaving her disillusioned and not caring if she ever sees Walker again. Then he shows up on her doorstep two years later, insisting that he’s been ordered to protect her from Zeb Whitaker. Lacy doesn’t think she needs a protector, and would prefer he leave. However, growing up, she realized she could survive almost anything if she knew it was eventually going to end, so she begins counting down the days until Walker goes back to his army base. Along the way, though, she begins to warm up to him after he saves her life more than once and proves that he can sometimes have a gentler side. But she isn’t sure whether he feels the same way about her and whether they can find common ground. I really liked Lacy. She’s sweet but has a backbone, and despite her youth, she knows what she wants out of life. Once she and Walker start developing feelings for one another, she’s more than happy to show her affections for him, while bracing herself in case he still doesn’t want to stay once his time with her is up.
Walker always felt like he played second fiddle to his older brother who was the cherished son, so after a major heartbreak at the age of seventeen, he shook the dust of Cedar Point off his boots and joined the army. However, he wasn’t just an ordinary soldier. He basically trained to be an assassin, taking on the tough, dangerous jobs that required precision. He’s never really wanted a wife, so even though his father wrote about the wife he’d gotten for him, Walker couldn’t be bothered to go home to meet her. When Lacy shows up just as he’s evacuating a town to protect the people from the range war that’s heating up, he’s more annoyed with her than anything. When she demands he consummate the union on the spot, he decides to call her bluff, and when she doesn’t back down, he does a poor job of it. Although that one time with her did kind of get under his skin, Walker still doesn’t return home until he’s ordered to by his commanding officer. Even then he only plans to protect her from Zeb Whitaker and hopefully take the guy out before going right back to the army base. Things don’t exactly go as planned, though, and as he continues to watch out for Lacy’s well-being, Walker finds himself falling in love for the first time. When Lacy is kidnapped, he finally realizes just how much he cares for her, but even if he can save her, he isn’t sure if they can make it work when they have such different goals in life. I felt like Walker’s characterization was rather uneven. He vacillates between relating to Lacy in a cold, stern, military-precise way and having softer, gentler moments with her. Because of this, he did, at times, frustrate me a little. He also had a couple of what I’d call rather prudish moments, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen from a romance hero before and found a bit odd. Otherwise, though, I liked Walker. He’s clearly skilled at his job and knows exactly how to protect Lacy, and in those kinder moments, I was able to warm up to him.
Overall, A Texan’s Luck was another enjoyable book in this series. I liked how the story played out. The pacing is nicely done with a good mixture between suspenseful moments when the bad guys are doing their thing and the lighter, more romantic moments between Walker and Lacy, gradually building to an exciting climax. I also liked how Walker and Lacy’s relationship slowly built from them not really liking each other, to starting to communicate and get to know each other, and then falling in love. I think they were a well-matched couple and I liked both of them pretty well. If not for Walker occasionally irritating me a bit, I could have easily given this book the full five stars. But even still, it was a relatively minor thing that didn’t keep me from awarding it keeper status. Sarah and Sam (When a Texan Gambles) are off elsewhere, but I very much enjoyed seeing Bailee and Carter (A Texan’s Wager) and having them play roles in the story. We also get to see more of Nell and Jacob who will become the hero and heroine of the final book of the series, The Texan’s Reward, and I must admit that their part in this story makes me very much look forward to reading their book soon. So all in all, I had a good time reading A Texan’s Luck.
"4.5 stars" A Texan’s Luck is the third book in Jodi Thomas’s Wife Lottery series. It all started when three young women banded together after being thrown off a wagon train. As they struggled to reach a town before their supplies ran out, they were accosted by an outlaw who tried to steal their wagon. They managed to fight him off, but thinking they’d killed him in the process, they turned themselves in to the sheriff as soon as they made it to the little town of Cedar Point. When the sheriff was unable to find a body, he had nothing to charge them with, so instead he levied a fine against them. Any man in town who could pay their fine would be entered in a lottery to win one of them as a wife. There’s also been a running story arc throughout involving Zeb Whitaker, the man they thought they’d killed, believing that they stole his gold and he’s out for revenge against them. Lacy’s two friends, Bailee and Sarah found their HEAs in the previous two books, now it’s her turn.
The youngest of the three, Lacy was married to her husband via proxy when his father paid her fine. She’s lived with the elderly man and cared for him for the past three years, while patiently waiting for Walker to come home from the army. When she discovers that he’s stationed just an hour away from Cedar Point, she decides she’s done waiting and goes to him. However, their first meeting doesn’t go well. He’s in the process of evacuating the town due to violence that’s erupted as the result of a range war, so when she demands that he consummate their marriage before she’ll go home, it’s nothing like what she’s dreamed of for the past three years. Lacy returns home disillusioned and resigned to never seeing Walker again. Two years pass by, and then she learns that Zeb Whitaker has just been released from prison and is likely coming after her and her friends. Since Lacy lives in town, she’s the easiest of the three to find. The sheriff sends word to Walker, whose commanding officer gives him a month’s leave and orders him to return to Cedar Point to protect his wife. It’s the last thing he or Lacy wants, but they’re determined to make the best of it until Whitaker is found. Then Walker will simply return to army life, leaving Lacy to run his father’s newspaper business. However, as they run from the bad guys, they discover that they actually do like each other and start to fall in love. But if they can avoid being killed, they’ll also have to be willing to admit their feelings, and since Lacy doesn’t want to leave Cedar Point and Walker doesn’t want to leave the army, they need to find a compromise that will allow them be together.
Lacy was orphaned at a young age and passed around to various people until she was taken in as a companion to a woman headed west on a wagon train. Along the way, though, she was accused of being a witch and tossed off the train by the leaders, after which she joined with Bailee and Sarah who’ve become her best friends. At only fifteen, she was the youngest of the women to be married off in the wife lottery. It was her future father-in-law who purchased her freedom and used the power of attorney that his son, Walker, left him to marry her to Walker by proxy. Ever since she’s been a great help to him running his newspaper, learning the business like a pro, and when he became ill, she nursed him through his final days. After three years of waiting for the fabled Walker to return home and claim her, she’s fed up and goes in search of him, demanding that he consummate their marriage right then and there. It doesn’t go as she’d hoped, leaving her disillusioned and not caring if she ever sees Walker again. Then he shows up on her doorstep two years later, insisting that he’s been ordered to protect her from Zeb Whitaker. Lacy doesn’t think she needs a protector, and would prefer he leave. However, growing up, she realized she could survive almost anything if she knew it was eventually going to end, so she begins counting down the days until Walker goes back to his army base. Along the way, though, she begins to warm up to him after he saves her life more than once and proves that he can sometimes have a gentler side. But she isn’t sure whether he feels the same way about her and whether they can find common ground. I really liked Lacy. She’s sweet but has a backbone, and despite her youth, she knows what she wants out of life. Once she and Walker start developing feelings for one another, she’s more than happy to show her affections for him, while bracing herself in case he still doesn’t want to stay once his time with her is up.
Walker always felt like he played second fiddle to his older brother who was the cherished son, so after a major heartbreak at the age of seventeen, he shook the dust of Cedar Point off his boots and joined the army. However, he wasn’t just an ordinary soldier. He basically trained to be an assassin, taking on the tough, dangerous jobs that required precision. He’s never really wanted a wife, so even though his father wrote about the wife he’d gotten for him, Walker couldn’t be bothered to go home to meet her. When Lacy shows up just as he’s evacuating a town to protect the people from the range war that’s heating up, he’s more annoyed with her than anything. When she demands he consummate the union on the spot, he decides to call her bluff, and when she doesn’t back down, he does a poor job of it. Although that one time with her did kind of get under his skin, Walker still doesn’t return home until he’s ordered to by his commanding officer. Even then he only plans to protect her from Zeb Whitaker and hopefully take the guy out before going right back to the army base. Things don’t exactly go as planned, though, and as he continues to watch out for Lacy’s well-being, Walker finds himself falling in love for the first time. When Lacy is kidnapped, he finally realizes just how much he cares for her, but even if he can save her, he isn’t sure if they can make it work when they have such different goals in life. I felt like Walker’s characterization was rather uneven. He vacillates between relating to Lacy in a cold, stern, military-precise way and having softer, gentler moments with her. Because of this, he did, at times, frustrate me a little. He also had a couple of what I’d call rather prudish moments, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen from a romance hero before and found a bit odd. Otherwise, though, I liked Walker. He’s clearly skilled at his job and knows exactly how to protect Lacy, and in those kinder moments, I was able to warm up to him.
Overall, A Texan’s Luck was another enjoyable book in this series. I liked how the story played out. The pacing is nicely done with a good mixture between suspenseful moments when the bad guys are doing their thing and the lighter, more romantic moments between Walker and Lacy, gradually building to an exciting climax. I also liked how Walker and Lacy’s relationship slowly built from them not really liking each other, to starting to communicate and get to know each other, and then falling in love. I think they were a well-matched couple and I liked both of them pretty well. If not for Walker occasionally irritating me a bit, I could have easily given this book the full five stars. But even still, it was a relatively minor thing that didn’t keep me from awarding it keeper status. Sarah and Sam (When a Texan Gambles) are off elsewhere, but I very much enjoyed seeing Bailee and Carter (A Texan’s Wager) and having them play roles in the story. We also get to see more of Nell and Jacob who will become the hero and heroine of the final book of the series, The Texan’s Reward, and I must admit that their part in this story makes me very much look forward to reading their book soon. So all in all, I had a good time reading A Texan’s Luck.
September 1, 2019
Captain Walker Larson was not as bad as I thought he might be from some of the reviews I read. He was a cold man who completely masked his emotions. However, he was redeemed for me. When he was seventeen, he thought he was in love with a woman who married his brother instead. From that point on, he decided never to allow his heart to become involved again. He only slept with two prostitutes, and never another woman after he was married. He did kiss another woman once, but he was not the experienced and cheating man w**** some might be afraid of before reading the book. In some ways, Lacy is the same 15 year old girl I read about in the prior to books, but she has matured and learned more of life. She is a much more competent 20 year old woman in this story. If you have read and enjoyed the prior two books in this series, I recommend you give this one a try and not skip it.
February 27, 2013
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!
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
I would like to thank my Goodreads friend Lady Danielle for recommending me this series!!!
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!
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
I would like to thank my Goodreads friend Lady Danielle for recommending me this series!!!
September 30, 2016
3.5 stars I think. Honestly it was a four star book until I stopped reading it for the night and then I ran into a reading slump where I had no desire to pick up a book. So really its my fault its not a 4 star really. So if you read this in one wop. It's probably a 4 star book.
Lacey, I thought she was okay. She had ONE moment where she irritated me and almost caused me to hate her. She told him to make her his real wife and sleep with him, so he stuck it in and told her to leave. When they met again he said to stop lookin at him like that and she said "how am I looking at you? like a man who raped me" HE DID NOT RAPE HER YALL. I thought that was a stretch and distasteful. That's my only problem. A couple chapters later she apologizes for saying that. But I'm like, don't lie about something as serious as that. SHE FORCED HIM! She refused to leave until he bedded her. So he did a couple quick pumps and then escorted her out. That's what happened. Also another thing, she was so quick to keep inviting people along, like bitch your life is in danger. You're bringing other people in that mess.
Walker, he was okay too. He didn't cheat on our heroine while he was married to her, although, honestly I wouldn't have faulted him if he did. Hear me out. They are married by proxy. Which mean his father married him to her on paper. He never saw this girl, didn't know her, only knew that his dad did this without his permission. Like Lacey said, she wouldn't have faulted him for being with another woman. He DID kiss a barmaid after he met Lacey. A kiss is nothing. They weren't "together" at the time, she made the rape allegation, they were arguing. There were a lot of factors. Anyway, what I didn't like about him, was that he was so gung-ho about the army. BRO, you're RICH. And she doesn't like the FORT. You've been doing this for like 10 to 12 years of your life, but because you can't sit down somewhere, she has to move from the town she loves? Thought that wasn't fair.
The storyline was pretty angsty, it kept my attention for the most part. No random kids, thank God. But people were with/around them almost 24/7 which got annoying.
It's bad to say, but I don't really remember all I felt about it now. Its been a week and I only finished the ending today. But looking at my statuses I really did enjoy this.
OMG I ALMOST FORGOT! Awkward first sex scene alert! Omg. I know that's weird and terrible. But I laughed about it. Cuz she forced him and while he's feeling like "damn this is better than I thought" in two pumps she's like "whoa-is-me, this shit is terrible and I'll never do it again."
Quotes
The old man would take her word against his.
Walker realized a quick-tempered, crazy lady held his life in her hands.
"He didn't force me," she finally said. "I forced him."
Walker closed his eyes almost wishing she'd lied. The sheriff's fun rattled back on the desk as he laughed.
"You think you're going to grow any more, Lacey?" he said before he thought.
Lacey stepped away as she thumped him against the side of his face with a fist full of wet towel.
Walker yelped and grabbed his throbbing head. After the pain settled, he said without looking at her, "I may be wrong, Nurse. But I don't think you're supposed to hit a man with a head wound in the head."
"How dare you comment on my bust!"(her boobs are big)
Walker realized his mistake and managed to raise his stare to hers. "I was thinking of your toes. Those are the smallest toes I've ever seen on a woman."
"You see a lot of toes, doe you?"
"Well, no."
"I was kind of hoping to see my ranger tonight if he's in town. It's been six months since I've had a letter from him. The man still can't get the idea that he belongs to me. He still thinks me as a kid."(this is Nell, from the next story)
She pulled the dress over her head and laid it carefully over a chair. Tomorrow she'd brush it and pack it back in the box. She'd save the dress forever, and someday when she was very old, she'd make it into a quilt so that she could sleep beneath it and dream of this night.
When the coach, loaded down with her things, rocked past him, Walker noticed something new amid the cages of animals.
A cradle.
He pulled her closer, loving the way she felt so right against him. "You staying longer this time, madam?"
Lacey laughed. "I thought I might."
"Welcome home, my love."
Lacey, I thought she was okay. She had ONE moment where she irritated me and almost caused me to hate her. She told him to make her his real wife and sleep with him, so he stuck it in and told her to leave. When they met again he said to stop lookin at him like that and she said "how am I looking at you? like a man who raped me" HE DID NOT RAPE HER YALL. I thought that was a stretch and distasteful. That's my only problem. A couple chapters later she apologizes for saying that. But I'm like, don't lie about something as serious as that. SHE FORCED HIM! She refused to leave until he bedded her. So he did a couple quick pumps and then escorted her out. That's what happened. Also another thing, she was so quick to keep inviting people along, like bitch your life is in danger. You're bringing other people in that mess.
Walker, he was okay too. He didn't cheat on our heroine while he was married to her, although, honestly I wouldn't have faulted him if he did. Hear me out. They are married by proxy. Which mean his father married him to her on paper. He never saw this girl, didn't know her, only knew that his dad did this without his permission. Like Lacey said, she wouldn't have faulted him for being with another woman. He DID kiss a barmaid after he met Lacey. A kiss is nothing. They weren't "together" at the time, she made the rape allegation, they were arguing. There were a lot of factors. Anyway, what I didn't like about him, was that he was so gung-ho about the army. BRO, you're RICH. And she doesn't like the FORT. You've been doing this for like 10 to 12 years of your life, but because you can't sit down somewhere, she has to move from the town she loves? Thought that wasn't fair.
The storyline was pretty angsty, it kept my attention for the most part. No random kids, thank God. But people were with/around them almost 24/7 which got annoying.
It's bad to say, but I don't really remember all I felt about it now. Its been a week and I only finished the ending today. But looking at my statuses I really did enjoy this.
OMG I ALMOST FORGOT! Awkward first sex scene alert! Omg. I know that's weird and terrible. But I laughed about it. Cuz she forced him and while he's feeling like "damn this is better than I thought" in two pumps she's like "whoa-is-me, this shit is terrible and I'll never do it again."
Quotes
The old man would take her word against his.
Walker realized a quick-tempered, crazy lady held his life in her hands.
"He didn't force me," she finally said. "I forced him."
Walker closed his eyes almost wishing she'd lied. The sheriff's fun rattled back on the desk as he laughed.
"You think you're going to grow any more, Lacey?" he said before he thought.
Lacey stepped away as she thumped him against the side of his face with a fist full of wet towel.
Walker yelped and grabbed his throbbing head. After the pain settled, he said without looking at her, "I may be wrong, Nurse. But I don't think you're supposed to hit a man with a head wound in the head."
"How dare you comment on my bust!"(her boobs are big)
Walker realized his mistake and managed to raise his stare to hers. "I was thinking of your toes. Those are the smallest toes I've ever seen on a woman."
"You see a lot of toes, doe you?"
"Well, no."
"I was kind of hoping to see my ranger tonight if he's in town. It's been six months since I've had a letter from him. The man still can't get the idea that he belongs to me. He still thinks me as a kid."(this is Nell, from the next story)
She pulled the dress over her head and laid it carefully over a chair. Tomorrow she'd brush it and pack it back in the box. She'd save the dress forever, and someday when she was very old, she'd make it into a quilt so that she could sleep beneath it and dream of this night.
When the coach, loaded down with her things, rocked past him, Walker noticed something new amid the cages of animals.
A cradle.
He pulled her closer, loving the way she felt so right against him. "You staying longer this time, madam?"
Lacey laughed. "I thought I might."
"Welcome home, my love."
June 21, 2011
SIGH**, this book was MAGIC, Perfection in it's imperfection.
I seriously have no words to describe how much I adored it. Definitely the best installment of the series. I can't believe this but I just can't stop sighing, LOL. I don't even remember the last time I felt so much with one of my reads.
Oh boy, I don't even know where to start. I'm seriously speechless right now, something that doesn't happen to me often. I just will say that even though westerns are not my usual genre, this book is a must read. I just realize that if a book is well written it doesn't matter the genre. After reading 3 books by this author I really can say that she knows how to write. Her style is flawless and smooth, and it will trap you fast, make you wanna read more and more. Don't ever doubt about reading her work, you'll never regret it.
Captain Walker Larson is one of the most intriguing characters I have read about in a while. Not only is he an incredibly complex man but one with many, many different layers. We see he wants things although he doesn't fully comprehend what they are. What I loved the most was to see him change throughout the story, he begun as one man and ended up being somebody completely different, better, and all thanks to his heroine. I just can't seem to find anything more romantic than a man changing and becoming a better person because of the love he shares with his woman. Lacy was a great heroine since the series started, she always has been my favorite girl in this series. I loved her as a teenager but seeing the woman she became was even better. I loved to follow her life in all the previous books to finally see a perfect ending for her, HER perfect ending, the one she always dreamed about. I loved how the imperfections in the characters were what made them perfect for each other. This was an amazing couple, one I will always remember.
As this is not my favorite genre I just can't get to add it to my favorites shelf, but it really deserves a place there. Still, this author will always have a place in my heart for writing this 3 amazing books!
I seriously have no words to describe how much I adored it. Definitely the best installment of the series. I can't believe this but I just can't stop sighing, LOL. I don't even remember the last time I felt so much with one of my reads.
Oh boy, I don't even know where to start. I'm seriously speechless right now, something that doesn't happen to me often. I just will say that even though westerns are not my usual genre, this book is a must read. I just realize that if a book is well written it doesn't matter the genre. After reading 3 books by this author I really can say that she knows how to write. Her style is flawless and smooth, and it will trap you fast, make you wanna read more and more. Don't ever doubt about reading her work, you'll never regret it.
Captain Walker Larson is one of the most intriguing characters I have read about in a while. Not only is he an incredibly complex man but one with many, many different layers. We see he wants things although he doesn't fully comprehend what they are. What I loved the most was to see him change throughout the story, he begun as one man and ended up being somebody completely different, better, and all thanks to his heroine. I just can't seem to find anything more romantic than a man changing and becoming a better person because of the love he shares with his woman. Lacy was a great heroine since the series started, she always has been my favorite girl in this series. I loved her as a teenager but seeing the woman she became was even better. I loved to follow her life in all the previous books to finally see a perfect ending for her, HER perfect ending, the one she always dreamed about. I loved how the imperfections in the characters were what made them perfect for each other. This was an amazing couple, one I will always remember.
As this is not my favorite genre I just can't get to add it to my favorites shelf, but it really deserves a place there. Still, this author will always have a place in my heart for writing this 3 amazing books!
April 6, 2015
I enjoyed this one as much as the first book in the series. Captain Larson comes across as a complete ass at first, but slowly learns to be a good husband. Lacy was so young when she was first married to him by proxy by his father. At only 15 she had those dreamy childlike expectations of what a marriage is and what a husband should be, despite or maybe because having a difficult childhood herself. When she finally works up the courage to go see him several years later, those daydreams are of course dashed by Captain Larsen at his most cold and efficient self. Push ahead a couple more years and Walker (Captain Larsen) who has avoided her completely, is forced to keep her close company for a month. This is to protect her from the villain from the first book who was recently released from jail. Starting as virtual strangers, they slowly come to know each other and to care for each other. Mostly things/misunderstandings get better between the two of them when Walker finally starts to treat her a person and not a thorn in his side. At first he is so VERY disagreeable because he is mad about being forced to help her and to be in the hometown that holds mostly bad memories for him. But as he learns all the ways he has failed her, he realizes that he can't just push her away and return to things the way they were. There's a steady reveal of the MCs to each other that eventually leads to a deep love. A truly romantic story with a wonderful yet somewhat unconventional HEA. And as an added bonus we get to see Carter again!
September 21, 2024
A Texan's Luck by Jodi Thomas, book three of the Wife Lottery series
.
Cover: meh/5
Story: 4/5
Steam: 🔥 🔥 🔥 (+kissing, many scenes too short to count)
Ending: HEA with epilogue
.
Stand Alone or Series: Could be read as stand alone, but I would read as a series in series order.
.
Texas, Gilded Age (1888)
Legendary Army Captian
Young Newspaper Printer
Marriage by Proxy
Small Town Vibes
Protective Hero
Small Heroine
Slow Burn
Married but Strangers
Road Trip-ish
American Western Romance
Danger & Peril
.
If you are wary of reading a western historical romance, read this series. Jodi Thomas builds such incredible storylines that I found this book difficult to put down. The entire setup for this series is so enthralling.
Thomas is a real master of planting seeds for how the story will play out and then have it end up completely different. You never feel blindsided when a twist occurs, more wondering why you had not considered it. Thomas keeps you on your toes. She has this way of inserting details into a story in a way that makes you gasp. Expect the unexpected- things are never what they appear.
When compared to the first two books in this series, this one is a little bit darker and more violent. While there is a uniting theme of danger, peril, and past trauma, "Luck" lays it all on a bit more with a great deal more on page details of events. It was a nice change of pace.
Lacy and Walker fight like cats and dogs. While none of the couples involved in the wife lottery get along well in the beginning, Lacy and Walker take it to a new level. While they constantly try to "be friends," they also spend a good deal of time being decidedly unfriendly. At times, it is annoying as they unnecessarily waste time seemingly purposely being rude to each other. This is a slow, slow burn that, at times, feels maddening.
While Walker and Lacy are not my favorite couple from this series, the plot of this book was exciting and kept the pages turning.
As for steam, Thomas uses non-explicit and alluded to language. Scenes are extremely brief. Ultra-low steam but still open door.
.
Read as a physical copy.
Honest review left voluntarily.
.
Content Warning (may contain spoilers):
.
.
.
.
.
De*th of parent- off page
G*n vi*lence
Attempted m*rder- multiple
Danger & Peril
Abd*ction
Bodily harm
Pregnancy & Childbirth
Kn*fe vi*lence
De*th- on page, multiple
.
Cover: meh/5
Story: 4/5
Steam: 🔥 🔥 🔥 (+kissing, many scenes too short to count)
Ending: HEA with epilogue
.
Stand Alone or Series: Could be read as stand alone, but I would read as a series in series order.
.
Texas, Gilded Age (1888)
Legendary Army Captian
Young Newspaper Printer
Marriage by Proxy
Small Town Vibes
Protective Hero
Small Heroine
Slow Burn
Married but Strangers
Road Trip-ish
American Western Romance
Danger & Peril
.
If you are wary of reading a western historical romance, read this series. Jodi Thomas builds such incredible storylines that I found this book difficult to put down. The entire setup for this series is so enthralling.
Thomas is a real master of planting seeds for how the story will play out and then have it end up completely different. You never feel blindsided when a twist occurs, more wondering why you had not considered it. Thomas keeps you on your toes. She has this way of inserting details into a story in a way that makes you gasp. Expect the unexpected- things are never what they appear.
When compared to the first two books in this series, this one is a little bit darker and more violent. While there is a uniting theme of danger, peril, and past trauma, "Luck" lays it all on a bit more with a great deal more on page details of events. It was a nice change of pace.
Lacy and Walker fight like cats and dogs. While none of the couples involved in the wife lottery get along well in the beginning, Lacy and Walker take it to a new level. While they constantly try to "be friends," they also spend a good deal of time being decidedly unfriendly. At times, it is annoying as they unnecessarily waste time seemingly purposely being rude to each other. This is a slow, slow burn that, at times, feels maddening.
While Walker and Lacy are not my favorite couple from this series, the plot of this book was exciting and kept the pages turning.
As for steam, Thomas uses non-explicit and alluded to language. Scenes are extremely brief. Ultra-low steam but still open door.
.
Read as a physical copy.
Honest review left voluntarily.
.
Content Warning (may contain spoilers):
.
.
.
.
.
De*th of parent- off page
G*n vi*lence
Attempted m*rder- multiple
Danger & Peril
Abd*ction
Bodily harm
Pregnancy & Childbirth
Kn*fe vi*lence
De*th- on page, multiple
July 15, 2024
I was surprised to find this book went a little different direction than the first two. I did not like the dubious consent throughout the entire book…though I think Walker and Lacy had the best “work through your trauma” conversations.
And the ending. 🥹 FINALLY!!!
And the ending. 🥹 FINALLY!!!
November 13, 2014
This was a good, but not remarkable, Western Romance. If I was not comparing it to other reads by the same author and others I might have graded it higher, but it did fall short for me in some areas.
The good:
Jodi Thomas is a great writer and the story flowed smoothly from start to finish. I was engaged and entertained throughout and while I didn't stay up 'till 3:00 a.m. to see what would happen next, I certainly never considered the book boring or thought of abandoning it. (And I do abandon books if they bore me.) I definitely recommend this light, sweet, western romance if you enjoy this genre.
The lacking:
I never understand why the characters did some of the bizarre things they did. At the very beginning Lacy goes to where her husband, who she's yet to meet, is and DEMANDS he bed her. Immediately. OK, that's weird enough, but he actually does it then sends her away (for her safety).
Huh?
Lacy was humiliated by this and that set us up for her pissy, bi-polar behavior throughout the rest of the story. I just didn't GET it - why did she demand he sleep with her? What was she thinking/hoping to accomplish? If the author had set that up a little more or explained it better later, I think that would have helped.
So then Lacy is paranoid/afraid of him for much of the rest of the book due to having been attacked a few years earlier. Okay... but why didn't this attack make her afraid of her husband before she demanded he have sex with her w/in moments of meeting him?
But it was fiction, so, whatever, I still enjoyed the ride. It was just hard to really care about Lacy or her husband because they did not seem that well developed. I saw what they were doing - going hot and cold on each other - but didn't see why. I saw the attraction was growing but didn't really see why. What did they see in each other?
I see that a lot in romances though - people falling in love but I'm not really seeing what qualities, other warm bodies in closed proximity, are attracting them to each other. Still I enjoy romances all the same.
ANYHOW -- it was a nice read but both characters, Lacy in particular, could benefit from some mood regulating meds, IMO. ALSO - I read these books in order and liked the first the best, the third the least, so it may be just a matter of too much from one author in too short a time. I noticed some of the same tools deployed by the author in all three books.
The good:
Jodi Thomas is a great writer and the story flowed smoothly from start to finish. I was engaged and entertained throughout and while I didn't stay up 'till 3:00 a.m. to see what would happen next, I certainly never considered the book boring or thought of abandoning it. (And I do abandon books if they bore me.) I definitely recommend this light, sweet, western romance if you enjoy this genre.
The lacking:
I never understand why the characters did some of the bizarre things they did. At the very beginning Lacy goes to where her husband, who she's yet to meet, is and DEMANDS he bed her. Immediately. OK, that's weird enough, but he actually does it then sends her away (for her safety).
Huh?
Lacy was humiliated by this and that set us up for her pissy, bi-polar behavior throughout the rest of the story. I just didn't GET it - why did she demand he sleep with her? What was she thinking/hoping to accomplish? If the author had set that up a little more or explained it better later, I think that would have helped.
So then Lacy is paranoid/afraid of him for much of the rest of the book due to having been attacked a few years earlier. Okay... but why didn't this attack make her afraid of her husband before she demanded he have sex with her w/in moments of meeting him?
But it was fiction, so, whatever, I still enjoyed the ride. It was just hard to really care about Lacy or her husband because they did not seem that well developed. I saw what they were doing - going hot and cold on each other - but didn't see why. I saw the attraction was growing but didn't really see why. What did they see in each other?
I see that a lot in romances though - people falling in love but I'm not really seeing what qualities, other warm bodies in closed proximity, are attracting them to each other. Still I enjoy romances all the same.
ANYHOW -- it was a nice read but both characters, Lacy in particular, could benefit from some mood regulating meds, IMO. ALSO - I read these books in order and liked the first the best, the third the least, so it may be just a matter of too much from one author in too short a time. I noticed some of the same tools deployed by the author in all three books.
June 29, 2016
I didn't enjoy this as much as the first two of the series. The h was very annoying in this one. If you like an h who loses her temper easily and constantly says things that she doesn't mean, you'd like her. I don't, so it ruined this story for me. The writing was still as enjoyable as I've come to expect from Jodi Thomas, but this story wasn't compelling at all.
What I liked:
1) The writing.
2) The dual povs.
3) How clean this story was.
4) Seeing Carter and Bailee again. So sweet.
What I didn't like:
1) The h.
2) The H was sort of boring. No enough time was spent on his backstory to make you care.
What I liked:
1) The writing.
2) The dual povs.
3) How clean this story was.
4) Seeing Carter and Bailee again. So sweet.
What I didn't like:
1) The h.
2) The H was sort of boring. No enough time was spent on his backstory to make you care.
October 3, 2018
It was okay. Not as good as the first book, not as bad as the second.
September 6, 2023
Good series!
May 14, 2023
I really detested the hero in the beginning. It took him a while, but thank goodness, he redeemed himself.
February 12, 2023
Annoying heroine! GRRRRR
I was angry at her. Poor hero was frustrated as well.
Long separation without other people.
My fav couple are from second book.
I was angry at her. Poor hero was frustrated as well.
Long separation without other people.
My fav couple are from second book.
October 18, 2013
On its own the story is probably better, but I can't help comparing it to the first two.
Lacy is the youngest of the three women sheriff married off in his wife lottery. She went to see her husband once, lost her virginity and he sent her home.
Now Zeb Whitaker is back from prison and he wants his gold back, so sheriff arranged that Lacy's husband, captain Walker Larson, comes back to Cedar Point and protect her.
I didn't feel the connection to these characters as I did with the ones in the first two books. Very often Lacy acted weird. She argued when there was no need. I should have had more of her experiences to empathize with her the way I was supposed to. The captain wasn't much better either. They were simply not developed enough for my taste. We are just told about their past, their experiences.
Some things were thrown into the story, but they were not necessary. For example, the whole scene with Walker's brother's ex-wife was not necessary, because that is the only time she appears. If I had had more time with these two, I might have loved the story more.
I didn't like some of the other characters either. There was a spinster (it was repeated so many times you can't forget the fact) near the end who couldn't be more of a stereotype even if she tried. She didn't have any role to play, she was not important for the story or the character development at all and she got too much space. The space which should have been used for Lacy and Walker. The soldiers in the fort were also stereotypes. I loved Nell and Dalton though. Their story should be great.
Lacy is the youngest of the three women sheriff married off in his wife lottery. She went to see her husband once, lost her virginity and he sent her home.
Now Zeb Whitaker is back from prison and he wants his gold back, so sheriff arranged that Lacy's husband, captain Walker Larson, comes back to Cedar Point and protect her.
I didn't feel the connection to these characters as I did with the ones in the first two books. Very often Lacy acted weird. She argued when there was no need. I should have had more of her experiences to empathize with her the way I was supposed to. The captain wasn't much better either. They were simply not developed enough for my taste. We are just told about their past, their experiences.
Some things were thrown into the story, but they were not necessary. For example, the whole scene with Walker's brother's ex-wife was not necessary, because that is the only time she appears. If I had had more time with these two, I might have loved the story more.
I didn't like some of the other characters either. There was a spinster (it was repeated so many times you can't forget the fact) near the end who couldn't be more of a stereotype even if she tried. She didn't have any role to play, she was not important for the story or the character development at all and she got too much space. The space which should have been used for Lacy and Walker. The soldiers in the fort were also stereotypes. I loved Nell and Dalton though. Their story should be great.
December 9, 2013
I'm done. DONE.
February 9, 2016
3.5 stars.
This book was the least enchanting.
While the length more or less the same as the other two books, this book felt dragging.
I just couldn't warm up to Lacy. Her arguing with Walker seemed childish and pointless. Instead of painting her as a strong woman, she came out as a bit foolish and couldn't make up her mind.
And the author seemed couldn't make up her mind also about Walker's character. At first, he seemed hard and dark, even more so than Sam Gatlin. But, he turned on the charm and determined to be nice to Lacy. Then he's this cold military man. Then he's nice again. He wanted to bed Lacy and they be together forever, but he didn't want a wife...
But it's still a nice read.
This book was the least enchanting.
While the length more or less the same as the other two books, this book felt dragging.
I just couldn't warm up to Lacy. Her arguing with Walker seemed childish and pointless. Instead of painting her as a strong woman, she came out as a bit foolish and couldn't make up her mind.
And the author seemed couldn't make up her mind also about Walker's character. At first, he seemed hard and dark, even more so than Sam Gatlin. But, he turned on the charm and determined to be nice to Lacy. Then he's this cold military man. Then he's nice again. He wanted to bed Lacy and they be together forever, but he didn't want a wife...
But it's still a nice read.
October 11, 2018
Not a very smart autor. She forgets what was said earlier in the book and write something that oppose it, little things but disturbing for detail oriented readers. h is a journalist/publisher (extremely progressive for her time) but acts more like an idiot most of the time starting from very beginning of the book till the end. There is no mention of contents of her important work. What does she write on her paper? How she gathers the material to publish etc.
By the way, where in TEXAS it is so cold in winter that water gets frozen over night and every night and it snows so much that they bring in buckets of snow to melt??!!!
Also I remember reading almost the same plot in another book. Not a single trace or originality. Sooo banal...
By the way, where in TEXAS it is so cold in winter that water gets frozen over night and every night and it snows so much that they bring in buckets of snow to melt??!!!
Also I remember reading almost the same plot in another book. Not a single trace or originality. Sooo banal...
October 6, 2024
WOW! I was much surprised by this book, the first two in the series got 3 stars from me but this one was definitely worthy of 5! I loved Walker and Lacy! So much tension! And who the hell can resist a man in uniform...and you kidding me? He was a perfect hero!
Their banter was wonderful throughout and had me chuckling many times. My heart was a flutter a few times when "the Captain" let his guard down & got "real" with Lacy!
I loved how Walker could switch so fast from the proper gentlemanly Captain to the man who Lacy could melt with the blink of an eye!
Great read, looking forward to readying Jacob Dalton's book next!
Their banter was wonderful throughout and had me chuckling many times. My heart was a flutter a few times when "the Captain" let his guard down & got "real" with Lacy!
I loved how Walker could switch so fast from the proper gentlemanly Captain to the man who Lacy could melt with the blink of an eye!
Great read, looking forward to readying Jacob Dalton's book next!
June 24, 2015
I read the first book in this series "The Texans Wager" and it left me wanting more, so I gave this book a try. It was a decent western/historical romance, but I didn’t feel as connected to this one as I did the first book. Also, I was disappointed that there were no follow-ups from the characters in book one. That book ended with a HFN feeling, and not a HEA so I was hoping to get some closure with this one. No such luck. This one also ended with a HFN type ending. It left much to be desired in the sense of conclusion. It was nowhere near worth its high price of $7.59. I can officially say I'm done with this series now.
August 28, 2012
Sweet book and series so far. I didn't think I'd like Lacy's story as much because she wasn't my favorite of the wives but actually she turned into a wonderful character. I'm planning on reading all the rest of the books in the series if I can get my hands on them. The first two I read had to be sent from libraries outside of my area. At least I was able to get them :)
September 15, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. Walker is a tall, sexy man in unifrom. What's not to like? Looking forward to book 4.
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