TEXAS RAIN

Author: Jodi Thomas ISBN: 0425212793 11/2006 HISTORICAL Publisher: BERKLEY
Time Period: 1854 Texas

Honest, straightforward, and ruggedly handsome, Travis McMurray is also more than a little bit busted, the result of an ambush during his service as a Texas Ranger. Beautiful Rainey Adams is in a fix of her own: On the run from an arranged marriage, she'll do just about anything to keep her freedom. The first time they meet, she steals a kiss—and his horse. The second time, she's an angel of mercy who eases him through a terrible fever... then disappears. When Travis recovers, he's determined to track down this intriguing woman and bring her back to the Whispering Mountain Ranch as his bride. But this renegade may be too much for even the toughest Ranger to handle.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

TEXAS RAIN almost began as a ho-hum read for me. The first story in the Whispering Mountain series by Jodi Thomas, I thought this was going to be just another Western romance where two people meet for a hot second, fall in love, one runs, the other chases and catches, and after a bit of shoot-'em-up subplot with the bad guys, as my mother-in-law used to say, "And that's that." Having never read Jodi Thomas before, I'm so glad I underestimated her, because thankfully, none of that is what she gave me. Instead, TEXAS RAIN is a story that involves an independent, courageous heroine and a determined lawman who fall in love over time, buoyed by a strong cast of secondary characters who appear in all the right places in a plot that is both believable and entertaining.

One of the best elements of TEXAS RAIN is how the love relationship forms between Travis and Rainey. Yes, they meet at a dance where there is a mutual attraction, though she has running away on her mind and his head is immersed in Texas Ranger thoughts. But the difference here is how Thomas handles their relationship from that point onward. Rainey ends up stealing Travis' horse and runs away, but after settling into her new life, writes to him to assure him that she'll repay him for it and to inquire as to how his health is, since Travis was severely wounded right before Rainey ran away. The ensuing correspondence exchanged between them only deepens their feelings for each other, though it takes Rainey much longer to sort hers out than it does Travis. It is this putting ink to paper that fleshes out both their characters and makes their falling in love all the more plausible. There are some very poignant moments in their romance, too, such as when Travis writes "I love you" over and over in the dust covering a table, holding Rainey in front of him and telling her he'll keep writing it until she finally gets the point. It's just a small passage in the book, but written in such a way that it becomes one of those standout moments in a love story that you end up associating a book with, forever.

The secondary cast of characters is a hodgepodge of personalities, all who fit their roles perfectly and contribute much to the storyline, from the saloon gals, to the boardinghouses' owners and their colorful occupants, all the way down to the rough-and-tough bad guys. We also meet Travis siblings: his older brother, Teagen, his younger brother, Tobin, his spunky baby sister, Sage, and a young tot Travis finds and the family takes in, all of whom Thomas' fans can eagerly look forward to enjoying in the ensuing Whispering Mountain sequels.

When others are quoted as saying Jodi Thomas is one of the finest Western writers in today's historical romances, TEXAS RAIN is an apt illustration of her talents, and for her fans, the eagerly awaited start of her newest historical Western series.

Nancy Davis