Showing posts with label Carre White. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carre White. Show all posts
GRR Reviews The Gambler (Bachelors of the Prairie Bo by Carré White
The Gambler is a historical "Western" romantic adventure that is clean but not spiritual. It's also NOT a mail-order bride story, which is a plus in its favor.
Lea "Jubilee" Duncan plays the gambling hall girl with her pa (as the gambler) until a brawl left her father bleeding out, and her job gone. With little cash left, no job, and no man, Lea's only future seems to be with the gambler Nash Monaghan who protected her during the melee and even kissed her before the tragedy. Nash took Lea in (purely as a gentleman) but Lea, intending to make her own way, "borrowed" some funds from Nash, packed, and got on a train to head West. Two years later, Nash was on his quest to find his brother and his wife (who ran off with his brother) but was also looking for "Jubilee", when he finally found her as part of "Irish" performing troupe. This time, Nash does not intend to let her get away... But someone else may have different ideas...
The meet-cute was a bit long but decent. There was a bit of adventure that including the ever-trope "kidnapping", and the end featured the final resolution to the MMC's quest, so basically, everything was wrapped up by the end, which was better than most mail order bride plots without resorting to lame tropes.
Category: Historical Western
Primary Plot: Gambler vowed to hunt down the wife who betrayed him as well as the woman who stole from him; he found the woman first...
Tropes: betrayal, sibling traingle, triangle, disguise, enemies to lovers, kidnapping, orphan
Overall Rating: 4/5
GRR Reviews Cassie (Brides of the Rockies Book 1) by Carré White
Cassie is a Western Romance that falls back to the basic reformed rake/enemies into lovers formula, and the attraction was a bit vague.
Cassie Bjorn had always hated Nathan Carroll since they were kids. He dipped her blonde braids in ink, poured honey in her school bag, and more. When he grew up, he was a womanizer and drunkard with appalling manners. Unfortunately, he's also son of the sheriff, and their mothers were best friends, so despite Cassie's utter hatred for Nathan, their families want them to marry. When a shootout caused an unexpected kiss between the two, the town soon was flooded with rumors... But if Nathan is willing to change for Cassie, can Cassie change her mind about Nathan?
Frankly, with the amount of hatred that Cassie displayed toward Nathan (and how her parents were discouraging her other suitor) Cassie should be piping mad refusing all contact with Nathan. Instead, she seems to be secretly enjoying the attention of the alpha male / reformed rake, and there really was not much of a hint of this half-sweetness and conflicting emotions in the first half of the book (she's too busy running around being mad). Being left with only one choice is not a choice. It's being forced into it. And the "jail wagon" idea was the most stupid thing ever.
The whole thing just felt too long, the chemistry is unexplained, and thus, the romance feels... forced.
Category: Western historical
Primary Plot: Woman HATED the man she was paired up with since they were kids. When a shootout caused to to kiss him (fearing imminent death), can she change for him, and he for her?
Tropes: reformed rake, enemies to lovers
Overall Rating: 2/5
Cassie Bjorn had always hated Nathan Carroll since they were kids. He dipped her blonde braids in ink, poured honey in her school bag, and more. When he grew up, he was a womanizer and drunkard with appalling manners. Unfortunately, he's also son of the sheriff, and their mothers were best friends, so despite Cassie's utter hatred for Nathan, their families want them to marry. When a shootout caused an unexpected kiss between the two, the town soon was flooded with rumors... But if Nathan is willing to change for Cassie, can Cassie change her mind about Nathan?
Frankly, with the amount of hatred that Cassie displayed toward Nathan (and how her parents were discouraging her other suitor) Cassie should be piping mad refusing all contact with Nathan. Instead, she seems to be secretly enjoying the attention of the alpha male / reformed rake, and there really was not much of a hint of this half-sweetness and conflicting emotions in the first half of the book (she's too busy running around being mad). Being left with only one choice is not a choice. It's being forced into it. And the "jail wagon" idea was the most stupid thing ever.
The whole thing just felt too long, the chemistry is unexplained, and thus, the romance feels... forced.
Category: Western historical
Primary Plot: Woman HATED the man she was paired up with since they were kids. When a shootout caused to to kiss him (fearing imminent death), can she change for him, and he for her?
Tropes: reformed rake, enemies to lovers
Overall Rating: 2/5
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