Tuesday, January 26, 2016

REVIEW OF JODI THOMAS' RUSTLER'S MOON

By Caroline Clemmons

Jodi Thomas is one of my favorite authors. I loved her western historical romances, her contemporary women’s fiction/mystery, FINDING MARY BLAINE, and her contemporary romances. The contemporary romance RUSTLER’S MOON, released today, carries on in the great tradition of her other works.

If you’re wondering what a rustler’s moon is, here is the explanation straight from the book as told by Wilkes Wagner to Angela Harold:

As they reached the porch, he pointed to the sky. “See that quarter moon? That’s called a rustler’s moon. Enough light for rustlers to slip onto a ranch and steal cattle, but not so much that anyone on guard would see them clearly.”

She leaned back and stared up at the sky. “And what would you do, Wilkes, if you could move unseen beneath the rustler’s moon?”

“I might steal your heart, pretty lady,” he answered, halfway kidding.

She laughed. “Not likely.”

“Then I’d settle for a kiss.” The words were out before they’d passed through his mind.



RUSTLER’S MOON is primarily the story of Angela Harold and Wilkes Wagner.

In Florida, Angela Harold’s father left her a cryptic note written minutes before he died. “Disappear,” he told her. She realized he’d been preparing her to leave for months. Accepting the job as curator of a small North Texas museum on the edge of Palo Duro Canyon, she immediately loads her car and heads for Crossroads, Texas. She can’t outrun trouble, and someone stalks her. She believes she has nothing of value and can’t imagine what the person can want—unless he intends to kill her.

Wilkes Wagner is the last of his family. His elderly great-uncle Vern nags him about marriage, but Wilkes is not certain he wants to marry. Vern is a bachelor who flirts with every woman he meets. Wilkes’ parents have no wish to live on the Devil’s Fork Ranch and have left Wilkes in charge of the ranch—and Uncle Vern. Wilkes loves the ranch and his uncle, but lately he’s feeling restless and as if he’s missing something.

Like all Jodi Thomas books, there are numerous subplots running through the story. Yancy Grey is inexplicably drawn to the supposedly haunted Gypsy House. Carter Mayes searches the canyon for the cave with prehistoric drawings he saw as a child. Lauren Brigman wants more closeness from Lucas Reyes. All of the threads running through the book are woven into a lovely tapestry that will delight you. You’ll long to move to the small, close-knit town of Crossroads, Texas near the characters you’ve come to love.

Although each of the books of the Ransom Canyon Series stands alone, I hope you’ll do yourself the favor of reading the two previous novels in the series. WINTER CAMP is the historical detailing the founding of the town. RANSOM CANYON is the first contemporary of the series. 

The RUSTLER’S MOON buy link at Amazon is http://amzn.com/0373788622

Jodi Thomas, Author

Jodi Thomas is a fifth generation Texan who chooses to set the majority of her novels in her home state, where her grandmother was born in a covered wagon. A former teacher, Thomas traces the beginning of her storytelling career to the days when her twin sisters were young and impressionable. 

She has won many awards available to romance authors, including receiving the Romance Writers of America RITA award four times and being inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame. (The RITA is the romance industry equivalent of Hollywood’s Oscar.) In addition, she is a USA Today and NY Times bestselling author.

With a degree in Family Studies, Thomas is a marriage and family counselor by education, a background that enables her to write about family dynamics.  Honored in 2002 as a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Thomas enjoys interacting with students on the West Texas A & M University campus at Canyon, where she currently serves as Writer In Residence.

Commenting on her contribution to the arts, Thomas said, "When I was teaching classes full time, I thought I was making the world a better place. Now I think of a teacher, or nurse, or mother settling back and relaxing with one of my books. I want to take her away on an adventure that will entertain her. Maybe, in a small way, I’m still making the world a better place."

For more information, please check Jodi’s website at www.jodithomas.com.f

6 comments:

  1. I hope each of you will read RUSTLER'S MOON. This book is a great read.

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  2. Jodi Thomas has been one of my favorite authors forever. I've fallen behind in reading her books, although I must admit I fell out of the habit when she briefly abandoned historicals in favor of contemporary stories. I do plan to read this series, though, especially after reading your review. (Your reviews do that to me. I trust your judgment. Go figure. ;-) )

    When is YOUR next book coming out?

    HUGS!!!!

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  3. Sounds like another great read from Jodi Thomas. thanks for sharing the excerpt and your review, Caroline. Like Kathleen, I trust your judgement.

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  4. Although I've never read a Jodi Thomas story, this post was certainly an enticement to do so.

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  5. Oh, Caroline, so glad to see you mention Finding Mary Blaine. What a book! So is the Widows of Wichita County. That said, both of the previous Ransom Canyon books were terrific, so I'll definitely add this one to the collection :-) Thanks for the review!

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  6. What a great post. It was so fun to get to know Jodi Thomas. I just wish I had the time to read more. Her stories sound like really fun reads. Being a historical writer myself I can appreciate the history.

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