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.
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| 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."
I hope each of you will read RUSTLER'S MOON. This book is a great read.
ReplyDeleteJodi 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. ;-) )
ReplyDeleteWhen is YOUR next book coming out?
HUGS!!!!
Sounds like another great read from Jodi Thomas. thanks for sharing the excerpt and your review, Caroline. Like Kathleen, I trust your judgement.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I've never read a Jodi Thomas story, this post was certainly an enticement to do so.
ReplyDeleteOh, 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!
ReplyDeleteWhat 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.
ReplyDelete