TEXAS TENDER

Author: Leigh Greenwood ISBN: 0843956852 1/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: DORCHESTER
Time Period: Central Texas, 1886

The bawling of the longhorns, the lonesome night watch beneath a vast, starry sky—they got into a man's blood until he knew there was nothing better than the life of a cowboy... except the love of a good woman. Will.. He was the most beautiful man Idalou Ellsworth had ever set eyes on. When he appeared at her front door, she was struck speechless at the very sight of him. Folks in Dunmore, Texas thought her bossy, too focused on rescuing her family's failing ranch to be interested in courting. But in Will's company, she couldn't think of anything but him. And when the devil-may-care cowboy took her in his arms, she understood as never before the pleasures of being a woman.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

The twelfth and final book in Leigh Greenwood's Cowboy series is called TEXAS TENDER. It's always sad when an author wraps up a series, especially a wonderful western series with characters you've come to know and love. Greenwood ends his series with Will's story.

Will Haskin's ready to venture out and live on his own. Spending most of life with his adopted parents Jake and Isabelle, and watching his older adopted brothers and sisters settle down and marry, he feels it's his turn. What he doesn't expect is the life altering experience he's going to have while buying a bull from Miss Idalou Ellsworth in the Texas town of Dunmore!

Will, a very hunky cowboy indeed, is going to butt heads with the incredibly stubborn and headstrong Idalou. When Will isn't able to buy his bull from Idalou because it seems the bull went missing, he suddenly finds himself the new sheriff of Dunmore. Including that responsibility, comes the fact that everyone woman (except Ida) is swooning over him, and he's just managed to get two of the nastiest cowboys pretty angry with him!

Idalou isn't without her problems. She needs Will to buy the bull or her ranch will be foreclosed. She has a pretty good idea who stole it from her, but nobody, including Will, believes her. That makes Idalou in an even worse disposition than she was in before, and trust me, this woman gives cantankerous a whole new meaning!

I enjoyed TEXAS TENDER. I thought the plot read smoothly, the characters fitted into the story with ease and it ended in a very uplifting tone. The only reason why I'm not giving it a Top Pick, is because I just couldn't get past Idalou's personality. Honestly, she's just not the most likable heroine. Her temper is formidable; she would rather act out instead of sit down and think first, and quite frankly, I just couldn't see her with Will.

Aside from that, Leigh Greenwood's final book wraps the series perfectly. If you have been following his Cowboy series, then saddle up and get to your nearest bookseller and get your copy of TEXAS TENDER today!

Julie Kornhausl