Customer Reviews

Heart of Texas

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Set in the late 1860's, Casey Hamilton and her siblings have nowhere else to go after the tragic death of their father but the ranch an uncle has willed them. With much determination they reach the Spanish Spur, only to find the ranch in disrepair and the locals unwilling to work for them. In desperation, Casey has no choice but to hire the dangerous looking loner who helps pull their wagon from the muddy banks of the Brazos River.
Gabe Slaughter is part Comanche, a man who's fought his fair share of battles and is still quietly battling his past. In exchange for room and board he agrees to work Casey's ranch, intending to protect the Hamilton's against the odds, hardly expecting to fall for Casey.
With so many deep secrets, Gabe doesn't believe he is the man for Casey and knows that once she learns who he is he will have earned her contempt. Casey on the other hand, hopes that her love for him will open his heart to a future together.
Another engaging novel from O'Banyon, Heart of Texas is a true western romance with all the intrique and drama we've come to expect.

Sometimes authors who are as prolific as Ms. O'Banyon get into a rut, but I am pleased to find that Ms. O'Banyon's books are always fresh and different. HEART OF TEXAS is no exception. What you can expect from Ms. O'Banyon is a well-crafted story with characters, that whether good or bad, are so real you would swear the book isn't fiction.

In the 1880s when her dad dies, Casey Hamilton realizes that she and her siblings have only one place to go. They head west to Texas to claim the ranch her uncle left her though Casey knows nothing about the spread.

How nothing Casey knows about ranching hits home when she arrives at the Spanish Slur Ranch. Half-breed Gabe Slaughter offers to run the spread for her in exchange for room and board. A desperate Casey agrees. As other interests try to drive the easterner and her brood home, Casey and Gabe fall in love, but he feels she could do better than him. Casey thinks otherwise and plans to prove to her beloved that his heart contains the right stuff as far as she is concerned though others agree with Gabe and will resort to violence in the hopes of driving the Hamiltons out of Texas.

Few authors do nineteenth century Texas romances (see the Half-Moon Ranch romance - MOON RACER) as well as Constance O'Banyon consistently does. Her latest tale is an engaging tale starring two individuals hoping to survive the present with love (and her ranch) as their only hope for the future. The support cast provides deep insight into the lead couple as well as a look into an interesting era when the Civil War remains a sad memory (sort of like Viet Nam) while Rangers try to bring law and order to the state. Sub-genre fans will want to RIDE THE WIND with these TEXAS PROUD characters.

Harriet Klausner

i AM A FAN OF CONSTANCE O'BANYON, BUT THIS IS HER BEST BOOK TO DATE. I LOVED HOW GABE WANTED TO BE PART OF CASEY'S FAMILY, AND HOW HER LOVE DREW HER IN. IF YOU ARE A ROMANTIC AT HEART YOU WILL GET CAUGHT UP IN THE LOVE STORY. I REALLY CONNCETED WITH THE SISTER, JENNY, AND I LOVED SAM. IF YOU LIKE ADVENTURE, IT NEVER STOPS IN HEART OF TEXAS. A REAL PAGE TURNER. THIS AUTHOR MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I KNOW TEXAS AS IT ONCE WAS. I WILL PUT IT ON MY TO-KEEP SHELF AND READ IT AGAIN.

Once again Constance O'Banyon has delivered a hard-hitting fast pace tale that you will not want to put down. Casey, her sister, Jenny, and young brouther, Sam, are so real you will think you know them. As usual Ms. O'Banyon has created a hero with depth, courage and honor. Gabe Slaughter is my kind of man. You will fall in love with Heart of Texas, Just as I have

THOUGHT THIS WAS GOING TO BE A REAL KEEPER. O'BANYON BOOKS ARE USUALLY EXCELLENT. UNFORTUNATELY THIS TURNED INTO A HO-HUM WESTERN WITHOUT MUCH DEPTH. THE MISSED POTENTIAL IS ANNOYING. THERE WERE SUCH GREAT CHARACTERS BUT THEY WERE KIND OF LEFT HANGING. GABE'S INDIANS 'FRIENDS' OMNUS AND FLINT CAME TO THE RESCUE AND THEN HAD PERHAPS 2 PARAGRAPHS EACH. OUR HERO WAS WONDERFUL AND COULD HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED MORE. IT SEEMS LIKE LINES WERE THROWN IN AND THEN NEVER HEARD OF AGAIN WHICH WAS DISJOINTED TO ME...PERHAPS I AM BEING TOO CRITICAL..I READ IT, IT WAS OK AND I GAVE IT TO THE LIBRARY. YOU DECIDE FOR YOURSELF.

The writing is atrocious! Instead of "haven't or don't," there's sentences like "I have not ever seen that before," & "What do you think you are doing?" I felt as though I was reading a book from the children's section! Then my all time favorite: " He was standing so close to her, she could see the pores on his face." Pores??? Not silver flecks in his eyes, or handsome smile? But, pores? The story is interesting enough, but not something that hasn't been done a 100 times. One good thing is it's a quick read, but I kept wondering if I should just stop reading and grab something else. I love Western Romances and was very disappointed with this book. If you like Western's try Dorothy Garlock, she's great, especially her "Wind" series. Teresa Medeiros' "Nobody's Darling" was memorable and on my keeper shelf. Carolyn Davidson is always a good read, a favorite by her is "Convenient Wife." Also "Gunfighter's Bride" By Dallas Schulze, and Julie Garwood's "For the Roses," which is 1st in a series.

Favorite scene with Casey-
Cyrus telling her the truth about Gabe.

Favorite scene with Gabe-
His father's death scene.

Together-
At Gabe's father's burial site.

What did you like about Casey-
Her love for Sam and Jenny and Kate. And Gabe.

What didn't you like about Casey-
That she wouldn't marry Gabe because he didn't say he loved her. She was cold to Gabe and everyone because he hadn't told her the truth. He wouldn't have known about his baby.

What did you like about Gabe-
His love for Casey, Sam, Jenny and Kate. Finally taking over his father's land, and making it a warm, loving place.

What didn't you like about Gabe-
There isn't anything I didn't like about Gabe.

If I had to cast Casey, I'd cast Renee Zellweger.

This was a hard book to get into. The pace was fast and furious but the devil is in the details. A plot cannot stand by itself but must have context. A 12-going-on-13-year-old boy in 1867 was almost an adult and Casey would be considered a woman grown - many girls were married at 15 and mothers by 16. And a "tall" Comanche would have been 5'7". If you want a tall Native American in the Plains states, you have to go to Pawnee or Osage. So I gave this book 2 stars. Less picky readers would rate it higher based on the innocent steamy sensuousness.