Customer Reviews

The Impossible Texan

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I came across this book while looking for Texas fiction. While I'm not finished yet I was hardly able to put it down to write this review, it's a page turner and the characters are irresistable. A Texas native myself, I know how stubborn those from the lone star state can be - - Marlena sounds just like a lot of my sister Texans. I have no doubt that she'll get her man - - that is if she still wants him (we're fickle too)!!!! Thanks to the author for such a good read. I'm hoping for a sequel.

In 1888 Texas, Marlena "Lena" Maxwell thinks her father made a colossal error bringing the Harvard carpetbagger to run his state senate reelection campaign. Instead, Lena feels her father should have appointed her as his campaign manager because she believes she is the best man for the job.

Tyler Hamilton III sees his new position as an opportunity to succeed at an endeavor without his family's help. However, he never counted on his employer's daughter as an obstacle. Still, he quickly falls in love with Lena, who in spite of her feelings about anything Northern, reciprocates. As the election campaign runs into some nasty situations and nastier people, Tyler begins a second campaign, but his goal is a one-time election as Lena's husband.

THE IMPOSSIBLE TEXAN is a strong American romance that never misses a beat as the lead couple conducts their own sexy battle of the War Between the States. The key cast members are fully developed so that the audience understands Lena's feelings, the senator's selection, and Tyler's needs. Though the moral antics of the journalist seems a bit pat, the story line is fast-paced and hooks the audience into following the election as well as the romance. Allie Shaw provides sub-genre fans with a superb novel that will garner the author her own following.

Harriet Klausner

I hope that Ms. Shaw is busy writing a sequel to this book, because I coudn't put it down! I just kept reading until I finished. (around 2am!)

Great characters, fully developed, fast paced and fun. Just the kind of book I have been waiting for.

Congratulations to Allie Shaw for a really great first work, and I can't wait to read more and more!

In Texas in 1888, Tyler Hamilton has just been hired as campaign manager to Senator Maxwell, who is running for reelection. Marlena Maxwell is none too happy about this turn of events, partially because she is such a vital force behind her father's campaign, and secondly, because Tyler is a Harvard-educated Bostonian.

Despite their differences, Tyler and Marlena cannot deny their attraction for one another. Though he is a Yankee, Tyler respects Marlena's ability to aid her father's political career. Their mutual attraction does become complicated by the fact that Marlena's mother demands that her father fire Tyler as campaign manager because his accent causes her to remember the Yankee that slashed and scarred her face during the Civil War.

Marlena becomes very confused about her feelings for Tyler, for there is no denying the spark between them, but she wonders how she can fall for a man who could be responsible for the breakup of her family, as her mother is not on good terms with her father. Tyler and Marlena decide that their love for one another must surpass all other concerns as they continue to meet in secret.

When scandal erupts in a local newspaper, Tyler and Marlena must stand together to help Senator Maxwell weather the attacks on his credibility. Their bond becomes stronger as they publicly confess their love, and together aid Mrs. Maxwell's recovery from a debilitating illness.

Ms. Shaw has written a fine debut historical while employing a clever combination of wit and romance. The hero and heroine are very likeable characters. Tyler is depicted as strong male who is very respectful of Marlena's intellectual abilites, and Marlena is much more than the typical simpering southern belle. With this page turner as a first book, readers can look forward to future enjoyable historicals from Allie Shaw.