A Man to Call My Own : A Novel [Hardcover]

Johanna Lindsey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003 | Series: Lindsey, Johanna

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Johanna Lindsey comes a love story as passionate, tumultuous, and colorful as the old American West.
In 1870s Texas, an unforgettable drama unfolds in the lives of rival twin sisters and the cowboy they both want to call their own.

Amanda and Marian Laton are identical twins but they are as different as night and day. Amanda is beautiful but nasty, and Marian is nice but plain -- purposely so to avoid provoking her spiteful twin's jealousy. When their wealthy father suddenly dies, the two gently reared New England heiresses are sent to live with their aunt on a sprawling Texas ranch. There the twins meet Chad Kinkaid, the cowboy son of a neighboring rancher. Marian is fascinated by Chad's rugged good looks and his sheer masculinity, but she knows that like every other man she and her twin have met, he will pursue Amanda, not her. Chad is indeed beguiled by Amanda's beauty, but soon he begins to see beyond Marian's carefully constructed dowdy façade. Unlike the tame gentlemen back East, after witnessing Marian's taste for adventure, her sense of humor and bravery in the face of danger, Chad finds himself wanting her. But how can he, a man who's just a cowboy without fancy airs or urbane charm, convince her she's the only woman for him?

In a story that surprises and delights, Johanna Lindsey skillfully charts the intoxicating course of first love, and all of love's attendant twists and turns, that ends with a spunky woman's coming into her own and finding a man she can call her own. With powerful emotions and sensuality, incomparable humor, and great insight into the ways of the human heart, Lindsey delivers one of her most compelling novels, which readers won't want to put down until the final page is turned.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Amanda and Marian Laton are identical twins who couldn't be more different. Amanda, the apple of her father's eye, is a spoiled, jealous young woman; sweet-hearted Marian, in an effort to be as unlike her sister as possible, strives to make herself plain and undesirable. Set in the 1870s, this historical romance by the prolific Lindsey begins when Amanda and Marian's father dies in their hometown of Haverhill, Mass., and the twins are shipped off to Texas. Under the provisions of their father's will, they cannot claim their inheritances until they are married, and in the meantime they must live with their aunt, Kathleen Dunn, a widowed rancher nicknamed Red. Life on the ranch is much too rustic for Amanda, but Marian enjoys the country living-and her brushes with Chad Kinkaid, heir to a ranching fortune, who is lending Red a helping hand. Hiding behind thick-lensed spectacles she doesn't need, Marian tries to deflect Chad, afraid that if she shows an interest in him her mean-spirited twin will lure him away. Slapstick catfights and anachronistic language ("it wasn't just the jealousy issues") give the novel a farcical slant; on the plus side, there is plenty of western kitsch: a train robbery, an attempted kidnapping and an old-fashioned barbecue. Concluding with an improbable surprise ending that is most unsatisfying and rather bitter for a historical romance, this is a clunky if occasionally entertaining effort that nonetheless will sell as Lindsey is wont to do-that is, a lot.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Twists and turns galore and a Wild West setting make for a delightful romp by veteran romance writer Lindsey. Identical twin heiresses Marian and Amanda are as different as night and day. Amanda has been spoiled rotten by their father; Marian has been ignored. Marian has rendered herself as unappealing as possible to avoid having Amanda destroy the life of any man who might find her twin alluring. Their father's will specifies that they cannot claim their inheritance until they marry with the approval of their Texas aunt, a rancher called Red, so off they go on an eventful journey complete with stage robbers, train robbers, and a bounty hunter. Along the way, they are rescued by Chad, Red's foreman, the son of a local cattle baron. Marian falls for Chad but thinks that he is infatuated with Amanda. Marian's attempt to learn how to ride a horse turns into a session of passionate lovemaking with Chad, but Amanda claims that she was the one involved, making Red order Chad to marry Amanda. Then, when Marian is kidnapped from a barbecue, things really get cooking. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Atria; 1 edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743456335
• ISBN-13: 978-0739435830
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #949,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

johanna Lindsey is one of the most popular authors of romantic fiction, with more than sixty million copies of her novels sold. World renowned for her novels of "first-rate romance" (New York Daily News), Lindsey is the author of forty-three previous bestselling novels, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers. Lindsey lives in Maine with her family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not A Lindsey!!!, December 9, 2003

By 

Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Man to Call My Own : A Novel (Hardcover)

Writing is not an easy thing to do and as a result I hate to tear an author down still this book was not up to Ms. Lindsey's standard.

The premise of one good twin, one bad twin, and one yummy guy is a old tried and true formula but this just did not work here. First off the nasty one was nasty but the "good" one was equally nasty. Yummy man was not only fooled by a nice face but was unable to tell the two apart and as a result made a fool out of himself. How stupid was he suppose to be. One thing I had a big problem with was in the fact that after sharing two kisses with Marian (thinking that she was Amanda for one of them) all of a sudden "BAM" he's attracted to Mari while giving her a lesson on how to saddle a horse???? Hello, from 0 to bada boom in a nano second. I did not understand what set him off or where the attraction came from.

This was not a Lindsey in any way shape or form. The plot drifted and eventually was non-existant, the character developement was totally lacking as if Ms. Lindsey could not decide on which twin was going to be the heroine until the end. Do yourself a favor if you really want to read a book by Ms. Lindsey pick up one of her older books, or if you're dead set on reading this one, pick it up at the library or borrow it from a friend.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 1/2* A bit dissapointed..., July 9, 2003

By 

iheartjackbauer - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Man to Call My Own : A Novel (Hardcover)

I was looking foward to this book after reading the flap, hoping it was have more in common with her earlier works. I was a bit dissapointed in this book and read it in less than four hours.

While I really felt for Marion, I didn't understand why she felt that she had to hide herself so much. She then felt attracted to Chad, but was going to give him up to save him from her sister's clutches. She isn't a matryr (?), but she acted like all Amanda's actions were her responsibility. Then I have to say I was shocked by how sudden Marion and Chad became lovers. One minute he doesn't like her, the next he's dragging her down in the hay.

I felt that Lindsey spent too much time describing Amanda's faults, so by the end of the book when she tried to portray Amanda in a different light, I could really have cared less. I felt that she got what she deserved. There just wasn't the emotion that I normally find in Lindsey's books. If this is your first book by Lindsey, don't be dissapointed, because there are much better ones out there!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacking in the Romance Department., November 20, 2003

By 

MaryGrace Meloche (Ontario, Canada.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Man to Call My Own : A Novel (Hardcover)

Sorry Johanna, but there is no plot here -- none. There is no lust here -- none. There is no ROMANCE here -- none.

It is the story of two identical twins. We have the good twin and the evil twin, but what twin is what twin? Ah, yes, use the secret number code. Whatever was I thinking? The first twin, Marian, for personal asinine reasons, chooses to don a dreadful disguise. She is rude, indifferent, and boorish to our hero. The second twin, Amanda, is beautiful, spoiled, and shameful. Our poor, poor hero, Chad Kinkaid - whatever is a man supposed to do? Fear not, Chad's sixth sense kicks in and he knows Marian is the one! Why? Who the devil knows? Certainly not this reader!

Now the book's strategy -- Chad is aroused, when he attempts to teach Marian how to ride a horse. He drags her into the hay mow, and well, one thing leads to another. But wait, which twin is she? He thinks he knows, but no, he doesn't, or does he? Confused? So was I.

There is no story here -- none. The book's copy is double spaced and essentially blank pages complete chapters. I read the hardcover in one day -- not because I couldn't put it down -- simply because there is nothing here.

To be effective, the romance should have been explored more. Maybe explain how Marian wins Chad's affections. Perhaps have them spend time together. Or possibly, show Marian being kind and compassionate to another person, maybe the cook or the cook's daughter, or some pathetic ranch hand -- while Chad quietly observes. However, just to inform the reader that Chad knows she is his soul-mate, well it just doesn't warrant.

Sorry, for all the Johanna Lindsey fans -- out there in romance land -- and I am one of her biggest, this book misses the grade. For entertainment, seduction and lust, read Lindsey's "Prisoner of my Desire" or "Gentle Rogue".

Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.