She's Gone Country [Paperback]

Jane Porter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 23, 2010

Shey Darcy, a 39-year-old former top model for Vogue and Sports Illustrated led a charmed life in New York City with a handsome photographer husband until the day he announced he'd fallen in love with someone else. Left to pick up the pieces of her once happy world, Shey decides to move back home to Texas with her three teenage sons. Life on the family ranch, however, brings with it a whole new host of dramas starting with differences of opinion with her staunch Southern Baptist mother, her rugged but overprotective brothers, and daily battles with her three sons who are also struggling to find themselves. Add to the mix Shey's ex-crush, Dane Kelly, a national bullriding champ and she's got her hands full. It doesn't take long before Shey realizes that in order to reinvent herself, she must let go of an uncertain future and a broken past, to find happiness--and maybe love--in the present.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"She's Gone Country is a richly rewarding story about the importance of love, family, and friendship, and Porter writes with genuine warmth and quiet grace about the everyday problems all women face - and conquer - in their own lives." (Chicago Tribune )

"Strongly plotted, with heroines who are vulnerable yet resilient... All these elements are neatly tied up - with a few twists - in an engaging, if idealized, romance." (Seattle Times )

"After her husband leaves her for a man, Shey Darcy, a 39-year-old model, takes their three sons to her family's ranch in Texas to mourn the end of her marriage and decide what her next step is. Though Shey is pretty sure she wants to stay in Texas, her three teenage sons have mixed feelings. Her oldest, Hank, misses his fancy New York prep school. Middle son Bo is mercilessly picked on by his new classmates. But Cooper, the youngest, embraces country life and decides he wants to learn to be a rodeo cowboy. And the man Cooper hopes will teach him to ride is none other than Dane Kelly, a rodeo champ Shey fell hopelessly in love with at 16 and has never quite gotten over. Dane is divorced, but as remote from Shey as ever, and estranged from her two older brothers, who used to be his best friends. Narrated in Shey's appealing, warm voice, a great favorite among chick-lit and women's fiction fans, Porter's latest offers a compelling romance and likable characters, who will appeal to big city and country girls alike." (Booklist )

About the Author

Jane Porter lives in Seattle, Washington, with her two children. You can find out more about her at www.janeporter.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: 5 Spot; 1 edition (August 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446509418
• ISBN-13: 978-0446509411
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #686,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Award winning novelist, Jane Porter made a smashing debut on the chick lit scene with her single title release, The Frog Prince (Warner, May 2005). With a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from UCLA, and a Master of Arts in Writing from University of San Francisco, Porter has had incredible success as writer of contemporary romance. A two-time Rita finalist, the Romance Writers of America awarded Porter the Golden Heart in Long Contemporary Fiction category in 1998.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as Mrs. Perfect, November 4, 2010

By 

Jen - See all my reviews

This review is from: She's Gone Country (Paperback)

Though I enjoyed this book more than Easy on the Eyes, I found that it did not live up to Mrs. Perfect.

I really did not enjoy Easy on the Eyes, I felt that the main character spent much of her time complaining and whining about her looks (I actually could not finish it, it was too grating on the nerves) I really enjoyed Mrs. Perfect. I liked the way the main character grew with her problems and learned to overcome them.

The main character of She's Gone Country seemed to get the easy way out. All of her problems disappeared. Lulu magically got another boyfriend, the intruder left and never returned and her son was cured. Eventually Shey's life became simplified by her getting pregnant, married and living happily ever after.

I would really like to go back to Bellevue and meet up with Marta and Taylor again. I felt that both Odd Mom Out and Mrs. Perfect delt with real life situations of women who live and work in suburbia. I hope that Jane brings us back there soon.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've Gone Country Again!, January 27, 2011

By 

"ReviewsByMolly" "Molly Edwards, auth... (Willow Spring,NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: She's Gone Country (Paperback)

I loved this book. For many reasons. Some being that it's a great chic book, it's about a single mom with teenage boys (though mine are teenagers YET, I can relate being a single mom of two boys), it's funny, and probably most importantly, it's about being country. I'm a country girl at heart. While I don't wear wranglers and boots, I do have a love for country. Country music. Country shows. Good ol' Southern Sweet Tea. So, through Jane Porter's words and characters, I was completely captivated by this awesome book!

Porter's characters are AWESOME. Down home, southern hospitality at it's best as the characters welcome back Shey Darcy, the single mom who's husband doesn't love her anymore (he's actually gay!). In comes hot ex boyfriend Dane. Now THAT is a character I wish could be in EVERY book I read. (Can I insert a *purr* here?) Throw in Shey's over powering Southern Baptist mama and this is one book that I am super glad that I got to read!!

So, in my review conclusion, DEFINITELY worth HIGH recommendation and 5 star praises. It's upbeat, yet funny, yet deals with lots of issues that woman deal with today. Not to mention it's a very enlightening read for us fellow single mama's out there! So, grab your boots, your wranglers, a mason jar of sweet tea and a copy of Porter's book. If you're not already, you'll be going country right along side Shey Darcy!

*This book provided for review by Crazy Book Tours*

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read, January 23, 2011

By 

Loves to Read "ldydy26" (Northbrook, Il United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: She's Gone Country (Paperback)

This is just the kind of book you read when you need to be uplifted. The main character returns to her home roots on the ranch after her husband leaves her for another man.

After dealing with that situation, Shey works on adjusting her life and rekindling her old love. This is a romance novel. Don't expect total realism and unhappy endings. This is a book you read when you want to escape and have everything end happily ever after. Sometimes when times get tough that is what people want--some great escapism and this is it!!

It's fun to read about a fashion model who is still getting great jobs at 39, who has problems with her siblings (that get worked out) and that gets back together with her handsome first love.

If you want unhappy endings and dysfunctional families there are plenty of novels out there. This is not one of them.