A Texan's Luck [Paperback]

Jodi Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2004

His father may have bought Lacy for him in a "Wife Lottery," but Captain Walker Larson had no desire for a bride--even one as captivating as the one standing before him. But when Walker is ordered by the military to protect his wife from a killer, he finds himself wondering if their marriage was a far better gamble than either of them had imagined.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While Thomas recently made a splash with two contemporary novels, The Widows of Wichita County and Finding Mary Blaine, it's her nearly 20 historical romances, set in her native state of Texas, that have earned her two RITA awards. This psychologically, as well as physically, action-packed tale demonstrates why. Third in her Wife Lottery series (after The Texan's Wager and When a Texan Gambles), it follows the fortunes of 15-year-old orphan Lacy Larson, youngest of a gutsy trio of pioneer women auctioned off to avoid jail after killing Zeb Whittaker, an avaricious buffalo hunter who'd attacked them. For mysterious reasons, Walker Larson, Lacy's married-by-proxy army captain hubby, doesn't want a wife, much less one his father has purchased for him. But when Zeb Whittaker turns up alive five years later, desiring revenge, the reluctant absentee groom is assigned to protect Lacy. The result is a tale with more than enough fast-paced adventure to satisfy suspense buffs. But, as always, it is Thomas's slower-paced handling of the romantic dynamics between her emotionally warm but wounded characters that is the novel's strength.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Lacy, 15, and her two friends fight off Big Zeb Whitaker, a ruthless outlaw who tries to rape them. Convinced that they've killed him, they turn themselves over to the sheriff in Cedar Point, Texas, a town with an acute shortage of available females. The devious lawman tells them that if they participate in a wife lottery, he'll drop the charges. Lacy is bailed out by a man who owns a printing shop. He marries her to his son, Captain Walker Larson, by proxy, and raises her like his own daughter. Three years later the elder Larson dies, and Lacy shows up at the captain's outpost, meeting him for the first time. After a hasty and reluctant consummation, Lacy heads back to the shop. When Big Zeb is released from prison, he vows revenge on the three women. Walker shows up under orders to protect Lucy, but she doesn't want anything to do with him. This can't-put-it-down tale is the perfect ending to Thomas' most excellent trilogy (The Texan's Wager, 2000; When a Texan Gambles, 2003). Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Jove (October 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515138487
• ISBN-13: 978-0515138481
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost Perfect. -- ** Grade: B+ **, October 24, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: A Texan's Luck (Paperback)

Thought to be bad luck, members of a western wagon train abandoned Lacy Dillavou and two other women. The three young women were simply left behind. The rejected trio headed south, toward Texas, and came across one bad hombre, Zeb Whitaker. Whitaker was an evil man, who tried to exercise his manhood on Lacy, a man who thought nothing of rape, abduction, and murder. Violently, the women reacted; they took turns and clubbed this monster to death. Bravely, in Cedar Point, Texas, they surrendered. Except, the local sheriff couldn't find a body and he couldn't let them depart! Instead this sly, old sheriff held a wife lottery; it seemed Cedar Point, Texas needed women! Lacy married Captain Walker Larson -- by proxy. In his distant army fort, Captain Walker Larson was unaware of his new marital status, was unaware that his father had purchased him a lovely, young wife.

They pulled Captain Walker Larson from his military duties and assigned him a one month leave. They told him to protect his estranged wife, Lacy -- Zeb Whitaker was out of prison. The Captain and Lacy were not happy. Neither wanted the interference, both wanted to forget the other existed. Captain Walker Larson did not want a wife. He was romantically wounded once and was not eager to jump back into the fire. What right did his father have to buy him a bride? Lacy Larson was not happy. She tried once, to reach out to her soldier hero husband, to fulfill her dreams of a happily-ever-after marriage, but the Captain's cruel rejection crushed and humiliated her. For all she cared, the Captain could take his life and her dreams and stuff them. Who cared if she was lonely?

Whew, Jodi Thomas tantalized me with the opening of her book and I was planning to grant my sacred 10 rating! But somewhere along the way my tantalization stumbled and I think I know why. Although Jodi Thomas wrote a wonderful homespun western, it had a major drawback - the romance was too slow in advancing. The couple's reluctance grew thin. The `I don't want to be married to you' theme was overworked and the `let's JUST kiss and cuddle' was a MAJOR unlikely happening and overplayed.

Yet, the writer's words are very nice, sometimes tender, sometimes sweet, and the cast of secondary characters is great! Yes, I liked A TEXAN'S LUCK very much. This was a `make you feel good' kind of book. It came close to being splendid but the author delayed the romance a little too long. Nevertheless, with her simple comfortable style, Jodi Thomas kindled my interest in her work and I DO plan to read this author again. Grade: B+

Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book..., December 16, 2004

By 

ThisThatNEverything "thisthatneverything" (Columbus, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Texan's Luck (Paperback)

This is the 3rd book in this series & it follows Lacy & Walker. I found that I liked Lacy far better then I did Sarah from the last book & Walker was a great match for her. This was a great ending to this series & it was fun re-vising some of the previous chrachters. I do have to agree with another reviewer who said that the romance took too long to devolop. This has happened in all 3 of these books but then again how can you marry a stranger & then just jump right into the bed? You need time to get to know one another.

For those of you who have been hoping for a story about the ranger & Two Bits (Nell) I've read off of Jodi's website that she is writing a story about them. It's going to be called The Texan's Reward. She states that she's finishing it up so hopefully we will see it soon.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars exciting western romance, October 27, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Texan's Luck (Paperback)

In 1886 Cottonwood, Texas, Captain Walker Larson is moving the women and children from the town because of a pending cattle war. A young woman arrives claiming to be his wife Lacy, whom he never met before. Walker had given his now deceased father power of attorney when he joined the military and so his dad legally married him to Lacy, who runs the family printing plant in Cedar Point. Lacy insists they make love once as she wants to be a "real" wife. Walker complies before sending her safely home.

Two years later, Sheriff Riley informs Lacy that Zeb Whitaker, who tried to rape her, is out of prison and heading this way because he believes the women has his gold. Walker arrives because Riley sent a letter to his superior officer, insisting that his spouse was in danger. Walker is assigned to protect Lacy for thirty days. Lacy tells him to leave, but he refuses; instead he escorts her around town. As Lacy keeps track of how many days are left before Walker leaves, they fall in love, but the duo must stop Zeb, overcome their previous encounter and their different lifestyles to forge a permanent relationship.

The third "Texan" tale (see WHEN A TEXAN GAMBLES and THE TEXAN'S WAGER) is a wonderful finish to a fabulous trilogy with all the key threads except perhaps a budding romance between secondary characters resolved. Though the squabbles can become tedious when the heroine refuses to accept she might be in peril, the strong lead couple and the return of heroes from the previous books inside an exciting western romance plot make for a fine read.

Harriet Klausner