The Texan's Wager [Library Binding]

Jodi Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002

Jodi Thomas's new Texas trilogy follows three spunky women who get kicked off a wagon train-and agree to enter the local town's "Wife Lottery."

In The Texan's Wager, Bailee Moore is "won" by a strong, silent farmer who could be the key to leaving her troubled past behind...

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two emotionally scarred people find love in this fast-paced Western from Thomas (To Wed in Texas, etc.). When Bailee Moore and her two female companions are voted off a wagon train, they reluctantly make their way to Texas, where they are accosted by a wild, smelly man set on stealing their wagon. The three women bash the brute over the head and promptly turn themselves in to the nearest sheriff, convinced they've committed murder. Instead of sending them away to be hanged, however, Cedar Point's wily sheriff devises a marriage lottery, in which the women are raffled off and married to men willing to pay their prison fines. Carter McKoy, a silent recluse with a tragic past, draws Bailee's name, and though she deplores her lot, she quickly warms to him. The first half of the novel ambles leisurely along as Bailee and Carter come to know one another, but the pace picks up abruptly when Bailee learns the man she allegedly killed is alive and eager for revenge. Though the intrigue subplot fleshes out Carter's character and allows for some compelling cowboy action (complete with fistfights and bullet-dodging heroics), it detracts from the real drama between Bailee and Carter. Thomas's crisp prose, sprightly dialogue and homespun characters will charm most readers, but some may be left puzzling over the novel's loose ends.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Review

"Jodi draws the reader into her stories from the first page... She''s one of my favorites." —Debbie Macomber



"Her stories are engaging, genuine, and difficult to put down." —The Romance Reader

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Library Binding: 329 pages
• Publisher: San Val (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417715308
• ISBN-13: 978-1417715305
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 3.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,538,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

New York Times and USA Today's bestselling author Jodi Thomas has published over 30 books in both the historical romance and contemporary genres, the majority of which are set in her home state of Texas. Publishers Weekly calls her novels "Distinctive...Memorable," and that in her stories "[tension] rides high, mixed with humor and kisses more passionate than most full-on love scenes." In 2006, Romance Writers of America (RITA) inducted Thomas into the RWA Hall of Fame for winning her third RITA for THE TEXAN'S REWARD. She also received the National Readers' Choice Award in 2009 for TWISTED CREEK (2008) and TALL, DARK, AND TEXAN (2008). While continuing to work as a novelist, Thomas also functions as Writer in Residence at the West Texas A&M University campus, where she inspires students and alumni in their own writing pursuits.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very enjoyable historical romance, December 8, 2003

By 

Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Texan's Wager (The Wife Lottery) (Mass Market Paperback)

THE TEXAN'S WAGER by Jodi Thomas

Jodi Thomas' THE TEXAN'S WAGER is the first book in a trilogy of books that take place in - you guessed it - Texas. These three historical romances take place in the state of Texas during the 1800's, when life was still rough and wild and civilization was considered to be back East.

In this story, the reader is introduced to three strong women, Sarah, Lacy, and Bailee, who are abandoned by their wagon train and left to die because of prejudice, fear and ignorance among the rest of the settlers. The three make it back to a populated part of Texas, but along the way they murder a man to defend their lives. Because of this they are given two choices - go to jail, or be auctioned off to three lucky men who are looking for wives in a land nearly void of eligible women. Women, besides those that work in the saloons, are far from being plentiful in this part of the country, and it seems that nearly all the single men in the town of Cedar Point are in line to find them a wife.

It doesn't take long for the three women to find new husbands. Sarah disappears with her husband, and her story is continued in the second part of this trilogy. Lacy's husband is away at war, so she goes with her future father-in-law to help him take care of the family business. Bailee's new husband is a man named Carter McKoy, who is known by the town to be a very strange and different sort of man. Carter rarely ever speaks a word, and as Bailee struggles to get to know her new husband, she learns why he is a man of no words.

The women's troubles are not over. They soon find out that their lives are in danger when word is out that the man they thought they had murdered, Zeb Whittaker, is still alive and is on the warpath. No one crosses him, especially a woman. At the same time, Bailee and Carter take in an orphan child named Piper, and their lives are now complicated even more, with the child being witness to a train robbery and being the only survivor, her life is now in danger as well.

The plot lines sound a bit convoluted, but Jodi Thomas does a good job at making the story as believable as one could make it. She also does a good job at creating such well-developed characters, which adds to the story's believability. I was very impressed with this book and found it a surprisingly enjoyable one. For those fans of historical romances, I highly recommend THE TEXAN'S WAGER. I plan on reading the rest of this trilogy and will look forward to new books by Jodi Thomas.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The hero was wonderful, January 4, 2003

By 

Christine Holroyd (Pomona, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Texan's Wager (The Wife Lottery) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a story about the wife lottery. Three women confess to murder but since the sheriff can't find the body he gives them a choice. Stay in jail or participate in the wife lottery. Bailee, one of the woman, agrees and is won by Carter, a very quiet farmer. The story is mainly about their relationship and its growth however there is some action in the story which include train robbery and revenge.

Now I really loved Carter. I loved the way Thomas developed his character. Why he doesn't speak (that often), why his home is like a fortress, and why the town shuns him. I felt so much heart ache for his character that even when I finished the book his story remained with me. And I loved the parts about how he would tell Bailee his feeling (I'm not going to give away the secret but it's pretty clear within the first several chapters).

Now Bailee is the one I have a problem with. At times I really liked her but at others I just wanted to smack her. I think the main problem was her fear of intimacy. At first I thought maybe she had been abused or raped and that would explain her actions toward Carter but it turned out just to be low self esteem and feeling no one ever wanted her. Maybe in the begining it was ok but after the way Carter treated her so sweatly I could not figure out why she didn't losen up. This is why I gave the story only 4 stars instead of 5.

I can't wait for Sam and Sarahs story but I'm hoping that Sarah's character isn't going to be like Bailee. That would be a disappointment but still probably a good read.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Read..., February 7, 2003

By 

"jtoth36017" (Millington, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Texan's Wager (The Wife Lottery) (Mass Market Paperback)

You can read a synopsis of this story in the Editor's review. I have read several of Jodi Thomas' books, and I am a "Texas Story" lover. I just wanted to say that I found this story truly delightful. It wasn't the usual down and dirty, full of sex story that most romances are. There are a few intense scenes and the final act at the end, but there is so much story in between. There is the story of 3 women, who are down on their luck and have suffered, who band together to survive, emotionally, mentally and physically. They confess equally to a murder (in self-defense) none of them really committed. The comedy, of a sheriff that doesn't really know how to handle this, had me giggling. There is also the sadness and shock that Carter, at the age of 5 or 6, witnessed and survived his parents brutal murder, but never had the sympathy and love of the towns people that knew them. As for Carter and Bailee, I didn't find Bailee too cold, only unsure of herself as a properly raised woman/virgin, who suddenly finds herself married to a complete stranger. I found Carter to be a refreshing change in the hero role, also. He was tough in the sense that he had learned to survive, however, there was still a lot of the confused, lonely little boy in the man. I found it nice that he was new to the sex scene too, and that they had to learn together what marriage and love were about. Maybe some of this stoy is unrealistic, but if a reader wants absolute truth instead of entertainment, find a non-fiction book...I loved it and can't wait to read Sarah's story... When is it coming out?