Customer Reviews

Texas Bluff (Texas Hold'em, Book 5) (Larger Print Harlequin Superromance, No 1470)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Becky has been keeping a secret for years. Behind her sweet, nice demeanor she has been dying inside since Luke Chisum has come back to their hometown of River Bluff, Texas. She is afraid Luke will find out that years ago he fathered a child and she has raised him as another man's son. Becky is the nicest nurse around, will help anyone with anything even the family of the man who broke her heart before he left town for good.

Luke Chisum was just as heartbroken when Becky found out about a bet and ended their relationship. She thought she was a joke to him, but he loved her more than life. He left town to heal, and became career military to block the pain. Sixteen years later he has to return home and his heart still wants the girl he once knew.

TEXAS BLUFF is an extremely well written tale that will keep readers sighing for more. As parents know they will do anything to protect their young - and the parents in this story have done their best, yet heartache is about to come to the surface. The emotional ups and downs of this story will make every reader come back for more.

Linda Warren has a writing style that just gets better with time. Ms. Warren is a talented author who just keeps getting better! The tight knit story line, combined with the creative pictures Ms. Warren has written, give this book a dimension that will make readers feel right at home in River Bluff, as though they can look out their window and see the clinic where Becky works! After more than twenty published novels, this author's writing is still fresh, her creative plots flow from one scene to another drawing the reader in.

This is an author to be watched! Her next novel, due out this spring ALWAYS A MOTHER is sure to be a keeper!

Review Courtesy of Love Romances and More.

Becky falls for the sexy cowboy named Luke on their first date. She thought he felt the same for her, until she hears that their date is nothing but a dare. She ends their relationship and her daddy gives Luke his first taste of hell. Luke enlists in the army, leaving River Bluff.

Years pass and Luke returns home from injuries sustained during combat. He is no longer the reckless teenager but is still devilishly handsome. He finds things have changed except for Becky who is still as beautiful and sassy as ever. She never left River Bluff. She works as a nurse at the high school and helps out at the clinic. She is always there when someone needs her.

Luke and Becky's unresolved issues with their past keep them from going forward. Living in the same town puts them together too often for Becky's comfort. Becky's first marriage ended in divorce. Now she lives with her father. Bravely she tries to take care of her wayward son who is at the age where he needs money to buy a car.

Luke has his own problems with his family. His older brother resents him, his father is recovering from a stroke, and his mother relies heavily on Becky to get through the hard times. Wherever Luke travels, Becky is either there or on her way to help someone in trouble. He just can't avoid her no matter how hard he tries.

Becky has her own troubles. The fact that her son doesn't want to be around the man who is his father should be a good sign, but it isn't. She also has a secret. She knows that she needs to keep it quiet, but doing so makes her feel guilty. When it leaks out it will change their lives forever. She isn't the only one with a secret. Luke's family has one of their own. Will the news blow Luke's life apart in ways that were untouched when he was fighting the war or can he survive?

TEXAS BLUFF is a riveting novel by Linda Warren. The story is skillfully written with characters that are true to life. In this story, Linda relates to issues found in many homes today, where family members come home to take care for their aging parents. In this tale, she gives insight on how Luke handles and helps his father's recovery along with Becky's help. Becky is a gutsy woman who takes life by the horns and meets it. Luke's training in the army helps him to handle most circumstances without flinching. Both traits will see these two to the end. Will they get together, or will their deceit destroy them? Run to your nearest store and pick up a copy of Linda's book. No bluffing, this is an excellent read!

Reviewed by Amelia at Romance Junkies

Luke Chisum has spent a good chunk of his life running from the past. Luke was adopted as a infant and though his parents have always loved him it seems as though his older brother hates the fact he is part of the family. When he was a senior in high school, he dated Becky (Bec), the sheriff's daughter on a dare. The first date was a dare but all the subsequent dates were because he fell in love with her. The only problem was that he never told her about the dare. When she found out, she refused to talk to him anymore and started to date someone else. Luke was devastated and joined the Army and left town.

Now sixteen years later, he is back. He's home to help out his mother after his father has a stroke, and to work on the family farm. He has never gotten Bec out of his system and would love to pick up with her. But she is a divorced woman now and has a son in high school.

Bec is scared that Luke will learn her secret. But a couple of shocking family revelations will stun not only Luc but all in town. What will happen when Bec reveals her secret on top of all of this? Will they all have enough love to survive the issues?

In this final chapter with the friends of River Bluff, we meet Bec and Luke who have quite the past together. I enjoyed Texas Bluff, though I had not read any of the other books in this series. I must say Ms. Warren did a great job in throwing in a number of unforeseen connections. I think that Ms. Warren has definitely found the genre that she thrives in and adds a new twist to a popular genre. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and wish there was another in the series to visit the area again. If you enjoy Texas romances, you will like Texas Bluff.

Tanya
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

What a romantic read - I got a free download of this book and I enjoyed every word. I'm definitely going to check out more works by this author.

I have recently begun to enjoy Linda Warren books and have been impressed with many of them so far. Texas Bluff was a little disappointing for me only because the characters couldn't seem to get past High School which seemed slightly annoying. It did offer a few twists that were intriguing and it was an enjoyable outcome for the story.

Linda Warren continues to hold my interest with TEXAS BLUFF. I have now read five of her novels with four more Kindle edition books currently on my list of mandatory reads. Once again I find myself in awe of her ability to create real people with real problems, real trials, real emotions, and real true-to-life friends. No "Look! Look! See Jane run!" kind of writing here. TEXAS BLUFF is so well written that readers will put Linda Warren at the top of their "Must Read Author List."

Other reviewers have done very good jobs of presenting synoptic discussions so I will not add additional verbiage to the mix. Let me just say that I love looking for the clues every author leaves along the way that point toward significant plot twists. Some authors are so transparent in their clues that I can predict with accuracy exactly where things are going. That makes for a dull read.

Ms. Warren, however, is very skillful in her use of clues and often kept me guessing. But, she blew me away with one significant plot twist. I never saw it coming and I loved it! After the fact, I could see that she had left a few clues behind, but I did not catch them. Thankfully, none of the previous reviewers give any hint to what is in store for the reader. You will simply have to read the book for yourself to find out what I'm talking about.

Without any hesitation I give Ms. Warren a full five stars for this effort. I am now off to immerse myself in the next Linda Warren novel on my list.

Texas Bluff by Linda Warren had a great plot that could have turned into a great western romance, unfortunately it didn't turn out that way.

16 years ago Beck was a high schooler in a small town, she was known as more of a geek someone who helped all the kids get ready for tests and write papers. It didn't help that her father was the town sheriff and every teenage boy was scared of him. But finally one day Luke Chisum asked her out, and from that day on they fell in love. Until she found out that he had only asked her out in the first place because of a bet. Then when things were broken off she found out she was pregnant with his baby, but scared and hurt she let someone else claim the child. Now 16 years later she has to deal with her mistakes because Luke has come back to town.

Luke has hated himself for what he did to Becky all those years ago, and now that he's back in town he hates seeing her and not being able to be who they were. Then he gets the shock of his life when he learns about his own paternity, and then about the fact that his Becky kept his own son from him for 16 years.

The basic plot gave a great outline for a romance, but the details that filled it in were boring and way too DRAWN out making the book lag in certain areas. Then at the end of the last chapter the author decided to wrap everything in a neat little bow that only made the story worse. Some readers may be able to get over the failings of the books, but for those of you who love a story that has a middle beginning and an end skip this one.

ash

Luke Chisum spent most of his life running from his past. Now
a family crisis had brought the former River Bluff daredevil
home. Home to the small-town girl he still loves-and the secret
that could tear them apart again.
Sixteen years ago, Like dated Becky on a dare and broke her
heart. Now he's back, rekindling desire and tempting Becky to
give him a second chance. But she can't risk Luke discovering
the truth about the child she's kept from him all these years.
Becky isn't the only one keeping secrets. A shocking revelation
about his own family is about to test Luke he never imagined -
as a father and a son...
Even though Texas Bluff is apart of a multi-author series (Texas
Hold'em by SuperRomance), Linda has made this book standalone
in the series - I didn't need to read the earlier books.
Linda does a wonderful job of making the characters and conflict
real to the reader. She shows how different generations of
a family can be, and yet how similar they are.
For those that have read Linda's other books will not be disappointed
in this very excellent read.

After being away from his hometown for years, Luke Chisum returns to River Bluff, Texas due to a family crisis. However, the former military helicopter rescue officer knows he is still attracted to the girl he took to the prom years ago Becky Parker but she gives him the evil eye and cold shoulder for he abandoned her.

He wants a second chance with his Sweet Bec, but she refuses to have anything to do with him. Becky knows she still loves the man who broke her heart sixteen years ago and would love to give him a second chance to mend it. However, she has kept one secret from him; he sired her beloved fifteen years old Shane.

This is fascinating second chance at love romance that started years ago with a poker bet and now the game is renewed once Luke returns home (medical discharge from war injuries) with he and Bec bluffing to hide their deepest secrets and feelings from the opponent they love. Luke and Bec are wonderful antagonists while the townsfolk amusingly watch the two combatants in action in the final Texas Hold Em romance.

Harriet Klausner