To Catch a Texas Star

This book is a roller coaster ride filled with dastardly villains, life and death struggles and exciting characters that found their way into my heart and kept me rooting for the good guys from start to finish. It’s the perfect combination of historical American fiction with suspense, romance and over-the-top Texas twang that was a delight to read and left me with a happily-ever-after satisfied smile on my face. Roan is a sympathetic character with a lonely and pitiful past that has him longing for a place that he can call home and Marley Rose is just the woman to care for him when he’s left beaten and half dead in the dirt road. Marley Rose is quite a character herself. She spends her days on the ranch helping her parents taken care of a whole host of orphaned children while she dabbles in writing books and painting as a creative outlet in her spare time. Unique characters and a fast paced and creative storyline is exactly what you get when you dive into this entertaining read. I read a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley and all opinions expressed in my voluntary review are completely my own.

I adore Marley and her spirit. She’s feisty and independent, both great qualities in a heroine. As Marley tells her father, Duel: “I’ll be fine,” Marley assured him. “I’m not some spineless little girl who wrings her hands and waits for someone to ride to her rescue.” Bonus point for self-rescuing princesses! I also appreciate that Ms. Brody writes Marley as a storyteller and artist. Marley creates stories for all the children. She also attempts to illustrate her stories with paintings and drawings. Her ability to take a small idea and make it into an full story is amazing. I’m guessing it’s a similar process that Ms. Brody goes through when writing her novels. Roan had a rough childhood and not much better luck as an adult. But what really impresses me is that, despite all his hardship, he’s capable of loving, protecting, and supporting Marley. I also really admire the connection Roan has with the adopted kids on the ranch, especially Matt. Roan sees himself in Matt and shows his true character when he’s around the children. The romance between Marley and Roan is believable, if a bit rushed. I welcomed how they support and encourage each other. For example, Roan encourages Marley to submit her stories to a publisher. And when none of the ranch hands are available to support Roan during his horse race in the next county, Marley is there for him. These two characters really bring out the best in each other. My favorite secondary character in To Catch a Texas Star is definitely Granny Jack. She’s a hoot. And I’m totally making her catch phrase my own! “Honey, every tub has got to sit on its own bottom.” That makes me laugh each time I think about it. Classic Granny Jack! I also really enjoyed catching up with Duel and Jessie from Knight on the Texas Plains. For me, it’s always great to see a couple I fell in love with still happily in love after close to twenty years together. The romance in To Catch a Texas Star may have caught my initial attention, but the mystery plot kept me reading. Ms. Brody does a fabulous job weaving together separate plot lines of discovering who is trying to destroy the Aces ‘n’ Eights Ranch by wrangling cattle with the mystery of who killed Roan’s friend Mose and left Roan for dead. There were a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming in the road. Kudos to Ms. Broday for seamlessly blending the plot! Overall, To Catch a Texas Star is a great historic romance with strong, well-developed characters. Highly recommended! 4 1/2 Stars!