From #1 New York Times bestselling author Johanna Lindsey comes a love story as passionate, tumultuous, and colorful as the old American West. In 1870s Texas, an unforgettable drama unfolds in the lives of rival twin sisters and the cowboy they both want to call their own. Amanda and Marian Laton are identical twins but they are as different as night and day. Amanda is beautiful but nasty, and Marian is nice but plain -- purposely so to avoid provoking her spiteful twin's jealousy. When their wealthy father suddenly dies, the two gently reared New England heiresses are sent to live with their aunt on a sprawling Texas ranch. There the twins meet Chad Kinkaid, the cowboy son of a neighboring rancher. Marian is fascinated by Chad's rugged good looks and his sheer masculinity, but she knows that like every other man she and her twin have met, he will pursue Amanda, not her. Chad is indeed beguiled by Amanda's beauty, but soon he begins to see beyond Marian's carefully constructed dowdy façade. Unlike the tame gentlemen back East, after witnessing Marian's taste for adventure, her sense of humor and bravery in the face of danger, Chad finds himself wanting her. But how can he, a man who's just a cowboy without fancy airs or urbane charm, convince her she's the only woman for him? In a story that surprises and delights, Johanna Lindsey skillfully charts the intoxicating course of first love, and all of love's attendant twists and turns, that ends with a spunky woman's coming into her own and finding a man she can call her own. With powerful emotions and sensuality, incomparable humor, and great insight into the ways of the human heart, Lindsey delivers one of her most compelling novels, which readers won't want to put down until the final page is turned.
Johanna Helen Howard was born on March 10, 1952 in Germany, where her father, Edwin Dennis Howard, a soldier in the U.S. Army was stationed. The family moved about a great deal when she was young. Her father always dreamed of retiring to Hawaii, and after he passed away in 1964 Johanna and her mother settled there to honor him.
In 1970, when she was still in school, she married Ralph Lindsey, becoming a young housewife. The marriage had three children; Alfred, Joseph and Garret, who already have made her a grandmother. After her husband's death, Johanna moved to Maine, New England, to stay near her family.
Johanna Lindsey wrote her first book, Captive Bride in 1977 "on a whim", and the book was a success. By 2006, with over 58 Million copies of her books have been sold worldwide, with translations appearing in 12 languages, Johanna Lindsey is one of the world's most popular authors of historical romance.
Johanna's books span the various eras of history, including books set in the Middle Ages, the American "Old West" and the popular Regency England-Scotland. She has even written a few sci-fi romances. By far the most popular among her books are the stories about the Malory-Anderson Family, a Regency England saga.
Johanna Lindsey died on Oct. 27, 2019 in Nashua, N.H. She was 67.
Identical twin sisters who couldn't be more different find themselves having to move to Texas to be with their aunt when their father dies. Amanda adored and spoilt by their father is determined to do all she can to leave Texas with her inheritance tightly grasped. Marian always ignored by their father and forced to hide in order to prevent the spite that spews from her sister is looking forward to the day she no longer has to wear a disguise. But when Marian falls for a cowboy she's petrified Amanda will sink her claws into him if she realises Marian cares for him, and then their is the cowboy himself who seems ensnared by Amanda's beauty despite her sharp tongue and selfish words.
A lot of communication lacking between MCs which irked me a tad.
This needed way more oomph to it. The mystery component of this was disappointing.
It was a formula book done over okay, but... there were problems, too.
First this is the story of twins - the good/sweet one, and the hellion one. Because all twins are extremes. (?!) The good one wears frumpy clothing, no make-up, severe hair, and glasses she can't see through to make herself look ugly, because her sister is cruel and jealous and will hurt any man who pays attention to her sister.
But that isn't enough for the author. She takes it further, and makes the good one pretend to be bitchy, too... to help chase away anyone who might be interested beyond the looks thing. Except now we have TWO bitchy sisters, and the real bitchy one looks nice and... it got weird in a wrong way. Especially when the good one was only bitchy for something like two days of the book, and... ((O_o))
I don't know. I just had trouble. And then it went into the whole 'which twin am I with' thing, which led to an almost shotgun wedding (and an actual shotgun wedding) and... yeesh. It got very over-the-top.
Also, Miss I-can't-see-thru-these-glasses is supposed to be so clumsy and accident-prone, but then at the same time she's this incredible painter who can do miniatures that look EXACTLY like the people that she can't... see...?
More, the author's writing was so badly done that it took quite a few pages for me to figure out what era this was even written in. From the vernacular used, it felt like 1970-ish, but then we were traveling by stagecoach, and I realized that something was off. :/
A very basic and formulaic offering from Lindsey here. I was looking for some light reading am I usually able to suspend my disbelief and quieten my inner cynic to enjoy them like any good rom-com but this was so far outside of reality and was just poorly written. I truly couldn't begin to tell you the character's actions and motivations were - the fact that Lindsey made them so totally unwilling to communicate with each other for the sake of drawing out the plot was very frustrating and the twist at the end just made no sense. There are thousands of romance novels out there that offer so much more than this lukewarm mess. Do not recommend.
First Line: "Mortimer Laton was buried that morning in Haverhill, Massachusetts, the town where he had been born and lived his whole life."
Although the copyright information says 2003, this is a seriously Old Skool romance, and not in a good way. I couldn't stand the heroine and the hero was annoyingly obtuse. The only character I found at all interesting was the spoiled, bratty sister, who was at least funny sometimes. I surprised myself by reading the whole thing, but I would not suggest anyone else doing the same. If you want a good book by Johanna Lindsey (still Old Skool but in a good way) try Gentle Rouge or any of the Mallory family series.
This story features a set of twins - one evil, one good. The evil one is the one that is spoiled and the good one lives in such fear of incurring the jealous rage of her sister that she makes herself as unappealing as possible. She is just hoping and praying for her sister to get married and torment someone else. She's a klutz with glasses - and then they get sent to the wild west because of their father's death leaving them destitute or something (I forget the contrived premise). I love that the synopsis describes the girls as one plain and the other beautiful -- when they're identical twins. They're both stunning women, one just tones down her looks while the other enhances and flaunts it as much as humanly possible. So this book centers (sort of) around the relationship between Amanda and Marian Laton, an interesting one, might I add. Amanda and Marian Laton are raised by their narcissistic father that ignores Marian and dotes on Amanda. But all things change quickly when the father suddenly dies from a tragic accident.
I really,really enjoyed this book. It was very good. An entertaining novel featuring twin females. Some parts were tedious, as the one sister had more than one instance of fighting with the man she loved. Neither were prepared to let the other one know. Other parts of the book were entertaining. A generous four. It was entertaining enough but it depended a lot on misunderstandings. There are a lot of times where the book depends on the reader buying the book's logic. This was best illustrated by Marian's reasoning as to why she dons her glasses and acts like a shrew. But, I'm hooked!
It's been a while since I have properly read a new book, cause first I had my exams then I had an intense urge to re-read a series I love, and what a great book! of course it's expected from Johanna Lindsey.
I loved all characters the good and bad:
- The Main Couple: Chad and Marian were cute and stupid, really really stupid I just wanted to shake them to their senses, they had moments were they kept on being adorable and companionable and just plain cute, but more often than not plain stupid, how they developed the misunderstanding and kept at it for a looooooooooooong while I started to lose hope. There were times I expected the misunderstanding to be resolved earlier but oh no they had to stay misunderstood.
- The bitch twin sister Amanda and her husband Spencer, they were supposed to be the nemesis of both the main characters, and at the beginning they were especially Amanda, where she orchestrated and initiated the stupid misunderstanding, but at the end I started to like her actually, and they fit perfectly together.
- The Aunt and the Dad were a cute pair
- I really detested the the twin's father, he was a selfish asshole
- The moment I really hated in the book was when they first made love and at one moment he mistook her for her sister Amanda, I really wanted to punch him for that.
Una historia ambientada en el oeste, una novela histórica y romántica que me ha sorprendido bastante porque no esperaba que esta autora me gustara tanto. He leído varios libros de Johanna Lindsey y aunque la mayoría me han gustado, no la tengo presente por ser una de mis autora favoritas. Cuando empecé esta historia no esperaba que me gustase tanto y que me crease tantas expectativas a medida que avanzaba. Visto de forma objetiva, no es la mejor historia romántica sobre este género del oeste, pero merece la pena y me parecen muy curiosos los personajes que se retratan.
La vida allí es muy interesante, ciertamente, de eso no vemos mucho. Se centra sobre todo en los personajes, que la verdad, merecen la pena. Dos gemelas que se llevan mal, opuestas, una egoísta y arrogante, la hija mimada de un hombre acaudalado y la otra ha crecido sabiendo que su padre solo quería a su hermana. Para evitar los ataque de esa aprende a anularse vistiéndose de forma poco atractiva y ocultando su rostro con unas gafas que no necesita. Cuando se van a casa de su tía y conoce a Chad, la protagonista se siente traída por él. Ahí comenzarán una serie de hechos divertidos, de enredo, pero que a la vez nos muestran los problemas de la mujer protagonista, su evolución como persona y algunas escenas cómicas con su difícil hermana.
El final es del todo inesperado (en un aspecto) y me ha gustado porque nos lleva a la reflexión de las extrañas personalidades y afectos que puede tener una persona. La verdad es que es una historia que si el género gusta, merece la pena y que recomiendo.
Es un libro típico y predecible, lleno de clichés y machismo, bastante entretenido hasta la mitad, cuando aparece el sexo. luego se vuelve estúpido, con peleas sin sentido y malentendidos bastante tontos, por no hablar del sexo por accidente que ya es la gota que colma el vaso... Aún así como ya digo hasta la mitad el libro es bastante entretenido, no lo recomiendo pero tampoco es tan malo. Le doy un 6.
Trois étoiles parce que j'ai eu ben ben du fun à lire ça. L'histoire est COMPLÈTEMENT RIDICULE, mais on s'en fiche pas mal. Un cowboy sexy! Des galipettes dans une étable! Des revirements innatendus! Alouette!
Imagine having sex with the woman you love and then you also think you're actually having sex with her bitchy twin sister so you call her by her name. What the fuck?
not at all what i thought. this is the first book i have read that did not include vampires or mythical creatures. and i loved it. it was written very well and it was very romantic.
I had actually started reading this book several times over the past few months, but the beginning was so simplistic I would just get annoyed and put it down. Now that I've put my mind to it and finished, I was surprised to see this book first came out in 2003. The language, descriptions, and story were so simplistic (borderline idiot) I thought it had to have been written in the early 80's.
The jacket cover gives the general description of a Western theme, a story of two sisters, Marian, the nice one hiding her beauty, and Amanda, the bitchy and gorgeous one. Naturally, Marian one falls for Chad, the gorgeous heir to a cattle kingdom, and Amanda would only be interested if she knew of Chad's wealth. The girls have traveled to Texas from "the East" after their father's death to meet their estranged aunt who has the power to approve their husband choices so they can claim the bulk of their inheritance.
From the beginning, the narration is primarily from Marian's head as she witnesses events but has the tendency to drift into omnipotence by knowing EVERYTHING about Amanda down to the thoughts in Amanda's head. Maybe that's why the language is so simplistic ... it's not actually Johanna Lindsey but Marian who says things like: "But probably owing to the overabundance of spoiling and coddling, both of which fostered her self-centeredness, Amanda was, quite simply, not a nice person[,]" and "The two times she'd shown any interest in a man, she'd learned her lesson well. She wasn't going to be responsible again for seeing them cut to the quick by Amanda's tongue because they'd dared to ignore Amanda in favor of her." Throughout the book, men are so simplistic they are only capable of looking at Amanda and drooling and ignoring most of her nag-ish ways while completely ignoring Marian because she hides behind thick glasses (apparently women need to stop wearing glasses and wear their hair down more often to catch a man's attention). Even the hero, Chad, is unable to tell the girls apart until Marian takes off her glasses.
The reader gets a few peeks inside Chad's mind, as well as a few other characters, but primarily you get a first hand look at Marian's insecurity which reveals a chip on her shoulder the size of Texas wherever Amanda is concerned. There are a few exciting moments that follow the "Western" formula of robbers, guns, and traveling by stagecoach, but otherwise, this book should take you about five hours tops.
Heads up, don't get too excited about the mystery that emerges because it's as dumb as most of the characters. But because it got me focused on finishing to the end, I bumped this review up to 2 stars.
I was planning on selling my copy but then my bunny destroyed the cover ... I think he shares my feelings.
Before I start, let me explain that I usually enjoy Johanna Lindsey. But this book caused me a LOT of frustration!
Amanda and Marian are twins, identical physically but complete opposites as far as personality. Amanda is a conniving bitch (...that's a weird sentence to type) and Marian is shy and sweet. During the beginning of the book, I'm loving it. Chad and Marian are fairly adorable, and they have a little tryst in the hay. I'll admit that part was a bit shocking, because it was really early in the book, but still... I'm all for it. I like a bit of a surprise!
And then everything starts going downhill. While they are getting it on, right in the middle of this passionate taking if Marian's virginity, Chad looks up at her and asks, "Amanda?" ...Really?! You're in the middle of making love to a woman and during the most romantic and vulnerable part you decide you'd better double-check who it is? I don't care if he WAS confused! A confirmation of identity isn't something you do right after taking somebody's virginity.
After that, for obvious reasons, Marian is crushed and rushes away. Then that night, the twin Amanda sets the plot up for one of the most emotionally-frustrating conflicts imaginable. Apparently she heard them both in the barn and decides to tell Chad that it really WAS her he had slept with.
To add to the irritation, Marian says nothing. Despite the fact that she is IN the room while Amanda says this, she stays quiet. Meanwhile I'm foaming at the mouth, screaming "say something you idiot!!!" to a book.
And that's the plot. 150 more pages of continued misunderstandings and poor communication, until the very end when Amanda's hastily-constructed third layer wobbles into view and she confesses to lying. Suffice to say... I did not enjoy this book.
Look, I gave it five stars! Am I too easy? Not sure, but this is a book I kept wanting to get back to and read a little more and find out what happened next! So I guess that makes it worthy of five stars.
It's Texas in the olden days, where the hero is not only gorgeous and wealthy, but a good horseman, an excellent rider, honest, brave, trustworthy, loyal, helpful,...or am I thinking of something else? Anyway, this was a case of the confusion that can come when you have twins to deal with. True love was frustrated, but toward the end there were surprises and more surprises, and finally, love conquers all!
Descubrir que tengo algún libro sin leer a estas alturas, resulta sorprendente y si son los ambientados en el Oeste, entonces no me sorprende, porque salvo Tempestad Salvaje no leí más y de esa lectura han pasado muchos pero muchos años. Lindsey sigue teniendo su chispa y es una lectura rápida, entretenida y divertida, la historia gira en torno a dos gemelas y su viaje al Oeste tras la muerte de su padre donde la tía de ellas debe aceptar a futuros pretendientes para que puedan recibir la herencia. Dos gemelas tan distintas como el día y la noche. Destacar el giro final de la novela. Seguiré viajando al Oeste de la mano de Lindsey que me quedan.
johanna is tryin2 hard2 get our sympathy 4marian &it isnt workin.its comin off rly unrealistic. like why her dad automatically liked amanda better.or why he dint pay attention 2marian,but made sure she had clothing&everything.or why amanda dint care2 have friends,but wanted suitors. stereotypical twins.1 evil,1 nice.not rlly realistic. the speech is so wrong.its totally modern n places. EXAMPLES OF MODERN EXPRESSIONS- -bigger than life personality. hated eachothers guts. laying low. miss know-it-all. old-timers. makeup.flashy clothes. toned-down clothes. goal she'd been shooting for. bright idea.turned on the charm. her nasty self.living out of their trunks.handlebar mustache.run-ins.teenager. every trick n the book.sleep with him.set off alarm bells.skimpy.blowing off the handle. cold shoudler.raise hell. sore loser. every1 &their mother.ironing out the details. grilled him. quota of flimsy excuses. i rest my case. this is1 can of beans u dont want2 open.cut2 the meat.u've been warned. proceed @ur own risk.blind as a bat.u get top honors on unkind remarks.weapons confiscated. entire arsenal.humongous. sexy.flare-ups.gettin senile.middle of nowhere.entourage.tykes. burn his bridges down. knickknacks.give her home a more eastern flavor. barbecues.nags.driving me nuts.escape route. 2cats in an alley.laughing his head off.blow her top.blow off a lil steam. out of bounds.if the shoe fits. airing their differences in public.2the extreme.catching up.vice versa.at any rate. all smiles. grub. mosey on over.general consensus.burned all her bridges.hefty.make a dent in it. pronto. nerve-wracking.double entendre.the expression "i dont bite." let me just take this foot out of my mouth.lettin him off the hook.put u on the spot.its no big deal.it-had-seen-better-days-dresses.tongue-tied. rampage. hot as a furnace.underwear.shindig.ammo. scheme of things. chalked it up.bratty.sentence n purgatory.sloshed.puke.look whos talkin.shut the door on ur way out.moot point. bravo. the "new" me. the clincher.hectic.zeroed in on her.rammed it home.drivin him nuts. bamboozled.wudnt wish it on his worst enemy.carried aay on the dance floor.hangover. joshin w/u. clobber him.waitress.spoke volumes.office was a dump.baby stroller.bored2 tears.snoop. colossal misttake.traffic.lyin low.go crazy.sham.beaten2 the punch.blase.hit it on the nose.if the shoe fits.put on the spot.read between the ines.goin2 extremes.startin fresh.lot of bull. rubbed her wrong. EXAMPLES ENDED. -the way johanna writes is a lil..boring. the story dint immediately grab me.or even grab me @all. i was on pg 23¬hins been interesting. shes tryin so hard2 make amanda sound evil.idt ppl r rlly like that neway. u can tell where shes tryin2 be funny but it falls rlly flat. why wud u wear glasses if u dint need them? thats so stupid.why wud u try so hard not2 encourage ur sisters wrath that u'd purposefully look like a wallflower? a lady wudn't have sed "about damn time." or "get the hell out of my room." chad automatically dropped a few points just becuz he liked amanda2 start w/. the guy duznt sound...like a guy.its like the author duznt have a firm grasp on how guys sound/act. this book is becoming painful &embarrassing 2read. idk why marian is goin2 such lengths 2make chad dislike her,becuz he ignored her from the start becuz she looks like a spinster. the way u dress&those stupid glasses she wears discourages any romantic notions they mite have so she duznt need2 do nething else. the way she goes about discouraging chad is ridiculous. "u tried2 trip me,dint u? its not the 1st time.is it sumthin u developed as a child? pickin on other children w/ weaknesses? a very mean thing2 do.outgrow it!" not only is that a stupid way2 discourage sum1,but its embarrassing 2 read.good example of her humor falling completely flat. why wud u try2 make him not like u neway wen he already likes amanda &amanda has shown no sign of likin him.this is so freakin stupid! the guy duznt cum off extremely manly.he was tryin2 sound intimidating but it just wasnt workin. whats up w/ "son'bitch." i had respect4 chad wen Red sed she'd nvr heard of broken hearts attached2 his name.i was like yes,maybe this is 1 of those very rare books where the guy hasnt been w/a million girls. but the more i hear from him,the more i dont like him.the fact that he's attracted 2 amanda for 1 thing, instantly drops another few points. he blushes wen he realizes hes ben standin there havin a normal convo w/the spinster. which is the main character. i mean,duz the author even want us 2like the guy? becuz i dont rite now &i dont c myself likin him n the end. so he admits2 still gettin mad @this guy 4seducing a girl he loved wen he was younger. &he showed ppl he had "staked his claim" on amanda. i ask again,r we supposed2 like this guy? becuz he keeps droppin points n my book. why wud she admit2 him that if he talks 2 her then amanda will pretend 2like him just2 spite her? &why wudnt he believe her?! i thought that wud be the turning point wen he finally sees amanda 4 wut she is,but no.he seems2 want 2pretend2 like marian just so amanda will pay attention2 him. wth is wrong w/this guy?! idk how much longer i can wait4 him 2 realize the truth. why wud chad wanna pretend an interest n amanda wen marian sed she'd turn on her charm2 spite her? that he even pretended he was gunna do that was stupid. why wudnt she tell him she wasnt amanda? &wuts wrong w/him findin out they're twins? since wen is that a secret? i cant stand stuff like this.its ok becuz hes act.kissin marian,but he duznt no that so its all wrong. so basically the only reason u steer clear of men is so u wont be responsible 4another guy bein hurt by amanda? not that ur mad that ur sister deliberately takes guys u like from u&then makes them like her? "the disguise she fostered was deceitful enuff,but she did it4 a good reason:2 save other ppl from amandas spiteful manipulations." ppls trains of thoughts r hard2 follow n here. chad can excuse amandas rudeness,but marian is completely rude? wth. so he sumhow/finally arrives2 the conclusion that they must be twins.but duznt think that he cud have kissed the spinster.his thoughts r impossible 2follow.&stupid. everything about this book is modern-"can u refrain from bein rude 4 5seconds,sister dear?" she sed w/a tight smile, "or is that beyond ur capabilities?" not only duz that sound modern,but n tryin2 make marian sound like the good girl,u again carry things2 far &make her sound like an idiot. which makes us not like her.shes not as nice as she seems2 think. why do ppl keep callin her the ugly 1?! weird that Red found chad handsome &likes him& his dad. i cant figure out amanda.shes nice2 the maid,wants suitors but dislikes most of them,likes her dad. &they have an unspoken rule not2 scratch eachothers faces durin a fight. "wound down2 verbal insults." wut other kind of insults r there? not only r the characters sayin rlly modern things but the whole style of writing is all WRONG. ive nvr read another western like it. the language is a lil..coarse.use other words n place of cuss words.like marian &red call amanda a spoiled bitch.i mean she is,but call it sumthin else.just cuz this is a western duznt mean the ppl-girls included-cuss left &rite. they dont like eachother but they call eachother by nicknames? im so confused by this stupid book. "as long as it was just the 2of them,she cudnt be cowed nemore.it was only wen sum1 else was n danger of drawin amandas vicious interest that marian wud back down." who wud deliberately look ugly so her sister duznt steal a guy she likes &end up hurtin him? if the guy left u then u shud want him2 get hurt.&amanda still hurts her own suitors so ur "great sacrifice" rlly isnt doin nething.ur not savin ne1. 'she'd take chad off the "employee list-move him2 the "due2 inherit sumthin big" list.' so modern! chads dad calls marian the "ugly 1." how r we supposed 2like him after that? &how r we suppposed 2 like chad after he likes manda &the things hes sed about marian? wut happened 2the town n texas bein a quiet small town? as it turns out,men settle things w/ fists &guns.& so do women. so u dress bad so men dont get hurt by amanda &get marian was "tired of havin2 insult men just so they'd avoid her." -sported a short full beard.why dont u just say he rocked a full beard while ur at it? idk why authors have embarrassing things happen2 their characters.like wen shes about2 hit that guy w/a limb.&wen she hangs from the horse. we're not laughin. marian isnt lil miss nice girl.she sed the guy prob. had a full mustache becuz he thought it made him look older.&that it dint.&then becuz lil miss d.a. decides to stop holdin onto him on the horse, she slides from it&then gets mad @him becuz he was "actin as if he'd saved the day" (modern expression,btw) by sayin "damn that was close." seein as he cud have let u fall,id say he did sae the day. how cum everything she says is so stupid? "maybe u shud shoot that horse.hes dumped2 of us. hes prob. thinkin its a fun thing2 do now." ppl hatin animals.always likeable.&she thinks buffalos r ugly.she's seriously not likeable. unrealistic how sum1 like her wud like him so much after hardly knowing him.&that she wud know wut desire is. she makes bein a twin sound miserable.her aunt was a twin &they hated eachother. marians a twin &she hates her sister.do u act.no twins cuz u got it all wrong. the way ppl talk is so borin¬ interesting.her aunt duznt sound like an aunt.chads dad duznt sound like an old dad. johanna's grasp on this time period is as loose as an untied shoelace.it makes u&ur editor look incredibly stupid. "i hope u know i cud care less?" modern reply 1st of all.&why is there a ?mark there? i dont even feel like im n the 1800s. after he kisses her just2 find out if its the same girl he kissed the 1st time,she gets mad-rightly so-so ud think the next time she saw him she'd be cold,distant.but no.shes chattin it up&smilin. she was supposed2 tell him she wasnt gunna start ridin lessons w/him,but then just agrees. wuts up w/these dumb girls not bein able2 stay mad? just becuz she quivered@his touch,he drags her nto the stables&half undresses her&there isnt a word of protest from her except "wut if sum1 cums n here?" why wud an innocent girl let herself be led n2 the stable&undressed w/a guy she barely knows,who likes her twin sister?i dint think theyd act. go thru w/it,but they did.a virgin wud not have acted like that. how did u no wut sex was ¬ be shy@all? &then say "wut r u waitin 4?" how wud she no there was more comin up?he calls her amanda &she duznt say nething. i cant follow this dumb girls thoughts either. she wants2 shoot chad.ur the idiot who let him have sex w/u knowin he liked ur sister.ur the d.a. he says she denied bein the 1 he kissed, but idr her doin that. i also dr marian sayin amanda liked2 play tricks on ppl by pretending 2be her.where is this crap comin from? wuts up w/"sphere of influence." i thought red&chad wud cum2 the conclusion that it was act.marian he had sex w/,but by the end of the chapter it as decided that chad wud marry amanda.wth! i cudnt follow their thoughts then. this is freakin terrible! idk how he cud go from soundin like a good respectable guy2 sum1 ho has sex w/sum1 rlly soon &then says "she was quick2 offer him any service he mite require" about a freakin saloon girl w/ hairy legs. wth? hes marryin her sister &wen he dances w/e her she act.talks&laughs w/him. of course she'd be shivering so theyd have2 snuggle4warmth.&of course she'd have a nightmare so he'd have2 comfort her which wud lead2kissin.do authors realize just how much we hate that crap? &then the guys act like they did sum heroic deed by kissin her2 help her get out of schock. amandas advice 2marian as so stupid."let the real marian cum out." how very modern of u. im so sick of hearin about ppl not wantin2 ride horses,carriages or wagons. this book is full of stupid,boring,random things.the train robbery.the stolen inheritance. THIS is supposed2 be a plot twist? im so confused by this it aint funny. how r we supposed2 like any of these characters? on the train,marian says chads starin @amanda &talkin2 her.wth is that about? i dint even no stuart rlly liked red &then she just up&says we shared a bed 1nite.who just says that? how stupid is chad that he'd think2 even get w/marian after thinkin he had sex w/her sister? i mean,u shud feel like scum. &stuart had the audacity2 tell kathleen2talk2 marian becuz his son as sum "powerful feelings4her,but shes drivin him crazy." if she duznt like him,thats that.u cant force sum1 2like u.&certainly not after he thought he had sex w/amanda.thats the ultimate betrayel.not a "mistake" as stuart put it. stuart distracts Red by makin love2 her.i mean wth? wut happened 2tellin a story 2distract sum1? n here u just kiss sum1 or make luv 2them. marian is like u made ur preference clear long ago &it wasnt me.&hes like is that wut u rlly think? wut else cud she think? &then hes like but then maybe ur 4gettin tht i kissed u twice prior 2that day.the 1st time u kissed her,u thought it was amanda.the 2nd time u kissed her u were tryin2 figure out if it was the same girl u kissed the 1st time. "that kiss just dint feel rite,wen i was thinkin it was her.but the nite on the porch,that kiss felt perfect." u expect us2 believe that bullcrap? how was it "perfect" wen the kiss was 2figure out which twin he kissed the 1st time? i kept waitin4 the truth2 cum out.maybe he'd c her painting of him.so i was rlly disappointed that he found out becuz amanda told him. how freakin long is this author gunna drag out chad findin out the truth?i finally thought he was gunna c the painting,but he stopped wen she sed this bulcrap about a nude model.who wud believe that?&then hes like "u want a model?" as if its time4 jokes. its funny that u can get2 the end of the book &the characters r gettin 2gther w/o even knowin eachother.i realized i was @the end &the characters had had sex w/o knowin eachother &then avoided eachother &barely talked,the book then went2 hell &then they were "gettin 2gther" n the end. shes like "wen u dint no the real me.' he still duznt no the real u.they've barely spent ne time 2gether! &hes sittin there sayin these reasons why he "knows her." like wen she tried2 save him. but that duznt mean u no sum1. ive nvr read a book where the characters suddenly had sex then were nvr 2gether. had a huge misunderstanding &then got 2gther n the end. red had sed that her brother &twin excluded her.&then @the end of the book she says her brother cud have a twin brother.becuz she wasnt around then.u grew up w/him,how cud u not no that?! wuts up w/ this author &her take on twins?so twisted&so unreal. so their dad is act.alive &they conclude he had amnesia.like wth? how wud u conclude that? there wasnt nething remotely romantic about this book. nvr found out if they got their inheritance. basically this whole book is about amanda bein bratty.marian constantly talkin about amanda. "brillaint-idea." why is there a dash there? mortimer's scheme is so confusing. spencer punches their dad becuz amanda was "2 much of a lady 2 do it herself." shes slept w/ countless men,is rude,deceitful& mean,but shes "2 much of a lady" 2 punch sum1?! none of the characters-side characters included-were likeable.this story was UNBELIEVABLE. her dad loved amanda but now that he has a son he duznt? spencer dint no enuff of amanda2get married &vice versa but apparently they luv eachother.i feel bad 4 spencer. chad nvr even saw the painting of himself! ugh! this book has left me so disappointed. ive nvr been crazy about johannas books but idr them bein so crappy. this book was an absolute joke.had no grasp on the time period whatsoever.the storyline was terrible,as were the characters.
Selama ini saya menghindar membaca buku ini krn rumornya buku ini buruk alias the worst of Johanna Lindsey's books. Tapi stl baca, saya malah heran dimana sisi jelek buku ini ya 🤔 Saya justru enjoy baca buku ini walau agak geregetan jg dgn sifat pasif dan stubborn dari Marian.
Jadi ada sepasang kembar identik heroine buku ini yg memiliki sifat bertolak belakang. Amanda yg egois krn selama ini dia adalah kesayangan ayahnya. Marian memilih memiliki karakter dan penampilan 180° berbeda drpd saudara kembarannya dgn memakai kacamata mengerikan dan pakaian yg bertolak belakang dgn Amanda yg modis.
Krn ayah mrk meninggal dan ada wasiat aneh bhw mrk berdua hrs menikah dgn persetujuan bibi mrk (yg notabene tidak mrk kenal) maka mrk terpaksa tinggal bersama bibi mrk di Texas yg msh liar. Tidak butuh waktu lama bagi Amanda utk mengacaukan dan mencari suami. Sebaliknya Marian terpaku dan terpesona pd Chad Kinkaid yg diyakininya menyukai Amanda ketimbang dirinya. Dan ciri khas buku author adalah kesalahpahaman yg nyaris gak berujung hingga bukunya nyaris kelar.
Jangan mengharapkan dongeng spt Bawang Merah & Bawang Putih, atau spt Cinderella melawan ibu tiri dan saudara² tirinya. Saya justru lebih suka buku author ini krn sejahat-jahatnya Amanda yg manipulatif ada sisi baiknya. Sepasif-pasifnya Marian ada sisi impulsifnya juga. Interaksi dan romance lumayan ada progressnya. Yg kocak dan sarkas justru relasi Chad dgn Stuart, mantan teman sekaligus musuh bebuyutannya yg menikahi Amanda. Klimaks cerita juga sangat mengejutkan dan gak terpikir ada orangtua yg sangat egois dan tega spt Mortimer ini. Buat saya buku ini lumayan walau bukan favorit.
The story centers on identical twin sisters who share 99.9% of the same DNA and zero percent of the same personality. Both are wildly, outrageously gorgeous—the kind of beautiful where you can’t tell who is who until one opens her mouth to quote classical literature and the other threatens to set your shoe on fire. The dynamic between them is pure magic, packed with all the delicious drama, identity mix-ups, and sibling rivalry you’d hope for. Ending was a bit too abrupt for my liking. There was only one problem: The e-PDF Fate Loop. Every night, I’d settle in, completely hooked by the story. Then, without fail, my eyes would flutter shut, the screen would dim, and I’d drift off to sleep. I'd wake up the next day, realize I had accidentally swiped three chapters ahead with my chin, and have to go on an archeological dig through the document to find where I actually lost consciousness. Did Sister A pretend to be Sister B at the gala? I don't know, because I passed out somewhere around page 47. Did I re-read the exact same argument on page 52 three times in one week? Absolutely. The premise was so captivating that I continuously refused to give up, manually scrolling back through endless PDFs pages just to make sure I didn't miss a single witty exchange or dramatic reveal.
Vacation read. I forgot my book at home and borrowed this one from my travel friend.
Johanna Lindsey is like any writer of the genre. You know what you are going to get, the formula just works.
This book was no exception. I probably wouldn't have ever picked it up if I had remembered a book of my own. However this was perfect for the beach days in Florida while I was enjoying the drinks and the sand.
Really not much to review here though. Twins, one beautiful and awful, one who makes herself look homely. Enter man who is infatuated with the beauty, but can't stop thinking of the other. Enter conflict Enter resolution Enter awful sister turning nice Enter happy ending. Formula worked, book was completed without complaint!
This was enjoyable until their last conflict which is based on miscommunication/assumptions (which I truly hate). The author almost made up for it with her last twist (which was totally unexpected!).
Not a bad book but could have done without that annoying conflict.
1870-s - start in Massachusetts & ends in Texas...Amanda and Marian / twins, beautiful, opposite personalities, Amanda favored by father & Marian favored by mother - who had passed 8 years earlier...
Father Mortimer, rich, indulged Amanda, selfcentered, dead... and his will puts them under his sister's guardianship, who had left for Texas to get away from her brother when the twins were young...
Amanda was self centered and jealous... so Marian had learned to disguise her own beauty with clothes, pulled back hair, and bottle glasses - to keep men disinterested - those men who had shown interest in her, Amanda would 'steal' and then dump... so Marian hid herself to protect others...
Mortimer's sister, Aunt Red was just getting a handle on running the ranch following her husband's death... and in large part due to Chad, her neighbor's son - and her neighbor had a very large ranch... Chad had left home when his father brought home a bride (not of his choosing) for him, and elected to help Red as her foreman until she got back on her feet. And Chad is sent to pick up the twins from the stagecoach...
And the women have had quite an adventure - a train robbery, an almost stage coach robbery, a lost stagecoach... and Chad tracks them down... Marian is attracted to him, but goes out of her way to be rude to him to ensure his disinterest, and no competition with Amanda... Amanda is her own complaining, unhappy self... Chad sees that Amanda is very pretty, but takes a wait and see attitude, wanting to see if she settled down once the strenuous trip was over... but the night before they make it to Red's ranch, a crusty bounty hunter comes into the camp to take Chad to his father... and Marian (without her glasses/disguise) helps him... and they kiss, but he thinks he is kissing Amanda...
Once on the ranch, Chad & his father (who is interested in Red) make up... Chad decides he wants nothing to do with Amanda, and thinks that Marian was the one who helped him... they kiss again, and he's sure... and then the next day, as Chad is starting to give Marian a horseback riding lesson, he is overcome with passion as Marian cannot keep her eyes off of him, and so obviously is thinking about him... and he makes love to her in the barn on straw...
Amanda, who wants to stir up trouble & get sent back to Massachusetts, comes into dinner and says she was in the barn with Chad - and Chad is uncertain, and Marian is too shocked to say anything, and Red believes her & insists Chad marry her...
In town, while getting drunk, Chad confides in his arch enemy Spencer / saloon owner & Spencer offers to take Amanda off his hands... Chad readily agrees..
And after more misunderstandings, Spencer & Amanda marry (shotgun wedding) - and spencer doesn't spoil her/give in to her, except in the bedroom : ) ... and Marian tries to keep her distance from Chad, not wanting to love a man who at one time wanted her sister ... and it takes 4 trips and pushing by Amanda for Chad to get to the truth with Marian - to know the truth, that he had slept with her & not Amanda, and for Amanda to acknowledge that she loved him (and vice a versa)...
And the final twist... when they get a letter from the lawyer that their father had mismanaged his money and no inheritance was left, with Amanda's logic they come to believe that the lawyer had stolen from them... so they all go to Massachusetts, and find that their father did not die, that he married his mistress (his lawyers sister) and now has a son, whom he wants to inherit everything...
And Amanda had Spencer, so it's okay... and Red has Chad's father, so it's okay... and Marian has Chad... they take a ship back to Texas, where the captain marries them & Chad is romantic, arranging for flowers etc, and the keep practice making love until they get it right. : )
There's nothing quite like a good love story, especially when you're in the mood for one. A MAN TO CALL MY OWN was a quick read for me, but I enjoyed the romance, the setting and the characters as well. Fans of romance novels might find the story slightly predictable, but it's an entertaining addition to the genre.
The Characters
Chad Kinkaid is not necessarily my favorite romance novel hero, but he's certainly different from most of the heroes I'm familiar with. His rough and tough persona reminds me of the men who are part of the Roses, a family from a series by Julie Garwood. He certainly sounds handsome though, as well as being intelligent, caring and a gentleman.
Marian Laton, on the other hand, is a character I absolutely adored and mostly because I thought she was relatable. She's the meek mouse, the girl who always stays out of the limelight and tries not to draw attention to herself. But she's also a revelation in that she's strong, she's passionate, she's smart and she's definitely unique. I enjoyed reading about her eventual realization that it's okay to be herself - and joining her as she transformed.
The Story
As I mentioned previously, the story is slightly predictable, though there were a couple of twists that I didn't see coming. The build-up of the romance, especially the moments that Chad and Marian shared, was really a lot of fun for me to read. The setting was also fascinating to me, as I rarely read books set in this kind of location. These things made the book intriguing to me and led to me truly enjoying the novel.
The Bottom Line
If you're a fan of the romance novel genre, then A MAN TO CALL MY OWN by JOHANNA LINDSEY is worth a read. However, if you're just starting to read romances, I can give you recommendations for other books to try.