Carolyn Davidson began writing in 1986, knowing absolutely nothing about the craft. Her first three books were rejected by Harlequin.
She met Dixie Browning at a Harlequin dinner in Charleston, South Carolina, and told Dixie she was writing, but that she feared she was too old to begin such an undertaking. Dixie's response spurred Carolyn to pursue her dream. Dixie said, in her own inimitable fashion, "Well, honey, you can't start any younger!" And she was right.
Having spent her life as a wife, mother, grandmother, and working woman, she's privileged to have a career that makes her dreams possible. Writing historical romance gives her the opportunity to travel, to visit all those places where our forefathers staked their claim on this country of ours. And then she goes home and writes their stories, maybe not exactly as they lived them, but as her imagination portrays them.
Carolyn lives in the South, where romance thrives, and where the sun shines almost every day of the year. In fact, some days it is difficult to stay glued to her computer, especially when the birds are singing and the flowers are in full bloom.
She lives not far from the ocean, close to Charleston, South Carolina, one of the most romantic cities in the world. Moreover, time at the beach is easy to come by. Does she enjoy her life? You bet! Harlequin allows her to write the books she loves, and her editor is patient with her quirks and foibles. Her family, though scattered in various states, is supportive, and her husband is a constant source of inspiration.
The Texan is set in the past (period not specified, but early 20th century by the looks of it) and charts the romance between two characters in a town in the American West. First up is Augusta McBride, a prim-and-proper lady who has just set up a refuge in town to help ex-prostitutes get back on their feet. The second is Jonathan Creary, a tough man who’s determined to marry Miss McBride. Both characters have dark secrets and it’s the resolving of these secrets that is the focus of the storyline.
Whew! The Texan makes for a great read. Both hero and heroine are strong, feisty characters and the scenes in which they argue and fight together almost have sparks flying from the page. Davidson puts the emphasis very much on the romance, so there are lots of bits involving physical desire and plenty of authentic-sounding dialogue between the pair. The sexual situations are fairly explicit without ever being crude and as a whole the central relationship rings true. Davidson does well at putting across her period setting, and you can almost taste the grit.
The setting of a house for abused women reminded me of a similar setting in King’s Rose Madder although Davidson is even better at chronicling the camaraderie between the ladies. My only complaint is that the action parts of the plot (i.e. the shoot-outs and gun-fights) are not as authentic as the love scenes, but then these are very much a secondary part of the story in the face of the strong central romance. A thoroughly engaging read, this.
Um romance de época engraçado. Embora não seja o meu estilo favorito, gostei. Nunca tinha lido nada da autora, fiquei curiosa com os outros da coleção.
A very nice book to read. Carolyn Davidson just has a way with written that makes a person not want to put the book down. This book has a lot of mystery through out the book. A woman has secrets, plus she runs a shelter for women who want a better life. A man has secrets, he is a US marshal, undercover, looking for bank robberies. This is a very enjoyable book to read.
"Sulla soglia c’era Cleary, con il cappello in mano. Vedendolo, Augusta rimase senza fiato e dovette aggrapparsi al lavandino per non accasciarsi sul pavimento. Il cuore cominciò a batterle forte nel petto. Sua madre le aveva detto che un giorno o l’altro avrebbe incontrato l’uomo della sua vita e che l’avrebbe riconosciuto immediatamente. L’uomo che avrebbe potuto renderla immensamente felice o precipitarla nella più cupa disperazione. Quell’uomo era Cleary."
Questo è il secondo titolo che leggo dell'autrice e devo dire che mi è piaciuto anche più del primo, che comunque era stata una bellissima lettura! L'ambientazione è sempre affascinante e selvaggia, i protagonisti entrambi forti e determinati e se Cleary, con il suo fascino, i suoi misteri e la sua risolutezza, ti colpisce da subito, la sua Augusta non è da meno, anzi, è ancora più lodevole per come porta avanti le sue idee e il suo concetto di giustizia in un mondo in cui la reputazione era tutto e le donne potevano essere solo sante o peccatrici. Il suo farsi carico di tutti i pesi degli altri e la sua natura altruista la spingono spesso a dimenticarsi di essere lei stessa una donna con desideri e fragilità, ma per fortuna ci pensa il nostro eroe a fornirle una spalla su cui appoggiarsi (volente o nolente xD) e aprirle gli occhi su molte cose, in primis amore e attrazione ;D Ben tratteggiati anche i personaggi secondari, insieme formano una vera famiglia e mi è piaciuto anche come alcuni personaggi inizialmente "negativi", come il fratello di Augusta, trovino poi il modo di riscattarsi e vivere non solo in modo onorevole ma anche altruista verso il prossimo. Sono davvero curiosa di leggere altro di questa talentuosa scrittrice!
Kind of like the U.K. cover better... but, I don’t know. What do you think?
★★★★☆I’m slowly making my way through Ms. Davidson’s back list. For some reason, I like her “voice”. The second in Davidson’s Texas series starts out a bit leisurely, which I usually don’t mind, but this time seemed slower than her usual. It certainly picked up later, making it well worth reading about Augusta McBride – or Gussie – and U.S. Marshal Jonathan Cleary’s love story.
Certain she’s all set for spinsterhood, Gussie is fixed on creating an environment in which a few “soiled doves” (one of whom is pregnant!) are able to reform their ways. She’s provided the safe-haven, and commences teaching them the “womanly arts”. However, this prim and proper miss has more than one pot on the stove, and after staying the night (!!) to take care of Jonathan when the poor man has been wounded yet again, the preacher and his wife unexpectedly stop by. Ooops! A “shotgun wedding” follows, much to Jonathan’s delight. (I mean, he was **gasp** shirtless, after all!)
Augusta McBride is a force of nature; she and a like group of women develop the idea of giving ‘soiled doves’ an opportunity to change their lives and possibly wed. Augusta is using her inheritance to support her vision of a home for wayward women.
U.S. Marshal Jonathan Cleary notices Augusta immediately. He’s looking to settle down after a last assignment and is stunned to find himself attracted to the prim Miss McBride. He’s in Collins Creek, Texas as part of an elaborate plot to bring in a large gang of robbers and murderers.
Augusta has no interest in marrying anyone and it is up to Jonathan Cleary to get past her defenses. Each keeps secrets from the other and this does not bode well for a long-term relationship.
When Jonathan comes back from one of his mysterious trips and is wounded, Augusta goes to his home to take care of him. This starts the rumor mill working overtime and the minister and his wife arrive of Cleary’s porch – wanting to know what is going on.
Jonathan immediately suggests that he marry Augusta; he was planning to do it soon but was in no physical condition to call on the minister. The wedding takes place immediately.
This book travels at a nice pace and there are lots of subplots to keep the story humming. I enjoyed this book a great deal.
A pretty good book. Makes you wonder about spinsters, was there really anything all that bad wrong with being older, before you married & possibly had children??? Sounds like a man would have been happier to have a more mature woman, then have a simpering female for a bride. I enjoy Carolyn Daivdson's books.
This was only the second books I've read by this author, and plan to read more. The story was well written with great characters. A constant page turner. Make sure to also read, Maggies Beau