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Whispering Mountain #5
Texas Blue
Gambling man Lewton Paterson wants to marry into a respectable family. After fleecing a train ticket, Lewt makes his way to Whispering Mountain. But seducing a well-bred woman is hard, and Lewt realizes that to entice a McMurray sister, he'll need to learn a thing or two about ranching-and love.
325 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2011
148 people are currently reading
702 people want to read
About the author
Jodi Thomas
128 books2,502 followersI'm a New York Times and USA Today Best Selling author, wife, mother, in-law, grandmother, sister, friend, and owner of one fat cat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
May 12, 2011
*4.5 Stars*
Do you know what this book made me realize? I don’t seem to read any Westerns. The last Western Romance I can remember reading was Never Love a Lawman by Jo Goodman back in 2009, and that was only because I buy pretty much whatever she writes. Before that? Your guess is as good as mine. But why is that? I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve read and I remember reading a lot more of them back in the day, so why don’t I seek out more of them? Something to ponder later, I suppose.
I really liked this book. I haven’t read anything by Jodi Thomas before, but I plan to rectify that soon. There wasn’t a lot of drama or outside influences on the relationship. It was just a simple romance between two people who were surprised to find themselves in love with each other. I finished the book light of heart, smiling, and pleased that I discovered a new author to keep an eye on.
One of the things I loved most about Lewt was his humble personality and easy going nature. His ruse seemed black and white on the surface, but when I read his thoughts and the games he played by pretending it all was real, my heart hurt for him. Here was a guy who decided to travel to show his friend that he, a gambler, was good enough to court his friend’s cousins. It seemed like a joke to poke at his friend and to smooth out his own hurt feelings, not meant to be malicious at all, but then he started dreaming about turning the ruse into reality.
What was so sad was that even when he finally got around the women he never genuinely tried to court them. The potential romance lived purely in his head and whenever another man seemed to capture one of the sisters’ fancy, he seamlessly moved on to imagining what it would be like to have one of the other sisters as a wife. He may have talked a good game about assuming one of them would fall for him, but I honestly believe that he never thought it would actually happen, so he just kept to his dreams and spoke of his yearnings to Em. He broke my heart at times with his casual acceptance, and I just wanted to reach through the pages and hug him.
Em was another great character. I loved that her aversion to being touched wasn’t played out as some huge drama. Her reaction to it occurred naturally, and neither she nor he turned it into something it wasn’t. Lewt didn’t skirt around the issue and handled the situation beautifully. I like that he was so kind before he even became attracted to her. I can understand Em’s resistance to her cousin’s plans and I really liked that their deceptions mirrored each other.
Em was gruff and impatient at times, but you could easily see what everyone else loved about her. They may not have shown it on the surface—as they weren’t idiots and could read her Stay Back sign a mile away—but Em was deeply cared for by all. I loved that she and Lewt didn’t start their relationship out with a genuine desire for each other’s company. Lewt just wanted to learn more about ranching, and Em reluctantly agreed to humor him. Her opinion of him wasn’t very positive in the beginning, but his easy going nature, hard work, and genuine niceness won her round eventually.
I loved that Lewt and Em didn’t really register as attractive to each other in the beginning of their relationship. They became friends first and slowly came to see each other as more. It made it seem all the more genuine and heartfelt when they did finally share that first kiss. Their relationship together was so fun and perfect. I sighed a little when they finally had their Happily Ever After.
The only issue I had that dimmed my enjoyment of the book was the secondary pov sections devoted to Duncan McMurray, Lewton’s friend, and all the issues at the end relating to him. I found my attention wandering during those parts and was impatient to get back to the main couple. Luckily they didn’t last too long and I was able to focus back on Lewt and Em.
Despite being part of a series, this book stood on its own extremely well. As far as I can tell, the only thing that ties these books together is that they’re all about the McMurray family. Unless I’ve misunderstood, it looks like this book is the beginning of the second generation of the McMurrays. That makes me feel even more confident that there’s not much of a strong tie to the preceding books. If you’re interested and want to jump into the series with this one I don’t think you should have a problem at all.
Favorite Quote:
Review originally posted on Fiction Vixen.
Do you know what this book made me realize? I don’t seem to read any Westerns. The last Western Romance I can remember reading was Never Love a Lawman by Jo Goodman back in 2009, and that was only because I buy pretty much whatever she writes. Before that? Your guess is as good as mine. But why is that? I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve read and I remember reading a lot more of them back in the day, so why don’t I seek out more of them? Something to ponder later, I suppose.
I really liked this book. I haven’t read anything by Jodi Thomas before, but I plan to rectify that soon. There wasn’t a lot of drama or outside influences on the relationship. It was just a simple romance between two people who were surprised to find themselves in love with each other. I finished the book light of heart, smiling, and pleased that I discovered a new author to keep an eye on.
One of the things I loved most about Lewt was his humble personality and easy going nature. His ruse seemed black and white on the surface, but when I read his thoughts and the games he played by pretending it all was real, my heart hurt for him. Here was a guy who decided to travel to show his friend that he, a gambler, was good enough to court his friend’s cousins. It seemed like a joke to poke at his friend and to smooth out his own hurt feelings, not meant to be malicious at all, but then he started dreaming about turning the ruse into reality.
What was so sad was that even when he finally got around the women he never genuinely tried to court them. The potential romance lived purely in his head and whenever another man seemed to capture one of the sisters’ fancy, he seamlessly moved on to imagining what it would be like to have one of the other sisters as a wife. He may have talked a good game about assuming one of them would fall for him, but I honestly believe that he never thought it would actually happen, so he just kept to his dreams and spoke of his yearnings to Em. He broke my heart at times with his casual acceptance, and I just wanted to reach through the pages and hug him.
Em was another great character. I loved that her aversion to being touched wasn’t played out as some huge drama. Her reaction to it occurred naturally, and neither she nor he turned it into something it wasn’t. Lewt didn’t skirt around the issue and handled the situation beautifully. I like that he was so kind before he even became attracted to her. I can understand Em’s resistance to her cousin’s plans and I really liked that their deceptions mirrored each other.
Em was gruff and impatient at times, but you could easily see what everyone else loved about her. They may not have shown it on the surface—as they weren’t idiots and could read her Stay Back sign a mile away—but Em was deeply cared for by all. I loved that she and Lewt didn’t start their relationship out with a genuine desire for each other’s company. Lewt just wanted to learn more about ranching, and Em reluctantly agreed to humor him. Her opinion of him wasn’t very positive in the beginning, but his easy going nature, hard work, and genuine niceness won her round eventually.
By midmorning Em decided the tall man following her every step must be the dumbest greenhorn alive. He barely knew which end of a horse to feed. He fell several times in the damp pasture because of his slippery shoes. He frightened his own mount once by yelling and she had to go round up his horse.
If he hadn't been so funny, she might have given up pushing him. The man was a walking train wreck, and the idea that he might marry one of the McMurray women made her laugh. At this rate she'd be dead of old age before he learned enough to even talk ranching and make sense. But she had to give him credit. He never stopped trying.
I loved that Lewt and Em didn’t really register as attractive to each other in the beginning of their relationship. They became friends first and slowly came to see each other as more. It made it seem all the more genuine and heartfelt when they did finally share that first kiss. Their relationship together was so fun and perfect. I sighed a little when they finally had their Happily Ever After.
The only issue I had that dimmed my enjoyment of the book was the secondary pov sections devoted to Duncan McMurray, Lewton’s friend, and all the issues at the end relating to him. I found my attention wandering during those parts and was impatient to get back to the main couple. Luckily they didn’t last too long and I was able to focus back on Lewt and Em.
Despite being part of a series, this book stood on its own extremely well. As far as I can tell, the only thing that ties these books together is that they’re all about the McMurray family. Unless I’ve misunderstood, it looks like this book is the beginning of the second generation of the McMurrays. That makes me feel even more confident that there’s not much of a strong tie to the preceding books. If you’re interested and want to jump into the series with this one I don’t think you should have a problem at all.
Favorite Quote:
"Take off your trousers," she said as she lined up what she needed on the table.
"Not a chance." He winked, making her laugh. "You've finally given an order I don't plan on following."
"Look, mister, if you don't have four legs and eat grass, I'm not interested in you. Do we have that clear?"
He shrugged. "So this is no love nest you tricked me into, planning to get me in bed and take advantage of me?"
"Lewt, the only way you'll be laid out in that bed is after I shoot you for wasting my time. Now strip off those trousers."
Review originally posted on Fiction Vixen.
November 11, 2019
I simply adore the Whispering Mountain series. These stories are authentic, romantic, sexy, and sometimes humorous. The men are rugged, handsome heroes with a fierce desire to protect their land & women. The ladies are strong-willed, sassy, and determined to decide their own fate. Fast forward several years from the previous book, and we find Teagan McMurray's girls all grown up and entertaining potential husbands in Texas Blue. I wasn't sure how I felt about the time shift forward until I got into this story and fell in love with Lewt & Emily. I enjoyed recognizing characters that were just children in previous books and seeing where time had taken them. It didn't take me long to settle into the story and I soon found I couldn't put it down...just like all the previous books. A great addition to a fantastic historical western romance series!
April 5, 2011
Lewton Preston jokingly tells his good friend and ranger, Duncan McMurray that he would make s good husband to one of his cousins. Duncan tells Lewt that he is not husband material. This upsets Lewt. Duncan has found three male suitors for his cousins. They will me traveling to the Whisper Mountain Ranch tomorrow. Lewt cons one of the suitors into taking his place. Now all Lewt has to do is learn the ranch life and win one of the McMurray’s women’s hands in marriage.
Emily is the only one of the three sisters, who is less than thrilled that Duncan has sent suitors for them. Rose and Beth can have the men. Em has no interest in every getting married. She would rather stay on the ranch and take care of the horses. Em pays a friend to pretend to be her for a week. When Em is asked by Lewt to teach him about ranching, she will be put to the ultimate test.
Texas Blue is the fifth Whispering Mountains novel. It can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone novel. The best part of reading a Jodi Thomas novel is…the love and passion she brings to the story and characters. I absolutely fell in love with Lewt and Em. Lewt because he thought he was quite the ladies man but in a charming way and Em because she has a feisty personality and she kept Lewt in line. As I was reading this book, I could imagine myself at the ranch. Too bad that the ranch, Em, Lewt and the rest of the McMurrays don’t exist. They would be great people to hang out with. I guess that I will jut have to settle for visiting with them in the books. If you want to rope yourself a winning read than pick up a copy of Texas Blue today! You won’t regret it.
Emily is the only one of the three sisters, who is less than thrilled that Duncan has sent suitors for them. Rose and Beth can have the men. Em has no interest in every getting married. She would rather stay on the ranch and take care of the horses. Em pays a friend to pretend to be her for a week. When Em is asked by Lewt to teach him about ranching, she will be put to the ultimate test.
Texas Blue is the fifth Whispering Mountains novel. It can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone novel. The best part of reading a Jodi Thomas novel is…the love and passion she brings to the story and characters. I absolutely fell in love with Lewt and Em. Lewt because he thought he was quite the ladies man but in a charming way and Em because she has a feisty personality and she kept Lewt in line. As I was reading this book, I could imagine myself at the ranch. Too bad that the ranch, Em, Lewt and the rest of the McMurrays don’t exist. They would be great people to hang out with. I guess that I will jut have to settle for visiting with them in the books. If you want to rope yourself a winning read than pick up a copy of Texas Blue today! You won’t regret it.
April 6, 2019
It took awhile for the action to really get going in this historical romance and when it did I was totally absorbed. I particularly liked the hero who was willing to learn to make a better life for himself. Some side characters have me intrigued to read their stories. Gambler Lewton starts to learn how to ranch in order to win the hand of a McMurray sister.
October 16, 2014
I've raced on to Book 5.
Well I'm not disappointed. It just seems what the McMurray cousins would do. Male cousin send prospective grooms then hide behind duty to escape the wrath & female ones not having a bar of it, instigate their own game plan.
The mad dash to Mexico to rescue another generation of McMurray ranger is interwoven with bizzar but interesting characters.
The gambler may not think much of himself but the gentleness with the way he treated Em & then his part in the rescues makes him my hero. Enjoy.
Well I'm not disappointed. It just seems what the McMurray cousins would do. Male cousin send prospective grooms then hide behind duty to escape the wrath & female ones not having a bar of it, instigate their own game plan.
The mad dash to Mexico to rescue another generation of McMurray ranger is interwoven with bizzar but interesting characters.
The gambler may not think much of himself but the gentleness with the way he treated Em & then his part in the rescues makes him my hero. Enjoy.
March 1, 2017
Lewt the gambler with a heart of gold, and Em the woman with the sick up her arse.
I love this author and each time I read her stuff, i wonder why I don't read her more. This one was no exception but as you can guess, that was despite the heroine, Em. She was so crushingly unromantic, but they both had no clue about how to have a relationship so they did work well together.
Lewt is good friends with Em's cousin Duncan and has always wanted to have a family. He's had a hard sad childhood and a lonely adulthood. When Duncan goes off to do his Texas Ranger duty in Mexico, Lewt finagles his way onto the McMurray Ranch posing as a potential bridegroom for the 3 sisters. Em is the oldest sister but plans to never marry. So she has talked a good friend into pretending to be her while she pretends to be a regular ranch hand. She loves horses more than people anyways, especially men. She too has had a difficult childhood before her mother married Teigan McMurray.
Meanwhile, Duncan runs into a heap of trouble in Mexico and needs a rescue.
So the story is about 3/4 Lewt and Em and 1/4 Duncan's predicament. It switches back and forth until they come together in the end.
I loved Lewt's character and his laid back approach to life, even under the toughest circumstances. He doesn't pretend to be a rancher, but he also doesn't mention that he is a gambler by trade. He asks Em to help teach him about ranching and earns her very grudging respect. Honestly I'm not sure what he liked about Em, other than they were both kind of outsiders. She was prickly through almost the whole story.
It's a pretty PG story. And a safe read with no OM or OW (despite his initial intentions to marry one of her sisters). A nice slow romance.
The ending was awkward, tender and sweet and made up for the long slow breaking down of Em's walls. Em finally pulls the stick out and makes a stand for her man. I wish there had been an epilogue to get a glimpse of what their future life would be like. I guess I'll have to read the next book, Duncan's story.
I love this author and each time I read her stuff, i wonder why I don't read her more. This one was no exception but as you can guess, that was despite the heroine, Em. She was so crushingly unromantic, but they both had no clue about how to have a relationship so they did work well together.
Lewt is good friends with Em's cousin Duncan and has always wanted to have a family. He's had a hard sad childhood and a lonely adulthood. When Duncan goes off to do his Texas Ranger duty in Mexico, Lewt finagles his way onto the McMurray Ranch posing as a potential bridegroom for the 3 sisters. Em is the oldest sister but plans to never marry. So she has talked a good friend into pretending to be her while she pretends to be a regular ranch hand. She loves horses more than people anyways, especially men. She too has had a difficult childhood before her mother married Teigan McMurray.
Meanwhile, Duncan runs into a heap of trouble in Mexico and needs a rescue.
So the story is about 3/4 Lewt and Em and 1/4 Duncan's predicament. It switches back and forth until they come together in the end.
I loved Lewt's character and his laid back approach to life, even under the toughest circumstances. He doesn't pretend to be a rancher, but he also doesn't mention that he is a gambler by trade. He asks Em to help teach him about ranching and earns her very grudging respect. Honestly I'm not sure what he liked about Em, other than they were both kind of outsiders. She was prickly through almost the whole story.
It's a pretty PG story. And a safe read with no OM or OW (despite his initial intentions to marry one of her sisters). A nice slow romance.
The ending was awkward, tender and sweet and made up for the long slow breaking down of Em's walls. Em finally pulls the stick out and makes a stand for her man. I wish there had been an epilogue to get a glimpse of what their future life would be like. I guess I'll have to read the next book, Duncan's story.
July 2, 2022
I'm not sure I ever thought I'd read an historical western romance, but I gave this a try. And I ended up liking it more than I anticipated. The beginning was slow and the author's feelings about the Texas Rangers was pretty hokey. In fact, the whole book had an old skool feeling about it. But I got caught up in the story and I really liked the MCs, Em and Lewt.
March 27, 2011
What I Can Tell You:
Over the past year I have become a huge Jodi Thomas fan and friend. What I think makes my book reviews interesting is that I am not a huge fan of romance novels. They all seem very much the same after a while. Girl needs saving from herself, someone else, or from the eventual hero, they fall in love under distress and live happily ever after. Stale, old, boring.
I don't get that with Jodi's books. Lewt is our hero this time and while the synopsis is very good, that doesn't really describe the story for me. Yes, Lewt is looking to get into a respectable family and will do what he needs to in order to accomplish this, even stealing a ticket and worming his way onto the trip but he doesn't come off as a complete clod!
My favorite character by far was Emily or Em as she goes by. She doesn't want to be married off and has no interest in entertaining a bunch of strangers. She devises a plan to go undermine her cousin Duncan and sit this horse and pony show out. She isn't looking for a husband.
Jodi creates easy tension by creating an innocent friendship between the main characters that sweetly blossoms in a very realistic way.
Once again, Jodi had me reading romance without feeling like a complete fool, my favorite scenes were the sweet moments on the porch swing between Em and Lewt!
Over the past year I have become a huge Jodi Thomas fan and friend. What I think makes my book reviews interesting is that I am not a huge fan of romance novels. They all seem very much the same after a while. Girl needs saving from herself, someone else, or from the eventual hero, they fall in love under distress and live happily ever after. Stale, old, boring.
I don't get that with Jodi's books. Lewt is our hero this time and while the synopsis is very good, that doesn't really describe the story for me. Yes, Lewt is looking to get into a respectable family and will do what he needs to in order to accomplish this, even stealing a ticket and worming his way onto the trip but he doesn't come off as a complete clod!
My favorite character by far was Emily or Em as she goes by. She doesn't want to be married off and has no interest in entertaining a bunch of strangers. She devises a plan to go undermine her cousin Duncan and sit this horse and pony show out. She isn't looking for a husband.
Jodi creates easy tension by creating an innocent friendship between the main characters that sweetly blossoms in a very realistic way.
Once again, Jodi had me reading romance without feeling like a complete fool, my favorite scenes were the sweet moments on the porch swing between Em and Lewt!
January 26, 2021
I love jodi thomas heroes , they are never promiscuous . Just lonely men until they meet the sweet heroine sand their lifes begane to lighten. Her books present romance at it finest.
November 14, 2015
THIS SUMMARY/REVIEW WAS COPIED FROM OTHER SOURCES AND IS USED ONLY AS A REMINDER OF WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT FOR MY PERSONAL INTEREST. ANY PERSONAL NOTATIONS ARE FOR MY RECOLLECTION ONLY
this first review reflects my thoughts on this book.
I have read all the Whispering Mountain books and this was a complete disappointment.
Texas Blue skips ahead many years to when Jessica's girls are grown. I really didn't like how Thomas just skipped over characters and gave half-hearted explanations. I felt it a total cop out and since I love Teagen, I was super disappointed when she just opted to cut all the adults that are in the previous books.
Also, it really bothered me that Duck or Duncan has grown up to suddenly be a normal person. In the previous books, Duck had severe emotional problems. In Texas Blue, he seems to be an entirely different character. There is no explanation for this and that pissed me off. It made no sense.
Once again, the lack of characters present made me mad. Where did Martha go? Did she die, move away...what? Lame.
I didn't like Lewt. First his name sucks, then I thought he was a tool. Emily seemed like a really strong and independent woman and her character was just okay.
I hated how Thomas talked about the Civil War and how each McMurray dealt with it differently. Strange. I also hated that Tobin shacked up somewhere entirely different. Why is it that Travis has a home on Whispering Mountain but doesn't live there and Tobin doesn't have anything?
Overall, I was thoroughly disappointed with this book. I'm just going to pretend that it doesn't exist.
the following is information only
Successful laywer, Duncan McMurray, had arranged for three suitors to visit his cousins at their home at Whispering Mountain Ranch for a week. Duncan went with a group of Texas Rangers into Mexico to get some cattle back from some cattle rustlers who had stolen the cattle and taken them into Mexico.
Lewton Patterson considered himself a gambler and he was a very good friend of Duncan's. Lewt decided to take the place of one of the three suitors.
Emily McMurray was one of the three females. She asked a friend who looked like her, Tamela, to pretend to be her for the week of the suitors visit. Lewt spent most of the week learning ranching from 'Em'. Lewt did not know that Em was one of the McMurray sisters and thought it strange that she had a one word name. Em did not know that Lewt was a gambler and friend of her Uncle Duncan. Em was put in charge of the ranch while her father was away.
As the two spent time together, Lewt taught Em to trust him. She did not like men in general due to the fact that her father had continuously beaten Em's mother until he died. Her mother had left the town they were born in after her father died and she had met and married their step-father and the girls had all taken his name of McMurray.
Duncan was shot in the leg during the Mexico raid and was left sick in Mexico. An old lady named Toledo had taken him in to get him well and try to sell him to the highest bidder to be murdered by whoever paid the most money. A 19 yr. old named Anna took care of him until they escaped. One of the rangers, Wyatt, along with Em, Lewt, and one of the older ranch hands, Sumner, went into Mexico and rescued him along with Anna and headed back into Texas. Anna ended up staying at one of the missions they stopped at along the way.
Duncan realized that Emily had fallen in love with Lewton. On their last stop before heading home (Austin, TX) they stopped to visit Duncan's father, one of the most powerful men in Austin. He was a statesman, judge and lawyer. Em stepped up and told Travis McMurray that she wanted him to marry her to Lewt. Lewt agreed and they were married.
Emily found a man she could trust and Lewton married a wealthy woman that he loved and felt that his dreams had come true.
*****************
There wasn’t a lot of drama or outside influences on the relationship. It was just a simple romance between two people who were surprised to find themselves in love with each other. I finished the book light of heart, smiling, and pleased that I discovered a new author to keep an eye on.
One of the things I loved most about Lewt was his humble personality and easy going nature. His ruse seemed black and white on the surface, but when I read his thoughts and the games he played by pretending it all was real, my heart hurt for him. Here was a guy who decided to travel to show his friend that he, a gambler, was good enough to court his friend’s cousins. It seemed like a joke to poke at his friend and to smooth out his own hurt feelings, not meant to be malicious at all, but then he started dreaming about turning the ruse into reality.
What was so sad was that even when he finally got around the women he never genuinely tried to court them. The potential romance lived purely in his head and whenever another man seemed to capture one of the sisters’ fancy, he seamlessly moved on to imagining what it would be like to have one of the other sisters as a wife. He may have talked a good game about assuming one of them would fall for him, but I honestly believe that he never thought it would actually happen, so he just kept to his dreams and spoke of his yearnings to Em. He broke my heart at times with his casual acceptance, and I just wanted to reach through the pages and hug him.
Em was another great character. I loved that her aversion to being touched wasn’t played out as some huge drama. Her reaction to it occurred naturally, and neither she nor he turned it into something it wasn’t. Lewt didn’t skirt around the issue and handled the situation beautifully. I like that he was so kind before he even became attracted to her. I can understand Em’s resistance to her cousin’s plans and I really liked that their deceptions mirrored each other.
Em was gruff and impatient at times, but you could easily see what everyone else loved about her. They may not have shown it on the surface—as they weren’t idiots and could read her Stay Back sign a mile away—but Em was deeply cared for by all. I loved that she and Lewt didn’t start their relationship out with a genuine desire for each other’s company. Lewt just wanted to learn more about ranching, and Em reluctantly agreed to humor him. Her opinion of him wasn’t very positive in the beginning, but his easy going nature, hard work, and genuine niceness won her round eventually.
By midmorning Em decided the tall man following her every step must be the dumbest greenhorn alive. He barely knew which end of a horse to feed. He fell several times in the damp pasture because of his slippery shoes. He frightened his own mount once by yelling and she had to go round up his horse.
If he hadn't been so funny, she might have given up pushing him. The man was a walking train wreck, and the idea that he might marry one of the McMurray women made her laugh. At this rate she'd be dead of old age before he learned enough to even talk ranching and make sense. But she had to give him credit. He never stopped trying.
I loved that Lewt and Em didn’t really register as attractive to each other in the beginning of their relationship. They became friends first and slowly came to see each other as more. It made it seem all the more genuine and heartfelt when they did finally share that first kiss. Their relationship together was so fun and perfect. I sighed a little when they finally had their Happily Ever After.
this first review reflects my thoughts on this book.
I have read all the Whispering Mountain books and this was a complete disappointment.
Texas Blue skips ahead many years to when Jessica's girls are grown. I really didn't like how Thomas just skipped over characters and gave half-hearted explanations. I felt it a total cop out and since I love Teagen, I was super disappointed when she just opted to cut all the adults that are in the previous books.
Also, it really bothered me that Duck or Duncan has grown up to suddenly be a normal person. In the previous books, Duck had severe emotional problems. In Texas Blue, he seems to be an entirely different character. There is no explanation for this and that pissed me off. It made no sense.
Once again, the lack of characters present made me mad. Where did Martha go? Did she die, move away...what? Lame.
I didn't like Lewt. First his name sucks, then I thought he was a tool. Emily seemed like a really strong and independent woman and her character was just okay.
I hated how Thomas talked about the Civil War and how each McMurray dealt with it differently. Strange. I also hated that Tobin shacked up somewhere entirely different. Why is it that Travis has a home on Whispering Mountain but doesn't live there and Tobin doesn't have anything?
Overall, I was thoroughly disappointed with this book. I'm just going to pretend that it doesn't exist.
the following is information only
Successful laywer, Duncan McMurray, had arranged for three suitors to visit his cousins at their home at Whispering Mountain Ranch for a week. Duncan went with a group of Texas Rangers into Mexico to get some cattle back from some cattle rustlers who had stolen the cattle and taken them into Mexico.
Lewton Patterson considered himself a gambler and he was a very good friend of Duncan's. Lewt decided to take the place of one of the three suitors.
Emily McMurray was one of the three females. She asked a friend who looked like her, Tamela, to pretend to be her for the week of the suitors visit. Lewt spent most of the week learning ranching from 'Em'. Lewt did not know that Em was one of the McMurray sisters and thought it strange that she had a one word name. Em did not know that Lewt was a gambler and friend of her Uncle Duncan. Em was put in charge of the ranch while her father was away.
As the two spent time together, Lewt taught Em to trust him. She did not like men in general due to the fact that her father had continuously beaten Em's mother until he died. Her mother had left the town they were born in after her father died and she had met and married their step-father and the girls had all taken his name of McMurray.
Duncan was shot in the leg during the Mexico raid and was left sick in Mexico. An old lady named Toledo had taken him in to get him well and try to sell him to the highest bidder to be murdered by whoever paid the most money. A 19 yr. old named Anna took care of him until they escaped. One of the rangers, Wyatt, along with Em, Lewt, and one of the older ranch hands, Sumner, went into Mexico and rescued him along with Anna and headed back into Texas. Anna ended up staying at one of the missions they stopped at along the way.
Duncan realized that Emily had fallen in love with Lewton. On their last stop before heading home (Austin, TX) they stopped to visit Duncan's father, one of the most powerful men in Austin. He was a statesman, judge and lawyer. Em stepped up and told Travis McMurray that she wanted him to marry her to Lewt. Lewt agreed and they were married.
Emily found a man she could trust and Lewton married a wealthy woman that he loved and felt that his dreams had come true.
*****************
There wasn’t a lot of drama or outside influences on the relationship. It was just a simple romance between two people who were surprised to find themselves in love with each other. I finished the book light of heart, smiling, and pleased that I discovered a new author to keep an eye on.
One of the things I loved most about Lewt was his humble personality and easy going nature. His ruse seemed black and white on the surface, but when I read his thoughts and the games he played by pretending it all was real, my heart hurt for him. Here was a guy who decided to travel to show his friend that he, a gambler, was good enough to court his friend’s cousins. It seemed like a joke to poke at his friend and to smooth out his own hurt feelings, not meant to be malicious at all, but then he started dreaming about turning the ruse into reality.
What was so sad was that even when he finally got around the women he never genuinely tried to court them. The potential romance lived purely in his head and whenever another man seemed to capture one of the sisters’ fancy, he seamlessly moved on to imagining what it would be like to have one of the other sisters as a wife. He may have talked a good game about assuming one of them would fall for him, but I honestly believe that he never thought it would actually happen, so he just kept to his dreams and spoke of his yearnings to Em. He broke my heart at times with his casual acceptance, and I just wanted to reach through the pages and hug him.
Em was another great character. I loved that her aversion to being touched wasn’t played out as some huge drama. Her reaction to it occurred naturally, and neither she nor he turned it into something it wasn’t. Lewt didn’t skirt around the issue and handled the situation beautifully. I like that he was so kind before he even became attracted to her. I can understand Em’s resistance to her cousin’s plans and I really liked that their deceptions mirrored each other.
Em was gruff and impatient at times, but you could easily see what everyone else loved about her. They may not have shown it on the surface—as they weren’t idiots and could read her Stay Back sign a mile away—but Em was deeply cared for by all. I loved that she and Lewt didn’t start their relationship out with a genuine desire for each other’s company. Lewt just wanted to learn more about ranching, and Em reluctantly agreed to humor him. Her opinion of him wasn’t very positive in the beginning, but his easy going nature, hard work, and genuine niceness won her round eventually.
By midmorning Em decided the tall man following her every step must be the dumbest greenhorn alive. He barely knew which end of a horse to feed. He fell several times in the damp pasture because of his slippery shoes. He frightened his own mount once by yelling and she had to go round up his horse.
If he hadn't been so funny, she might have given up pushing him. The man was a walking train wreck, and the idea that he might marry one of the McMurray women made her laugh. At this rate she'd be dead of old age before he learned enough to even talk ranching and make sense. But she had to give him credit. He never stopped trying.
I loved that Lewt and Em didn’t really register as attractive to each other in the beginning of their relationship. They became friends first and slowly came to see each other as more. It made it seem all the more genuine and heartfelt when they did finally share that first kiss. Their relationship together was so fun and perfect. I sighed a little when they finally had their Happily Ever After.
March 20, 2018
Number 5 in the Whispering Mountain Series. The cover and title betoken Texas Bluebonnets. Twenty years have passed since book 4 and a lot has happened. Drummond Doak finally persuaded Sage to stop torturing him and accept the marriage plans he’d harbored since he was a wild teenage outlaw. Being a McMurray appears to be a matter of nurture not breeding and the three girls Teagan adopted are now in their twenties and pushing spinsterhood. Duck, so-named because the mute lad followed Travis around like an imprinted bird after being rescued from a band of outlaws has become Duncan McMurray a Texas Ranger and Lawyer like his adoptive father Travis, now a judge. Tobin of course is in Washington with his adoring wife. Anderson Glen is a thriving town where Sage is the doctor, Doak the Sheriff and the Texas Border remains outlaw territory.
We’ve read plenty of stories about mail-order brides but the plot device here is mail-order husbands for the three spinsters. The second storyline involves Duncan injured in a gunfight with cattle rustlers on the border the suspense drawn out through infrequent returns to his storyline. Knowing that he appears in book 6 assures us he survives. The two storylines don’t coalesce until word of Duncan’s peril reaches Whispering Mountain at the half-way point.
We’ve read plenty of stories about mail-order brides but the plot device here is mail-order husbands for the three spinsters. The second storyline involves Duncan injured in a gunfight with cattle rustlers on the border the suspense drawn out through infrequent returns to his storyline. Knowing that he appears in book 6 assures us he survives. The two storylines don’t coalesce until word of Duncan’s peril reaches Whispering Mountain at the half-way point.
December 12, 2017
While I loved most of this series with the exception of the first book, this book felt oddly reminiscent of that first one. This wasn’t a bad book by any means, the writing is amazing as always and for the most part keeps me gripped with the stories taking place.
The romance is what failed so spectacularly when it should’ve worked. After first meeting both Lewt and Em I was immediately excited to see their love story blossom. They were two characters I immediately liked. Em, the strong willed woman who didn’t want to marry and Lewt, the gambler with a heart of gold. It was all set up so perfectly to succeed.
And it just...didn’t. There was no chemistry between the characters and no real investment. Overall it just fell flat. There were no sex scenes and while I’m fine with that in a romance I’m not sure if that detail made this one suffer? But then again I feel like the reader should believe the two are in love without any sex scenes and I wasn’t convinced of this romance whatsoever on either side.
Even the big romantic reveal in the end was bland and sort of a what?? moment. It truly felt forced and had me questioning if the two characters were even going to be happy in years to come and I don’t think that’s a good sign in a romance novel. So while I was pretty disappointed in this one I’m still giving it two stars for the decent characters and the awesome writing.
The romance is what failed so spectacularly when it should’ve worked. After first meeting both Lewt and Em I was immediately excited to see their love story blossom. They were two characters I immediately liked. Em, the strong willed woman who didn’t want to marry and Lewt, the gambler with a heart of gold. It was all set up so perfectly to succeed.
And it just...didn’t. There was no chemistry between the characters and no real investment. Overall it just fell flat. There were no sex scenes and while I’m fine with that in a romance I’m not sure if that detail made this one suffer? But then again I feel like the reader should believe the two are in love without any sex scenes and I wasn’t convinced of this romance whatsoever on either side.
Even the big romantic reveal in the end was bland and sort of a what?? moment. It truly felt forced and had me questioning if the two characters were even going to be happy in years to come and I don’t think that’s a good sign in a romance novel. So while I was pretty disappointed in this one I’m still giving it two stars for the decent characters and the awesome writing.
October 23, 2019
This book was a good distraction on my drive. It was cute because Lewt was a gambler with a sweet/fanciful side. He wanted to know what it was like to have a family and his friend Duncan was trying to marry off his cousins and so when a no do good easterner came by to try and see if he would mesh with the ladies, Lewt beat him in a game of cards and took his place on the ranch. He wanted to land a McMurray woman but he ended up liking the hired hand. Emily McMurray didn't want to marry anyone, so she pretended like she was the help but ended up falling for Lewt and she for her even though she gave him a hard time during all of their interactions. Lewt tried to like one of the sisters but his mind kept going back to Em, who worked as hard as any man and was as tough as one, but had a vulnerability of being scared of them because of her upbringing. She never wanted to be around any man until Lewt because he made her feel safe and vulnerable and womanly. Like I said, it was a good, clean romance full of cowboys, a tough as nails cowgirl, and a gambler.
As a side note, there is a good story brewing on the cousin Duncan and someone whom he was imprisoned with in a Mexican gambling hall. TBD........
As a side note, there is a good story brewing on the cousin Duncan and someone whom he was imprisoned with in a Mexican gambling hall. TBD........
November 9, 2017
It's time for the stories about Teagan and Jessie's three daughters, and this first one does not disappoint. The oldest daughter is a lot like her aunt Sage, but uniquely her own person. The hero is very lovable, you're rooting for him from the first time he's mentioned.
It's probably difficult to write a book in a series and still have each book stand on its own. This one is a little to vague about former characters for me. Some characters disappear with no explanation, like Martha. Other characters do things that seem unlikely, I don't thing Tobin would leave the ranch to live out East. Then some things are completely lacking in details. You learn Teagan and Jessie have a son, who is apparently sick, but you're never told in what way, later you learn his name is Jamie, but that's it. The two books that follow this don't answer any of these questions.
The violence is a little graphic for me, but that's just my preference and common for books of this genre.
Overall, a good read, but it could have been great with more attention to detail.
It's probably difficult to write a book in a series and still have each book stand on its own. This one is a little to vague about former characters for me. Some characters disappear with no explanation, like Martha. Other characters do things that seem unlikely, I don't thing Tobin would leave the ranch to live out East. Then some things are completely lacking in details. You learn Teagan and Jessie have a son, who is apparently sick, but you're never told in what way, later you learn his name is Jamie, but that's it. The two books that follow this don't answer any of these questions.
The violence is a little graphic for me, but that's just my preference and common for books of this genre.
Overall, a good read, but it could have been great with more attention to detail.
June 21, 2020
Back in 1875 south of Austin, Texas, the Texas Rangers were prepared to ride. Among them was Lewton Paterson, a gambler whos best friend Duncan McMurray had invited three gentlemen picked to call on Duncan's cousins. Lewt has always wanted a family of his own, and decided to eliminate one of the gentlemen and take his place. He is in for a surprise as none of the cousins seems interested in him. The Rangers have ridden into Mexico to try to catch the cattle rustlers and get their ranchers cattle back. They've ran into trouble and when they escape and get back into Texas Duncan has not returned. So they go to Duncan's ranch to round up some men to go to Mexico to rescue Duncan. Kind of interesting but you can just tell what's going to happen next. None the less I enjoyed the story.
August 23, 2019
This was a sweet story. Lewt was a deeper character than I was expecting, which was a pleasant surprise (though his name is still stupid!), and I liked watching the relationship develop between him and Em. I will say, the obstacle of Em being scared of all men seemed a bit forced, but I did like her attachment to her home and family. The two parts of the book seemed a bit disconnected, and the first part, with everyone hanging around the house, was pretty slow-moving, but when the action picked up in the second half, I found myself much more engaged. Overall, a solid historical western, and I'll be interested to check out other entries in the series.
September 27, 2018
I am becoming a big Jodi Thomas fan this year. I started with her Harmony series, but needed to read a cowboy romance to fulfill a challenge and found the Whispering Mountain series. I'm so addicted to it. These books have been all I want to read and have had a difficult time getting any other reading done. The characters and story lines are great!
This book takes place about 20 years after the first four in the series. Its really fun to see how the kids from the earlier books have grown up.
This book takes place about 20 years after the first four in the series. Its really fun to see how the kids from the earlier books have grown up.
September 4, 2019
Sweet slow gentle romance
I really liked this one because Lewt was a strong but quiet and gentle hero with a vulnerable side from being unwanted and dirty as a child. He didn't think he was worth much and was dreamiu when he reached for a McMurray woman. Little did he know the ranch hand chick was one when he fell for her. There was some action and sweet talking. And thier dark hallway make out in the missionary was so hot I could picture it in a movie scene! But this was still a clean sweet end to a gentle.littlw romance.
I really liked this one because Lewt was a strong but quiet and gentle hero with a vulnerable side from being unwanted and dirty as a child. He didn't think he was worth much and was dreamiu when he reached for a McMurray woman. Little did he know the ranch hand chick was one when he fell for her. There was some action and sweet talking. And thier dark hallway make out in the missionary was so hot I could picture it in a movie scene! But this was still a clean sweet end to a gentle.littlw romance.
October 28, 2020
Texas Blue
A terrific read. Em haunted by the things she had witnessed as a child, didn't trust any man. Instead she spent her time with horses. Those she could care for and love without risking her heart. Then she meets Lewt. He's passing himself off as a well to do man looking to marry one of three sisters, but he spends all his time with the hired help, Em, who dresses as a man and does a man's work. But time together leads to getting to know and trust the other.
A terrific read. Em haunted by the things she had witnessed as a child, didn't trust any man. Instead she spent her time with horses. Those she could care for and love without risking her heart. Then she meets Lewt. He's passing himself off as a well to do man looking to marry one of three sisters, but he spends all his time with the hired help, Em, who dresses as a man and does a man's work. But time together leads to getting to know and trust the other.
March 10, 2020
Enjoy most of her books! First one I have read in this series will go back and start at the beginning.
Great sense of Texas as it grew, believable characters with enough humor to keep the narrative moving. I enjoy Thomas’s ability to create female and male characters with depth and intelligent thought.
Great sense of Texas as it grew, believable characters with enough humor to keep the narrative moving. I enjoy Thomas’s ability to create female and male characters with depth and intelligent thought.
July 11, 2021
unfortunately i didn’t enjoy this book in the series as much as the other ones. i still had a good time but i didn’t feel as attached to the main characters compared to the other books - it definitely had some potential, and there were some great scenes, but i found it a little slow especially in the beginning and the plot didn’t really pull me in.
December 17, 2020
Texas Blue
This is the 2nd book in this series by
The talented Jodi Thomas! Thrilling story of the early west ! Excellent concerning hill country around Austin, Texas area.... a need to read series!!
This is the 2nd book in this series by
The talented Jodi Thomas! Thrilling story of the early west ! Excellent concerning hill country around Austin, Texas area.... a need to read series!!
April 4, 2023
Good, solid story!
The story of Emily and Lewt was very well developed with strong characters and an interesting story line. I especially liked the ending! Even with all the twists and turns in their relationship the ending brought them together.
The story of Emily and Lewt was very well developed with strong characters and an interesting story line. I especially liked the ending! Even with all the twists and turns in their relationship the ending brought them together.
May 28, 2025
Another great story by Jodi Thomas. This one does a fair amount of jumping back and forth between the main story (Lewt/Em) and Emily's cousin Duncan who's in a completely different part of the country - but it all ties together at the end.
May 23, 2017
Shakespearean tale of deceptive identity, an easy read within an expansive landscape of Texan ranch and Mexican roadhouse.
October 2, 2018
A great story about a gambler who wants a family and home and a woman who does not want to ever get married. These two plus a host of characters made this adventure worth reading about!
June 1, 2019
Not just a romance but a novel full of interesting characters.
January 13, 2022
series
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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