Leigh Greenwood has become renowned the world over, and not just because he's a male romance author, but because he is one talented story-teller. A bestselling and award-winning author, Leigh Greenwood's one-of-a-kind western romances continue with his latest release Texas Pride. A love story of epic proportions, told through the author's unique voice, makes Texas Pride a novel that is hard to put down and even harder to forget.
Texas Pride, What it's all About
Texas ranch owner, Carla, is inconsolable when she discovers her brother lost half of their ranch in a card game. All the sweat, blood and tears of her family and everything she has worked towards is about to be torn apart. The last thing she needs is a Polish prince, who is impossible to resist, be the one to do it. Ivan would never go out of his way to hurt someone but the idea of running, then selling, a ranch is just what he needs to finance his ticket home. Poland is all he cares about and he will do whatever it takes to get home, well almost whatever it takes.
One of the greatest assets of this novel was something I noticed during the very first chapter, the author's unique gift to show rather than tell. Leigh Greenwood has an inane ability to make the character's emotions palpable. Without telling me how Carla felt, her feelings were written in every action she made, her impatience represented in her repetitive cleaning, her anxiety, everything. I was able to picture the story taking place and feel the rampant emotions as if they were happening to a dear friend, I was empathetic toward the characters and felt for them.
Having a Polish prince in Texas seemed a little too much for me at first, but Ivan is definitely a true Texan at heart, with just enough prince in him to make the women swoon. Both he and Carla were so much alike, yet so different that I couldn't help but like them and how they reacted to one another. Their blooming love was always there, yet sometimes an undertone to the plot and sometimes the most significant detail, which was nice as it added an opportunity to see the whole of the picture the author painted.
Characters are People too in Texas Pride
Characters. Where to begin with those characters. Leigh Greenwood really has a way with bringing characters to life for readers. Whether it was the protagonists, the villains or subsidiary characters, each role was thoroughly thought out and effortlessly presented. Myrtle was perhaps my favorite character of all; her underlying sarcasm, blunt truthfulness, incomparable caring, was all just magnificent enough to leave a lasting image in my mind.
The characters are engaging and captivating to the point of feeling they are close friends you know and care about. Absolutely unique, each character is relatable and so easy to like, even with their non-favorable characteristic traits. Ivan played into the dumb foreigner persona, but his intellect and wisdom could always be detected just under the surface. His past was important not only to who he is as a character, but his role in the novel; his stint in the U.S. Army giving him roots in the country and bestowing him with a certain respect Texans wouldn't have given him as just a foreign dignitary.
Carla had just enough spit to make a Texan proud, but enough heart to make her lovable to Ivan and readers. Her eternal love for her brother, even though his youthful mistake cost her half her ranch, was evident even in the darkest moments. Even when Carla was angry her character could make you smile, which was a rare treat indeed. The letters from Ivan's mom added a certain charm to the novel, revealing her character even though readers never meet her. Though Poland was ever only talked about and never an actual setting, having her letters throughout the novel brought Poland to the forefront in a way that was needed to piece everything together.
My only miniscule complaint- I knew exactly what the villain was going to do. The cattle stealing bandit plot has been written time and again, and though I knew what was going to occur, Leigh Greenwood's incredible talent of storytelling still made the novel a worthy read. There were still surprises mind you; the villains having a couple of plot twists up their sleeves, some I certainly didn't anticipate until the end. Overall I do recommend the book and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
About the Author
Leigh Greenwood is one exceptional man who read a romance novel after it was (quite literally) thrown at him when he had uttered one remark too many against the genre. From that long ago day that he read the words of Georgette Heyer, Leigh has not only been a romance fiction fan but became an author of over 45 romances, and now holds the title of a best-selling award winner. Look for his next country romance following Texas Pride to be released October 2012.
Source
- Greenwood, Leigh, Texas Pride, March 2012, Sourcebooks Inc., ISBN: 978-1-4022-6396-5
Jessica Hastings - Jessica Hastings is a published author/poet, professional reviewer, and avid reader. Schooled in journalism and creative writing, she ...
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