SHORT-STRAW BRIDE, by Karen Witemeyer

The four Archer brothers protect their land at all costs. Visitors are discouraged with the business end of a rifle. Yet when Meredith Hayes overhears a plot to burn the brothers' property, an old obligation compels her to brave their locked gate and deliver a warning.
During the events that follow, Meredith is injured and unable to leave Archer land. Travis Archer, the eldest of the brothers, decides that the only way to save Meredith's reputation is for the brothers to draw straws to decide who should marry her. Short straw gets the bride.
Continued threats to the ranch, and to Meredith's family, in addition to her wish to be loved for herself rather than be the bride of a man who got stuck with the short straw, fill Short-Straw Bride with suspenseful action and sweet romance.
Short-Straw Bride is an enjoyable story, perfect for summertime reading.

LONG TRAIL HOME, by Vickie McDonough

When Annie Sheffield is thirteen, her life goes from bad to worse when her father abandons her in Waco, Texas. With nowhere else to go, she pretends to be blind in order to have a home at the Wilcox School for Blind Children.
Several years later, her peaceful life is rocked when a returning Civil War veteran, Riley Morgan, takes a job as handyman at the school. Annie is drawn to him, but cannot reveal the fact that she's sighted or she'll have to leave the only real home she’s ever known.
Long Trail Home is filled with memorable supporting characters. I particularly enjoyed Sean Murphy, the blacksmith. This engaging story takes the reader on the Long Trail Home to a heartwarming conclusion.
Fans of McDonough’s Texas stories will love this one. I know I did.

FINALLY A BRIDE, by Vickie McDonough

Finally a Bride is a story brimming with romance. Jacqueline "Jack" Davis harbors ambitions to leave tiny Lookout, Texas, for a career as a reporter in Dallas. When a new pastor arrives in town, she believes if she can get the scoop on his past, the resulting story will propel her straight to the big city. What she hadn't counted on was her growing attraction to the handsome preacher.

Finally a Bride is the third book in the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series, but McDonough gives readers enough background information to keep them from getting lost.

This story is filled with Texas charm and enough original similes to keep readers smiling. Finally a Bride is a fun read. I recommend it for everyone who enjoys romance, Texas-style.

Thanks to Barbour Publishing for providing my review copy.

SCATTERED PETALS, by Amanda Cabot

In Scattered Petals, author Amanda Cabot continues her series set in the Texas town of Ladreville. Priscilla Morton and her parents are traveling from Boston to attend the wedding of Clay and Sarah, the couple who were drawn together by the love letters Clay wrote (think Cyrano de Bergerac) in the first book of the Texas Dreams series, Paper Roses.

The opening scenes in Scattered Petals are horrifying. Priscilla came west seeking adventure and instead found pain and heartbreak. When she meets Clay's ranch hand, Zach Webster, she’s so scarred by what has happened to her that she can hardly bear to look at him.

Zach is carrying scars of his own, hidden deep in his heart. How the two of them come to trust and love one another in spite of the mental barriers each has erected forms the basis for this touching story.

In spite of the violent opening, Scattered Petals is a sweet story. Cabot touches on difficult issues in a gentle, redeeming manner. I look forward to reading the third book in the series to learn what happens with Texas Ranger Lawrence Wood.

Special note to my followers—I’ve been gone on a research trip, then returned and left again to celebrate my daughter's birthday. So, no book blogs for too long. Look for the next one within a few days.