โ Scribed by Lindsey, Johanna
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
#1 bestselling author Johanna Lindsey captivates readers with a love story as wild and romantic as the old American West in this thrilling novel of an heiress who discovers passion in the arms of a Texas cowboy.
After the sudden death of their father, Marian and Amanda Laton must leave their New England home and travel to their aunt's Texas ranch. It is a harrowing journey, but plain-looking Marian welcomes the challenge of their adventure, while beautiful Amanda complains at every turn. And when they need rescuing, cowboy Chad Kinkaid is the strong, sexy hero for the job. Amanda's beauty catches Chad's eye, but it is Marian's daring spirit and hidden passion that spark his desire for her -- a sensual attraction that lands them in a romantic entanglement Marian is not prepared to handle. Tied to him by the fate of her aunt's ranch, Marian must face a proud cowboy who's determined to convince her -- whether it means wooing her under the stars of the open range or following her back East -- that she's the only woman for him....
Amanda and Marian Laton are identical twins who couldn't be more different. Amanda, the apple of her father's eye, is a spoiled, jealous young woman; sweet-hearted Marian, in an effort to be as unlike her sister as possible, strives to make herself plain and undesirable. Set in the 1870s, this historical romance by the prolific Lindsey begins when Amanda and Marian's father dies in their hometown of Haverhill, Mass., and the twins are shipped off to Texas. Under the provisions of their father's will, they cannot claim their inheritances until they are married, and in the meantime they must live with their aunt, Kathleen Dunn, a widowed rancher nicknamed Red. Life on the ranch is much too rustic for Amanda, but Marian enjoys the country living-and her brushes with Chad Kinkaid, heir to a ranching fortune, who is lending Red a helping hand. Hiding behind thick-lensed spectacles she doesn't need, Marian tries to deflect Chad, afraid that if she shows an interest in him her mean-spirited twin will lure him away. Slapstick catfights and anachronistic language ("it wasn't just the jealousy issues") give the novel a farcical slant; on the plus side, there is plenty of western kitsch: a train robbery, an attempted kidnapping and an old-fashioned barbecue. Concluding with an improbable surprise ending that is most unsatisfying and rather bitter for a historical romance, this is a clunky if occasionally entertaining effort that nonetheless will sell as Lindsey is wont to do-that is, a lot.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Twists and turns galore and a Wild West setting make for a delightful romp by veteran romance writer Lindsey. Identical twin heiresses Marian and Amanda are as different as night and day. Amanda has been spoiled rotten by their father; Marian has been ignored. Marian has rendered herself as unappealing as possible to avoid having Amanda destroy the life of any man who might find her twin alluring. Their father's will specifies that they cannot claim their inheritance until they marry with the approval of their Texas aunt, a rancher called Red, so off they go on an eventful journey complete with stage robbers, train robbers, and a bounty hunter. Along the way, they are rescued by Chad, Red's foreman, the son of a local cattle baron. Marian falls for Chad but thinks that he is infatuated with Amanda. Marian's attempt to learn how to ride a horse turns into a session of passionate lovemaking with Chad, but Amanda claims that she was the one involved, making Red order Chad to marry Amanda. Then, when Marian is kidnapped from a barbecue, things really get cooking. Diana Tixier Herald
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**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
When twins Amanda and Marian Laton lose their father unexpectedly, they are stunned to discover that in his will he has put them in the charge of their Aunt, who lives on a sprawling Texas farm. Horrified to be leaving the town where they have spent their lives so far, the twins arrive a