The Welcome Home Garden Club - Lori Wilde (Avon - Apr 2011)

Series: Twilight Texas (Book 4)

Traditional meaning of Pink and White Roses: I love you still and always will.

Caitlyn Marsh stopped believing in happily-ever-after when high-school sweetheart, Gideon Garza, left for Iraq. Now she raises her small son while her matchmaking gardening club members drive her crazy. Then Caitlyn's world turns upside-down when Gideon swaggers back to Twilight.

Gideon had left town in the middle of night with threats ringing in his ears. A lot of things have changed since then. This bad boy-turned-Green Beret bears scars from the war, the timid girl he loved is an independent mother, and the father who refused to recognize his son in life has, in death, left him a vast cattle ranch.

He still aches for Caitlyn, and now there's a dark-haired boy who looks exactly like Gideon did at that age. Could the child be his? And can this war-weary soldier overcome the scars of the past to claim the family he so richly deserves?

I love stories about military/former military characters and this was just as good as I had expected. Gideon and Caitlyn had been high school sweethearts. She was the daughter of the local judge and he was the bad boy from the wrong side of town, but that didn't matter to them. When Gideon ends up in trouble with the law, he's given the choice of jail or the military. He left town, not knowing that Caitlyn was pregnant, and her father arranged things so that Caitlyn was told that Gideon was killed in action. She married another man who gave her and her son a place until he died. Now she's raising her son alone and trying to get her life back together.

I really liked Gideon. He had had a rough start in life. His father never acknowledged his existence, so he and his mother had been very poor as he was growing up. He didn't find out his father's identity until his mother died, and his confrontation with dad didn't go well. The only thing that had made his life bearable was his relationship with Caitlyn. That ended when he was forced into the military. He tried writing to her, but the letters came back marked refused. Feeling hurt and betrayed, he tried to forget her and concentrated on his career. After losing part of his arm in the war, he started working as security and a translator, until called back home by the death of his father. During his first encounter with Caitlyn he discovers that she thought he was dead and they'd been kept apart by her father. He also finds out that he is the father of her son. He goes from planning to leave town as soon as possible, to deciding to stay to be close to Caitlyn and Danny. Gideon has a lot of things working against his desire to get closer to Caitlyn and Danny. He feels that his disability makes it impossible for anyone to really care for him. He also feels that the things he had to do during the war have created a darkness in him that makes him unworthy of Caitlyn's love. I liked the way that he planned to stay and try to be a father to Danny. He also realized that his feelings for Caitlyn had never gone away and were only getting stronger. His issues had made him withdraw into himself, but being around Caitlyn was bringing him back to life, but he still worried about his past causing her harm. One of the things I liked best about him was that he was finally able to accept the help that was offered by other veterans. It was so hard for him to do, but he did it because of his love for Caitlyn and Danny.  

Caitlyn had also been through a lot. Her father's overprotectiveness and then his fury at her pregnancy had driven a wedge between them. After finding out that Gideon was dead, she accepted the proposal of a man who promised he would care for her and treat her baby like his own. They had a satisfactory life together until he died. At that point she had to develop a lot more independence. She is shocked by Gideon's return and doesn't know how to tell him about his son. She also realizes that the old feelings are still there, but she is wary about following through on them. She can see that he is very different from  the boy she used to know and doesn't want to risk her heart or her son's happiness. I loved seeing her get to know the new Gideon. She was able to break through some of his walls and show him that she accepted him just the way he was. It was still a hard road to overcome her own fears and then to help Gideon face his.

I really liked the attention paid to Gideon and his issues. He wasn't portrayed as a victim, but simply as a man trying to reacquaint himself with normal life. We get a good look at what has changed him from the boy Caitlyn used to know into the man he is today. I liked seeing the support he got from the other people in town. I also liked the way that fellow veterans let him know they were available to help but didn't try to force themselves on him.

I really enjoyed the gardening aspect of the story. The meanings of the flowers at the beginning of each chapter, and the way they related to the chapter itself was beautiful. The victory garden contest was great. I loved their idea of what they wanted and the reasoning behind their choice. The twist at the end was fantastic.

The First Love Cookie Club - Lori Wilde (Avon - Nov 2010)

Series: Twilight TX (Book 3)

“On Christmas Eve, if you sleep with kismet cookies under your pillow and dream of your one true love, he will be your destiny.”

The townsfolk of Twilight, Texas, believe the legend, but not Sarah Collier -- not since she was a pudgy teenager, running down the church aisle on Christmas Day in a jingle bell sweater and reindeer antlers, trying to stop Travis Walker from marrying someone else. She may be grown up, slimmed down, bestselling children’s book author “Sadie Cool” now, but Sarah will never forget that day. And she’ll never fall foolishly in love again!

But when a letter from a sick fan brings Sarah back to Twilight, she’s shocked to discover that Travis is the little girl’s father -- unattached and hotter than ever. His movie-star smile still makes her melt, but Sarah knows that ship has sailed. Travis, however, might have different ideas.

Just because you don’t believe in fairy tales doesn’t mean they won’t come true…

I really enjoyed this book. I felt like the problems and emotions were ones that were realistic. While both Travis and Sarah have issues, none of them seem to overwhelm the story. It starts with Sarah as an awkward teenager discovering that the guy she's been dreaming of is about to marry someone else. After humiliating herself by trying to stop the wedding she swears she will never risk her heart again. Fast forward nine years, and Sarah has become a successful children's author. When she receives a letter from a sick fan, she reluctantly returns to Twilight, only to discover that the little girl is Travis's daughter.

I had a little trouble connecting with Sarah at first. She was so resistant about going to Twilight that she came across as a bit selfish. Even once she was there she seemed rather standoffish. Some could be blamed on her memories of that day, but other things about her life are slowly revealed and begin to explain her problem. Her initial meeting with Travis shows her that she has never really forgotten those feelings for him. She also knows that she won't stay in Twilight so there's no sense in starting anything with him, tempting though it may be. She doesn't count on the ladies of the cookie club doing their best to push them together, or that Travis seems equally drawn to her. As the week goes on Travis and Jazzy start to break down the walls that Sarah has built up to keep people out. She starts to connect with them and others, but still doesn't see herself as able to have that happy ending.

Travis was a wonderful hero. From his kind attitude toward Sarah on his wedding day to the amazing father he is today he is awesome. He may have made a mistake by getting his girlfriend pregnant when he was twenty, but he was determined to do the honorable thing and take care of them both. He was an involved father from the beginning, and even more so when Jazzy got so sick. He took on the role of both parents when his wife left them, making Jazzy the center of his world. When Sarah came back to Twilight he was surprised by the strength of his attraction to her. He would be very happy to see where it goes, but he has some of his own baggage to overcome. Between watching his dad fall apart after his mom's death and then his disastrous marriage, Travis resists the idea of soulmates, fearing that his life would fall apart too if he were to lose someone he cared about that much. I really liked the way that he saw Sarah's pain and fears and gave her the space she needed to process what they were beginning to feel for each other.

Even as they began to acknowledge their feelings for each other, there were still some obstacles to overcome. Jazzy's mother comes back to town, causing Sarah to question her own place in their lives. Sarah has some professional problems that also interfere with her decision making process. Then there is a health crisis with Jazzy that brings a whole host of feelings to the surface, causing both Sarah and Travis to take a good look at what they really want from life.

The town itself is another character in the book. I enjoyed seeing the various Christmas traditions and how they worked with what Travis and Sarah were going through. The people had the usual small town nosiness and tendency to interfere, but mostly in a positive manner. There was a secondary storyline that was left hanging, but it is addressed in a later series of novellas. 

Christmas Cookie Collection - Lori Wilde (Avon - Oct 2013)

Series: Twilight Texas (Book 5)

There's a legend in Twilight, Texas. It says that if on Christmas you sleep with kismet cookies under your pillow and dream of your one true love, he will be your destiny. — Carrie, Raylene, Christine, and Flynn are all members of the Christmas Cookie Club. Each has a story to tell, and each discovers the miracles of the season and the power of love.

Carrie: Reconnects with her high school sweetheart . . .the only man she's ever loved.

The town myth is that if you throw a penny in the fountain you'll be reunited with your high school sweetheart.  Carrie and her sweetheart Mark eloped to Vegas, but annulled the marriage right after they got home.  Mark went off to college, promising that he'd come back for her and never spoke to her again.  Carrie stayed in Twilight and runs the local yarn store.  She hates Christmas because that's when her mother died and also when Mark left.  Now he's a big Hollywood celebrity hosting a reality show.  He's on his way to Twilight to do a segment on the town myth.  Seeing him again makes Carrie realize that she had never stopped loving him, but she isn't so sure about risking her heart again.  I liked the way that she pushed back against his Hollywood charm and pointed out that he wasn't following the dreams that he'd had.  Mark had never been back to Twilight but seeing Carrie again reminds him of all the good things about his hometown.  He realizes that he wants another chance with Carrie if she'll just trust him this time.  I ended up really liking Mark.  In spite of the director wanting to totally trash the myth, Mark stood up for the town and for Carrie.  I liked the way that he went after what he wanted.


Raylene: Discovers that the daughter she gave away at birth is living right in Twilight . . .

Raylene own the local bar and ran it with her husband Earl until he walked out on her the year before.  He found out that she had had a child that she gave up for adoption when her previous in-laws paid her to go away.  He wasn't mad about the baby, he was angry that she had kept it secret from him.  Now she just doesn't seem to care about anything except wondering if Earl will ever come back.  She has also thought about that baby girl every day since she gave her up.  Then a young woman comes to the bar looking for a job.  Raylene gives her a job as a waitress and lets her stay in the upstairs apartment.  She gets the feeling the young woman is hiding something, but she doesn't push.  There's something about her that calls to Raylene.  I loved seeing her connect with Shannon.  Raylene got a couple of Christmas wishes granted by the end.                              

Shannon had found out the truth about her adoption earlier in the year, but she was recovering from her divorce.  The man she had married was a con artist who stole almost everything Shannon had.  Now she wants to confront her mother and find out the truth of what happened.  She decides to take the job at the bar to get to know Raylene first. She connects pretty quickly with Raylene and finds that there are many similarities between them. She also discovers that she feels  far more at home in Twilight than she ever did in New York. Shannon also encounters Nate, a former Navy SEAL with issues of his own.  He's immediately smitten with Shannon and works hard to court her.  He knows she has trust issues because of what her ex did, but he has the patience to wait her out.  I really liked all the sweet dates he took her on.

Christine: Has given up on love . . . until the man of her dreams walks through her shop door.

My favorite of the stories.  Christine owns the Twilight Bakery and makes wonderful cakes and cookies.  Her love of baking gave her something to focus on after she was in a car accident that  ended her Olympic dreams.  That accident also took away her ability to have children, ending her dreams of having a family of her own.  Then a blast from her past comes through the bakery door.  Eli was her crush when they were in high school.  Now he is a widower with four kids and he needs a birthday cake for his oldest daughter.  Even though they haven't seen each other in sixteen years their connection is immediate.  I loved the way that Eli didn't waste any time asking her out.  Their date was really sweet and I loved seeing how compatible they were.  There was also some pretty good heat between them, though they worried that their relationship was moving too quickly.  I loved how quickly three of Eli's kids took to Christine.  The oldest daughter was a pill, but completely believable in her attitude.  It was great to see Eli and Christine talk out their expectations and move on in a realistic way.

Grace: It's Christmas Eve and Flynn and Jesse Calloway are thrilled to be expecting a new baby. Then Flynn's car hits a patch of ice, and Jesse must move earth . . . and heaven . . .to save her and their unborn child.

Flynn and Jesse are preparing for their first Christmas and the arrival of their baby.  Things haven't been easy for them since Jesse was released from a prison sentence for a crime he didn't commit.  Finances are really tight as Flynn is going to college and Jesse is trying to get his business back up after a fire.  But they know that they can handle anything as long as they're together.  When they go out delivering Christmas to a poor family, Jesse gets caught up in some trouble.  He sends Flynn on home while he straightens things out, but she isn't there when he arrives home.  An ice storm had hit earlier than expected and she slid off the road.  To top it all off she went into labor, alone in the fog.  With the help of a dog who appeared at his house, Jesse goes off in search of Flynn, arriving in the nick of time.  It was so sweet to see how nervous he was about being a father and how happy he was when the baby arrived.