TOUCH OF TEXAS (Zebra Debut) [Mass Market Paperback]

Rachel Hudson has settled in for the blizzard, along with her younger brother and their animals when she hears something, or someone, at the door. Texas Ranger Jack McCain has nearly frozen to death and it's up to her to keep him alive. Which would have been a bit easier if he weren't so darned sexy. Rachel has done her best to flee her mother's past and develop the kind of reputation a schoolteacher needs in rural Texas. Having a sexy male snowed in with her won't help that reputation at all.

Jake McCain is on the trail of the man who killed his father--and who left him to die in the snow. It's a quest he's certain he won't survive, but then, Jake has never had much reason to want to survive. Half white, half Apache, Jake has never been accepted into any society. Any woman who takes up with him is doomed to be rejected as well--which means he can never have Rachel no matter how much he wants her. But Rachel gives him a reason to want to live--just when he's certain that's impossible.

In her debut novel, author Tracy Garrett combines western historical adventure with sizzling romance to deliver an entertaining and enjoyable story. Wounded hero Jake is definitely a sexy treat and Rachel, with her mother's past haunting her, makes a sympathetic heroine. Garrett's writing appeals to the senses--although I was reading the novel in the midst of a Texas heat wave, Garrett nevertheless made me feel the sting of blown snow and the winds of the open plains.

Western historical romances have been unjustifiably on the outs in recent years. It's great to see Zebra bringing them back, and with an author like Garrett leading the way, this just might be an entire genre to watch.

In the tradition of Lorraine Heath's emotionally charged Western Romances, Tracy Garrett makes her debut with this outstanding novel TOUCH OF TEXAS.

What a beautifully written story! It captures the spirit of the old west and the simplicity of the lives living in that era. Though it depicts the harsh times that families were subjected to and the lawlessness in the territories, it beautifully captures the richness of the American spirit and how people come together at times of strife.

Texas Ranger, Jake McCain ha never thought about anything other than his job. Nothing has deterred him from capturing the thieves and murderers that he is after - after all it is his job. Half white and Apache, he stumbles in the dead of winter on Rachel Hudson's doorstep. Unconscious and badly wounded he is dragged into her cabin by Rachel and her brother Nathan.

The time spent with Rachel and her brother shows Jake a different side to what he is accustomed in life. He falls in love with her and cares deeply for her young brother but realizes that there is never any hope for a white woman to ever fall in love with a half breed.

The story that follows is richly narrated, with heartfelt secondary characters, horrid villains and daring rescues. You will definably fall in love with Jake and his unbelievable sense of justice and kindness. How he protects the innocent and punishes the murdering outlaws! The sizzling and emotionally charged romance between Jake and Rachel is lovely. Jake is a wonderful treat of a wounded sexy hero who immediately falls for Rachel's sweet and open nature. Rachel who is haunted by her mother's less that respectable past makes her a wonderful mate for our hero. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Nanette

This debut novel by author Tracy Garrett was quite a good book. One of my favorite catagories of romantic fiction is the western historical but for a while publishers didn't seem to be putting out many new books in this genre. I was pleased to find this book by Tracy Garrett and even more pleased to enjoy reading it.

I appreciated the things this author did with the plotting of this book which gave it more interest and kept it from being just another cookie cutter romance. The addition of characters after the first half of the book was a calculated risk and could have gone very wrong if not handled well. Happily, this author took the time to make those new characters come to life by giving them as much depth and description as she had with the major characters in the book. She also took a calculated risk by having the villain dispatched so early on in the book. I looked at the page number and realized that there was quite a bit of this story left to read. How was the author going to fill those remaining pages? The answer to that question was very satisfactorily answered and helped to keep the book fresh and interesting.

The Rachel Hudson character was so well developed that I can say that I liked every instance of change and growth that I watched her go through. Her character could have been entirely too meek and submissive just because of her background but that never happened for me. I had sympathy for her and the struggles she continued to go through but I never wanted to lecture her about the necessity of growing up and moving along with life. The portrayal of her relationship with her brother was completely realistic. Not too syrupy sweet and clingy but showing a willingness to let him grow up and learn the lessons of life.

In the case of Texas Ranger Jake McCain, I liked his character, his determination and his grit. These were traits necessary for a man to have in order to function under the hardships of working alone as a lawman in the old West. Perhaps his struggle with the reality of his parentage went on for a while longer than I wanted it to, but I do understand how the double burden of being a half breed and a bastard probably would have been a huge hurdle to overcome. I liked the idea the author had about how the death and burial of his Indian mother came about. I just wish that more information had been given about it. I have come up with three different scenarios to fill out the details of this incident but have no way of knowing which might have actually occurred. Burial with Native American tribes was very much a ritualistic episode. I wish more details had been given. Was this a true traditional burial practice or was it completely fictionalized by the author? I don't know. It went by so quickly, with so little detail, that I was left to try to puzzle it out for myself.

All in all, an interesting book. I enjoyed reading it and will look forward to getting the second book due out in a short while. In my personal record book I have given Tracy Garrett the distinction of a full page all to herself. I have given this book a 3.75 star rating but since Amazon will not accommodate that fractionalization, I will round it up to four stars. I am looking forward to watching this author for future interesting reading experiences.