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dowryofbooks's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
devilbunny6's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bhookjunkhie's review
5.0
That was the most romantic sigh worthy read!! I read it in 1 day and couldn't put it down!
khadijareads's review
2.0
Uhm so I have some mixed feelings. It was okay, a little flowery in its descriptions but overall I would say a 4 star western romance. UNITL-
Ms Heath, why did you feel it was necessary for her to go through with the marriage to Dallas? And then have her pine over Houston for days and nurse him back to health? And as if that wasn’t enough, on the CUSP of Dallas and Amelia consummating their marriage THAT is when you decide Houston should pledge his troth? To his brothers wife? Sickkkk. For those reasons, this book is a 2 star read for me.
I won’t be recommending
Ms Heath, why did you feel it was necessary for her to go through with the marriage to Dallas? And then have her pine over Houston for days and nurse him back to health? And as if that wasn’t enough, on the CUSP of Dallas and Amelia consummating their marriage THAT is when you decide Houston should pledge his troth? To his brothers wife? Sickkkk. For those reasons, this book is a 2 star read for me.
I won’t be recommending
suzysuzy34's review
5.0
This is my first ever Lorraine Heath book and I absolutely loved it. I have been a contemporary romance reader for years, I used to read historicals about 20 years ago, but for some reason I just can’t seem to get into them anymore. Recently I’ve wanted a change, something different and Lorraine Heath’s Texas Destiny ticked all the boxes.
I absolutely loved the hero Houston, who is flawed and thinks himself as a coward (he isn’t at all- it’s just how he see’s himself). Houston wears an eye patch and his cheek is disfigured due to an accident in the civil war. He was a drummer boy, along side his father, I can’t believe he was only 12 years old when he went to war! I really felt for him. Amelia is a strong heroine, who see’s Houston for who he is, someone who is courageous, and beautiful on the inside. I loved their romance. We didn’t really get much of a sex scene until the end, but I was okay with that, as there was lots of other intimate moments.
Their journey through the Texas plains was beautiful as this is were there connection begins and their romance blossoms, but i also felt their struggles with the hardships which happened on the way.
I’m absolutely thrilled I have found an author that I can’t get my teeth into and enjoy her past catalogue of books, maybe I won’t like them all, but She really weaves a great story.
I absolutely loved the hero Houston, who is flawed and thinks himself as a coward (he isn’t at all- it’s just how he see’s himself). Houston wears an eye patch and his cheek is disfigured due to an accident in the civil war. He was a drummer boy, along side his father, I can’t believe he was only 12 years old when he went to war! I really felt for him. Amelia is a strong heroine, who see’s Houston for who he is, someone who is courageous, and beautiful on the inside. I loved their romance. We didn’t really get much of a sex scene until the end, but I was okay with that, as there was lots of other intimate moments.
Their journey through the Texas plains was beautiful as this is were there connection begins and their romance blossoms, but i also felt their struggles with the hardships which happened on the way.
I’m absolutely thrilled I have found an author that I can’t get my teeth into and enjoy her past catalogue of books, maybe I won’t like them all, but She really weaves a great story.
llama_lord's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars
Set in Texas in 1876, 19-year-old mail order bride Amelia Carson arrives in Fort Worth after accepting a marriage proposal from West Texas rancher Dallas Leigh. However, Dallas has just broken his leg in a horseback riding accident, so picking Amelia up from the train station is not Dallas but his younger brother Houston. Houston is a Confederate war veteran in his late twenties who was injured severely in the Civil War, leaving him without a left eye and with significant facial and body scarring. Houston must escort Amelia on the weeks-long wagon ride out to Dallas's property. During the journey, the two develop feelings for each other. However, the journey must come to an end eventually and the two are faced with difficult choices when they finally arrive to Dallas's ranch.
This is the second Lorraine Heath book I have read, the first being a YA Historical Romance, [b:Samantha and the Cowboy|673461|Samantha and the Cowboy|Lorraine Heath|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387668702l/673461._SY75_.jpg|659478]. I was struck by the similarities between the two, and it definitely felt like this was a "grown up" version of that book. Both stories are centered around a prolonged, forced-proximity journey (a cattle drive in Samantha & the Cowboy, a wagon journey in this one), both feature a MMC that enlisted in the Confederate army at age 12 and now has PTSD, both stories have a significant escalation in the romance due to a. Samantha and the Cowboy probably borrowed from this book as it was published later, but I still think I prefer that one over this one.
I was loving this book for the entire first half when Houston and Amelia are traveling from Fort Worth to Dallas's ranch. I really like the forced proximity on a long journey trope, and I felt that the book had an excellent amount of romantic tension and angst. The dialogue between Houston and Amelia felt so organic and was really endearing. This section also really tugs at your heart strings as Houston and Amelia bond over their unresolved Civil War trauma. I was expecting Houston's traumatic backstory but was really caught off guard by how disturbing Amelia's past was.
However, I didn't really like the direction that the story took once they reached Dallas's ranch. I am still new to the romance genre, so I'm not sure if I don't like the love triangle/torn-between-two-brothers trope in general or just how it was done in this story. What was interesting was that Dallas was not a "bad" character or villain, he was just the opposite of Houston in every way. But I didn't like that Amelia and Houston both became completely fatalistic about her marriage to Dallas once they reached the ranch. Neither does anything to try to fix the situation and both just accept that they will be miserable for the rest of their lives. If Dallas was in any way an antagonist, I could have at least believed that they couldn't talk to him because he would be too unreasonable. I think the story wanted me to feel badly for Houston and Amelia and think that Dallas was tearing them apart; but in actuality I found myself feeling sorry for Dallas because he was the collateral damage to Houston and Amelia's nonsense. Not only is his fiancée in love with his brother and has resigned herself to a loveless marriage with Dallas without even giving him a chance, both she and Houston actively lie to him that nothing ever happened between them. Amelia even guilts Dallas when he tells her a white lie, telling him that a marriage has to be built on a foundation of trust, and then in the next breath dismisses his completely justified suspicion that she and Houston have feelings for each other. She outright lies and says that Houston has been nothing but "respectful" to her and "loyal" to Dallas, while the two not only made out and cuddled on their wagon journey but are still actively canoodling whenever they get a moment alone on Dallas's ranch. No matter what way you spin it, Amelia and Houston crossed a line with each other and betrayed Dallas on some level, but the story never really makes the connection that they have done Dallas a disservice.
As far as the main characters go, I really liked Houston. Lorraine Heath knows how to write a MMC that your heart breaks for. Amelia was a sweet character and every other character who meets her considers her an angel on earth, but I thought she lacked some basic common sense and social skills. I physically cringed at her inability to read a conversation. For example, in one scene where Dallas wants her to feel at home on the ranch, he tells her that he has "never had a girl before", so don't hesitate to let him know if there is something she needs that he hadn't thought of yet, and Amelia basically responds "You've never had a girl before? But Houston told me you frequently visit brothels." Again, the girl just casually admits that she and Houston discussed Dallas's sex life, but at the same time expects Dallas to believe that she and Houston are just friendly acquaintances. Another Amelia gem would be
So while I liked the romance and the first half of this story, I felt that the plot kind of went off the rails in the second half of the story and I found the conclusion a little odd. I'm not sure if I'll continue with this series or just stop here. I really liked the third brother Austin (and obviously Lorraine Heath did too as he gets a ton of "screen time" for a tertiary character in the second half of the book) but I found Dallas to be kind of boring - so I don't have much interest in reading Dallas's story, and not much interest in reading the third book in a series without reading the second book.
Set in Texas in 1876, 19-year-old mail order bride Amelia Carson arrives in Fort Worth after accepting a marriage proposal from West Texas rancher Dallas Leigh. However, Dallas has just broken his leg in a horseback riding accident, so picking Amelia up from the train station is not Dallas but his younger brother Houston. Houston is a Confederate war veteran in his late twenties who was injured severely in the Civil War, leaving him without a left eye and with significant facial and body scarring. Houston must escort Amelia on the weeks-long wagon ride out to Dallas's property. During the journey, the two develop feelings for each other. However, the journey must come to an end eventually and the two are faced with difficult choices when they finally arrive to Dallas's ranch.
This is the second Lorraine Heath book I have read, the first being a YA Historical Romance, [b:Samantha and the Cowboy|673461|Samantha and the Cowboy|Lorraine Heath|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387668702l/673461._SY75_.jpg|659478]. I was struck by the similarities between the two, and it definitely felt like this was a "grown up" version of that book. Both stories are centered around a prolonged, forced-proximity journey (a cattle drive in Samantha & the Cowboy, a wagon journey in this one), both feature a MMC that enlisted in the Confederate army at age 12 and now has PTSD, both stories have a significant escalation in the romance due to a
Spoiler
dangerous river crossingI was loving this book for the entire first half when Houston and Amelia are traveling from Fort Worth to Dallas's ranch. I really like the forced proximity on a long journey trope, and I felt that the book had an excellent amount of romantic tension and angst. The dialogue between Houston and Amelia felt so organic and was really endearing. This section also really tugs at your heart strings as Houston and Amelia bond over their unresolved Civil War trauma. I was expecting Houston's traumatic backstory but was really caught off guard by how disturbing Amelia's past was.
Spoiler
Amelia's family owned a plantation in Georgia. During the Civil War, when Amelia is about 8, her father dies. On the day they are planning to bury him, a group of rogue Union soldiers comes to ransack their plantation. Amelia's mother hides Amelia in her father's casket WITH HIS BODY so the soldiers don't know she is there. Amelia is forced to hide in the casket for hours, during which time the soldiers attack her mother and sisters and ultimately kill her two teenage sisters.However, I didn't really like the direction that the story took once they reached Dallas's ranch. I am still new to the romance genre, so I'm not sure if I don't like the love triangle/torn-between-two-brothers trope in general or just how it was done in this story. What was interesting was that Dallas was not a "bad" character or villain, he was just the opposite of Houston in every way. But I didn't like that Amelia and Houston both became completely fatalistic about her marriage to Dallas once they reached the ranch. Neither does anything to try to fix the situation and both just accept that they will be miserable for the rest of their lives. If Dallas was in any way an antagonist, I could have at least believed that they couldn't talk to him because he would be too unreasonable. I think the story wanted me to feel badly for Houston and Amelia and think that Dallas was tearing them apart; but in actuality I found myself feeling sorry for Dallas because he was the collateral damage to Houston and Amelia's nonsense. Not only is his fiancée in love with his brother and has resigned herself to a loveless marriage with Dallas without even giving him a chance, both she and Houston actively lie to him that nothing ever happened between them. Amelia even guilts Dallas when he tells her a white lie, telling him that a marriage has to be built on a foundation of trust, and then in the next breath dismisses his completely justified suspicion that she and Houston have feelings for each other. She outright lies and says that Houston has been nothing but "respectful" to her and "loyal" to Dallas, while the two not only made out and cuddled on their wagon journey but are still actively canoodling whenever they get a moment alone on Dallas's ranch. No matter what way you spin it, Amelia and Houston crossed a line with each other and betrayed Dallas on some level, but the story never really makes the connection that they have done Dallas a disservice.
As far as the main characters go, I really liked Houston. Lorraine Heath knows how to write a MMC that your heart breaks for. Amelia was a sweet character and every other character who meets her considers her an angel on earth, but I thought she lacked some basic common sense and social skills. I physically cringed at her inability to read a conversation. For example, in one scene where Dallas wants her to feel at home on the ranch, he tells her that he has "never had a girl before", so don't hesitate to let him know if there is something she needs that he hadn't thought of yet, and Amelia basically responds "You've never had a girl before? But Houston told me you frequently visit brothels." Again, the girl just casually admits that she and Houston discussed Dallas's sex life, but at the same time expects Dallas to believe that she and Houston are just friendly acquaintances. Another Amelia gem would be
Spoiler
immediately after her wedding to Dallas, she finds a miserable and heartbroken Houston on her back porch and decides now would be a good time to ask him what to expect from her wedding night to Dallas, and mentions she feels comfortable asking because Houston has always been such a "friend" to her.So while I liked the romance and the first half of this story, I felt that the plot kind of went off the rails in the second half of the story and I found the conclusion a little odd. I'm not sure if I'll continue with this series or just stop here. I really liked the third brother Austin (and obviously Lorraine Heath did too as he gets a ton of "screen time" for a tertiary character in the second half of the book) but I found Dallas to be kind of boring - so I don't have much interest in reading Dallas's story, and not much interest in reading the third book in a series without reading the second book.
labwa_0712's review
I am a huge Lorraine Heath fan but this book wasn't for me. Maybe it was the descriptive writing or the slow burn romance. Or maybe I like historical romances with dukes and marquesses and the critical eye of the British social hierarchy. I was hoping I would like this book because it seemed like a good forbidden romance.
bookish_kristina's review
DNF 40%
This is tedious.
Beyond the problematic set up, the depressing characters, and total lack of levity, the story is going nowhere and I’m bored out of my mind.
I hate the heroine so much and can’t sympathize with a Mary Sue plantation owner who had to sleep in her own slave quarters and pick her own cotton
This is tedious.
Beyond the problematic set up, the depressing characters, and total lack of levity, the story is going nowhere and I’m bored out of my mind.
I hate the heroine so much and can’t sympathize with a Mary Sue plantation owner who had to sleep in her own slave quarters and pick her own cotton
glitchreads's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I recently found out Lorraine Heath is the same author who wrote my favorite romance when I was a teen. Her adult romances have the same ability to tug on my heart.