The Texan's Wager (The Wife Lottery Book 1)

This book was SUCH a pleasant surprise! I bought it when it was on sale for only ninety-nine cents, even though I'd never heard of the author before, because a lot of my friends were GUSHING about the hero. Also, I'm kind of a huge sucker for the forced/arranged marriage trope in romance novels, so when I found out that this series revolves around that, I was excited!I recently compared another Western romance I read to Goin' South (1978), but this one is even more similar! It's about three women/friends named Bailee, Sarah, and Lacy. Bailee has murdered a man, Sarah is sick, and people think Lacy is a witch on account of her smart mouth. They're kicked out of their wagon train and left all alone on the trail when they encounter a horrible criminal who wants to assault them and take their wagon and maybe even kill them. Well, Bailee bashes him over the head with a piece of wood, but that only gets them out of the frying pan and into the fire, because when the law comes along, they're all tried for murder!But there is a shortage of ladies in town, so the sheriff decides that he'll have a bride auction instead. All of them draw names out of a hat where the men in town have put down who they are and what they want out of a wife and each of them gets to choose that way, real democratic-like. Bailee ends up with a man named Carter, a tortured, brooding man who doesn't say much. It's pretty clear that Carter is incredibly socially awkward-- he's never been with a woman and has some huge hang-ups about interacting with others-- but to his surprise, Bailee doesn't seem to mind him much and quickly settles into his home.This is such a cute romance. It's everything I love about Jude Deveraux actually in that the author has written some exceptionally strong heroines with real personalities whose behavior still fits in with the zeitgeist of the times. I loved the friendship between the women, the lack of slut-shaming, and Carter's backstory-- oh my gosh, what a great character. I don't normally love beta heroes, but when I DO, it's usually because they're tortured and tragic and strong in the face of adversity. What happened to him was really sad and I loved that an event happened in the story that allowed him to use the skills he developed when he was young in a display of strength and redemption. It was so good.I'm giving this four stars because it feels like it was a little slower in the second half than it was in the first and I did find myself skimming a little bit. That said, Carter was a lovely hero and Bailee surprised me in a good way, and I liked the time the author spent developing the secondary characters (a must in a small-town setting). I used to think I didn't like Westerns but it's quickly becoming my go-to genre! I will definitely be checking out more books from this author.4 out of 5 stars

I've been trying to find some good historical Westerns to read without much luck and stumbled across this series. The plot concerns three women thrown off a wagon train and then attacked by a man who they kill. When they reach a town, they turn themselves in but the sheriff decides to run a lottery and auction them off. Bailee is taken by Carter, a strong but silent rancher.The author spends a lot of time developing their relationship and giving them both some backstory which I liked. There were a few blips and plot holes: a mention of Jack the Ripper who didn't appear IRL until about 15 years later, Bailee's backstory with her father, and I guess she murdered a banker's son, but it was never really explained which made the ending where her father wants her back somewhat baffling. So I'd give it 4 1/2 stars rounded up.

Bailee along with Lacy and Sara were left by the wagon train. While traveling they were overcome by a mountain man. They thought they killed him and ran to the nearest town where Sheriff Riley had a lottery for men to win one of the three women as their wife. This story is about Bailee and Carter who paid for her freedom. Their life is a big adventure.

Absolutely adored this story! The two main characters were so beautifully written and unique that one just can't help but fall in love with them. From Carter's silent yet heart-wrenching story to Bailee's sad but determined decision to live the very best with what she has to the realistic yet deftly paced growth from strangers to devotion. Love, love, LOVED it!!

Lottery Brides, deafness, gypsies, secret passages, this book has it all!Bailee is running from her life, Carter is just existing. A lot happens in two weeks, so many things that it's almost too much. You forget it's a romance, oh sure they're falling in love but they're never alone long enough for any thing to come of it. In fact, they spend more time apart than together. If you're looking for juicy sex scenes, this isn't it. Maybe because they're both virgins. Why'd I give it 4 stars? Because I couldn't put it down. That is everything in my rating scale. And it leaves me wanting to know more.

A strong 4.5 stars for me! Second time I have read this book.Starts out wonderful! We meet the 3 brave, down on their luck, lonely women of Mrs. Thomas's Texan's series.Then we meet Carter who is to become Bailee's wife. OMG one of my favorite hero's EVER!!!!He's the strong silent type, which as the story progresses you will realize why. You will also learn that his still waters run DEEEPPP!!! He did'nt just tug at my heartstrings he ripped them out of my chest! He's shunned, he does not even realize he's so lonely. What he writes on his plain brown sack for the bride raffle is both simple and heartrendering. Then their are his first few spoken words to her, SSIIIGGGHH.I usually don't wax SO poetic over every novel I read but this one just stays with you.The heroine Bailee, although not as sigh-worthy as the Carter is still really likeable. She's brave, passionate, but also insecure, unwanted and untouched. They fulfill in each other the basic human need to love and be loved.Bravo Mrs. Thomas!Would have given this book a 5 star rating except for the middle where it gets unneccessarily convoluted with a child, train robbers, sheriffs, gypsies, whores, a ranger, a widow, and other people and sundry. Took away from the main characters beautifully blossoming romance. Of course some of this conflict helps the characters bond and realize how important they are to each other. Their was just too much melodrama.Still the ending, (not the epilogue) the last chapter in this book, was also pretty sweet and satisfying.This one made me want to write the author and beg her to re-write this one if only so I could spend a few more hours with Carter and Bailee.Read it!

Loved this book - just discovered this author. Loved the storyline, plot development and the revealing of these characters in all their complexity. Read on. My only (serious) gripe is....I could only download the first two in the series to my kindle, had to buy two from USA, and...can’t download all of her other novels- only some. It’s a real shame. When i find an author I love, like this, I want to, do, download whole sagas. If Jodi is listening....please sort if you can. Thanks

As a lover of western romance I often found this on 'Best of' lists. I resisted reading this for reasons I can't remember. It's been one of my holiday reads and I loved it. The three heroines , Bailee, Lacey and Sarah are thrown off a wagon train as Sarah is sick. Their fight for survival leads them to think they've killed Zeb Whittaker a baddie. They travel to the nearest town to confess what they've done and the sherif offers them the choice of hanging or a fine for manslaughter . The fine to be paid by the husband to be who wins them in a lottery. Baillee gets taciturn Carter Mc Koy who suffered the loss of his parents in traumatic circumstances. The slow growth of their passionate love against a backdrop of shootouts, outlaws etc etc makes for a gripping read. I loved it!

I'd really like to give a higher rating, but despite the interesting plot premise and good characters the actual plot narrative leaves much to be desired.Firstly, a big silliness is the confession of murder made by the three women (who are the wives of the books title) to an ageing sheriff, a confession which is the trigger for the rest of the story. These women are not supposed to be below average intelligence, in fact one is an accountant's daughter and reasonably well educated, yet after saving themselves from a brutal heavily armed man who tries to rape one of them and threatens to kill the other two they seek out the law in the nearest town and virtually beg to be strung up for their wicked deeds! Frankly, that whole element of the plot is just ridiculously portrayed. Clearly they acted in self defence but at no time does the narrative show they explained this, the sheriff in fact thinks them guilty of murder, but doesn't want to hang them, because attractive, single women are so rare in his part of Texas! Hence the decision to organise a wife lottery to offer them freedom of sorts and offer the local batchelors a rare chance at matrimony.The lottery idea itself is a good plot element and is well written, as are the romance elements between Baillee and Carter, but the silly confession and the fact the so called murderesses don't even check the 'dead' man for a pulse, just in case he did survive being brained by three women with a hefty piece of wood is a also daft! In fact (spoiler alert) the man must have had a skull constructed of titanium, because he did survive the blows and is out for vengeance. What's more said females confess murder but leave behind the 'dead' man's gold, which he as good as confessed is stolen! Surely handing in his stolen loot could have helped them receive a pardon, but such reasoning would require a brain and sadly whenever it is convenient to the plot the characters in this tale act like they left their brains in their pillow cases.Such a pity, I love Carter's back story and the inclusion of the Gypsy family, but the ridiculous behaviour of the characters is just too much to swallow. One can only tolerate so much unbelievable behaviour before it becomes too distracting and irritating.

This is the first Jodi Thomas book I have read and I really enjoyed it. There were some good characters in it and the story went at a good pace.

Una pena que un libro que empieza tan bien acabe tan regular. La primera mitad del libro está muy bien (algo más de la mitad). La historia de tres mujeres, a cada cual más diferente, que intentan sobrevivir en medio (literalmente) del salvaje oeste. En cuanto se acercan a la “civilización” todo se les va de las manos y dejan de tener control sobre sus vidas, de repente, la única manera de seguir adelante es aceptando el matrimonio con un desconocido, y aquí, empieza el libro. Carter y Bailee son la pareja protagonista de este libro, cada uno tiene un pasado complicado, cada uno tiene sus miedos y cada uno se enfrenta (o no) a sus miedos como buenamente puede, hasta aquí todo bien. La relación entre los dos es muy tierna, plagada de inseguridades que les impiden “tirar para adelante”, pero se va viendo que, poco a poco, se van dejando llevar…y van avanzando. Mi problema con esta historia ha empezado en cuanto el “suspense” aparece y empiezan a surgir personajes nuevos, no definidos, sin mucho sentido (o al menos yo no se lo he encontrado) y planos, sin personalidad, incluso excesivamente infantiles, que me han hecho volver los ojos 100 veces y me han sacado de la historia. Ha sido como un frenazo en seco, todo se para, el libro cambia de repente, ya no es lo que era, y para cuando las aguas volvieron a su cauce estaba ya tan desconectada que ni me importó, ni me conmovió lo que pasaba con los protagonistas…una pena… Quizás volviendo hacia atrás, leyendo el primer 10% del libro, donde aparece el primer malo-malísimo, podría haberme servido de pista para ver cómo iban a ser el resto de los personajes secundarios, porque dónde se ha visto, que un villano decida pagar por el carromato (en vez de robar) a las protagonistas, incluso regatea con ellas, perooooo….se quiera llevar a una de ellas para….diossabequé (aunque te lo imaginas…) raro…no?