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 Expected More June 19, 2008
I have been a loyal fan of Leigh Greenwood and loved this series. I was annoyed that the last 4 books were not tagged as "The Cowboys"; if I had not been looking for Leigh's books I never would have found them. That is one of the most frustrating thing that the publishers and vendors, such as this one, do. Open a series and then make you search for the other books. I stumbled on this one in the grocery store!
Like some of the other reviewers, I was disappointed with the book. The story dragged and Eden's depiction of women in the 19th century was way off base. Since this is the last of the Maxwell children's story I expected more interaction between the kids and Jake and Isabelle, other than the same re-hashing of their past that has been repeated in the other books. For instance, at the end, Isabelle has 2 grandchildren born on the same day and there are no descriptions of her talking to her sons. All of the books have the characters talking about how great she is, but the tender moments that should take place between parent and child are just not there.
I would like to have seen the last chapter wrap up all of the characters. No mention was made as to why all of the brothers were back in Texas except for Luke. No mention was even made of Pete, Drew barely. Shouldn't Eden's only sister have at least shown up for one day? In earlier books, Eden and her cousin Elise are best friends. Where was she? Another interesting meeting could have been Valeria and Edward knowing each other, no mention was made that TWO of the Maxwell's married royalty.
For anyone that has not read the whole series, you should give them a look. Even though, the last ones seem like Leigh just wanted to get them over with.
 Texas Loving April 24, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Leigh Greenwood always writes interesting books. I was glad to learn about another character of the cowboy series.
Not in love with "Texas Loving" April 21, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have never read a Leigh Greenwood book before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect with this one. That being the case, I stood in the bookstore and read the first two chapters there before buying the book. Ultimately, though, it disappointed. It wasn't terrible; it just wasn't great.
Since I haven't read any others in this series, I was unfamiliar with the HUGE cast of character. Oh my word! The heroine, Eden Maxwell, has something like 11 brothers and sisters, and all (or most) of them have children as well...as well as their own books, evidently. There are repeated references to these people -- all of whom are strangers to me -- and I began to feel like I needed a color-coded flow chart or something to keep everyone straight. The first couple chapters start off in Texas, but soon Eden and her parents are headed to England with Eden's newly discovered grandfather, who happens to be an earl. In England we meet the earl's nephew (the current viscount), who was a quite wretched person, as well as the viscount's wife and two sons. It takes no time at all to deduce that the elder son (and heir to the title), Edward, will be Eden's love interest. He is, at heart, a farmer, who wants nothing more than to work the land and improve his estate and care for his tenants. He's well-regarded by everyone except his father, but he chafes at the constraints of superficial English aristocratic society. He yearns for more freedom, but as the elder son, his duty is to marry a wealthy woman who can infuse much-needed capital into the family fortune. Instantly upon meeting Eden, he's amazed and admiring of her forthrightness, her willingness to speak her mind and live her own life, to work in partnership with her parents and family in the running of their ranch. It's all so obvious, it was more than a little worthy of a few eye-rolls. All we need now is the deus ex machina that will get Edward out of England and to Texas, where he can woo Eden, and right on cue, Greenwood delivers it: some deeply-kept family secret about Edward's identiy.
I had more than a few issues with this story. For one thing, I thought the author "info-dumped" everything we needed to know about the characters. This really took the mystery right out of them, and greatly undermined my interest in their relationship. Another thing that irritated me was the 21st-century feel to Eden. The book is set in 1889, but Eden (and her family, and evidently ALL of Texas) was so egalitarian in her attitude and behavior that the setting didn't feel very authentic, really. Did women REALLY enjoy such equality during the late 19th century...even in Texas? Perhaps they did, but it just didn't ring true for me. Also, my liking for Eden began to wane after a while because she seemed so preachy about what Texas women and did or expected when it came to relationships. My other issue was just that the book was rather boring and too long-winded for the relationship story that was being told. It probably would have worked better as a shorter novel.
 Saddle Up Loving Cowboys and Cowgirls! April 15, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The Maxwell Family is one of the most famous ranch families in the romance genre, with several books in a western series that are interesting, sexy and well-written, which is unique in a present era of vampire hunters and Matrix-type futuristic romances appearing to be so popular. Once again Mr. Greenwood allows his readers to enjoy the American West and provides handsome rugged men and strong, beautiful and willful women that were historically important in building America.
In Texas Loving Mr. Greenwood brings aristocratic England together with the American West for a rip roaring story that touches the heart. The youngest of the Maxwell children, Eden is one of those tough, strong and willful Texas beauties. She has never seen anything past the Broken Circle Ranch in Texas until she is part of the family that returns for a visit to England with her British grandfather. When Eden arrives in England, she is in awe and realizes that she has so much freedom in comparison to the strict society rules of the aristocracy. Upon the families arrival trouble begins almost immediately as old wounds are opened by the illegitimate side of the family arriving for a visit. Eden finds the dynamics interesting to watch, yet her feelings and heart begin to become involved, making her uncomfortable as she watches her cousins Patrick and Edward Davenport interact with their family and hers. It is the heir to the Davenport title, Edward that Eden seems to come in to more contact with during her visit. She sees this handsome aristocrat as the only hardworking family member, yet he seems to be looked down upon by all, even his current fiance, because of his hard work on the estate, which is confusing to Eden who thinks living a life of leisure is a waste. As Eden and Edward begin to experience a spark of deep friendship and desire, a secret is revealed that topples Edward's world and breaks Eden's heart, as she is the one that reveals the secret.
Upon her return to Texas, she tries to put Edward out of her mind, but when he suddenly shows up at her brother's ranch as a ranch hand, new challenges are produced for both of them; especially when a big horse race is coming up and Edward wants to race his horse against Eden's. While Edward still harbors a bit of resentment for Eden because he feels she destroyed his life, he still is drawn to this wild and free beauty who knows more about horses and life than he does. As he learns Texas, he begins to learn about Eden even more and the desire leads them into a passion as hot as the State of Texas. But when Eden's life is in danger and other strange happenings begin to happen on the other Maxwell ranches, it brings Edward and Eden even closer. Edward wants nothing more than to win this horse race, but will he come to realize that he may want Eden more?
The blend of the two countries, together with passion under the Texas heat and stars makes this an extremely interesting read for those romance readers who enjoy an excellent western romance.
Boring March 31, 2008
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
I was very disappointed in this new book. It was rather slow and dull. No excitement. The love scene was the same as in every other book in the "Cowboy Series," by Leigh Greenwood. (Only one of the books added something new). I knew the love scene in this book by heart. Why does every woman have to be a virgin? (Except one in the series).The characters did too much thinking, rather than talking and doing. I knew the end before I got there. I just could not get excited reading this book.
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