The Texas Ranger’s Twins
[openbook booknumber=”0373752458″]
[rating:1/5]
Dane Morgan is a Texas Ranger whose only dreams are to head to Mexico and open a para-sailing business. Those dreams are shattered when he gets a letter from his father. A cold, abusive man whom he hasn’t seen in years, Dane’s father gives him an ultimatum. Come home to the ranch for a year or forfeit his inheritance of a million dollars. When he turns up at the family ranch, it’s to find his father gone to France and a live in housekeeper settling in, a “sassy single mother” named Suzy Winterstone. His father wants grandchildren and a big happy family again after years of abuse and aloofness, and manipulation seems to be the only way he knows how to get it. The Texas Ranger suspects a set up. No surprise, it is.
I wanted to give a contemporary romance novel a try. I tried a more contemporary author writing regency romance (in the form of A Spinster’s Luck) and was disappointed. Not one to give up, I picked up The Texas Ranger’s Twins for a more modern romance novel. I shouldn’t have bothered.
He walked into the house, smelling baked cookies. Now if that didn’t make a house a home, nothing would. “Mmm!” he said loudly to announce his presence. “Something smells good!”
Cricket poked her head out of the kitchen. “Come poach a cookie or two.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He strolled into the kitchen and was pleased to see Suzy dressed in a pretty pink apron with red hearts on it. “Hello, Priscilla,” he said. “Hi, Suzy.”
This book is the second book in a series of four by the way. Though if you do end up picking it up don’t be too worried about being lost. You won’t be, I had no problem picking things up and figuring out where things stood.
The plot set up requires you to suspend a lot of disbelief to follow along. A millionaire who is so out of touch with his family that he needs to bribe them to get them to stay for a year in a house when he is out of the country, to the tune of a million dollars. All of this to hook up a son with a single mother of twins who was bright enough to earn a nursing degree but not bright enough to figure out birth control. Really? This followed up by both of these Einstein’s deciding on a fake marriage to get (and then not get, because it wouldn’t be right) the million dollars. Not to mention the constant message of these oblivious women urging these abused sons to forgive their father because he’s family and that’s what family does. That alone drove me right up a wall, actually.
The characters also seemed very unbelievable in the way they acted and reacted to situations. It all seemed very unlikely and was difficult to get into their heads as they kept running hot and cold on their emotions, their attitudes and their (normally stupidly disastrous) decisions. Also the sexism inherit in the way these characters acted (under the guise of being traditional) was not in the least endearing. Why is it that whenever Dane wanted to find Suzy all he had to do was look in the kitchen?
The romance itself seemed terribly contrived and fake on both sides. No real reasons were given for the attraction, other then the fact that it was a set up. And, the relationship was based off of a premise so fanfic-y it was difficult to believe in it, let alone care about it.
I understand for some women looking for comfort and escapism that already believe and are comfortable with stereotypical gender roles for all women and abusive relationships as the norm and something to be accepted and given as par for the course might have enjoyed this book and others of its like. But, I just could not get past those particular hang ups.
The idea that an abusive relationship is something that should just be forgiven and forgotten with no apology and/or true attempt at redemption from the perpetrator beyond more manipulation – further validating the abuser’s need to consolidate and exert power – is just, it’s beyond words. No, it’s not, it’s disgusting.
Seriously, I’d give this NO stars if I could.
