Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Lone Star Ranger by Renee Brumbaugh Green

LONE STAR RANGER
SERIES: Texas Ranger #1
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Romance
PUBLISHER: Wild Heart Books
RELEASE DATE: January 21, 2020

Elizabeth Covington will get her man.

And she has just a week to prove her brother isn’t the murderer Texas Ranger Rett Smith accuses him of being. She’ll show the good-looking lawman he’s wrong, even if it means setting out on a risky race across Texas to catch the real killer.

Rett doesn’t want to convict an innocent man. But he can’t let the Boston beauty sway his senses to set a guilty man free. When Elizabeth follows him on a dangerous trek, the Ranger vows to keep her safe. But who will protect him from the woman whose conviction and courage leave him doubting everything—even his heart?

Nothing like starting out a vacation – or a book – by being arrested because you’re mistaken to be a notorious murderer. Such is the case for Elizabeth’s brother, and the duo can’t seem to convince anyone that they’ve got the wrong person.

The author does a great job with Elizabeth’s character in Lone Star Ranger. She’s a realistic blend of worried sister and determined woman. You can feel the emotions she battles, her struggles to defend her brother’s innocence in a town where no one knows them. Yet she has an inner strength despite her fears, and her perseverance is to be admired. I loved her spunkiness and bravery, and her run-ins with Rett are often amusing throughout.

It does feel at times that the story development could have been more consistent, more layered. Especially the last few chapters when Rett goes off to make sure they do have the right guy – with Elizabeth trailing along behind him to prove that they don’t. I thought both acted slightly inconsistently with what we’d seen in them for the rest of the book, and the wrap-up of emotions when all was said and done seemed a big leap from where they started before all heck broke loose.

Bottom Line: Even with a few inconsistencies, Lone Star Ranger is an enjoyable romance with all the right elements – brave, plucky heroine; swoony Texas Ranger hero; life-or-death in the balance. It’s a light story and a quick read, and you’ll enjoy watching Elizabeth and Rett butt heads & fall in love. I particularly loved the supporting character Amelia Cooper, and I’m delighted to see that she’s the protagonist in Green’s next book Ranger to the Rescue!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received via the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / enjoyed it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / May forget to breathe on occasion

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I’ve been a fan of historical romance from the moment I graduated from The Babysitter’s Club. A friend of mind introduced me to the Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke, and I was hooked. In college, between exams and extracurricular stuff, I read those books like they were M&Ms. That’s why, when I started writing grown-up fiction, I knew historical was my genre.

But there’s another reason—perhaps a more compelling reason—why I had to write The Texas Rangers series. See, my granddaddy was a Texas Ranger. Not the baseball player kind. The gun-toting, cowboy-hat-and-badge-wearing kind. As far as I know, he was not a master of any kinds of martial arts, so if you’re a fan of Walker, Texas Ranger, I’m sorry to disappoint.

And he was not alive during the late 1800s, as are the characters are in this series. Grandaddy died in 1980 when I was 12 years old. He was a good man, known for rescuing puppies and bringing small gifts and toys to children in stressful situations—i.e. when their parents were arrested. My favorite memory of him is sitting on his lap, falling asleep to the sound of his big, round pocket watch ticking. I have a picture of myself, age three, sitting on his knee while he typed up his reports. I love that typewriter picture, and find it significant since I’m now a writer.

Grandaddy was Robert Everett Smith, and Grandmother (yes, I called her that—she was very formal, but also very sweet) was Ellie Marie (Edgar) Smith. The two lead characters in Lone Star Ranger are named Rett (Everett) and Elizabeth, in their honor.

Like Grandmother, Elizabeth is refined and formal, yet strong headed, with her own lady-like brand of spunk. She hails from Boston, and is a little overwhelmed at the grit and gravel of Texas lawmen. But she’s not intimidated—not even by handsome Texas Ranger Rett Smith.

Thanks so much for sharing in my cherished family memories. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Renae Brumbaugh Green is a city-girl-turned-country-diva. She’s married to a handsome country boy named Rick, and she’s mom to four nearly-perfect, nearly-grown children, two rowdy dogs, and some ducks. They live in rural Texas where Renae wears overalls, western boots, and bubblegum pink nail polish. She’s a bestselling author of over 30 books, an award-winning humor columnist, and an online English teacher. In her free time, she can be found leaping tall buildings and rescuing kittens from trees. Or, she’d like to do those things, if she had free time.

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To celebrate her tour, Renae is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

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