A Texas-Made Family by Roz Denny Fox

I have to say that the main character really ruined this book for me. She was just a little too much to take in and considering the plot wasn't that exciting, it would have helped to make her likable. I've read some of Fox's other work and it wasn't bad, but this, this just wasn't good.

Rebecca wants better for her kids. That means, unlike she who was raised in a Mennonite community, they are going to have the opportunity for education, and they'll know the value of a dollar. After all, she works two jobs just to keep them afloat. So when her daughter starts seeing a boy and her grades slip, Rebecca is very upset. She approaches the boys father to see what can be done, but he's more interested in getting her to go on a date as opposed to actually fixing things. He's not that close to his kids after being in the army, and while he's trying to fix that, he knows he can't control them. So while he cares about Rebecca's situation, he'd much rather they work together (and be together) while they're talking to their kids.

So some of these issues I have with the characters could be considered spoilers. You have been warned. Rebecca is an absolute mess. She whines about money constantly, in front of her new beau and any others that happen to be listening. And it just gets old. Honestly I can't really see why Grant was interested in her, I would have been turned off by that alone. There really isn't any chemistry between the two either. The kids, they weren't very realistic. The youngest daughter acted about half her age and the younger son, while ok, didn't really act his own age either. The two oldest were very flighty and angry, which could be realistic, but sometimes it took it to extremes.

The plot was slow and boring. Which is unusual for a romance. They are usually a bit faster pace. But with the exception of some action at the end, they didn't really do anything aside from go on a few dates. And that ending, jeez, talk about all over the place. I was reading and from one paragraph to the next I thought I missed a few pages because they did an abrupt 180* with all their plans in the middle of a conversation. It was just plain weird. Since this is a romance, there is a sex scene in it, but only one, and it was very quick.

Not a very good romance. It wasn't quite a one star, but it was darn close. I can only hope if I run into more of Fox's books that they're better.

A Texas-Made Family
Copyright 2008
243 pages