Rustler's Moon. Jodi Thomas

Today the Book Date welcomes Jodi Thomas with a little about her new book Rustler's Moon. Jodi says:

On a dirt road marked by haunting  secrets, three strangers caught at life’s crossroads must decide what to sacrifice to protect their own agendas…and what they’re willing to risk for love.

In this second book of the RANSOM CANYON series called RUSTLER’S MOON, I wanted to add a mystery whispering through my story.  When I began RUSTLER’S MOON, Angela Harold runs from the pain of loss of her father and the only home she’s known to a new beginning in Crossroads, Texas. She meets a rancher who’s given up on dreaming. Their story weaves in and out of the lives of the people in Crossroads.

Sometimes a character steps onto the stage of the book and surprises the writer. Carter did that for me in RUSTLER’S MOON. He’s a man who thinks his life is over but holds on to his one goal of finding a childhood memory. I loved the way Carter’s story wound around Angela’s mystery and the surprises he finds not only in the canyon, but also within himself.

Come along on a journey of new beginnings filled with suspense  and finding forever love in RUSTLER’S MOON. You might just fall in love again for the first time.

Rustler's Moon
Jodi Thomas
Published: HLQ Books
Date: 26th January 2016
Format: e-ARC
Pages: 384
Genre: Romance
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Rating:
                        

If there's any place that can convince Angela Harrell to stop running, it's Ransom Canyon. And if there's any man who can reveal desires more deeply hidden than her every fear, it's Wilkes Wagner. Beneath the rancher's honorable exterior is something that just might keep her safe...or unwittingly put her in danger's path.

With his dreams of leaving this small Texas town swallowed up by hard, dusty reality, all Wilkes has to show for his life is the Devil's Fork Ranch. Though not one to let false hope seduce him, he can't deny the quiet and cautious beauty who slips into his world and changes everything.

Lauren Brigman finally has freedom at her fingertips. All she needs is Lucas Reyes's attention—a look, a touch, some sign that she's more to him than a girl he rescued one dangerous night. But now it's her turn to rescue someone, and the life-altering decision may cost her more than a chance with Lucas.

Rustler's Moon is #2 in the delightful series by Jodi Thomas. We continue on - meeting some newcomers and some more of the descendants of the early settlers who first started this community. There are really three prongs to this book, as it follows the lives of three groups of people, yet as it is a small community minded place, of course they all interact with each other as well.

There is Angie who has come to take up a new job in the museum, and what a joy that must be, could feel myself wishing it was all real and I could go view the place and all those early artifacts. Angie lost her mother at an early age, and when her father was mugged and murdered she leaves town quickly, as her life could be in danger. 

Arriving in the community its not long before she meets Wilkes who runs a ranch and who has living with him his Uncle Vern. Uncle Vern is a bit  of a character and he gave me a few out loud laughs. He is a bit of an old codger, thinks he would still be a catch with the women, and besides he knows what to look for in a woman. Also - no flies on him!

Wilkes is a delight - a good homespun honest, down to earth guy. He soon sets himself up as Angie's protector and well if Uncle Vern doesn't get there first - he is rather hoping to get significant time alone with Angie.

We also get to meet again Yancy, the guy who turned up last book - straight from a jail - and who weaved his way into the hearts of a local retirement community. His story advances with some exciting developments, my favorite moment being between him and Angie. Angie of the compassionate heart.

As well we also track some young college people, Lauren, Reid and Tim, the three who were mixed up in the break in to the old house in the previous book. Now they are wending their way through college, along with Polly, Lauren's room mate. And as Jodi Thomas mentions there is Carter, who is seeking something, and he has never given up on it. Will he be rewarded?

I love the depth Jodi Thomas brings to her characters, and the chance we have to see them developing over a period of time. It makes for very satisfying reading. Some relationship angst, some mystery and danger, a long time quest to be fulfilled. Great mix of a story.

A fifth-generation Texan, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Jodi Thomas chooses to set the majority of her novels in her home state, where her grandmother was born in a covered wagon. A former teacher, Thomas traces the beginning of her storytelling career to the days when her twin sisters were young and impressionable. 

With a degree in family studies, Thomas is a marriage and family counselor by education, a background that enables her to write about family dynamics. Honored in 2002 as a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Thomas enjoys interacting with students on the West Texas A&M University campus, where she currently serves as Writer in Residence. 

 Commenting on her contribution to the arts, Thomas said, “When I was teaching classes full-time, I thought I was making the world a better place. Now I think of a teacher or nurse or mother settling back and relaxing with one of my books. I want to take her away on an adventure that will entertain her. Maybe, in a small way, I’m still making the world a better place.” 

When not working on a novel or inspiring students to pursue a writing career, Thomas enjoys traveling with her husband, renovating a historic home they bought in Amarillo and “checking up” on their two grown sons. For more information, please visit Jodi’s website.