This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
About The Book
She’s his last chance to find peace . . . Cade, Captain of the Night Riders, is determined to lead his men home to Texas to recover from a long and brutal war. But when a fellow Rider betrays the team, Cade sets aside his hopes for peace and swears he will hunt down the traitor no matter what it takes . . . He has a foolproof plan to use the feisty Pilar diViere to lure her traitorous brother out of hiding. And yet when he takes the dark-eyed beauty into his arms, Cade can’t help but remember the passionate past they shared. He would do anything for a chance to rekindle that flame . . . even spare her brother’s life. The war has changed them all, and each of the Night Riders must decide what is more important: love or revenge?
My Review
First Impressions
Texas Homecoming is the first book in the Night Riders series by this fantastic male romance author. I have a goal of reading more of Leigh Greenwood this year. I just love his work and adore the books that he has crafted here. This is a story that surprised me in such a delightful way. From the first few minutes of listening I was so drawn into this audiobook. I really was drawn into the sense of the plot that had a theme of revenge. This book takes place right after the civil war, so it enters the reconstruction era and I really enjoyed seeing this author implement this so well into her story here. There were so many factors that seemed to blend so well together in this one. And it was a interracial romance with a White hero and a Latina heroine and what a beautiful blend of a romance that this one turned out to be. It had a sassy mix of tropes and undertones that worked just right for this couple. I was very curious to see how Leigh Greenwood would handle this romance and see how they would find their way past this BIG hurdle but it was done quite well actually, and I am once again impressed with the talent of this author to pen such a romance as this and just make it work so well.
Summary
Cade is the captain of the Night Riders and it’s his responsibility to protect his man. But he never thought in a million years that one of his men, and a man he grew next door to, would be the one to betray their unit and 26 men lost their lives due to one man’s greed, and those soldiers left to forge a bond tighter than any foiled rope ever could….its as strong as steel and they made a pact to get justice for what happened and find the peace they fought so hard for in the war. Their trail leaves them back to Cade’s home where they lie in wait for the man who betrayed them because everyone eventually comes home. But circumstances become a bit more complicated when he sees that their next-door neighbors and the girl he once admired is servants to his grandfather having been run out of their own home. Pilar diViere, grew up in an aristocratic Latino family, she had always known wealth and prestige until the war happened, her brother left, and vagrants overtook their Hacienda and ranch and were left with no one to turn to except Cade’s grandfather whom they are servants to where they once had riches and wealth. Pilar has always had a determination to never let anything get her down and to make the best of a bad situation. But then the man she once was charmed by as a girl returns home, a man who despises her brother for a reason she doesn’t know, and her grandmother have forbidden any interaction with him. But there is a spark that has never died between Cade and Pilar. But can Cade forget that it was Pilar’s brother that betrayed them? Or can love be the moving force towards forgiveness and a new way of being?
What I Liked
There were quite a few things that I found that this book worked out so well for me here. The first is the setting and time era of the story. I just ADORE the reconstruction era, because it’s seeing the power of rebuilding after the destructive force of a war of a country fighting against each other. It also takes place in Texas and I love Texas as a setting, there is something so raw and rich about having a Texas setting, and most particularly in a historical romance. I also quite adored seeing this revenge plot being so unraveled here. I will say that I had a blast seeing the various complexities that it drew out in such a wonderful way. The romance was such a solid focus and I loved the connection that Cade and Pilar had together. They definitely have some sparks and such fire. Even though this author is tamer in the number of sex scenes that he does, as there is like some foreplay and like one sex scene BUT he does write some moderate heat that balances out the story so well. I found there was this amount of humor that really lightened the mood in unexpected ways. There is such a great bond between these men who have experienced so much together. The angst between the grandfather and grandmother was so ON POINT, they were so hilarious, they fought like cats and dogs and it was quite entertaining to see how it unfolds between them. But their characters were awful. Like there is nothing good about them, to be honest. Both are stubborn, prideful, and are so set in their ways that scream toxicity, and it’s a wonder that Cade and Pilar became such wonderful human beings.
What I Struggled With
There wasn’t too much that I struggled with, I mean it definitely didn’t make it to a five-star read. I think that is mostly because there was so much ANGST in this book and it did get drawn out much longer than I would have liked. Also, I didn’t like how Cade kept his secret of killing Pilar’s brother for so long, there is a moment in the story where she comes completely clean with him, and he didn’t with her and I didn’t feel like he was sincere in the grovel at all later. And while I really liked Pilar’s spirit, I felt like she could be too hard-hearted. You see her trying to throw off convention but she pretty much lets her grandmother control her and I just didn’t connect with the heroine like I wanted to. Especially in what she was willing to do to Cade just because her grandmother was so bitter and couldn’t see the truth of life. She took a bit too long-standing up to her grandmother and took a stand on what she wanted in life.
Overall Outlook
I found Texas Homecoming to be such an enjoyable read that had its own style of country charm that delves into some difficult topics of morality and honor, the romance was the perfect blend of chemistry and feels which is guaranteed to curl your toes in such a delightful way. If you have a fondness for historical westerns, what are you waiting for? Grab this one up and you won’t be disappointed.
Book Details
Title: Texas Homecoming
Author: Leigh Greenwood
Genre: Historical Romance, Western Romance
Format: Audiobook
Source: Hoopla Digital
Length: 10 Hours
About The Narrater
Narrator Rebecca Mitchell is a performance artist and classically trained vocalist, as well as a professional host, emcee, and personality. Her natural flare for the dramatic, coupled with her love of being in the studio, brought her to the world of narrating in 2013. Her natural, mellifluous style reveals her rich alto training, love of storytelling, and ease in front of a microphone. Though a longtime New Englander, Rebecca Mitchell was born and raised in the Midwest. The myriad accents and dialects from her various homes, as well as those from her extensive travels, find their way into the characters she portrays. A collector of personality traits, idiosyncrasies, vocal styles, and personal histories, Rebecca infuses her narration with such elements, deepening the richness of her work.
Book Links
Amazon| Barnes and Noble| Kobo| Audible| Anyplay.FM| Goodreads| LibraryThing| The StoryGraph| LiteralClub
If you Like These Books, Than I Would Recommend “Texas Homecoming”
A Rogue In Texas by Lorraine Heath
secondhand bride by linda lael miller
all i need is you by johanna lindsey
Book Evaluation
Storytelling Quality: 4
Story Itself: 4
Character Development: 4
Writing Style: 4.25
World Building 4.25
Feels + The Romantic Heart 4
Pacing 4
Plot 4
Cover Art 4
Ending 4
Book Ratings
Rating of the Book
Steam Level
Simmering—soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warm- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin’ up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.
Series Order
Texas Homecoming-Pub 2002 (384 Pages)
Texas Bride-Pub 2002 (366 Pages)
Born To Love-Pub 2003-(365 Pages)
Someone Like You- Pub 2009-(324 Pages)
When Love Comes-Pub 2010-(326 Pages)
Texas Pride- Pub 2012-(384 Pages)
Heart of a Texas-Pub 2012-(367 Pages)
About The Author
Leigh Greenwood is the author of both the popular Seven Brides series and The Cowboys series. The proud parent of three grown children, Leigh lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.
This is an oldie. Not sure if I read it. I will have to check.
OH! I am in a challenge where I have to read a book with a person riding a horse on the cover – this book sounds interesting and I enjoy audiobooks, so I’m going to mark it to try for the challenge. Thanks for the review.
Boo to the drawn out angst lol. How much are our poor little hearts supposed to take? I’m glad it was still a win for you, even if it missed the 5-star mark 🙂
I really want to try some of Leigh Greenwood’s work. I think I have a few hiding out on my Kindle but this one sounds like it would be worth a read too.