Carole's Sunday Review: Left at the altar - Margaret Brownley

Author: Margaret Brownley

Title: Left at the Altar (A Match Made in Texas #1)

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 340

First Published: November 1st 2016

Where I Got It: My Shelf (Won in a giveaway)

Welcome to Two-Time Texas: 

Where tempers burn hot

Love runs deep

And a single marriage can unite a feuding town

...or tear it apart for good 

In the wild and untamed West, time is set by the local jeweler...but Two-Time Texas has two: two feuding jewelers and two wildly conflicting time zones. Meg Lockwood's marriage was supposed to unite the families and finally bring peace. But when she's left at the altar by her no-good fiance, Meg's dreams of dragging her quarrelsome neighbors into a ceasefire are dashed. 

No wedding bells? No one-time town.

Hired to defend the groom against a breach of promise lawsuit, Grant Garrison quickly realizes that the only thing worse than small-town trouble is falling for the jilted bride. But there's something about Meg's sweet smile and determined grit that draws him in...even as the whole crazy town seems set on keeping them apart. 

What a super cute book! I could hardly put this one down! I finished this in just a couple of sittings which is rare for me for this genre. Honestly, I want to read more by this author and in this fun town. 

Let's back-track a bit....

The story follows Meg and Grant. Meg is the daughter of one of the feuding jewelers and she is engaged to marry Tommy who has been her best friend and is the son of the other party in the feud. They are hoping that their marriage will bring the feud to an end. However, Tommy decides the marriage is not for him because Meg wants to stay put and he wants to see the world. Legit reasons...but this should've been something discussed BEFORE the big wedding day. Well...like the title suggests, Tommy leaves poor Meg at the altar. 

This betrayal makes Meg's dad furious, so he decides to sue Tommy for breaking his promise to his daughter. Tommy decides to hire the new lawyer in town, Grant. Poor Grant getting caught up in the feuding families. But it does wonders for his reputation and makes him a popular face and lawyer in town. He also gets to meet and fall in love with the jilted bride herself, Meg who thinks all of this is silly and doesn't want to sue Tommy. 

Heck...I would sue if a guy did that especially back during this time period! Marriage is extremely important to women. It was one of the only ways to get a household of their own. It's such crap and it is embarrassing to be left ON the wedding day. Such crap. 

Now, this all sounds like heavy material, but the author made this enjoyable and made it funny! Sure there were some sad, dark moments, but the majority was fun and light. I needed a book like this for sure. 

My only complaint were some of the random things that didn't seem to help move the storyline along at all. Like the prisoner. Maybe he'll play a bigger role in the next book? We shall see I guess. But overall, it wasn't necessarily a huge issue. Just not sure how some of the things tied in with the main story. 

In the end, I really liked this! It was funny. It was cute. It had a fun cast of crazy Texans and one guy from Boston who somehow got in the middle of the mess. There were some serious moments, but it was done well and didn't take away from the story. Everything blended well. There were some moments and events that seemed to not tie into the story. But they might in the next book. I'm excited to read the next one! I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a light romance with some humor. Out of five stars, I'll give this a 4.

Interview and Giveaway: Margaret Brownley

Today I have Margaret Brownley over for an interview, and there is a giveaway too :)
Welcome!

Tell me about yourself

My husband and I have three grown children and six grandchildren and we make our home in Southern California. Some think I’m a terrific cook (probably because I raised a chef) but I’m only so-so at best. I love traveling and have been to all fifty states. As a writer, I write by the seat of my pants—no outline, nothing. No one’s more surprised at the way my books end than I am. Come to think of it, since I don’t plan in advance, even dinner is a surprise.

And your new book?

Left at the Altar is the first book in my A Match Made in Texas series. As the title suggests, Meg Lockwood is left at the altar by her erstwhile fiancé. The marriage was supposed to unite two feuding families, so not only is the jilted bride affected, but the entire town.

The book takes place in 1880 when time was often determined by the town jeweler. Unfortunately, Two-Time, Texas has two feuding jewelers who both insist that they alone have the right time. This causes all sorts of trouble for the town. Can you imagine trying to figure out when stores open and when to go to church or school? Talk about a divided town!

What makes the West to fun to write about?

I love writing about the old west.  That was when men were men and women were women, but a cowboy wasn’t a cowboy unless he was wild, woolly and full of fleas.  Of course the heroes I write about are more likely to be tall, dark and handsome.

Today’s language seems rather dull compared to the colorful expressions and words of yesteryear.  Can you think of more mouth-pleasing words than hornswoggle, caboodle or skedaddle?  Or what about fiddlefooted, ranktankerous, rumbumptious or splendiferous? A latte may be the haute cuisine of coffee, but give me an Arbuckle’s any day.

Tell us more about the hero

No sooner does Boston Lawyer Grant Garrison arrive in Two-Time, Texas when he finds himself in the midst of the town feud. His first mistake is defending Meg’s erstwhile groom against a breach-of-promise suit. His second mistake is falling for the plaintiff.

And the heroine?

Meg Lockwood is one of three sisters. The books opens on her wedding day which turns out to be the most miserable day of her life. Can you imagine the embarrassment of being left at the altar? All she wants to do is hide, but when her father files a breach-of-promise suit on her behalf, escape becomes impossible.

Thank you!

Giveaway
1 print copy of Left at the Altar

1. US only
2. Ends Nov 27
3. Enter by commenting :)
And remember to leave your details if they can not be found in your profile

Title: Left at the Altar

Series: A Match Made in Texas, #1

Author: Margaret Brownley

Pub Date: November 1, 2016

ISBN: 9781492608134

Welcome to Two-Time Texas:

Where tempers burn hot

Love runs deep

And a single marriage can unite a feuding town

…or tear it apart for good

In the wild and untamed West, time is set by the local jeweler…but Two-Time Texas has two: two feuding jewelers and two wildly conflicting time zones. Meg Lockwood’s marriage was supposed to unite the families and finally bring peace. But when she’s left at the altar by her no-good fiancé, Meg’s dreams of dragging her quarrelsome neighbors into a ceasefire are dashed.

No wedding bells? No one-time town.

Hired to defend the groom against a breach of promise lawsuit, Grant Garrison quickly realizes that the only thing worse than small-town trouble is falling for the jilted bride. But there’s something about Meg’s sweet smile and determined grit that draws him in…even as the whole crazy town seems set on keeping them apart.

Who knew being Left at the Altar could be such sweet, clean, madcap fun?

MARGARET BROWNLEY penned her first novel at age eleven and has been writing ever since. She’s now a New York Times and CBA bestselling author and has written thirty-five novels and one nonfiction book. Margaret and her husband have three grown children and make their home in Southern California. Twitter | Facebook

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