True-Blue Texan

When college instructor Katherine Kirby reluctantly moves from Chicago to Houston to take a job teaching high school drop-outs, the last thing she expects to find is love. But there he is: a tall, handsome Texan sitting in the second row of her GED class. Nick is intrigued by the sweet but spirited teacher from the very beginning, but he never expects to fall in love with her--a love so deep that he is willing to risk all for her.TRUE-BLUE TEXAN is both touching and humorous--a combination many authors strive for but fail to deliver. Linda Barrett delivers. I found myself laughing and crying in equal measure. The characters are vivid and realistic. I could feel Katherine's nervousness on her first day as a GED teacher, and I loved Nick's big, warm-hearted family. My test for a truly great character is whether or not he or she stays with me even for several days after I've finished the novel. Both Nick and Katherine did.WARNING! Once you begin this book, you won't want to put it down. The chemistry between these characters kept me turning the pages long after my bedtime. Nick and Katherine sizzle when they're together. TRUE-BLUE TEXAN has something for everyone--love, laughter, tears and suspense. I highly recommend this book.

As a teenager, Katrin Kowalski's parents died in a car accident with her mother's final message to her beloved daughter to marry an educated man. A decade later Katrin using the moniker Katherine Kirby has taken a sabbatical from college teaching to complete her dissertation. She earns living money teaching a GED class in Houston. Katherine follows the curriculum to the letter resulting in plenty of teaching, but no learning. She soon realizes that the GED means a lot to her students. In particular, Katherine is attracted to Tony Martinelli, who runs his family's construction business, but always wanted to be an architect. As Katherine and Tony fall in love, their educational differences, family demands (hers from the grave) and their backgrounds make a relationship seem remote. TRUE-BLUE TEXAN is an entertaining contemporary romance that stars two people who find love may not be enough for them to make it together. The story line is well written, but has too many secondary plots that take time away from the audience understanding the dilemmas facing Tony and Katherine. Still, the lead couple makes for a dynamic duo and the support cast, especially his immediate family and the other students, augments the tale by adding depth to the prime pair. The author has written an engaging novel that will entice readers to search for the author's other books.Harriet Klausner

TRUE-BLUE TEXAN is a terrific story. It's one of the few stories I've read that truly made me cry and then laugh with a terrific family. It's a wonderful love story and I didn't want it to end. I highly recommend this book.