If Wishes Were Horses

Rating:
Summary: I simply loved this book.
Review: I could not put this book down, read it until after midnight. I really liked the prose, which gave a good feel for the story. It is very southern, and like a country song come to life. Etta and Johnny and Latrice and Obie were like real people to me, and I keep thinking back to parts of the story. I can highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Good book - better than I expected
Review: I tried other books by this author and never could finish them because they are just tad either too slow or too 'everyday' for me. However I liked this book. I can see transformation within the heroine Etta's character from the beginning to the end of the story. It was also refreshing to find that the hero was not perfect in any ways except being a born gentleman. I liked the way the author wrote about his feelings, doubts and weakness (how he liked to drink and controlled his urge at the end). The relationship between Etta and Latrice warms my heart.

Rating:
Summary: Great contemporary romance
Review: In Oklahoma, Roy Rivers suddenly dies from heart failure while in the bed of his lover. He leaves behind a pregnant spouse, Etta, a debt-ridden ranch, and little else of worth. The car and tractor are repossessed, and even the electric company threatens to shut off the power unless they receive a payment soon. Amidst all that chaos and a funeral to boot, Johnny Bellah arrives on the scene, seeking the money that Roy owed him.

Instead, Johnny decides to help Etta with her last remaining asset, the horses her husband left behind. Though he soon comes to cherish the fiery widow, she sees him as another worthless cowboy just like her deceased spouse. Unless, she can overcome her deep negative feelings caused by the late Roy, Etta will lose the opportunity for that once in a lifetime love that she badly desires.

IF WISHES WERE HORSES is an entertaining glimpse into life on a modern Oklahoma farm. The wonderful tale is filled with whimsy and tons of old fashion romance even as it takes a realistic look into the life of the charming heroine. Curtiss Ann Matlock continues to provide some of the best characters and relationship story lines in the contemporary field today.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: If wishes were horses, we'd all ride.
Review: My mother used to tell me that. I'm from the South, and it seems to follow that I love to read and write about colorful characters. I admit, I draw heavily on my own family, piecing together like a crazy quilt all things that I've experienced or seen or wondered about. I like to write about life as I have known it, people as I know them, people with weaknesses who struggle to be strong and thereby find out who they really are. Southerners by their nature are connected to the land; I write about that, and about sultry nights and passionate women and men in boots and blue jeans, pickup trucks and horses and a way of life I hope will never die. There is a secret in If Wishes Were Horses. Can you see it?

Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC!!
Review: This book is now in my "keeper" collection! One of the best books I've read in a long time....great writing, great characters, great story! I highly recommend all of Curtiss Ann Matlock's books, and this one really captures the heart!

Rating:
Summary: Good, but too slow paced
Review: This story of a young, pregnant widow starts off very intriguing. The plot is a good one, but you have to really concentrate to get through the language which is stilted and at a snail's pace. When I finally got to the chapters where things were starting to look up, the story was over. I felt like I'd been cheated. I'll select the next one more carefully.

Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: This was a good read, but a little too slow paced for me. The storyline was good and great characters. This book just didn't have what it takes to keep me up all night.