The Texan's Surprise Return (Cowboys of Diamondback Ranch, #2) by Jolene Navarro

The Texan's Surprise Return (Cowboys of Diamondback Ranch, #2) Reviews

• 
  Hannah

  I grabbed this book because I needed an X character for my ABC reading challenge (thank you, Jolene Navarro, for giving a character an X name!). I hadn’t read the author before and didn’t realize it was in a series—I was just looking at the character name. Turns out it stands just fine alone and is a delightful little story. I’ll definitely be reading more of this series and author.
• 
  Anna Marie

  This book is a hot mess.
  
  So Xavier and Selena have been trying alternative fertilization, because she wants a home/family. He wants her, but his childhood was abusive and he has doubts about being a parent and as such, takes off on her, pretty much ALL of the time. But he's a GREAT guy, a devoted husband, everyone sees it. Nevermind that he's always gone and comes from a family with a history of abuse and inconsistency. Not sure why everyone thinks Xavier is so great, if he's out of the country more than half the time, leaving his wife to muddle through things, alone. That's not to mention she's got the paperwork to file for divorce...
  
  And he's not just *gone*. First he steps into the role of paragon by joining the Army (where he's Special Forces, of course, because nobody's average in these books), and then in Special Ops (where he rescues kidnapped children, because super-uber-awesome-cause-only). Except he's like these people who go on mission trips - gone to save the world and feel awesome about himself and look great in the eyes of others, while screwing over his wife/kids. NEVER okay.
  
  But then Selena's used to that - her dad put his career over her, too... so hooking up with Xavier is pattern for her. Also, we're supposed to believe she's a 'strong independent woman'... when she's all got great-grandma helping/living with her, and daddy helping/living with her, and the De La Rosa family taking her miracle triplets for her half the book... that's NOT independent. And with how much she bawls throughout the whole story? Not seein' much strength, either.
  
  So Xavier 'dies' on a mission, disappears for two years, and shows back up with amnesia that's only as amnesia as the author wants it to be. He remembers dresses, dogs, his sister Belle, songs... pretty much everything except patchy bits here and there... oh, and his *wife*. He doesn't remember Selena. Except he remembers her, too. Only not. I don't know, you tell me.
  
  On Pg 80: "Buelita. I missed you," he said. Um... I thought the only person he remembered was Belle? So how could he miss Buelita?
  
  Selena says, "Home again, Home again" and he says, "Jiggedy-jig. Where did that come from?" It came from a rhyme called 'To Market', and since he remembers everything mundane, making a big deal out of this makes NO sense, at all, either.
  
  Additionally, he's also got brain trauma and can't talk and can't see, except when he's seeing and talking. For example: " 'I have depth issues and words are sometimes hard to form. There's a disconnect from my head to my mouth.' WIFE. SELENA. YES. Those words he knew." And that's all in a row, there. He goes from 'depth issues' and 'disconnect' to 'WIFE. SELENA. YES', in *one* sentence. It's... really hard to buy. Like the author has to convince you of her claims, even though EVERYTHING says the opposite. And depth is never a problem for him - he doesn't miss when reaching, or overstep or topple over... nothing like that.
  
  Pg 63 he does have one 'episode' and can't talk or see, so she's leading him across the yard... and he pulls his hand from hers, because "he wouldn't be weak in front of her or the boys". Except he just WAS, and still IS, hello...! And the boys are TWO, hello... they don't know what weakness is. More, how does he even know the boys are noticing?!
  
  Or how about page 43: " 'You said your sight was damaged.' ... a simple nod. His gaze traveled the room, covering every area..." Okay, but HOW is his gaze traveling over every area if it's damaged? There's no rhyme or reason to anything... we're just expected to buy whatever the author decides to put on the page, r'something. I'm not okay with that.
  
  The story also isn't consistent. For example, on one page Selena starts giggling maniacally - she giggles when she's nervous. But she didn't giggle when she was in the office with him, the night he came back, and she was nervous, then. But then pg 51, she pops her knuckles when she's nervous. Except she's not giggling. So which is it? Keep your quirks straight, please...???
  
  Xavier's character is a mess, too. "The need to be close to her had him wanting to share his fears and concerns. He didn't share with anyone. Despite his best efforts to keep her at a distance, she settled in next to him. 'We've done this before. Sat on the steps and looked at the stars. You'd rest your head on my shoulder,' he said." So he has a need to be close, to share, but he doesn't share... but he doesn't remember he doesn't share... and at the same time as he needs to be close, he needs to keep her at a distance... IT'S A DISASTER. Utterly contradictory, all the way through.
  
  Even their origin story is conflicted. Pg 45: " ' I had a dream. You were wearing a long dress the color of sunset. By the end of the evening you were mine.' " Except then Pg. 73: " 'You finally asked me... during a basketball game.' ... he leaned in. 'We had our first kiss after the game.' She had been his." So she 'became his' after their first kiss at the basketball game. But she also 'became his' at the end of a dance they went to, together. MAKE UP YOUR MIND!!!! GAH!!
  
  Then he finds out a kid got left behind in Colombia, and it hasn't even been the six weeks of recovery minimum for head trauma, yet Navarro has him headed off to South America, again. "I haven't had an episode in three weeks," he tells his wife on pg 188. Nevermind that just two days earlier on pg 174, he was with his son and unable to focus, and Riff had to come sit with him. GAH!!!!
  
  As for the spirituality, Elijah gets all up in Riff's face, and says he's the reason Selena is okay with being second place in people's lives. As in, daddy made her a lesser priority, so she's okay with Xavier making her 'second place'. But if this is a Love, Inspired novel, shouldn't she *BE* second place... to the Savior? Somehow God is WAY down the list in all of these people's lives, and that's totally okay. I'm not down with Navarro's version(s) of spirituality, at all.
  
  I have two more of these, but I think I need a break from Navarro...
• 
  Karen Mcnicol

  I picked this book as part as my birthday gift and I am so glad I did. I know its fiction but it touched me so deeply. I love that this family got a second chance. This story was written so well I felt it was real and i love that in a book!
• 
  Mark

  I always enjoy this author's books, and this one was a really great read
• 
  Cassandra Myers

  I am a big fan of love Inspired books, there have been very few that I have read and not loved. My review includes a fairly big spoiler so don't read if you don't want part of the end spoiled.
  
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  I honestly didn't like Xavier, from the very first chapter I disliked him. At the end he realized the driving need to "go back" was because before his accident he was thinking he needed to go back home and not take more missions. But because I didn't know that at the start and him thinking he needed to get well and "go back" to Columbia and not caring or thinking about what leaving again would do to those who had just gotten him back...well it made it hard to enjoy the book because of thinking he was a total jerk.
• 
  Amy

  I had missed this book in the Cowboys of Diamondback Ranch when it was published. Found it at my favorite used bookstore!
  
  I love Christmas books. I must admit that amnesia is one of my favorite tropes. This book was very realistic in the progression of the amnesia. I have loved Xavier and Selena in the other books in this series. It was nice to finally read their story.
  
  I highly recommend the entire Cowboys of Diamondback Ranch series.
• 
  April

  Although the title doesn’t give it away, it’s a good December/Christmas read. I love the family dynamics. I enjoyed how the author slowly revealed more and more of the past, like pealing the layers of an onion. Overall great story!
• 
  Harlequin Books

  Categories
  Inspirational Romance, Contemporary Romance, Western Romance, Wholesome Romance
  
  Miniseries
  Cowboys of Diamondback Ranch
• 
  Harlequin Books

  Categories
  Inspirational Romance, Contemporary Romance, Western Romance, Wholesome Romance
  
  Miniseries
  Cowboys of Diamondback Ranch
• 
  Melody

  Loved this faith-based book. Well-written so it was enjoyable to read. The characters had depth to them. This is an author from whom I would enjoy seeing more stories.
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  Andi

  Great read! I loved the plot of this book! Bringing amnesia to a main character like that was both fascinating and intense. Looking forward to reading more from Jolene!