Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Pemberley Ranch Review

I must confess I’ve never read (or seen) PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

Why this confession? Because I have a book review to share that is a variation of that famous book. My review is for ….

PEMBERLEY RANCH by Jack Caldwell

The time is at the end of the Civil War and the place is Rosings, Texas. The Bennett family has moved to Rosings from Ohio. The family’s only male heir was killed during the war and one of his sisters, Beth, vows to hate Confederates forever no matter that she must now live among them.

Meanwhile, half of Rosings is owned by Will Darcy, a handsome former Confederate Captain. Will’s best friend is Dr. Charles Bingley, whom he met during the war. Soon Charles falls in love with the eldest Bennett daughter, Jane, and they marry.

Beth allows herself to accept Charles since he makes Jane happy. However, she can barely tolerate his friend, Will, despite the physical attraction she feels around him. To add to Beth’s dislike of Will, devious family friend George Whitehead tells lies and distorts the truth. Unknown to Beth and her family, Whitehead has secrets he’s hiding.

The pull between Beth and Will is a typical case of opposites attracting. She’s a Union farm girl and he’s a former Confederate officer turned rancher. They find they have to pull together to save what is most dear to both of them.

This is a refreshing look at a western romance with a touch of intrigue and humor mingled in. Debut author Jack Caldwell has developed some strong major characters, as well as some lovable secondary ones.

PEMBERLEY RANCH is an enjoyable read. It will have readers hooked from the first page until the last line. 


Author Jack Caldwell's website is http://webpages.charter.net/jvcla25/

Pemberley Ranch by Jack Caldwell, Sourcebooks Landmark, @2010, ISBN: 978-1-4022-4128-4, Paperback, 384 pages


FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this book and it was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

17 comments:

  1. This sounds like a very interesting read. Thanks for reviewing it.

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  2. Intriguing. And I can highly recommend Pride and Prejudice!

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  3. Mason - Thanks for this review. It does sound like a fascinating twist on Pride and Prejudice. And actually I recommend Pride and Prejudice, too...

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  4. I like it when authors bring the twist of a classic to a new story. It's familiar and fresh at the same time.

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  5. Summer, it is an interesting book. It offers a variety - western, romance, suspense, intrigue.

    ladyfi and Margot, I hope to read PRIDE AND PREJUDICE soon.

    Joanne, this also has a bit of Southern charm like GONE WITH THE WIND. However, I'm not sure Beth would want to be compared to Scarlett.

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  6. Thanks for the review - sounds like a fine variation on an old classic. Hey you would enjoy my post today also ... hosting an Australian aithor on virtual tour with her new romance novel, and she specializes in variations on Pride and Prejudice retellings. Pretty cool.

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  7. What!? No Pride & Prejudice? Well, I would recommend it. Great review.
    CD

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  8. Pemberley Ranch sounds clever and fun to read...but really, you've never read or seen Pride and Prejudice? I only read it once, but I think I've seen about six filmed versions.

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  9. oh, I'm so getting this one--it sounds like a great read and a fun twist on the classic. Love the title. Thanks for the super review, Mas~ :o) <3

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  10. It sounds very interesting! And now you know you need to pick up the original P&P for a look!

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  11. Thanks everyone for stopping by. And yes, I am going to read PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. In fact, I received an e-mail this afternoon about the 235th birthday anniversary of Jane Austen and a special treat Sourcebooks is providing for readers on Thursday, Dec. 16. I'll be sure to have something on the blog to let everyone know about it.

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  12. P & P is a great book and this sounds like a clever variation that could work very well.
    As far as the P & P film versions, I would recommend the 1940 version with Laurence Olivier. I thought it captured the spirit of the book and the characters better than any of the other versions. Although the TV adaptions follow the actual story line of the book more closely.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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  13. Hi Mason. Thanks for dropping by my blog today. To answer your question about my book cover, the flute is a huge part of the story, as important as the Treasures of Carmelidrium.

    I tried to read Jane Austin but couldn't. I think it's because of the time necessary to read through all the descriptions. In today's market, we've learned to imply much of that. Blame T.V. and movies. Nice book review.
    Nancy
    N. R. Williams, fantasy author

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  14. Thanks for this review. It sounds really interesting book!
    Take care
    Marinela x

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  15. This does sound a lot like Pride and Prejudice, which is a book you should read once.

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  16. Masy, here's a chance for you to catch the train on PRIDE AND PREJUDICE - Hollywood is preparing PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES movie :)

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  17. I never would have thought to adapt Pride & Prejudice into a western! Not sure if I'm intrigued or amused.

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.