Twyla's Choice

My Blurb …
The Year ~ 1880. Twyla is not like her mother or her two sisters. Society men are bores. A socialite from Providence, RI, she cheerfully volunteers to go to her widowed great-aunt in Lovington, CO who is “sick”. But to her surprise upon arrival, her aunt Beverly is just fine–not sick at all.

She is the town’s postmistress and part of their own “society”, a group of ladies who are importing young women in hopes a Lovington man will court & marry one of them. The women don’t match them — they just get them to town, put the word out, and see what happens.

And that explains why men were stumbling over themselves when Twyla arrived at the train depot.

My Review …
Twyla’s mother’s name is … are you ready? Philberta Hilton Wyndham! Kudos to the author for coming up with that one. Her name sounds pretentious and apologies to anyone with that name. Can’t you picture her on a settee bemoaning the fact that Twyla has absolutely no interest in attending YAB (yet another ball)? When I read that name, I laughed out loud.

Given that Auntie Beverly’s society doesn’t match the incoming young lady to a specific man makes "Twyla’s Choice" a bit different than other western romances. Another difference is Twyla’s hobby is graphology, which is the study of handwriting, for example as used to infer a person’s character. The story doesn’t delve much into what Twyla does with this hobby although being in a new town and going with her aunt to the post office allows her to see NEW handwriting on almost a daily basis.

Now for the weaknesses of the story. Three men show immediate interest in Twyla but as they are introduced in the story, their names are not given. I finally started using Kindle Notes to keep each separated. It’s possible if you read this short book in one sitting, you may not get the men confused. But in my case, that wasn’t possible. A name would have helped.

One of the men picks up a “tiny pig” or a newborn to show Twyla. I grew up on a farm and baby pigs like most baby animals are as cute as can be. And my Daddy warned me in a stern voice I can still hear today, “Never touch a baby pig. That ole sow will tear your arm off!!!” And baby pigs stay with their mother — all the time.

Then there was the ending — and no, I won’t give it away. This is my final note about Twyla’s actions in the ending:

Twyla is from a highborn, wealthy family in the East.
She simply would NOT do this. She wouldn’t have gone to _______.
She would not have _______. Nope! I can’t buy it.

Checking Goodreads, I have read one other book by this prolific author & gave it 5 stars. I couldn’t do it this time due to the ending. Authors cast a character with certain attributes; those can’t suddenly change at the ending. For this reviewer, it always spoils “The End”. "Twyla’s Choice" is a solid three-star read and on the whole, an enjoyable one.

I received a complimentary e-ARC* copy of "Twyla’s Choice" from the publisher, Backlit PR, via NetGalley. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Rating: 3 stars.
#TwylasChoice #NetGalley #LindaCarrollBradd

Title: Twyla’s Choice
Series: Courting Chaos, #7
Author: Linda Carroll-Bradd
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Backlit PR
Release Date: March 15, 2022
Format: Kindle (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: 103
Source: NetGalley