Matthew (The Circle Eight, #1)

Matthew (The Circle Eight, #1)
    ~ Emma Lang
Publisher ~ Brava
Published ~ 31 January 2012

My Rating ~ 4 out of 5

Matthew Graham is stuck between a rock and a hard place. His parents have been murdered, his five-year-old brother is missing and if he doesn’t go to Houston and claim the 4,000 acres his dad was going to claim the family of eight will lose it and only have the 600 acres to survive on. So, 25-year-old Matt goes to Houston to claim the land only to find out he needs to be married. He says he is, but his wife Hannah stayed home to watch his younger brothers and sisters. He now has 30 days to bring his wife to Houston to sign the land grant papers. The only problem is there is no wife and he doesn’t know anyone named Hannah. Rock meet hard place.

This is a great story that was hard to put down. The characters are interesting and well-developed, the plot is good and the writing flows smoothly. Set in 1836 in the Republic of Texas you really have to feel for Matt as he shoulders the responsibility of the ranch and the care and safety of his six siblings while enduring the pain he feels for his murdered parents and his missing brother. Hannah is a smart and gutsy yet insecure person. An orphan raised by her grandmother, at 23 she’s considered a spinster. A chance meeting with Matt and lucky that her name is Hannah her life takes a sharp right turn.

A first read of Emma Lang for me, I really enjoyed this story and look forward to Book 2 Brody as well as searching out other stories by her.

*The publisher provided a copy of this book to me for review. Please see disclaimer page.