She's Gone Country

June 28, 2010
Porter (Easy on the Eyes) injects some western flavor in this story of starting over and romance in the over-30 set. After ex-supermodel Shey Darcy's husband leaves her for another man, she packs up her three teenage sons and moves from New York City to the Texas ranch where she grew up, and while Shey easily finds work as a catalogue model and reconnects with her two older brothers, the divorce weighs on her mind and two of her boys can't make the transition, particularly 14-year-old Bo, who suffers from depression. Naturally, Shey's return to her old stomping grounds prompts the inevitable reunion with an old flame, former pro bull rider Dane Kelly. Porter's depiction of small town Texas is convincing, but
her protagonists are too flawless to be believable, and their happy ending comes after too little conflict. It's a nice diversion that could use a bit more complexity.

July 1, 2010
Shey Darcy had an idyllic life: supermodel, mom, and happily married, until her husband revealed he was leaving her for another man. Shey packs up her three teenage boys and hightails it home to the Texas ranch where she grew up, only to find that her high school love, Dane Kelly, a retired national bull riding champion, is divorced and living nearby. Shey's heart was broken when her parents sent her away to boarding school, effectively ending their relationship, and when she came home, Dane was married and had a child. But that doesn't seem to matter anymore, and Shey finds herself drawn to him again. Trouble arises when her sons have a tough time adjusting to ranch life, her estranged husband starts making custody threats, and Dane isn't sure dating a still-married woman is a good idea. VERDICTPorter started off writing romances, dabbled in women's fiction and chick lit ("Flirting with Forty", but here returns to her roots in this formulaic romance with the requisite happy ending. Sure to appeal to fans of Susan Elizabeth Phillips or Linda Howard.—Stacy Alesi, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., Boca Raton, FL

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