Boone by Emily March Series: MacBrides of Texas #3
Published by St. Martin's Press on Dec. 29, 2020
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Small-town romance
Format: Kindle or ebook
Source: the publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Audible
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Also by this author: Miracle Road, Mistletoe Mine, Dreamweaver Trail, Teardrop Lane, Heartsong Cottage, Reunion Pass, Christmas in Eternity Springs
In Eternity Springs: The McBrides of Texas, NYT bestselling author Emily March presents a brand new arc set in the Lone Star State that features a family-linked trilogy within the author's romantic series.
With his smooth talk, rugged good looks, and deep pockets, native Texan Boone McBride appears to be a man who has it all. Few people know about the heartbreak behind his decision to leave home, family, and career for the isolation of a small town in the Colorado Rockies. Luckily, time and life in Eternity Springs has worked its healing magic upon his wounded soul, so when he meets obviously troubled Hannah Dupree, Boone sees a chance to pay his good fortune forward. The last thing he anticipates is tumbling into love.
Tragedy has taken everything Hannah loves, and her will to keep going is failing. So when Boone strides into her life determined to save her, it’s easier to go along with him than to resist. Soon she is drawn into the fabric of life in Eternity Springs, and as her spirit begins to heal, her strength returns, and she’s able to go toe-to-toe with this hardheaded, big-hearted Texan. But just when love blooms and happiness is within their grasp, shadows from the past threaten. Hannah and Boone must stand strong and united in order to defeat old ghosts—if they are to create a brand-new life together.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
Review
I enjoyed Jackson and had slightly mixed feelings about Tucker, but Boone, the third book in the MacBrides of Texas trilogy, gave me a much-needed break from political and pandemic-related anxieties. That’s due in part to its setting: most of the novel is set in Eternity Springs rather than Enchanted Canyon and Redemption, Texas. I am personally more drawn to Colorado’s mountains than I am to Texas, and I have a soft spot for the fictional Eternity Springs. But mostly, the pleasure I had in reading it is due to the two main characters, Boone MacBride and Hannah Dupree, and their journeys toward healing, both individually and together.
Boone is a standup guy: caring, insightful, intelligent, and kind, with a good sense of humor and movie-star good looks. But he’s also carrying a lot of pain from events in his past—pain he is almost ready to move past. Hannah has many of the same qualities, but she is still much more locked in her grief, to the point where it has almost overwhelmed her. Boone decides to “be a light” for Hannah the way his friends and family have been for him, and their relationship builds slowly from there.
There’s not much conflict between Boone and Hannah, which I find refreshing. Not every relationship has to be filled with drama and angst! Both of them have more than enough drama and angst in their pasts, anyway; anything more would be overkill. March does a lovely job of conveying the process of moving through the later stages of grief into a place where her characters are finally ready to embrace light and life and love again. And watching Boone fall head over heels for a tiny baby was the icing on the cake. (No, I’m not going to tell you who, or how, or why. You’ll just have to read the book.)
My only real complaint is the lack of diversity in the book. This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has read March’s books before. As much as I have enjoyed the Eternity Springs books over the years, and as good as March is at telling a compelling romantic story, the entire series is dismayingly homogenous when it comes to its characters. Practically every character in Boone is white, heterosexual, and ablebodied. I don’t think there was a single person of color or LGBTQIA character, even in a minor role. It’s just not realistic, and I hope to see more diversity in March’s books in the future.
Other than that disappointment, however, the characters and storyline of Boone were a welcome antidote to my pre-election anxiety and pandemic blues. You don’t have to have read the Eternity Springs series to enjoy the MacBrides of Texas trilogy, but it doesn’t hurt, since recurring character Celeste plays a small but significant role in all three MacBrides books, and several other Eternity Springs regulars make at least cameo appearances here and there.
About Emily March
Emily March (aka Geralyn Dawson) Emily March is the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels, including the critically acclaimed Eternity Springs series. Publishers Weekly calls March a “master of delightful banter,” and her heartwarming, emotionally charged stories have been named to Best of the Year lists by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Romance Writers of America. A graduate of Texas A&M University, Emily is an avid fan of Aggie sports and her recipe for jalapeño relish has made her a tailgating legend.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- COYER Quarantine Edition (2020)
Lark
This sounds like a lovely book to escape into for awhile. 🙂
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