Tropes are used in romance novels as plot devices to bring the lovers together. A trope is "a common literary or thematic device used in storytelling." I think the reason I like Lori Wilde's Twilight, Texas, series - besides the fact that I can see bits of my home of Granbury (the inspiration for Twilight) in the setttings - and sometimes the minor characters - is because the trope they have in common is that of "reunion – our lovers knew each other in the past and generally had some romantic relationship back then." That's my personal romance story, too, so I can especially relate to these.

The Welcome Home Garden Club is the fourth book in the series, but you don't have to read them in order. Lori Wilde creatively weaves multiple tropes (which I've italicized) into this reunited lovers story. Caitlyn Blackthorne Marsh is the daughter of the local judge, who is rather overprotective since his wife died young. Her high school sweetheart is Gideon Garza, the illegitimate son of the richest man in town and a Hispanic maid (class warfare/wrong side of the tracks). Gideon burns down his father's barn after his mother's death (when he learned the truth about his parentage), and the judge - Caitlyn's dad - gives him a choice: join the military or go to jail. So Gideon heads for Iraq and is later reported to be dead (which turns out to be machinations of the judge - forbidden love).

Unbeknownst to Gideon, Caitlyn is pregnant with his child, Danny (secret baby). She marries another man, but is a widow when the story opens eight years later. Caitlyn owns the local flower shop and is a member of the garden club. She's asked to design a romantic victory garden for a state competition.

Gideon's father dies and he returns to his hometown to try to find some closure. He has scars from the war, both physical (an artificial hand) and emotional. This tortured hero learns he is his father's secret heir, much to the displeasure of his two half-brothers, one of whom is courting Caitlyn (love triangle).

Caitlyn becomes a woman in peril/damsel in distress when a buried bear trap badly injures her arm while she works on the victory garden, and Gideon moves in to take care of her and be her protector - and get to know his son. He's also hired to restore the historic family heirloom carousel belonging to Caitlyn that is the centerpiece of the garden (and the source of much of the angst with her father), which has been named the Welcome Home Garden to honor returning members of the military. The romance progresses from there.

I particularly enjoyed the ladies of the garden club (who are also members of the cookie, quilting, knitting, and book clubs - although there's no book about the latter--yet). Raylene, Christine, and some of the others are starting to feel like old friends, and younger main characters from the first three books in the series, Flynn, Emma, and Sarah, are now members of the club(s) too.

I also LOVED Lori Wilde opening each chapter with the traditional meaning of a particular flower, from the Victorian language of flowers, and then working that particular flower into the chapter in a way often relevant to its meaning. In an early chapter, she also associates different kinds of teas with the members of the garden club, having Caitlyn observe "how people's choice of tea seemed to reflect their personalities" (page 12).

This is a great series when you are looking for some light but enjoyable reading.

© Amanda Pape - 2014

[The e-book, and a print copy for reference, were borrowed from and returned to the public library. A longer version of this review appears on my blog, Bookin' It] ( )

I love stories about military/former military characters and this was just as good as I had expected. Gideon and Caitlyn had been high school sweethearts. She was the daughter of the local judge and he was the bad boy from the wrong side of town, but that didn't matter to them. When Gideon ends up in trouble with the law, he's given the choice of jail or the military. He left town, not knowing that Caitlyn was pregnant, and her father arranged things so that Caitlyn was told that Gideon was killed in action. She married another man who gave her and her son a place until he died. Now she's raising her son alone and trying to get her life back together.

I really liked Gideon. He had had a rough start in life. His father never acknowledged his existence, so he and his mother had been very poor as he was growing up. He didn't find out his father's identity until his mother died, and his confrontation with dad didn't go well. The only thing that had made his life bearable was his relationship with Caitlyn. That ended when he was forced into the military. He tried writing to her, but the letters came back marked refused. Feeling hurt and betrayed, he tried to forget her and concentrated on his career. After losing part of his arm in the war, he started working as security and a translator, until called back home by the death of his father. During his first encounter with Caitlyn he discovers that she thought he was dead and they'd been kept apart by her father. He also finds out that he is the father of her son. He goes from planning to leave town as soon as possible, to deciding to stay to be close to Caitlyn and Danny. Gideon has a lot of things working against his desire to get closer to Caitlyn and Danny. He feels that his disability makes it impossible for anyone to really care for him. He also feels that the things he had to do during the war have created a darkness in him that makes him unworthy of Caitlyn's love. I liked the way that he planned to stay and try to be a father to Danny. He also realized that his feelings for Caitlyn had never gone away and were only getting stronger. His issues had made him withdraw into himself, but being around Caitlyn was bringing him back to life, but he still worried about his past causing her harm. One of the things I liked best about him was that he was finally able to accept the help that was offered by other veterans. It was so hard for him to do, but he did it because of his love for Caitlyn and Danny.

Caitlyn had also been through a lot. Her father's overprotectiveness and then his fury at her pregnancy had driven a wedge between them. After finding out that Gideon was dead, she accepted the proposal of a man who promised he would care for her and treat her baby like his own. They had a satisfactory life together until he died. At that point she had to develop a lot more independence. She is shocked by Gideon's return and doesn't know how to tell him about his son. She also realizes that the old feelings are still there, but she is wary about following through on them. She can see that he is very different from the boy she used to know and doesn't want to risk her heart or her son's happiness. I loved seeing her get to know the new Gideon. She was able to break through some of his walls and show him that she accepted him just the way he was. It was still a hard road to overcome her own fears and then to help Gideon face his.

I really liked the attention paid to Gideon and his issues. He wasn't portrayed as a victim, but simply as a man trying to reacquaint himself with normal life. We get a good look at what has changed him from the boy Caitlyn used to know into the man he is today. I liked seeing the support he got from the other people in town. I also liked the way that fellow veterans let him know they were available to help but didn't try to force themselves on him.

I really enjoyed the gardening aspect of the story. The meanings of the flowers at the beginning of each chapter, and the way they related to the chapter itself was beautiful. The victory garden contest was great. I loved their idea of what they wanted and the reasoning behind their choice. The twist at the end was fantastic. ( )

The Welcome Home Garden Club by Lori Wilde
Kaitlan runs the garden club and she supplies funerals and weddings with the flower arrangements. Members try to matchmake and find dates for her.
Cool that some meanings of some flowers are at the beginning of every chapter.
Legend of the fountain where you throw a penny into it and you'd find her true love is prevalent in this book as the others. It's a Twilight, TX tradition.
at a funeral for another Marine Giddeon rides up on his Indian motorcycle, she thought he had died in the war.
Love how the book got it's name and what it stands for. Like how she is working towards getting into her fathers life again and how he rushes to her when she's in the operating room.
Love the whole thing about the carousel horses and how it brings the whole family together. ( )

Reviewed on: http://readyourwrites.blogspot.com

This is the fourth book in the Twilight, Texas series by Lori Wilde. However, it is the first book by Lori that I have read. It will not be the last.

The story centers around two characters, Caitlyn Marsh and Gideon Garza. Two high school sweethearts who have had the last eight years of their lives changed dramatically as a result of things done to them by the adults in their lives.

Caitlyn Blackthorne Marsh grew up being privileged, as the only child of Judge Richard Blackthorne and his late wife Angelica. Gideon Garza grew up on the wrong side of town. Being the son of a maid and not knowing who his father was, until the day his mother died.

Gideon burned down the barn of his father. His father's friend, who happened to be Judge Blackthorne, gave him a choice of going to jail or joining the military. Gideon did the only thing he could do and joined the Army.

I was immediately drawn to the two lead characters because despite everything that has happened to them individually over the past eight years, they're still good people. And they each still have a deep love and respect for one another.

I think I fall in love with Gideon immediately. There are so many reasons to love him. It's hard to find a place to start. Gideon could forever hold a grudge against his father and Judge Blackthorne for their parts in making him into the "broken man" that he is, but he really doesn't. He knows that their actions made him a better person in the end. Gideon manages to forgive all of those who did him wrong. I find that very impressive and honorable.

When it comes to Caitlyn, I completely understand where she's coming from. She has some issues with forgiving. I really don't think anyone can blame her for that. She's admirable in her loyalty to her husband for everything that he did for her.

One thing that surprised me about the book was the small element of "who did it". It added a nice layer to the story.

By the end of the book, I found myself wishing that it wasn't over and that it would just continue.

I'm a series reader and I prefer to read books in series order. I can honestly say that this book doesn't have to be read in order. Previous book characters are mentioned, but you won't find yourself wondering if you missed something important about them.

This was a book actually purchased by me.

Rating: 3 1/2 ( )

Reviewer: Valerie

Caitlyn Marsh stopped believing in happily-ever-after when high-school sweetheart, Gideon Garza, left for Iraq. Now she raises her small son while her matchmaking gardening club members drive her crazy. Then Caitlyn's world turns upside-down when Gideon swaggers back to Twilight.

Gideon had left town in the middle of night with threats ringing in his ears. A lot of things have changed since then. This bad boy-turned-Green Beret bears scars from the war, the timid girl he loved is an independent mother, and the father who refused to recognize his son in life has, in death, left him a vast cattle ranch.

He still aches for Caitlyn, and now there's a dark-haired boy who looks exactly like Gideon did at that age. Could the child be his? And can this war-weary soldier overcome the scars of the past to claim the family he so richly deserves?

Review: I am a huge fan of books with series based on small towns. Right now, there are quite a few different series to choose from, including this one, the Twilight, Texas series. For me, the pull of these types of books is that not only do I get to read a story and learn to love the characters in that book but I also get small glimpses into their lives after their story is told by reading the rest of the books in the series. Book four was a heartrending story and yes, I cried at times. It had all the elements that make a story so complete and I read this one late into the night until the very last page. While you might think the storyline is predictable and guy ends up with girl, it’s much, much more than that. This guy is DEAD to the girl. This guy has been on three tours, not one, not two, but three tours of duty and is scarred. In fact, Ms. Wilde dedicated this book to our servicemen and women. The girl is recently widowed, estranged from her father and raising a young son, alone. Yes, it’s a story full of baggage and relationships and forgiveness.

In the center of it all is a beautiful victory garden that Caitlyn is dedicating to her dead first love and all the servicemen and women from their town. By designing the garden, she feels some healing and it also helps her support her young son. Her garden club reaches out into the community and she has support. The only catch is that the garden club wants the garden designed around her father’s old carousel, her inheritance. Asking him for it requires that she speak to her father. Remember it’s a small town and everyone knows everything – including the fact that her son is not for her dead husband. On the day a prominent citizen is being buried, her son’s grandfather, she hears the roar of a motorcycle and sees a rider. When he removes his helmet, she faints.

How these two once-in-love as teenagers reconnect and try to figure out all the changes in each other and their world was a joy to read. When Gideon cried and had nightmares, I was there. When Caitlyn cried and hugged her son, I was there. When her young son questions why he doesn’t look like his dead dad, I was there. When the townspeople were taking bets on who will end up with who, I was laughing. While you don’t have to read the other books in this series to read this one, you will want to. The characters come alive from the very first page and don’t let go until the end. I can’t wait for the next book in this series! ( )