4.5 starsThis is an unexpected gem of a book! I knew from the blurb that it would be emotional. And it was! I was tearing up on page fifteen. What I didn't expect was how funny Jenny - the awkward, manly cowboy of a heroine - would be, or how endearingly precocious Graciela would become. Jenny Jones is honest to a fault. Most of us will say little white lies so as not to hurt someone's feelings, or tell half truths as long as no one gets hurt. Jenny Jones doesn't. Her word is all she has. She views her word as her only possession, her only positive influence on the world. She knows she has no beauty or feminine wiles, but when she makes a promise, everyone knows that she'll keep it. Kicked out of her home at nine years of age, Jenny has had a scary rough life. Her femininity never blossomed... her work rough hands and leathery skin seem to deter most men. When one man finally decided to take what he wants, Jenny lands in jail...because she didn't want to give it to him. The story opens to the promise that Jenny Jones makes to a dying woman. The woman who, in fact, takes her place in front of the firing squad so that Jenny will take her daughter to California and safely deposit her into her father's arms. Cue the tears! A mother's love is endless, and no sacrifice is ever too much to ask to ensure the safety of a child. Jenny knows she is the least motherly person on earth, but she made her promise. Even if the kid is a spoiled, bratty, pampered little princess. I cracked up at Graciela's prayers. Jenny doesn't know how to pray, and is bewildered by what she hears. Bedtime itself is a chore. The kid needs kisses, for God's sake!"I didn't say my prayers.""I'll say them for you. Our father who art in et cetera, bless all the rotten cousins and kill Jenny. Amen. Now lift up your feet so I can strap these onions on you."Ty is Graciela's uncle, come to take her home. At first he and Jenny butt heads at every opportunity. They are forced into an uneasy alliance when they realize that Graciela's cousins don't want her to live...they want her inheritance. So they stick together and finally start acing on their attraction for each other. And Jenny finally has a chance to be a girl! Her transformation is marvelous to watch. She even learns a bit of the art of manipulation...and Ty is sweet enough to play along with her clumsy attempts at seduction.The one thing that I didn't love was how everything wrapped up bit too nicely. The end result was good, but it was also a little unbelievable and in some ways a downer.But overall, I was very impressed. I didn't initially think that I'd like Jenny's over the top masculinity. I tend to go for the soft but strong- emphasis on soft- women. Jenny is a new kind of heroine altogether. She reminds me of an old John Wayne movie western woman stereotype. But in a good way. And watching her fumble her way into Ty and Graciela's hearts was wonderful!
