Fancy Pants

Lady Sydney Hathwell most definitely is not interested in marrying the man she travelled all the way from England to New York to meet, no matter how insistent he is. And she cannot return to live in England where she is not really wanted. Therefore, she writes to her uncle Fuller who lives in Texas. When her uncle replies that he would be happy to have a nephew join him at his ranch and that he has no use for women, Sydney dons male attire and travels disguised as “Syd”. However, things at the ranch are not exactly what she had been expecting.

Tim Creighton, half owner of Forsaken Ranch is shocked at the fancy fop of young man who arrives in Texas. He now must teach this young pup the in’s and out’s of ranching…in short make a man out of him… before Fuller returns. But what will happen when he discovers just how fancy FANCY PANTS really is?

This story plot brought this reader fond memories of another beloved book with the same premises. FANCY PANTS therefore had a lot to live up to, and live up to it did. This reviewer was giggling just reading the synopsis on the back cover of this book. And the reading of this tale was not disappointing. The reader is drawn in immediately when the story begins with Lady Sydney convincing her English aunt of not only her travel plans, but the plan of her masquerade as well. Author Cathy Marie Hake had this reader laughing out loud at the descriptive prose of how so very unwestern Syd is. While expecting a ranch, she definitely wasn’t expecting to have to tote her own water (surely uncle Fuller has servants!) let alone muck out barn stalls. But no one gets a free ride at Forsaken!

FANCY PANTS is well written and the characters will make the reader smile with pleasure. Ms. Hake pens such detailed prose that this reviewer felt she was really on the Texas frontier. FANCY PANTS lives up to what this reviewer has come to expect from a Bethany House offer. Readers will not be disappointed should they choose to pick up this wonderful tale full of humour and romance.

November 2007