Limecello’s review of Cattleman’s Choice by Diana Palmer
Contemporary Romance re-released by Harlequin Books 1 Jun 00

I discovered Diana Palmer a little more than a year ago, and she’s quickly become a “must read” author for me. I don’t know what it is about her books, because if you’ve read any, they’re quite formulaic. If you aren’t prepared as to what to expect, you might feel unpleasantly surprised. But, forewarned and forearmed, I think there’s a lot to enjoy. I also make it a point to make a quick check of the copyright date as well.

You’ll notice that this book was originally written in 1985, and has been re-released a number of times. I recently re-read it, and felt that it stands as a current read. At times the characters may appear dated, but otherwise there aren’t many aspects of the book that are dated.

Mandelyn is a very interesting heroine. She’s spunky and is rather no-holds barred, yet everyone knows her as being the perfect Southern lady. She even went to finishing school. Mandelyn owns a real estate business, that does rather well, and has a lot of friends, but nothing romantic. She lost someone she loved in the past, and subsequently walled off all her emotions. She’s the one person Carson won’t fight, and she isn’t sure why.

Carson is an interesting Diana Palmer hero. He’s rugged, and handsome, but rather down on his luck and rugged. Unfinished might be a way to describe him. He lives in near squalor, and hates materialism. This is taken to the extreme, considering he has his bachelors degree. However, his uncouth behavior in public embarrasses Mandelyn greatly, although he does it on purpose.

I felt that there wasn’t enough of a reason for Carson’s boorish behavior. Strong dislike to pretense isn’t enough to disregard all social niceties. This book suffered in a way from the typical lack of communication between characters. That and cluelessness. Carson has been in love with Mandelyn since he met her. Mandelyn is also attracted and drawn to Carson, but she’s repressed it. Her reactions are unreasonable, and not entirely believable.

Still, you have to sympathize with and feel sympathy for a man who has suffered from unrequited love silently for a number of years. Due to his circumstances, he becomes angry that Mandelyn can’t see it – even though everyone else knows. The ending is nice, however, and all the interaction between Carson and Mandelyn is entertaining, and at times sweet. The secondary characters are also a lot of fun and serve to forward the plot.

Mandelyn and Carson are both surprising characters, with depth that at times is unexpected. I liked how versatile and layered they were, and while this isn’t my favorite Diana Palmer book, it’s one that I feel is different from the others, and enjoyable. I’m not sure if the secondary characters also have their own books, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they do.

Grade: B-

Carson Wayne had come to Mandelyn Bush with the ultimate request: he needed her to teach him how to treat a lady. N doubt he’d asked the right person – Mandelyn was as polished and feminine as Carson was rough and reclusive. And she was the only person who could reason with him during one of his barroom brawls.

It was too intriguing a challenge to turn down. Mandelyn was curious about what lay beneath the outlaw’s hard shell. She suspected that the renegade was really a caring and sensitive man.

But what she hadn’t counted on were her own feelings for this irresistible rebel.