Her Surprise Sister by Marta Perry Series: Texas Twins #1
Published by Love Inspired on 19 June 2012
Genres: Adult, Chick-lit, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 288
Source: Netgalley
Buy on Amazon 
Violet went all the way to Forth Worth after her mom had a riding accident, intent on finally finding her unknown father now that her mother was in a coma. A few minutes after arriving in town, she found out by chance that she has a twin sister, and that her brother has a twin brother. Maddie, her new sister, and Violet decided to go back to the ranch, so Maddie could meet Jack, the brother she didn’t know yet, and to visit their mom.
*I got a free ARC of Her Surprise Sister from Love Inspired via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.*
The premise of Her Surprise Sister is excellent, even if it seems a little strange that the boys, who were three years old when the family was separated, would have no recollection of having a brother, as well as not one, but two, baby sisters. Jack can’t deal with things and leaves soon after Maddie’s arrival, leaving the sisters to take care of the ranch, their mother and their new relationship. I think the story would have been better if Jack had been around more, especially because Grayson, the brother who grew up with Maddie was absent during the whole story as well. The one character that was the most present was Landon, Maddie’s ex-fiancé and Grayson’s best friend.
There was a lot of going back and forth between the ranch and the hospital; nothing new happening with Belle, who stayed in the coma during the whole book. There was also a lot of emphasis on Violet’s volunteer work with the church, and the fact that Belle was in God’s hands. I am not at all against reading Christian romance, but I would have appreciated knowing that it was before I started reading.
The story was very slow-moving, but still cute. None of the plot was resolved before Her Surprise Sister ended, and even if this is a series, it would have been nice to have a little more information in the first book. Also, Violet and Maddie really didn’t seem all that upset with their parents for breaking up two pairs of twins and not letting the children know their siblings or their other parent. I did not find that realistic at all, especially because the story spanned over a few weeks. The initial shock wore off, so they could have been dealing with anger as well.
It also didn’t seem plausible that at the same time as Belle had her accident, the only person Violet would be able to find was the sister she didn’t know she had. Her father was doing mission work as a doctor, without any possibility to be contacted. And Grayson, being an undercover cop, could not be contacted for fear of blowing his cover. Then, there was the little brother who didn’t have a twin, and who was overseas in the army. It all seemed like the only important thing was the two sisters found each other, but it felt a little lazy that they weren’t able to share their new situation with either of their parents, and only one of their three brothers. I wish that the twins had gotten a little more information about their growing up apart before the end and I think that could have happened and still have enough for them to deal with in the next part of the series.
The characters were quite likeable, even if I don’t feel like I really got to know them. The whole story seems to be only poking at the surface, not going deep to show the readers what makes them get up in the morning, and to continue to fight. The character I think I know the best at the end of the story is Landon, and he was not the protagonist, even if he did play an important role.
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
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