Marie Reviews The Great Gift by Misty Wright

The Great Gift by Misty Wright

BOOK DESCRIPTION :

Alyssa is 26 and doesn't like the way all men mistreat her. She decides a change is needed and applies to be a jillaroo on a cattle station named The Oasis, which is located in outback Australia.

She meets a cowboy, Kent, who is a rodeo champion. They agree on a bet. Eventually both want out, but neither wants to be first.

Through a series of adventures that stretch from the city to a fast-flowing river in the outback where Kent must save Alyssa from drowning, love germinates in the middle of a storm.

In her heart, Alyssa is a woman who adores the city's nightlife, but as the sun sets on each day, the Australian outback becomes more enticing and the excitement of the city fades. Then she inadvertently saves The Oasis.
Love is growing between Alyssa and Kent, but then Brandt, Alyssa's obsessive ex-boyfriend, tracks her down. Can Kent save her one last time?

MY REVIEW:

 

When I started reading this book, I thought the beginning was a struggle. I didn't like the way Brandt seemed to be this fairytale romance believer, he fell in love with an angel he saw on a passing train and then it shifted gears abruptly, and he was a cheating womanizer. I didn't feel like I knew the character Alyssa very well, or that she knew herself. She actually came off as spoiled and bratty. She talks about how she is tired of men and their mistreatment, but she immediately begins fantasizing about a relationship with Kent, a second after she meets him. The relationship seemed forced.
A little more effort could have been put into Kaite and Mitch's romance as well. Alyssa's best friend comes to The Oasis, and the very next day is engaged to Kent's brother?

On a good note, once Alyssa got to the Oasis, and spent some time with Ken'ts family there, the story got better. Who doesn't love a hunky cowboy hero? I enjoyed the characters, Kent's family and neighbors, and his relationships with them. The aspects of the story where Kent saves Alyssa from drowning, she saves The Oasis with her skills in tax law, and when Brandt reenters as a would be kindnapper and murderer and gets shut down, were great. Unfortunately, they were over too quickly.
I liked the final realization that they are in fact in the future, Kent and Alyssa's son was actually reading this story about their past and how they met and saved The Oasis, written down by his sister, in order to get him to reconcile with his family.
I did enjoy the book, overall, but I would have enjoyed it more if the story had started at the point where she took the job as a jillaroo, and the relationship between Alyssa and Kent was developed more slowly.
I was given this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

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