I guess you can categorize this as a sort of Western novel. This is my first book by her and it was a pretty good one.

Shey moves back to her childhood farm/ranch in a small and I mean small town (67 residents) in TX. She originally went home for her brother Cody's funeral and then came back after her husband moved out stating he was gay and moved in with his boyfriend back in New York. She definitely didn't want to stay so here she is with her 3 boys, Hank, a sophomore in high school, Bo, the troublesome one (13), and Cooper, the youngest at 8 who's the sweetest of them all and laid back. It's not easy bringing up three boys on her own. Brick, her oldest brother, runs the farm and lives with his wife there in the complex. Blue lives in Dallas, with his wife and kids and he is in property real estate development.

Shey was a model in her time, even a Sports Illustrated model (she's now 39), and moved out of it since she's 39 and feels like she's washed up but gets a job here and there, and now all of a sudden she's getting calls. She runs into Dane, who is a rodeo rider, who's on disability from an injury and moved back which she definitely didn't expect. She was in love with him and they had a short lived relationship in high school until her parents found out and shipped her off to a boarding school in CA. Dane got married but now he's divorced and back. Dane, Brick and Blue used to be the best of friends, especially Brick, since they met in kindergarten and once were best friends. Something happened with their friendship, and she has a feeling that it has to do with Cody's death and his drug dependency/depression. Dane has a beef with Blue since Blue wants to develop on the huge piece of land next to his house which obviously he's against.

A lot happens in this book with the boys, Shey, Dane but as always there's a surprise element, and what I sort of expected but not all of it.

They were all teenagers by the end of the book it seems but it doesn't make sense since it was only in the space of a year since they moved to Texas but I may be wrong? Not sure. ( )

Shey Darcy is in the middle of a divorce and heads back home to Texas with her three sons. She runs into Dane Kelly who she's been in love with pretty much her whole life and sparks fly. Sparks she's not quite sure what to do with as she's trying to get her life back on track. This was an easy and quick read. I read it in one sitting! ( )

she's gone country by jane porter, wow packed book about a lot of things going
on. a mom recently divorced from her husband who is now a gay man. kids go to new
york at thanksgiving to be with him. one stays behind. 2 come back and one is
enthralled with bull riding=he starts lessons. another is being bullied at school
and she finds out. a housebreak on thanksgiving and she's calling a lifelong friend
who comes to her rescue. she is a model to boot and takes off to exotic places a few
times during the timeframe, always has her mom nearby to watch the kids. she does it all
and then some. nobody can kick her down. a lot of things from the past come back to be
dealt with so she and others can move on. really liked the book but not a lot of dialogue,
i felt. i rate this a 5 of 5 and will now look for more books by this author. ( )

She’s Gone Country by Jane Porter is so relaxing and enjoyable to read it was like putting on a pair of old, soft jeans and your favorite t-shirt. This book is sort of mommy lit but foretells an empty nest coming and a bit of a middle age crisis.

Shey Lynne Darcy’s husband just left her for a man. They had been married for around 16 years. She has been living in New York City but decides to go back home. She took her three sons, Bo, Hank and Cooper to the ranch where she grew up in Parkfield, Texas. Even though, she could stay and support herself and the boys with her income as well known fashion model but she feels that she isn’t herself any more.

She has a lot to deal with including the fact that her son, Bo, seems to be following in her brother Cody’s footsteps. Cody may have been manic depressive but died before he could steer away from substance dependence. Now Bo seems to be depressed a lot lately. Her son, Hank, doesn’t like the schools in Texas and would rather stay with her estranged husband so he could go to one of the best schools in the East. Lastly, Cooper, the youngest feel that he is a looser at everything including fistfights; he loves the ranch and wants to be a cowboy.

On top of this, her old boyfriend, Dane Kelley, a rodeo champ is still in the area. Her parents sent her away to boarding school when she was young so she would be away from him. Shey wants to feel more comfortable in her life. She wants to be herself, to be happier than she has been and she had been missing the ranch for so long.

This page turning story gets you interested from the first page and you don’t want to read the last page because that will be all there is. This story has humor, wit, romance, emotional turmoil and some peaceful times.

I highly recommend this book to women who have or have had teen aged sons and/or a broken marriage. ( )

It didn’t take long in reading this book for me to get major Hope Floats flashbacks. I kept thinking, “haven’t I seen this somewhere before?” Woman’s marriage fails, she moves offspring from the bustling city back to the rural home of her childhood, meets man from past and falls in love…and then all is well in the world.

She’s Gone Country was a quick, light read—and even went a little deeper and darker at times, bringing up topics of homosexuality, bi-polar depression and bullying/cyber-bullying, but no issue was covered in much detail to really say that this book has a lot of meat—and was good enough that I perhaps wouldn’t mind reading more of Jane Porter.

I enjoyed reading this book, but by the end I couldn’t shake the feeling that Shey’s life only seemed to get better once Dane was finally a part of it. Which perpetuates the whole “a woman needs a man” cliché that I hate. I would liked to see Shey become once again the strong confident woman she was before her failed marriage … but on her own, sans the man.

Overall, not scary good but not horrible either. Rating: 3/5

http://www.read-all-over.net/fiction/chic-lit/shes-gone-country-by-jane-porter/ ( )

Love Jane Porter, and love this book. I've been wanting to read this book since before it came out and enjoyed every minute of it while on vacation. Love how Porter spends time in the mom-lit realm and does a good job with it. I'll read Jane Porter any day of the week. Bravo! ( )

Shey Darcy, a former top model, is left to pick up the pieces after her husband of seventeen years leaves her for someone else. Angry and hurt, she picks up her glamorous New York life and moves home to Texas, with her three teenage sons in tow. Back at the family ranch where she grew up, Shey attempts to make sense of what has happened while dealing with her nosy – but well meaning – brothers and overbearing mother.

When Shey was sixteen, she was madly in love with her brothers’ older friend, Dane Kelly. Fearing that their daughter was getting too involved too fast, her parents sent her away to a boarding school in California. Returning to Texas post her split, Shey runs into Dane – a rugged and handsome former bull riding champion – once again. While things between him and her brothers seem to have taken a wrong turn, Shey immediately knows that her affection for him has not changed. Now, on top of quelling her unhappy children and becoming reacquianted with her family, Shey is forced to confront the feelings that she has long ago put to rest.

Much of the so-called chick lit genre tends to be very predictable, so I’m always somewhat apprehensive about starting a new book. However, I was blown away by how fun She’s Gone Country was to read and it single handedly restored my faith in this genre.

Jane Porter is the author of other books like Flirting with Forty which was made into a Lifetime movie starring Heather Locklear. She’s Gone Country was my first introduction to her work and if it’s any indication of her writing style and story telling abilities, I will definitely keep reading. Shey Darcy was an inspiring character – smart, strong, sexy – and the delicious romantic tension between her and Dane only added to the book’s appeal. Was the story a bit predictable? Sure, but it didn’t make it any less entertaining or enjoyable. ( )

This was my third Jane Porter novel and like the previous two I really enjoyed it. Her conversational writing style makes the sometimes heavy subject matter easy to digest – and feels like a friend telling you a story. I love this new genre of “mom lit” – chick lit but so much better. I also really enjoy how the characters from Porters other books end up making appearances in the other books – so none of their stories ever really end – very true to life. ( )

After the end of her marriage, Shey Darcy leaves her glamorous life in New York City to return to her small hometown in Texas. In New York, Shey was a model and her two sons attended private school. As soon as she unpacks her suitcases in Texas, she questions her decision to leave the city.

Being home again is quite an adjustment. Her son is having trouble fitting in at school, modeling jobs aren’t coming in as they were before (not the mention the pay is much, much lower) and her mother treats her like she’s a teenager.

Her life gets a bit more complicated when her high school crush, Dane, comes back into her life. Shey can’t deny she still has feelings for him, but entering into a relationship is not what she wants right now. Or is it? ( )

Not my favorite Jane Porter, but I will read her any day! The main character, Shey Darcy, moves home to Texas after her marriage breaks up. She really falls into old family roles quickly and I thought an international model (and SI cover queen) would have been a bit stronger of a character. Maybe that's part of the point, but I feel like there was a lot going on and Shey didn't have time to really shine. ( )

SHE'S GONE COUNTRY by Jane Porter is a contemporary romance set in modern day Texas. It is well written with details and depth. It has romance, cowboys, ranch life, divorce, bullying, second chances, major life changes, adolescent issues and betrayal. The characters are strong, determined, likable and interesting. The heroine, Shey, is in the middle of a divorce, just learned her husband of years is in love with someone else, a male. She moves back home to Texas where she learns to reinvent herself, pick up the pieces of her broken life and her uncertain future for her and her sons. One son, is depressed, being bullied at school, one goes back to New York with her father and the other one is training with her ex-boyfriend for bull riding. The hero, Dane, is her ex, whom they loved each other but where separated by Shey's family.He is also a national bull-riding champ, has lost a child, and is newing his love for Shey. This story is a wonderful story of love lost and found again. Of starting over, forgiveness, it shows of one women's struggles to manage three teenage boys, find her hopes,dreams and deal with her overbearing mother, over protective brothers and manage a new life with the love of her life, a new baby, and a new career. I would recommend this book. It is a good ole country story with good ole country goals. This book was received for review from the publisher and details can be found at 5 Spot an imprint of Grand Central Publishing and My Book Addiction and More. ( )

Shey Darcy, at 39, has lived the life many of us can only dream of. She is a former top model that has graced the covers of Vogue and Sport Illustrated, lives in New York City with her husband and three boys. Life is perfect, or at least it was, when her husband of 17 years decides to finally come out of the closet and confesses to liking men.

Shey decides that moving back to her hometown of Parkfield, Texas is the best thing for her and her three boys. But packing up and heading back home to her family is not going to resolve any of her problems. On the other hand, she finds that she and the boys cannot stop fighting, and now she has her mother to worry about too. Then there is Dane. Dane Kelly, her childhood crush, the same boy who's now grown into a rough and tough, rugged, yet handsome cowboy. By rounding all these elements up, there is something for everyone in this story.

Although this is my first Jane Porter book, I somehow knew I would enjoy her work. And sure enough, I was very pleased with She's Gone Country. I think Ms. Porter does a fine job of fleshing out her characters - giving them each their own set of problems to face. Whether it was Shey, Dane, one of her three kids, her mother or even one of her brothers, I think we truly grasp their feelings, their struggles and their flaws. You feel like a part of the family by the time you are through reading it.

I really like the family dynamics in the story. I thought Ms. Porter perfectly described how divorce can affect a family. The boys all underwent major life changes, leaving behind their home, their friends, schools, etc. and I think she accurately describes the emotions kids their age might undergo. I also thought it was refreshing to read how both Shey and her ex-husband John, although not always seeing eye to eye, could form an alliance in order to deal with their children.

All in all, She's Gone Country has something for everyone - romance, family drama and even a mystery to solve. It's got great characters that you will not only love, but who you will be able to relate to. I even learned a thing or two from it - what with Shey's modeling and Dane's professional bull riding. This is a great book to escape with. It is chick lit at its best and one that I can see becoming a fan favorite.

This book was provided for review by BookSparks PR. ( )