In Too Deep

I love a good Western book--I have ever since my dad introduced me to Louis L'Amour's books when I was a girl--and Mary Connealy's books definitely rate as good Westerns. There is action (someone is always being shot at), romance (much to the dismay of the hero), and humor (I dare you not to laugh when you read them). I was hooked with the very first Mary Connealy book I read, Petticoat Ranch. I liked the book so much, I re-read it aloud to my sisters so we could enjoy it together.

Her newest series is The Kincaid Brides series, and the second book, In Too Deep, is in bookstores now.

The Kincaid brothers' lives were forever changed when the youngest brother, Seth, was severely injured in the cavern the boys loved to explore. The trauma of that event almost destroyed the brothers' bond, and the subsequent Civil War tore them apart. The Kincaids have found their way back home, but the cavern still hides secrets and danger--and occasionally a stray female or two.

In Too Deep, is Ethan's story, the middle Kincaid brother. He willingly submits to the marriage of convenience his oldest brother suggests (actually Rafe demands it-he's bossy that way) to protect Audra from the men seeking the treasure her dead first husband stole. But between trying to protect his fighting-to-be-independent wife, searching for the missing, unknown treasure, and fending off treasure-hungry bad guys, that's the last "convenient" thing that happens to Ethan.

Mary Connealy is adept at weaving an edge-of-your-seat story full of danger, humor, and all-too-real characters struggling to overcome their past failures and present circumstances. If you haven't tried one of her books yet, you're missing out. There is never a dull moment, and they'll leave you smiling.  

A sweet Valentine's Day Read - FREE DOWNLOAD

According to author SQ Eads  blog, the Kindle version of her book, Angels in Cowboy Boots, will be free to download on February 13, 14, & 15.

If you haven't tried SQ Eads yet, here's your chance to do it for free!

Sarah Bentley's life and body were shattered in an accident that ripped everything away from her but her faith. And even that is as shaky as her limping steps. But when the opportunity to move to a new place and become a nanny to a precocious little boy comes her way, she accepts and begins to dare to dream again.

Dave McKeever is instantly attracted to his son's new nanny, but he's not willing to pursue a relationship with a woman who is physically broken. After all, he loves to pursue physically challenging outdoor pursuits. A woman who is held together with metal rods and pins would never be able to keep up with him.

Can these two wounded souls find healing and learn to trust God again?

Find out in Angels in Cowboy Boots. It's a great-for-Valentine's-Day, sweet-as-chocolate read. Unlike chocolate, however, Angels in Cowboy Boots won't go to your hips!

Remember! February 13-15, you can grab your FREE Kindle copy from Amazon.

And while you're at it, check out some of her other titles. They are all wonderfully written, faith-filled romances! Thank you SQ Eads for generously sharing your stories with us!

Love on the Line

What a fun, delicious read this was! I have read several of Deeanne Gist's novels, but Love on the Line  is my absolute favorite so far.

Georgie Gail is the SWT&T switchboard operator in the German town of Brenham, Texas. She has a passion for protecting birds, a fascination with the local Robin Hood-style train robber Frank Comer, and a distaste for the Texas Rangers who pursue him. Particularly, Texas Ranger Lucious Landrum, whom she saw in action against Frank Comer.

Lucious Landrum has been ordered undercover as Luke Palmer, a troubleman for the SWT&T lines in and around Brenham, Texas. The Rangers are sure Frank Comer operates from that area, and working on rural telephone lines is the perfect cover to uncover the notorious train bandit. Lucious Landrum hates telephones, but his determination to catch Comer is stronger than his distrust of modern conveniences. And the assignment may give him time to hunt some birds. With his rifle.

The detail in this book was well-researched and provided a wonderfully rich background for Love on the Line, yet never distracted from the story which, in itself, was absolutely captivating. I loved the plot of this story, and even found myself laughing at the antics of some of the secondary characters.

I was sorry to come to the end of this story and will have to read it again before long.

 Grab a copy of Love on the Line and treat yourself to the "luscious" romance between Georgie and Luke, a.k.a. Lucious. :-) (And when you read the book you'll understand the "luscious" reference. Trust me! ;-)

Liquid Plumber

Problem: Bathroom sink draining very slowly even after several applications of drain cleaner.
Solution: Dismantle trap and remove clog. (I'm an intelligent female. I can do this!)
Problem: Trap isn't clogged...? Hmmm....
Solution: Snake out the straight pipe that disappears into the wall.
Problem: Found!
Solution: Drag out pieces of a hairy clog big enough to choke a horse (gag...shudder...ugh!)
                Proudly reassemble the plumbing, wipe up mess, run water and check for leaks.
Problem: Uh Oh! Now the sink doesn't drain AT ALL! (grumble, groan.)
Solution: Not sure yet. Back to workroom for different tool.
Problem: Dog has decided to get sick in the bathroom doorway.
Solution: Thank God for sister who takes pity on frustrated faux-plumber and cleans up
                after nauseous dog.
             
...why is the work room sink faucet dripping? Did I not turn it off completely when I washed up? No problem...just...

Problem! BIG PROBLEM! The cold water handle of the workroom sink shoots off the
                second I touch it, hitting the metal duct work overhead with a clang, followed by a
                very cold fountain of water shooting several feet in the air and filling the floor!
Solution: DUCK! Scream for help!
Problem: Ducking and screaming doesn't work. It's still raining. Inside!
Solution: Kneel down in accumulating puddle of water to turn off the water line.
                Thank compassionate sister for the dry towel. Brrr!
Problem: Now the workroom sink is out of order.

Where was I again (as I wring out my dripping shirt)? Oh, yeah, back to Problem #1...or was that Problem #4?

Problem: Completely plugged sink. (Resist urge to bang head against bathroom sink.)
Solution: Disassemble the pipes. Again.
Problem: Plumber's snake isn't dislodging clog. Sigh! (Who am I to think I can be
                a plumber?)
Solution: Sister rides to the rescue with a wet/dry shop vac. Ah Ha! SUCK the clog out.
                Sounds like it's working! (shudder...oh, the smell!) Ok, let's try this again.
                Reassemble plumbing -- not quite as proudly this time, wipe up the growing mess,
                run water to check for leaks.
Success! The sink drains beautifully! (if you can call this mess beautiful...shut up, mirror!)
Problem: Bathroom is a WRECK!
Solution: Clean bathroom and replace all the stuff that goes under the sink.
               (Do we really need all this?)
Problem: Shop vac needs cleaning up. The workroom sink is still out of
                commission, and at 20°F, the outside faucets are frozen up.
Solution: Set the shop vac outside in the snow. Hang up plumbing apron and wait for
                the guys to come home! Just call me...Liquid (sopping wet) Plumber!

On second thought...Don't Call Me! Call a real plumber!

Moral of the story: DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME! JUST MOVE AWAY!

(No animals were harmed in this attempt at plumbing.)

The Accidental Bride

The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter is the second book in A Big Sky Romance series.



Shay Brandenberger is raising her daughter alone, her husband left her shortly before being killed, and now the bank is weeks away from taking the only home she's ever known. What she needs is a miracle. What she gets is the unthinkable.

Shay agreed to be in the Founder's Day wedding reenactment, but to her horrified amazement, the man waiting at the end of the aisle is the man who refused to walk down the aisle years ago and left her high and dry on their wedding day. The man her heart has never forgotten. The man she hasn't forgiven. Travis McCoy.

But what was supposed to be a historical reenactment suddenly becomes the real thing! Shay Brandenberg and Travis McCoy are accidentally married. To Travis, it's a dream come true and a chance to start over. For Shay, it's another blow to her crumbling world. Or is it?

The themes of forgiveness and restoration are deftly woven through this very entertaining story. I wondered how two people could become accidentally married, and that question is answered in a very believable way. Shay and Travis grabbed my heartstrings from the first page, and I couldn't put the book down until I had finished it. Literally. I read it in one afternoon/evening.

Even if you missed book one in this series, A Cowboy's Touch, you can still read The Accidental Bride without missing much. But both books are great reads, and I'm looking forward to the next installment in A Big Sky Romance.

The Devil in Pew Number Seven

This book landed on my desk at work this week and the back cover blurb caught my eye: The Devil in Pew Number Seven by Rebecca Nichols Alonzo.

Rebecca never felt safe as a child. In 1969, her father, Robert Nichols, moved to Sellerstown, North Carolina, to serve as a pastor. There he found a small community eager to welcome him—with one exception. Glaring at him from pew number seven was a man obsessed with controlling the church. Determined to get rid of anyone who stood in his way, he unleashed a plan of terror that was more devastating and violent than the Nichols family could have ever imagined. Refusing to be driven away by acts of intimidation, Rebecca’s father stood his ground until one night when an armed man walked into the family’s kitchen . . . And Rebecca’s life was shattered. If anyone had a reason to harbor hatred and seek personal revenge, it would be Rebecca. Yet The Devil in Pew Number Seven tells a different story. It is the amazing true saga of relentless persecution, one family’s faith and courage in the face of it, and a daughter whose parents taught her the power of forgiveness.

This is not the kind of book I normally pick up, but I'm a preacher's kid who lived through the disillusionment and heartbreak of a church member determined to have his way even if that meant turning the church family against the pastor and his family. So when I read the book cover, I instantly sympathized with the author and had to know what happened.

What I found was a story that, while true, is nearly unbelievable. The scope of tragedy perpetrated by one man on an innocent preacher's family was almost more than I could wrap my mind around. My family's own little struggles pale and disappear in the glaring horror that happened to the Nichols. And yet, the whole purpose of the book is not to show the power of evil, but to show the power of forgiveness--to show how absolutely crucial and necessary forgiveness is. Even when the unthinkable is done to you and your family.

If you struggle with forgiving those that have hurt you or your family, like I do, you need to read this book. Reading about someone else's troubles tend to put my own little trials in perspective. And when they're put into perspective, forgiveness doesn't seem quite so hard.



Arizona Aussie

I grabbed another S.Q. Eads' book to read after work yesterday afternoon -- Arizona Aussie.

Dr. Randee Lambert is a veterinarian from Australia, but she's on sabbatical from her profession to model western wear while trick riding and preforming stunts. Her next job is on a ranch in Arizona

Scott Harrison, owner of that ranch, is recovering from injuries he received from the last air-headed female that set foot on his ranch. There's no way he's going to allow another one anywhere near his place.

So why is there a beautiful blond in the pen with his prize Brahma bull? And why, exactly, is his prize Brahma bull sporting an injured leg?



When Aussie vet meets Arizona rancher it's the beginning of World War III, and this time the two countries are not allies.

This is such a fun, happy story, and I found myself laughing out loud in several places. It also made me think about the verse from Proverbs..."as iron sharpeneth iron..." Randee and Scott need some rough edges knocked of their personalities, and like iron striking iron, sparks fly every time they come in contact with each other.

I really appreciate how this writer makes faith and Christian principles a natural, integral part of her stories and her characters' lives. It doesn't feel forced or added at the last minute to help the story qualify as "inspirational" romance.

Need a fun, Christian romance to read? Check out Arizona Aussie. It'll make you smile; maybe even laugh out loud!