At Bluebonnet Lake by Amanda Cabot

Her life is set to warp speed. His is slowing to a crawl.

But love has its own timing.

Marketing maven Kate Sherwood's world is fast-paced, challenging, and always changing. The last thing she wants to do is slow down to a crawl at Rainbow's End, a dilapidated resort in the Texas Hill Country. But she cannot deny her ailing grandmother's request to visit the place where she and her deceased husband spent one glorious week (albeit fifty years ago). There Kate meets Greg Vange, the resort's handyman. But there's more to Greg than meets the eye--billions more, in fact, as he recently sold his successful software company and is at the resort in search of what's next for his life.

Kate isn't looking for romance, but she can't deny the sparks of attraction that fly every time she and Greg are together. She even starts to see potential in the rundown resort. Could there be a future there? Or will Kate's long-sought promotion take her back to the big city?

Amanda Cabot invites readers to step away from the pressures of the daily grind. They might be surprised by what they find at Rainbow's End.


Author: Amanda Cabot
Publisher: Revell, 2014
Cover Design: Peter Gloege, LOOK Design Studio
Cover Photo: Aimee Christenson


My Review
A cabin retreat away from the daily grind and demand of technology, a warm fireplace on a chilly evening--this was the scene as I read At Bluebonnet Lake on our fall break trip to Tennessee, the first book I've read by Amanda Cabot. So I was delighted to discover that getting away and rediscovering God and nature was exactly what this story was about. How fitting.

This book is the journey of two love stories from different generations, yet, despite the age gap, they all arrive at the same destination, in both life and love. Set in the Texas Hill Country, this slower pace of living will refresh and invigorate the reader while entertaining with satisfying romance. I gave this book 4 stars!

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With both parents avid readers, it's no surprise that Amanda Cabot learned to read at an early age.
From there it was only a small step to deciding to become a writer. Of course, deciding and becoming are two different things, as she soon discovered. Fortunately for the world, her first attempts at fiction, which included a play for her fifth grade class entitled "All About Thermometers," were not published, but she did meet her goal of selling a novel by her thirtieth birthday. Since then she's sold more than thirty novels under a variety of pseudonyms. When she's not writing, Amanda enjoys sewing, cooking and - of course - reading.

Learn more at amandacabot.com

Tried & True by Mary Connealy

Aspen Ridge
Idaho Territory, July 1866

Kylie Wilde is the youngest sister—and the most civilized. Her older sisters might be happy dressing in trousers and posing as men, but Kylie has grown her hair long and wears skirts every chance she gets. It’s a risk—they are homesteading using the special exemptions they earned serving in the Civil War as “boys”—but Kylie plans to make the most of the years before she can sell her property and return to the luxuries of life back East.

Local land agent Aaron Masterson is fascinated with Kylie from the moment her long hair falls from her cap. But now that he knows her secret, can he in good conscience defraud the U.S. government? And when someone tries to force Kylie off her land, does he have any hope of convincing her that marrying him and settling on the frontier is the better for her future?


Bethany House Publishers, 2014


My Review
What a wilde ride! 
As with all of Mary's books, Tried & True opens with page-turning action. The most unqualified of the three Wilde sisters to repair a leaky roof, Kylie braves it as a storm rolls in--wearing her skirt to boot. The one thing the Wilde sisters don't do is act feminine, especially after serving in the war as boys per their father's request. He's lost his only son and is determined to replace him by pretending he has three more. But Kylie's tired of denying her femininity and rebels against her father's wishes at every turn. Soaking wet, clinging to the eaves to keep from dying, and shouting for help in the middle of nowhere, Kylie has no choice but to fall into the arms of her rescuer Aaron Masterson, a handsome land agent who's not going to be happy when he finds out Kylie is homesteading as a man. 

This story had great conflict, humor, and a beautiful message. In a society where people are denying who God made them to be, I found this story refreshing. The cover is gorgeous, and I can't wait to see who comes along to tame the rest of the Wilde sisters. I gave this book 5 stars!

*I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. 


Mary Connealy writes romantic comedies about cowboys. She's the author of the

acclaimed Trouble in Texas and The Kincaid Brides series, as well as several other stories. Mary has been nominated for a Christy Award, was a finalist for a RITA Award, and is a two-time winner of the Carol Award. She lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero. They have four grown daughters and a bevy of grandchildren. Learn more about Mary and her books at:
maryconnealy.com
mconnealy.blogspot.com
seekerville.blogspot.com
petticoatsandpistols.com

6 Ways to Tell if It's Christian Fiction

Image courtesy of Surachai/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Several people have told me they enjoy Christian Fiction (Inspirational Fiction) because they don’t have to worry about it containing explicit language or graphic scenes, yet they still get a great story. A few of those folks have even said they’ve chosen to only read Christian Fiction (CF) from now on, but struggle with knowing how to decipher them from the general market when shopping in places such as garage sales, flea markets, and even some used bookstores where the books aren’t separated by category. Here was my best advice:

                *Get to know the authors by name. Authors can be found in a variety of places online such as Facebook and Goodreads, but a great way to get acquainted with Christian authors is through websites dedicated to CF like NovelCrossing.com, ChristianBook.com, and “Fiction Finder” at acfw.com (American Christian Fiction Writers). Just to name a few. By getting to know the authors’ names, you’ll be able to pick out CF books from a mixed pile.

                *Get to know the Christian publishing houses. There are too many publishing houses dedicated to CF to name in this post with new ones sprouting every day. Bethany House, Thomas Nelson, Waterbrook Multnomah, Barbour, Revell, Howard, Pelican Book Group, and OakTara are just a handful of CF publishers that immediately came to my mind. By memorizing the names of CF publishers, you can watch for their mark on the covers and know you’re guaranteed a clean read.

                *Look at the barcode on the back cover. This area isn’t just for the cashier. It tells the reader what genre the book is (suspense, romance, thriller) and sometimes—I do mean sometimes—it will tell if it’s Christian or not.

                *Judge the book by its cover. I know golden rule warns against this, but in this case it can be very helpful by considering what the cover is “selling.” For example, if a romance cover dons a bare-chested man groping a barely clothed woman that’s a huge indication it’s not a clean read. Since I know you’re already aware of that, let’s contemplate more subtle clues.

§  The man is fully clothed and modest but only his lower portion is visible on the cover and is the main focal point regardless of the gorgeous backdrop (ocean, mountains, etc.).

§  If the characters are holding each other or even kissing does it look lusty or make you blush? That’s a good indication it’s not CF. Cover designers for CF books strive to focus on drawing the reader in by matching the feel of the cover to the story and concentrate on the characters as people and not their bodies. As mentioned above, what is the cover selling?

§  The title. I’m aware that this is another no-brainer, but a title like One Night Stand is a red flag. (I did not check to see if there are any books with the mentioned title, but I’m sure there is, and I mean no harm.) However, if the title is questionable, knowing the publisher can set your mind to rest because in some cases the title could be a play on words.

§  The book’s description on the back cover, better known as the blurb. Is there any indication of a faith message? Does the blurb use words such as steamy, hot, or passionate in regards to how the characters react to each other? This can be another indication it’s not CF.

               

            *Read book reviews. If you’re not a member with Goodreads or Novel Crossing, you can read customer book reviews on Amazon and other book selling websites. If a person has been offended by the book’s content, they’ll generally say so in their review. Sometimes their description of the book put in their own words will clue you in on what to expect. This method is harder to use while at a flea market or garage sale unless you own a smart phone.

            *Don’t be afraid to ask. You’d be surprised how many people love to talk books. I’ve had people stop me in a bookstore before and ask what I’d recommend simply because I’m there shopping too and love to read.

I hope this information is helpful to you. Do you have a method you use that wasn't mentioned above? Please, share it in the comments.