"Lonestar Sanctuary" by Colleen Coble

I'm definitely a sucker for romance novels, but when it includes cowboys in the mix i am most definitely hooked. Colleen Coble's "Lonestar Sanctuary" is no exception. It is the story of Allie Siders who is faced with such life altering events that she ends up having no one left to turn to. She decides to go find refuge at Bluebird Ranch where she meets her deceased husbands best friend. Not only is Allie having to deal with many deaths in her within her family, but she must also deal with the fact that her captivating daughter Betsy has not spoken for a whole year. Not only that, but she is being followed by a stalker who continually posing threats to her life and the ones that she loves.


This story starts with an enthralling prologue that seems so heavy in content that you must continue reading in order to appease your mind about Allie's situation. The way the author captivates our attention with Allie's life right off the bat is very rare among books and is something to be admired. The way in which she writes her story makes us carry Allie's burden with us while reading the book. Coble's way of subtly glorifying God in many parts of the book is definitely a good bonus. It is a way to incorporate Christianity without the big impact of having a sermon within the story. It is a great tale that reminds those of us who are also grieving that we are not alone in the world. There is always someone who is going through a worse situation than the one in your life and it makes us thankful for what we do have. It surely made me thank God for giving the life he did and reminded me to pray about those who are less fortunate. This book is overflowing with so much love come the end of the story that it warms your heart to think that some people really do share love that is true.


Since this story is also a sort of mystery at the same time, I have to say that I wasn't surprised with who was behind the whole sandal. I guessed the stalker right from the beginning when he was introduced and sure enough when it came time to reveal the murderer it was none other than Charlie, the guy whom i suspected the whole time. Although i knew who it was, it was interesting to see what his motive was because it kind of came out of the blue. The fact that this story had a mystery in it as well just made it that more appealing even if the murderer was obvious (at least to me, let me know what you thought).


So the next book on the list is not a Christian book (sorry if I seemed stuck on them for a bit), it is called "Body Heat" by Carly Phillips. Read along with me so that come the next blog you can add in your input as well. Once again, let me know if I could improve my blog in any way or if there is something I should share that you would be more wanting to read. Until next time...

"Fools Rush In" by Janice Thompson

Wow, so the book by Janice Thompson called "Fools Rush In" is the first book in a captivating series called Weddings by Bella. This first book in the series is about a wedding coordinator, Bella Rossi. She was entrusted with the duties of running the family wedding facility and coordinating all the weddings that come their way. She is put under a lot of stress in order to impress her large Italian family, whom she loves unconditionally. Dwayne Neeley Jr, is a cowboy from Splendora Texas who two-steps his way into Bella's life in the funniest complication ever. However, the complications don't stop there, many more seem to appear as the book progresses and Bella deals with them along with the help of the Lord. Her admiration is not only for her family, but also for God whom she strives to put first in her everyday life. Love is in the air throughout this entire among couples and family members as well. With a book like this, it is hard not to come to the end without a smile on your face. It is a fantastic, and religiously inspiring, book to read that makes you want to keep reading when you reach the end of a chapter.

One thing that truly stands out in this book is the amazing Rossi family. They all seem to have a talent of their own, and are willing to help out in any way they can when it comes the wedding facility. Their love for one another is truly something to be admired. The other relationship that is truly superior in my eyes is the astounding relationship each character seems to have with the Lord. No matter what denomination they belong to or church they attend, they seem to live their lives according to God's will every day. When it comes to the Rossi family, it is enjoyable to read the occurrences that happen throughout this book. There seems to be never ending commotion among the house hold, or the family restaurant and this very fact keeps us on our toes.

The way music is used among this book is also very inspiring. There is a title to every chapter which appears to be the name of a song that always seems very appropriate to what the chapter entails. The constant referral to Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra is a brilliant way to bring our minds back to the small detailing of the music. Along with the country song referrals that always put a smile on my face (being a country music lover as well as a fan of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra). There were many moments that truly made me laugh out loud and I will definitely be reading this book over again. Let me know what you thought about the book and it's crazy characters.






The next book I will be tackling will is called "Lonestar Sanctuary" by Colleen Coble. It is obviously a western from the look of it and I hope you find a copy and read it so that you can share your opinions too.

"The Convenient Groom" by Denise Hunter

OK, so the book I just finished reading is very good. I think I should say before hand that I am a huge fan of Romance Novels and that I don't think I will ever get bored of them. Even if I know that many of them will end the way I want, it doesn't stop me from smiling every time a couple ends up together. Also before I start I think I should say that my blogs might give away the books so only read them if you have read the books because I don't want to spoil them for you. However, I will put a little description of the book and what happens so hopefully it will intrigue some people to read these books too. If you have read them, let me know what you thought about it, like favorite parts or things that caught your attention.



So now to get to the book. Denise Hunter is the author of this first book I am going to share. It is entitled "The Convenient Groom" and it is definitely more than appropriate for what happens in this book. So for all of you who haven't read it yet, it is about a therapist and published author who focuses on fixing relationships. Kate Lawrence, or better known as Dr. Kate, is the type of person who likes to plan out every waking minute of her life. She is an absolute neat freak and is deeply upturned when things don't turn out the way she expects them too. On the other hand we have Lucas Wright, who is basically Kate's exact opposite. He leaves things hanging around, such as wet towels (read it, you'll understand) and never goes according to any pre-made plans. He goes with the flow and goes to the beat of his own drum. He is a Carpenter who builds furniture and lives on the beaches of Nantucket. Low and behold, these two end up tieing the knot in a way that I will let you figure out for yourself. They truly go through a crazy emotional roller coaster ride that will leave you laughing out loud in certain spots, and wishing you could jump through the book and tell them they are being dumb at other parts. I tell you now, if you haven't read it, you must do so. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.


Now for those of you who have read it, it's time for a discussion. To be completely honest, I think Kate runs from her feelings way too much. She constantly convinces herself that she is not in love with Lucas when really it is right there in front of her that yeah, she actually does. She keeps analyzing their relationship and comparing it to the one of her parents that went down the drain which I find is a really dumb thing to do. You can't compare youself to other people because you are your own person and are entirely different from anyone else in the world. The fact that she always needs to know what's happening ends up hurting her throughout the entire book. One of the main mistakes I believe she makes in this book is that she puts her job before anything. We could tell right away that she wasn't altogether in love with her first fiance, Bryan Montgomery, because she 1. found a replacement groom right away 2. she was mostly worried about how it would affect the sales of her book and 3. what it was going to do to her career if people found out she got left at the alter. With Lucas though, it is a completely different story because she has control over nothing that goes on. He is Mr. Spontaneous and seems to rub off on Kate by the end of the book.


On the flip side, Lucas knows all along that he if madly in love with Kate. Even if he doesn't deny it, he doesn't do anything about it the whole time until it is too late. We notice he is in love with her right off the bat because of the intricate gazebo he builds her, which I think is so sweet and personal. Lucas is kind of like the perfect guy girls are always picturing. He says the right things at the right time, notices the little details about a girl and admits to himself why he likes them. When he loves someone, it's with his whole heart. He is actually compared to the night in shining armor which I think is a perfect comparison. Don't get me wrong, Lucas has his bad qualities too. Don't think i'm taking his side and that he does no wrong because that's not true. However, I do believe that out of the two of them, Lucas was without a doubt the most rational minded.


As far as the setting goes, Nantucket was very nice to read about. I don't know what it is but there is something about beaches that are just so romantic and seems to string girls in. Nothing ever seems to go wrong on the beach, but although it is kind of ridiculous I still immensely enjoyed the setting. Anyways, I think my little review has gone on long enough and I haven't even gotten to my favorite part yet. If you have a favorite part let me know. If you have any ways that I can improve my blog let me know, I'm open to suggestions.

The next book I will be reading is "Fools Rush In" by Janice Thompson. So if you wanna read the book before I write about it, by all means please do. That way you can write what you think once the blog has been posted.