No Way Up by Mary Connealy

Mary Connealy has started a new series of novels called The Cimarron Legacy.  Bethany House Publishers sent me a free copy of Book 1 in exchange for an honest review.  No Way Up takes place in New Mexico Territory in the 1880's.  The ranch patriarch Chance Boden is injured in an avalanche.  Not sure if he will survive, he asks his 3 adult children, Cole, Justin and Sadie, to come to the reading of his will.  He is requiring them to live together on The Cimarron Ranch for one year beginning now, or they will all lose their inheritance.  Justin and Cole are constantly bickering, with Sadie in the middle. Justin has working the ranch alone, while Cole has been managing the gold mines on the other side of their land.  Sadie has been volunteering at an orphanage in town, but now has to give it up to live on the ranch too. Heath Kincaid is the cowhand in charge while Chance is injured and looks forward to having Sadie around more, even though her brothers remind him time and again that he is just a cowhand and not fit to court their sister.  When Heath discovers that the avalanche was no accident, and there is a gunman out on top of Skull Mesa hunting down the Boden's, Heath and Sadie must work together to solve the mystery. This is a novel filled with action and cowboy conversation, with the history of the New Mexico Territory thrown in for good measure. Heath and Sadie are involved with some advanced rock climbing and I like that part.  Heath Kincaid is the younger brother of the characters in the Kincaid Brides series of Mary Connealy, so there is a connection to her other books too.  Connealy always has strong women characters and this novel was no different.  I liked how Sadie shared the gospel with one of her enemies even after all the evil he had done.  The story doesn't end with this one novel either; Connealy still leaves some mysteries to be solved in future novels. 

Her One and Only by Becky Wade

The Porter Family Series continues with the story of Dru Porter, the former Marine, who is hired to be bodyguard to NFL star Gray Fowler.  Gray has been receiving increasingly threatening letters on a weekly basis.  Gray is used to danger and being on the defensive, and therefore thinks having bodyguards protecting him is unnecessary. Dru's last assignment ended badly and she is out to prove her expert skill and competence as a protective agent.  After all she has three older brothers who have taught her everything she knows and a reputation to uphold.  However, she doesn't count on feelings of attraction and compassion for Gray, who is keeping secrets of his past. The more aloof and detached Dru makes herself, the more competitive Gray becomes to try to win her heart.  It's a game to Gray; he is used to getting whatever woman he wants, thanks to his fame and good looks. Dru is looking for a lasting commitment, the love she sees that her brothers' have for their wives.  Gray has been on his own since high school and never had a family to care about him.  The more time he spends around Dru and her family, he realizes there are couples out there that would sacrifice their life for the one they love.  Yet his past keeps resurfacing and he realizes that he can't move forward and heal from his childhood unless he forgives and walks away from the pleasures of sin.
I love how Becky Wade continued the stories of the other Porter family characters.  I could really see how Dru's life was shaped because of her family.  She knows how a God-centered life should be and won't settle for less.  After Gray has spent time with the Porter family, he realizes how empty his life is without God as the center of it.  He was depending first on his own strength, and then his own wealth and fame to make him happy.  He was living in his past and thought he could not escape from it.  The novel is so real-life and the suspense is just enough to keep you on the edge. The struggles between Dru and Gray is believable and I felt like I was a part of the Porter family.  Thank you Bethany House for providing me a free copy to review.

Like Never Before (Walker Family Series #2) by Melissa Tagg

Melissa Tagg has done it again; she has brought to life the characters of Amelia and Logan in Maple Valley, Iowa.  Logan Walker is a widowed speechwriter who lives in busy LA with his 3 year old daughter.  He is on track to be a part of the upcoming presidential campaign, the career he has always dreamed of in Washington, DC.  So when Logan inherits the newspaper of his hometown from his mentor, he only wants a quick sale so he can move on with his life.  Amelia Bentley has come to Maple Valley after her broken marriage and has felt at home at the newspaper. The Walker family has made her feel like a part of their family, and she can't let the whole town lose their local newspaper.  Logan finds himself enjoying being back in his hometown again, and knows his daughter needs to be around family, as well as a speech therapist who can help her finally speak after losing her mother.  Logan also needs to find his way back to God, and let Him have control again. Amelia is afraid to chase after her dreams.  She is willing to fight for the town where she feels safe, but not ready to take a chance on love again. 
I loved seeing the family relationships among the Walker siblings and how they came to their Dad, Case Walker for advice. He has been through hard times himself when he lost his wife to cancer, but his example of a positive marriage is just what his four children need to see and his wise counsel is real-life.  The need for Logan to get his priorities straight between his career and his daughter, and the conflict he faces by wanting to spend time with Amelia, but feeling guilty for not always being there with his daughter is what so many single parents especially feel in today's world.  I loved seeing other Maple Valley characters from previous novels in this story too.  I also loved the history that Melissa Tagg weave in about Amelia Earhart and the small town mystery that Amelia Bentley is trying to solve. I can't wait for more stories about the Walker family!

A Bride At Last by Melissa Jagears

Kate Dawson is content being single and the town's schoolteacher. Anthony is a student that has stolen her heart and makes her wish she had not run from the chance at being a mail-order bride. When Anthony's mother Lucy dies, Kate assumes she will be his guardian. Yet two men show up in the rural Missouri town claiming to be his father. Kate has heard Lucy speak of both gentlemen, but none of it is positive. Silas Jonesey grew up in an orphanage and has never had a family to call his own. When he gets a letter from his estranged mail-order bride he travels to Missouri to see her in hopes of reconciliation, only to find that she has passed away. Not wanting Anthony to have an orphan life like he did, he plans to take his son back to his homestead. Yet where does that leave Kate and what if Anthony has other plans? 
I had read another novel by Melissa Jagears and the characters in her first novel continued on into this story, but this novel could also stand alone.  The story started out slow, with too much background story and the characters thoughts and not enough dialogue nor action. However, the second half was much better. I like this time period of the 1880's and the mail-order bride stories. Kate and Silas have to work through their past issues in a real way and their story is believable.  Thanks Bethany House for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Now & Forever by Mary Connealy

Book 2 of the Wild at Heart series is available.  Bethany House sent me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.  I love the adventure in Mary Connealy's novels!  Shannon is the middle sister of the Wilde family.  She is raising sheep on her own homestead. After being in the wrong place at the wrong time, she finds herself forced to marry Matthew Tucker to save her reputation. Tucker is a mountain man, preferring to be alone in the wilderness for months at a time.  Raised by an Indian woman, he knows how to track animals and people, but is unsure how to treat his new wife.  They find themselves teaming up together against a greedy man who wants Shannon's homestead. Connealy provides action and mystery in her novel, and I love how she includes characters from Book 1.  Being someone who loves the outdoors and 1860's time period in the west, I enjoyed Shannon's story.  Shannon is brave and loyal and learned she can trust God for her future!

A Love Like Ours by Becky Wade

Becky Wade's series involving the Porter Family continues on with the story of Jake Porter.  Jake is a former Marine who is back home in Texas training Thoroughbreds with his brothers.  He is also suffering from PTSD  and prefers to spend his days alone.  As a child Lyndie James was more than just his neighbor she was his best friend. He was fiercely protective of her then and that hasn't changed.  When Lyndie moves back to Texas and starts exercising horses for Jake, the closeness they once shared returns.  But Jake doesn't feel whole; he has scars inside and out.  He has given up on God and is fearful of something happening to Lyndie. Jake wonders how Lyndie can be so carefree.  Lyndie knows she can help Jake, but he has to be willing. I loved this novel just as I did the first two.  I felt like I was living in Texas with Lyndie and Jake.  The military flashbacks associated with PTSD were so real and the side plot with Amber trying to find Mr. Right was incredibly funny.  There were parts that continued on with Bo and Ty Porter from the previous novels but you didn't have to read them to understand the plot.  The ups and downs Lyndie had with caring for a physically challenged sister was real-life too.  Thanks Bethany House for sending this novel for me to review.

Favorite Quote from Melissa Tagg

Favorite Quote from Melissa Tagg's From The Start novel:

"Pastor Nick told me a while back that I didn't have to have a big plan for my life.  I just needed to do the next right thing."