Life gets busy around Christmas what with kids and parties and gifts to make, so what better to do than add a light read while I am working no my to do list? Redemption Ranch by Leann Harris was a lucky library find. Another ranch based book (of course the title… duh), this book is much more than a horse and pretty girl story. There really is a whole lot of redemption going on.

The Second Chance Ranch is an amazing place for children, for veterans, for broken souls who need some healing. Tyler Lynch is one of those souls. His faith rocked by the death of his partner during a bomb retrieval, his soul already hardened by his life as a foster child… there is so much to love about his character. I love that this book deals with the plight of the returned veteran. The difficulty of survivor’s guilt and sleepless nights due to nightmares.

Beth is part of the family business at the ranch. Terrific with animals and kids, very intuitive with those in need. She herself has been soured in love at a young age and is honestly always acting with the very best intentions. She is optimism and joy in an amazing package.

The child in this story is the brother of the soldier that Tyler could not save. He is also a broken soul and his path to joy and strengthened faith is the catalyst for a lot of the goings on in the story.

I really appreciated how the author delved into life after war. Add in the emotional turmoil of the families left behind and you get a bit of an insight into the less than glamourous life of our returned heroes. (and those who never return) I did find a bit of the drama slightly… more… than I generally enjoy but I am finding that this is a common theme in these Love Inspired books. A call for a moment or two of extreme stress. 

Redemption Ranch was an enjoyable read with characters you can’t help but connect with. If you enjoy some horses, ranches, faith journeys and healing this could be the book for you!

Ok after my whole author is larger than title mini rant what do I do when I go to the library and pick a random read? Why go for the Jillian Hart book BECAUSE I recognized her name… ok her name being BIGGER than the title. Have I ever mentioned I am horrible with names???

Anyway, Klondike Hero is a contemporary faith based romance set in Alaska. In fact, the main character Karenna has driven all the way to Treasure Creek in her wedding dress to start over after being dumped at the altar. All because of a rather marriage and romance driven article in a magazine depicting this Alaskan town as a haven for marriage minded. While not ready to dive in on marriage so soon after a crushing end to her previous, Karenna is ready to make friends and find a way to be productive in this gorgeous Klondike town.

Stranded and single she is helped by jaded bachelor Gage who is currently responsible for his brother’s infant son with the assistance of his grandmother. What better than for Karenna to become the nanny and help this family out with faith, hope and compassion.

There was one aspect of the story that confused me – the disappearance of the brother leaving his child for all intents and purpose abandoned. I understand it as a plot element but it just seemed so beyond immature and dangerous. But that was a personal preference for a slightly more thought out plot twist. 

If you are looking for beautiful scenery descriptions and lovely character development this could be the book for you. Once again faith is a strong element as usual. This is on of the Alaskan Bride Rush series. I cannot say I would hunt out more of these but a random pull… could happen! 

Sometimes you just click a book because of its title… Season of Joy was one of those relatively lucky finds. I was hunting for Christmas and Christmas related books and DVDs for the kids and this popped up with its pretty winter cover. Season of Joy is another in the Love Inspired romances, this one is by Virginia Carmichael. 

Season of Joy centers around an inner city shelter in Denver run by Grant Monoham, unrecognized son of one of the wealthiest (and most unscrupulous) men in the state. Enter CEO and new Christian Calista Sheffield who is determined to make a difference where it counts in her life and recreate herself and her life. Her first choice in this venture – volunteering at the shelter. 

This light romance has a bit of a mystery around Grant’s father, the shelter and the future. Calista is at a crossroads and is managing her life as a CEO and as a volunteer. There are broken hearts, damaged spirits and lonely souls in this story. Faith is tested as is pride and personal strength. 

I did enjoy that in this story there was two strong independent souls both just trying to be better than they have been. Of course there is a definite fight against love and a fear of commitment on one side or another. It is seasonal of course… lovely Christmas spirit and the ending is equally sweet. 

So, a bit of a change from the single parent… baby dropped off.. etc story. There ARE children in the shelter’s daycare and amazing volunteers/staff to meet. I really did enjoy the location of this book (well the main location). I found the issues with the estranged father a little out of my taste for my light reading but it was nothing too extreme. All in all a good read.