From the paranormal and surreal to a light Texas romance rife with twins and now… a Love Inspired HISTORICAL! What a weird collection these past few weeks. Set in 1881 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee His Mountain Miss by Karen Kirst was a rather sweet period romance. The third book (once again, like Carbon Copy Cowboy, right into the middle of the series… oops) in the Smokey Mountain Ranches series, this book centers on one of the daughters in the O’Malley family… Megan and her interactions with New Orleans aristocrat Lucian Beaumont. 

Lucian has come to sell off his estranged and now deceased grandfather’s property so he can return to New Orleans free of what he sees as the abandonment of his mother by her father and himself in turn. Tied to this property is Megan and the people of Smokey Mountain who are (according to the will) allowed access to the property to continue on the good works of its previous owner. 

I really appreciate the author’s grasp of the era (and since this is not my favourite… I prefer Regency, this was a wonderful surprise), she really does draw you into the scene and make you want to know all you can about the characters. There is a bit of a mystery to what happened to between Lucian’s mother and his grandfather to clear up… many members of Megan’s family to meet and the surrounding townspeople. 

This is definitely a faith based book… Megan with her strong faith and Lucian needing to regain his in the face of his loss of his mother. Class differences in the era are touched upon lightly as are the conditions and difficulties of the time. This story deals with loss, with faith and love, with knowing what is best for yourself beyond your past and the future your family or your status seems to demand. And it helps that Lucian has his French words tossed in there for flair and a description that is quite marvelous. Definitely an enjoyable read! 

Now you would think I would learn my lesson about NOT judging a book by its cover… In fact, one of our Australian facts found recently was that there is a bookstore that has special books wrapped in brown paper with just the genres listed for just that very reason. (Elizabeth’s Bookshops) Yet when I go to the library and have to manage the kids at “library voices” levels… well a quick title read and a brief glance at the cover and then move on. That was what Carbon Copy Cowboy was (add in the series title – Texas Twins). 

Now I realize that I cannot expect too much… first off, I am never sure that if they ARE in a series they are first book (NOPE… book 3!), that I am going to love all the characters (well so so) or that I will even be completely drawn into the book… Carbon Copy Cowboy by Arlene James was a relatively quick and light read. The overlying issue of the story – about the history of the main family, was never answered… annoyingly enough. I WAS able to understand somewhat what had occurred in the previous two books, enough so that blanks are filled in relatively nicely over all. 

The main issue of the book that WAS answered was the identity of the woman found in her car with a bridal veil on of all things post accident with amnesia. This did wrap up a lot of questions through out the story. (very tidy in some respects). The romance is an interesting one, what with one person (“Kendra”) not even knowing if she had a family etc. that were waiting for her. The other half (Jack Colby) has his own unknowns… though his are all centered around his mother in a coma. She has all the answers and he has all the questions… including why he and his sister are actually each half of a set of identical twins who knew nothing about the other.

There are quite a few characters in this book. Of course, starting with the first in the series would have simplified that more than a little! But I think you CAN pick this one up without the others and still get by nicely. All in all an enjoyable read, I am unsure if I will make the effort to hunt down the rest (before and after) of the series. These Love Inspired paperbacks can be as hard to find in the system as a pure Harlequin. (not that I look often!) So if you need something set in Texas with twins and mystery and romance… all in a contemporary setting ON A RANCH… AND with a faith aspect to it.. go for it! Though I have to warn you, this book is FULL of prayer moments. So if that is not your cup of tea….

From a fantastic young adult novel to a light Christian based romance. Her Holiday Family by Ruth Logan Herne is a story to enjoy on a quiet afternoon. Dealing with family rifts is never simple, especially when it comes out of nowhere and blinds you. When forgiveness is slow to come and life an uphill battle love is rarely at the front of one’s mind. Neither is reconnecting with someone tied to a difficult time long past.

There are many elements in this story… a broken family, sudden death, arson, foster children and adoption, cancer… Both of the main characters are coming from a place of pain and heart ache. One has lost both her parents and her hard earned business, the other faces losing his father and the reality of his culpability (or lack there was) to an incident that has haunted him since his youth.

There is a definite mystery, a strong romantic element and, of course, a lovely dose of Christmas spirit. Based in Kirkwood Lake (and fifth in the Kirkland Lake series), Tina Martinelli and Max Campbell have a history unresolved and a future unplanned. Tina is in Kirkwood Lake only as long as it takes for her to sort out her burnt out cafe and help out the Campbell family while the patriarch deals with a severe return of his cancer. Max is back from his time in the army to do the same. The big question is who will stay and will they find peace, faith and love?

I really enjoyed this novel. Though I found some of the emotional strife a little bit self imposed on the characters (as indeed it turns out some of it is!). A nice seasonal read if you are looking for some Christmas cheer!