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Guest Review by Angie Lippard of

www.hotchristianbooks.com

In writing a book review, I am trying to share with you what I like and don’t like about a particular book. I am trying to save you time by giving you the gist of the book without revealing the story. I have 4 “do’s” and 1 “don’t” when I write a review.

1) Tell me how hot the romance is between the two characters. 2) If it is a series, let me know which book I need to read first in order to understand this book (or) is there a book in the series better than this one. 3) How good is it compared to other Christian Historical Fiction (CHF) writers? 4) Is God and faith an afterthought? Thrown in to make the book a Christian book or is it central to the plot and the characters? 5) Don’t just repeat the summary plot and then add “I liked it. ”

There are huge differences in Christian Fiction and I don’t want to waste my time on reading something that doesn’t appeal to me. I want to zero in on writers who write the stuff that I like. Period.

Based on this criteria, I like Mary Connealy’s writing. She makes me laugh out loud and that instantly makes a book better for me. I was laughing right out of the gate with this book!

I have read all of the Montana Marriages series, as well as, the Lasso in Texas series. I feel that makes me a capable judge of this new series, Sophie’s Daughters. We first meet Sophie’s girls in “Petticoat Ranch” and again in “Calico Canyon.” This book, the first in the series, mainly focuses on Beth with some of Mandy’s problems thrown in. See my review of “Wrangler in Petticoats for more about Mandy and Sally’s life.) You could read these books out of order and not miss too much but I wouldn’t advise it. You need to know what the girls have been through in their lives to understand what makes them tick.

Most CHF and westerns, have strong, manly men and this one is no exception. The difference is he has moments of strength but is a man walking wounded. He has post traumatic stress disorder only they don’t call it that in those days. He has overwhelming moments of weakness that render him incapable of functioning and he needs Beth in order to function. He doesn’t “want” her. He “needs” her. So right off the bat, you have to wonder how this man is going to go from weak to strong and help Beth relinquish some of her strength to depend on him. It’s a very interesting setup and you hope they will both make it out alive and together. You’ll have to read the book to find out the rest.

Here are my ratings, from 1-5, with 1 being the lowest

Hotness Factor: 3 stars I think Husband Tree by this author was hotter but this is good. The physical tension is there from the start and you don’t have to wait until the end of the book for the romance to heat up and take off.

Series info: 4 stars You don’t have to read the other books in the series to understand this book but it is highly recommended that you do. In this series, “Doctors” is definitely the better book, so far. I personally liked the “Lassoed in Texas” series better but Husband Tree is still my favorite book by this author.

Overall Rating: 3 stars Mary Connealy gives a good performance in these books. She is a good storyteller and includes passion and longing but not as much as other CHF authors like DeeAnne Gist and Julie Lessman. Her books just keep getting better and better.

Christianity: 4.5 In this book the main character struggles and pleads with God to help him overcome his trauma and learn to live and work again. God and prayer is a strong theme throughout the book.

Warning: Both of these characters are doctors and post traumatic stress is involved so if you don’t like the thought of a lot of blood or reading about it makes you feel sick, you might want to skip this book. It was graphic because of their chosen professions but also because of the trauma he went through and was trying to overcome. Just thought I’d give fair warning!

Summary Plot: Doctor Alex Buchanan is a wanted man–a deserter from the army stalked by a bounty hunter–but he’d rather be dead than inflict any more pain on his patients. Beth McClellan is idealistic, believing the nursing training she received will be enough to help her serve as doctor to her home town in West Texas. When Alex and Beth meet in a stagecoach accident, they find that they work well together. But are his demons and her dreams too deeply rooted for either of them to pay the price required for a future together?

Check out my other Christian book reviews at www.hotchristianbooks.com

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