Colleen L Reece has put together three interwoven novellas to make a complete book that not only entertains, but also does the one thing I love to find in my reading--it teaches.
Romance Rides the Range: Sarah Anderson has watched her step-father bury her mother and now he wants her to marry his "friend" to settle his gambling debts. Sarah can't stomach the thought of marrying Tice Edwards and makes her move to go to California where her brother is working for a rancher. Sarah's brother, Seth, has shown pictures of her to his boss, Matt, and pictures of Matt to Sarah in a clumsy attempt to bring them together. Sarah uses the scripture she has learned at her mother's knee to sustain her throughout the trials that come her way, from her abusive step-father to the man he owes money to the man they hire to kidnap Sarah.
Romance Rides the River: Matt has a sister, Dori, a girl who is hard to describe. She likes to ride horses full out, she rides bannisters, she refuses to conform to anyone's idea of normal, and because of this, she gets expelled from the finishing school where she is completing her education. When she returns to California and her brother's ranch for his wedding to Sarah, she meets Sarah's brother, Seth. Seth's loyalty to her brother makes an impression on her and while she initially denies her attraction to Seth, she eventually succumbs to his charms. Of course, there is an attempted kidnapping involved, a man who thinks he'll tame her and make her the perfect wife, and an assortment of adventures.
Romance at Rainbow's End: Ellie and Tim are Sarah's step-siblings, and their father has determined they are too much of a burden, so he puts them on a train and sends them to Sarah and Matt. Sarah and Matt go through all the legal hoops to adopt Ellie and Tim and raise them up in love and security. Now Ellie is grown and the town gets a new pastor--one who has found in Ellie the woman God has planned for him to spend his life with, a woman of faith and with a beautiful voice. Josh, the pastor, has come to Madera at the protest of his mother and twin brother. Letitia, his mother, has hired a private investigator to see what kind of people her son has become involved with. Edward, his twin, suggests that they go to Madera and see if Ellie is all she's cracked up to be and bring her to San Francisco to be professionally trained to sing. Ellie senses that God desires for her to go but doesn't know why. She's not altogether comfortable with being in San Francisco, but she's obedient to God's voice to trust Him. While she does let the fame go to her head for a while, she finally succumbs to God's pull and makes her way back to Josh as well.
There is more than entertainment value here, there is spiritual value here. And while there's joy in reading a fictional character's romance, the joy in finding something to learn to aid your spiritual walk.
Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a Horse to Ride
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