Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Mary Connealy's Petticoat Ranch ~ Reviewed


Petticoat Ranch
By Mary Connealy
Published by Barbour Books
ISBN-13: 978-1597896474

What better groundwork could be laid for a humorous romance in Texas, than having the twin brother of your dead husband literally fall into your lap?

The widow Sophie Edwards does a double take when she retrieves a fallen cowboy from a deep creek bed. The mud covered and injured man looks vaguely familiar. When one of her daughter swears her Pa is back from the dead, Sophie knows this the man couldn’t be the husband she cut down from a noose and buried herself.

Clay McClellan has come in search of the killers of his brother Cliff, and when fate drops him into the middle of Cliff’s widow and four daughters this rugged cowboy finds himself surrounded in an estrogen filled environment.

Both Clay and Sophie find their ultimate goals are the same – find the men who killed Cliff and set things right. However, their rough idea of being a good Christian steps in the way more times than they realize. Clay decides since the men in the Bible would take care of the family widows, he’d be obedient and marry Sophie, taking on all four children and a wife who’d lived as a survivor for some time. The entire package almost proved to more than a hand-full, but through his determination to provide for his new family, he and Sophie go head-to-head with the band of outlaws who unjustly strung up her husband.

You’ll chuckle as the two practically come to blows through their own stubborn antics, and you’ll be touched at how God subtly grooms the two into belief, repentance and forgiveness, providing a reward of happiness and love in the end.

Barbour Publishing has done it again by bringing the talents of Mary Connealy to the forefront with her wit, crisp work, and believable characters. Sit back and enjoy the half-cocked banter that knits Sophie and Clay into a full-fledged family. Petticoat Ranch is a wonderfully crafted love story that drives a gentle message of forgiveness you’re sure to find well worth the time.

Reviewed by Cindy Sproles
Mountain Breeze Ministries

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