"Too Far Down" by Mary Connealy

Too Far Down (Oct. 3, 2017) by Mary Connealy.*

All of the danger has not passed. In fact, there may be more danger. Cole Boden, who’s both of the western life and of the city, has to deal with an explosion at the mines he oversees. People die, one of which was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but for the others, their injuries are too consistent to be just an accident. Together with his brother Justin, brother-in-law Heath, Melanie “Mel” Blake and her Uncle Walt, they discover a series of tunnels connecting a series of mines, including those belonging to the deceased. The Boden parents are still in Denver, where Chance’s leg continues to heal, but he and Veronica (a.k.a. Ronnie) aren’t free of danger, either. The entire family is determined to put an end to those who threaten them, the CR Mining Company and those that work with them before anyone else is put in harm’s way.

            This includes Mel Blake. A cowgirl who’s a regular tomboy (in fact, even in 1881, she’d rather wear pants than dresses), Mel’s a tough young woman who’s comfortable in her own skin. As long as her own skin is around horses or cattle in the outdoors and not stuffed inside a kitchen or sewing room. She’s great with a lasso and an even better shot. Despite thinking that Cole is a well-studied worm, she still wants to help the Boden family. But will helping them mean putting herself in direct danger?

            I have read all three books in this trilogy, and I have enjoyed every one. “Too Far Down” is an inspirational, historical fiction novel that is steeped in fast-paced adventure and set in a West that is more wild than tame. Although the Boden siblings have spats like any other siblings, I appreciate the bonds of this family, because their bond goes beyond just their family unit; it extends to the boundaries of the Cimarron Ranch, all who work with them and their neighbors beyond. For anyone who likes stories with a dash of romance and plenty of daring, while sporting a historical setting and a western feature, I recommend this trilogy from start to finish!

            Book One: No Way Up

            Book Two: Long Time Gone

"Long Time Gone" by Mary Connealy

Long Time Gone (Feb. 28, 2017) by Mary Connealy.*

With Ma and Pa in Denver, and his brother, Cole, in mortal danger, Justin Boden feels the weight of the Cimarron Ranch (CR) on his shoulders out in New Mexico Territory in 1880. Sadie and Heath are around, as is Rosita, who works for them. The dangers are not behind them, as they had thought. There is a plot that goes back decades, and if the enemy’s plot succeeds, the CR will be lost to the Bodens, as will many of their lives. They must all put their minds together in order to fit the pieces of the story. But there is a traitor working on the CR. Can they root the person out before someone else is hurt? Someone innocent like Angelique “Angie” DuPree? She finds herself at the CR to assist the doctor in tending to Cole’s injury. It is risky for Angie to be there – to associate with the Bodens – but Angie puts her worry over the Bodens above the threat of menace. This clearly bothers Justin, and he doesn’t know if he should banish her to the orphanage or keep her close. She’s as distracting to him as he is to her.

            This next book in The Cimarron Legacy did not disappoint. I’ve found that I generally like reading historical suspense fiction, and this novel was fast-paced. We met Angie but briefly in the first book, so I was glad to see her story fleshed out in this next installment. “Long Time Gone” is an inspirational fiction western packed with history, suspense and at least one honest cowboy! It is the opposite of a dry gulch; Connealy fills her tale with a lush plot, engaging characters, faith and humor, but also self-doubt, dangerous anger and, naturally, bad guys. A rich tale indeed!

            Book One: No Way Up

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"No Way Up" by Mary Connealy

No Way Up (July 5, 2016) by Mary Connealy.*

The way the Boden siblings see it, their pa was not in his right mind when he made out his will, put into effect, not by dying, but immediately after leaving by train to receive treatment for his leg. Cole, Justin and Sadie are to live at Cimarron Ranch (CR) for an entire year, effective immediately. This is no problem for middle-child Justin, as he already lives there, but it means a move for Cole and Sadie. Cole oversees the mine and has a college degree at his back; he’s much more city than country, and he’s day and night different from Justin. Meanwhile, Sadie has to give up her work at the Safe Haven Orphanage, a place she feels is her calling to be at. But if the siblings do not all reside at the CR for a full year, they forfeit the ranch to a despised third-cousin-to-their-mother.

            Their father and CR patriarch Chance Boden was caught in an avalanche, and without the quick thinking and Army-medic skill of hired hand Heath Kincaid, there’d probably be no chance that Chance would keep his leg. But with his involvement in assisting Chance, Heath finds himself embroiled in the Boden family drama. He makes the discovery that the avalanche may have been intentional, and that; therefore, is not the end of the danger. Though he’s ready to move forward with his future – and preferably one with Sadie in it – he won’t leave the Boden siblings alone to fight for themselves or amongst each other.

            “No Way Up” was another novel I chose because I’d read a short story by the author in a novella collection. Hers was my favorite story in that collection, and I enjoyed this novel of hers as well. This one is the first in The Cimarron Legacy, which I plan to continue. Mary Connealy’s Christian, historical fiction novel never makes me feel as though I’m sitting through a history lesson (it takes place in late 1880). On the contrary, the book was a swift read. Her characters are compelling; you root for them but then shake your head when an argument ensues, for they can bicker like anyone from any era. Connealy’s world-building feels authentic; I could practically feel the dust and grime from a day on the ranch. It is also apparent that the author did her research. There’s a budding romance, and there’s intrigue, issues to resolve and danger lurking, a ranch to protect and sibling rivalries to overcome. And also faith. Sadie says it well, “No matter what you’ve done in this life, all God asks is that you believe in Him. God loves you …” That’s the truth. Always. Highly recommend!

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"With This Ring?" by Karen Witemeyer et al.

With This Ring?: A Novella Collection of Proposals Gone Awry (Jan. 1, 2016).*

In this anthology, four Christian fiction authors have created stories of love. Not the sappy love stories that might make you cringe, but those love stories that aren’t fairy tales. Love can be messy and frustrating, but love is powerful, so each story showcases how love triumphs.

I.     The Husband Maneuver by Kate Witemeyer: The bounty hunter extraordinaire is not the work of fiction Marietta Hawkins truly loves, but Dead-Eye Dan’s real-life counterpart, mule trainer and current foreman Daniel Barrett, is. However, Daniel respects his boss, Jonah Hawkins, and one of Jonah’s rules is that his daughter is off-limits to his employees. Daniel will leave Hawk’s Haven soon, as he’s bought his own spread of land, but Marietta is devastated by this news. When the spring trail drive is on, and her dad is away, she conspires to return home from her aunt’s “to exert her feminine independence or some such nonsense.” Miscommunication will ensue and words will be jumbled, not to mention a “Genesis-7, God-flooding-the-earth, better-get-in-the-ark kind of rain.” How will these two finally figure out their love for each other is reciprocated?

II.   Her Dearly Unintended by Regina Jennings: When torrential rains come to Dewey Bald Mountain (in Missouri), Josiah Huckabee crosses the bridge to check on Katie Ellen Watson, who is tending to her parents’ farm while they are away. The river floods and washes away the bridge – the only bridge that allows access to and from the Watson farm. While Josiah ruminates on the best way to win Katie Ellen’s favor, and she frets over how she can be favorable enough to win Josiah’s affections, they struggle to maintain a ruse when a stranger appears in the Watson home, uninvited and unannounced. He carries something suspicious in his coat and tells them, “I heard someone needed burying. I’ve come to do the job.” Which doesn’t sound like it bodes well for them, does it?

III. Runaway Bride by Mary Connealy: Sometimes it is a good idea to flee from an impending marriage. In Carolyn “Carrie” Halsey’s case, it really is a good idea, as there is nothing decent about her betrothed, Damian Kearse. Carrie has fled with her younger brother, Isaac, and they’re making their way to their older sister, Audra Kincaid, with the aid of John Conroy. Big John is a Texas Ranger, used to a solitary life. But he’s agreed to keep Carrie – and Isaac – safe all because “his friend Luke’s, sister Callie’s, husband Seth’s, brother Ethan’s, wife Audra needed a favor.” Danger is pursuing them, but Big John has friends in Broken Wheel. The Regulators. When one of his Regulator friends suggests marriage, how will they handle it? One believes his solitary life as a Ranger is the best way and the other wonders how she could marry someone she doesn’t know …

IV. Engaging the Competition by Melissa Jagears: Nothing gets the blood pumping like a fierce storm. Or taking shelter in a confined space near someone you have feelings for but are certain the other does not reciprocate those same feelings while waiting out said storm. Intellect Harrison Gray and tomboy Charlotte “Charlie” Andrews live this scene of awkwardness. Harrison also goes through it from a very blurry standpoint, as Dante (his horse) has knocked his glasses off. It turns out they’re broken, so he has to send away for more, as his near-sighted prescription (he is myopic, meaning his distance vision isn’t crisp) is high enough that he must send away for them. He ordered two pairs, so he has a back-up, but in the meantime, Charlie acts as his eyes in class. She’s noticed that he’s really quite handsome without the glasses, though she likes him either way; she mostly thinks he doesn’t like her because she isn’t smart enough. And Harrison is leery of her because she’s so competitive and he thinks she outshot him as a youth with his own gun to embarrass him. Miscommunication again. And anyway, Harrison’s too late, since Charlie’s engaged to a man from a bullying family. Why would she say yes to the likes of August Whitaker? Where is the love, “ … the kind of love that lasts?”

      Overall: Although I do not read many anthologies, I enjoy reading them – at least in genres or demographics of interest (e.g. Genre: Christian fiction; Demographic: young adults) – for perhaps the best potential thing about them, besides being an enjoyable read, is that one may discover a new author. Of the four contributing authors, I’d only read a novel by one of them (Melissa Jagears), but after reading these novellas, I’m interested in reading stories from the other three authors!

            These historical romance stories are not steeped in obvious faith, but it is there. This is a good thing, for it allows the reader to enjoy the story and not feel as though one is being preached at about anything. I found all four stories to be charming, and I couldn’t help but root for all of the couples. It was entertaining to read how each author stitched together their respective characters’ paths to togetherness. They’ve created quite a canvas for this collection. I didn’t mentally rank each of the four, but the story that stood out the brightest for me was Mary Connealy’s ‘Runaway Bride.’ I thoroughly enjoyed the escape, the running, the defending, the suspense. I enjoyed the adventure of the story. Overall, a fun read if you enjoy love in a past time with elements of humor, danger and faith.

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”