Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

western romance

Enjoyed the journey but expected more: Review of The Heart's Pursuit by Robin Lee Hatcher

heart's pursuitIn all my years of reading Christian fiction, this is the first book I’ve picked up by Robin Lee Hatcher. I’ve heard good things about her stories, and The Heart’s Pursuit offered a compelling premise: a jilted bride, a bounty hunter bent on revenge, and travel through the barren Western states in the late 1800s. (Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy of the book from the publisher through the Booklook Bloggers program.)

And it certainly had its moments. Silver Matlock and Jared Newman find themselves in plenty of scrapes and have their work cut out for them battling their personal demons and their growing affection for each other.

I enjoyed the story for the most part. It didn’t “wow” me, although that’s certainly not a requirement for novels. But the characters were strong and believable and the conflict was enough to keep me turning the pages.

And reading The Heart’s Pursuit hasn’t deterred me from trying another of Hatcher’s stories. If you like Western romance with a spunky heroine and a tortured hero, this is a book for you.

A goodnatured romp through frontier Texas: Review of A Match Made in Texas novella collection

I’ll be honest here. My expectations for this novella collection were pretty low. (And I received a free digital copy of the book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my review.) I’ve not read many novellas or novella collections, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I KNEW I would love Karen Witemeyer’s story because it involved one of the Archer brothers, who have starred in two other of her books, but the others I wasn’t sure about.

texasSO, I’m glad to report that I loved this! A Match Made in Texas is four stories by four authors centered around a frontier Texas town. In each of the first three stories, a woman or man in need of help is given an anonymous push toward a potential romantic partner. We don’t know who the matchmaker is until the fourth story when the tables turn and she finds herself the object of the town’s matchmaking efforts.

Two of these authors–Regina Jennings and Mary Connealy–were new to me, while Witemeyer and Carol Cox were familiar. I thought the stories blended well together, and I loved the unique situations each pair found themselves in.

My only complaint is that because they’re novellas, the stories are SO short and the action happens quickly.

What I’m learning to love about novella collections like this one is that they’re a good way to find new authors, especially when paired with authors I already know. I don’t know if I would have agreed to read this one if Witemeyer’s story wasn’t in it, but now I’m glad I did.