Book Review: Gingham Mountain

I just finished a book and thought I'd share my thoughts about it. If you haven't read the Lassoed in Texas series by Mary Connealy you've missed out on some laughs. Books one and two, Petticoat Ranch and Calico Canyon were good. So when I saw Gingham Mountain in Sam's Club the other day, I had to pick it up. (Plus it was a good deal for $6.97). The book is about an orphaned young man, Grant, who takes in the "leftover" orphans on the orphan train at the end of the line. The story starts when a young lady new to town disagrees with what he is doing. He persists in taking on two more orphans and she decides to make sure they are well cared for. She suspects he is taking them for hard labor on his ranch. Hannah, the young woman had a difficult background having been an orphan herself and adopted by a cruel man. She ran away and ended up in the same town as Grant. The book is interspersed with misunderstandings on both parts, some rather humorous. Characters from Calico Canyon show up from time to time. However this book can be read without reading the other two first. I liked Gingham Mountain, but (you know there had to be a 'but'), something seemed to be missing. Maybe it was just me. Mrs. Connealy developed the characters really well. She laid out a good description of their background and their thoughts were clear. The humor she had in the first two books in the series was still going strong. I also really like the plot. However, in my opinion, the hero and heroine should have had a little more contact. They seem to fall in love pretty quickly considering the conflicts they had. You may not agree with me, but I never could stand the books where the hero and heroine fought the first 90% of the book and then in the last chapter they are suddenly in love. Overall the book was good. I liked the facts about the orphan train and the way the children have a major part in the book, not added in as afterthoughts. Even though I was somewhat dissatisfied with the romance part of it, I would like to see more books in this series. So if you are looking for some light humor and romance this spring, stop by your local bookstore and pick up any of these three books by Mary Connealy. Or visit here. Thank you for reading. Until next time...