Calico Junction

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Calico Canyon
Barbour Publishing, Inc (July 1, 2008)
by
Mary Connealy




MY THOUGHTS:
As the mother of twin 8-year-old boys who tend toward the rambunctions side, I was immediately drawn in (and somewhat horrified) by the prospect of raising not only twin boys but also a set of triplet boys! And in a cave no less...

Grace is a teenage girl who is trying to escape a horrifying life by becoming a school teacher in the wilderness of Texas. We quickly see that, though she tries hard to be perceived as a prim and proper woman, she's still a young girl longing for security, fun, and a sense of belonging. Although she doesn't always realize it, she has a strong 'get it done' character who eventually learns to see past outward appearances and behaviors to understand and care deeply for others. I especially appreciated the way Mary allowed Grace, although a married woman, to experience some of the fun of being a child for the first time in a giant snowball fight.

I didn't realize it until halfway through the book, but this novel is a sequel to Petticoat Ranch, a book I read a year or so ago and enjoyed immensely. Mary Connealy creates strong, self sufficient female characters who live in a world that doesn't respect independent women. However, they learn the value of teamwork and love through many difficult situations. She portrays life in the early days of Texas in a realistic, dusty manner while letting us peek into the lives of those who created a civilization in this difficult environment.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

MARY CONNEALY is an award-winning author and playwright, married to Ivan a farmer, and the mother of four beautiful daughters, Joslyn, Wendy, Shelly and Katy. They live in Decatur, Nebraska. Mary is a GED Instructor by day and an author by night. And there is always a cape involved in her transformation.

Mary has also written Petticoat Ranch, Golden Days, and her latest, Alaska Brides that will debut in August.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Let yourself be swept away by this fast-paced romance, featuring Grace Calhoun, an instructor of reading, writing, and arithmetic, who, in an attempt to escape the clutchs of a relentless pursuer, runs smack dab into even more trouble with the 6R's - widower Daniel Reeves, along with his five rowdy sons. When a marriage is forced upon this hapless pair - two people who couldn't dislike each other more - an avalanche isn't the only potential danger lurking amid the shadows of Calico Canyon. Will they make it out alive? Or end up killing each other in the process?

Running from her Abusive foster-father, a man intent on revenge, the prim and perfectly proper Grace Calhoun takes on the job of schoolmarm in Mosqueros, Texas.

As if being a wanted woman isn't bad enough, Grace has her hands full with the five rowdy and rambunctious Reeves boys─tough Texan tormenters who seem intent on making her life miserable. When, in an attempt to escape from the clutches of her pursuer, Grace is forced to marry widower Daniel Reeves, father of the miniature monsters, she thinks things couldn't get any worse. Or could they?

Daniel Reeves, happy in his all-male world, is doing the best he can, raising his five boys─rascals, each and every one. Since his wife's death in childbirth, Daniel has been determined never to risk marriage again.

When God throws Grace and Daniel together─two people who couldn't detest each other more─the trouble is only beginning.

Will this hapless pair find the courage to face life together in the isolated Calico Canyon? Or are their differences too broad a chasm to bridge?

If you would like to read the first chapter go HERE