A Simply Enchanted Life

Swept Away by Mary Connealy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the first book that I’ve read by this author. It is book one in the Trouble in Texas series and chronicles the life of Ruthy and her potential suitor, Luke. I’ve sat on writing this review for a while because I had mixed emotions and thoughts about this book. I can’t even fully put a finger on why! I suppose it’s one of those books that I didn’t dislike but I’m unsure if I really and truly liked it at the same time.

For me, one of the biggest issues I had was Luke referring to Ruthy as Rosie, often interchanging the names within the same sentence. It put off an almost split-personality vibe which I’m just not sure that it enhanced the book in any way. There was also an issue at the beginning of the book that didn’t adequately explain that Ruthy’s fiancé wasn’t her biological brother. It was explained later on but that initial lack of information had me scratching my head and turning back a few pages to figure out what I had read. Other than that, I thought the story had a lot of potential.

Ruthy has been separated from her foster/adopted family in a flash flood and Luke happens along to save her from the water. Ruthy is longing for a new life and as chance would have it—she doesn’t have much of a choice other than travelling with the handsome Luke who is on a journey to take back his ranch from a shady criminal.

As Luke spends time with Ruthy, he begins to fall in love with her spunk and with her hardworking attitude. He desires to care for her but she also seriously frustrates him at times! I suppose that’s true in any budding romance. You can’t have a flame without a few sparks along the way!

The second half of this book really picked up. We get to meet Luke’s friends and also the cruel rancher who has taken over Luke’s land. One thing I did admire about this book was that it didn’t glorify an abusive relationship between the rancher and his wife. So many Christian books almost make a person think they can pray away the abuse and while I truly believe that prayer helps—the best thing a woman can do in an abusive relationship is to get away from it!

As I said, I think this story showed a lot of potential. My complaints are really just minor things that just happened to nitpick at me for some reason and it is with that feeling that I’ve so struggled on what rating to give this book. I’ve decided to go with a 4 star. Really, it’s closer to 3.5 I’d say—at least for me. It doesn’t deserve to be bumped down all the way to a 3 though; I just can’t justify that so a 4 it is! I think I will likely pick up book two out of sheer curiosity.
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Mary Connealy writes fun and lively "romantic comedy with cowboys" for the inspirational market. She is the author of the successful Kincaid Brides, Lassoed in Texas, Montana Marriages, and Sophie's Daughters series, and she has been a finalist for a Rita and Christy Award and a two time winner of the Carol Award. She lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her husband, Ivan, and has four grown daughters.
Find out more about Mary at http://maryconnealy.com/
I received this book free from the publisher through a fantastic program called Litfuse Publicity. I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts and opinions I have expressed are my own. This giveaway is being sponsored by Litfuse
as part of a blog tour for Swept Away. To view other reviews and learn more about this tour please visit the Litfuse group by clicking here