My first introduction to the splendid genre of Christian historical romance was Montana Rose by Mary Connealy. I quickly devoured the Brides of Hope Mountain series. (Aiming for Love, Woman of Sunlight, and Her Secret Song) and listened to all three audiobook recordings. The Nordegren sisters—Josephine, Ilsa, and Ursula—captivated my interest, so I wanted to read more.
Swept Away (Trouble in Texas #1) by Mary Connealy didn’t disappoint. The story swept me away in a current of spellbinding thrills, half-drownings, and the fast-paced experiences of Ruthy MacNeil. I found myself rooting for her as a character and for her escape from the “dreadful” Reinhardts.
Barbara McCulloh is an excellent narrator and makes switching from a female to a male character voice seamless. I loved learning more about Texas history and Luke Stone’s struggle to reclaim his family ranch. Throughout the narrative, Connealy held my interest. My heart pounded in the floodwater scenes, imagining myself in the wagon, carried downstream without directional control of the oxen or current.
Halfway through “Swept Away,” I found myself invested in Glynna Greer—a character trapped in an abusive marriage with a protective son named Paul. I ordered the next book in the Trouble in Texas series before I had finished the first. Connealy’s writing and McCulloh’s narration hook me into the story and leave me longing for the next. With each novel, I find myself laughing with the characters and smiling at the peculiarities of their personalities and reactions to ordinary events like kissing and riding a horse.
If you enjoy historical fiction and experiencing nature through characters with personal growth and believable romance, this might be the book for you. If you liked Montana Rose by Mary Connealy, A Woman Called Sage by DiAnn Mills, and The Lady’s Mine by Francine Rivers, I think you will appreciate Aiming for Love (Brides of Hope Mountain #1) by Mary Connealy.
