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misspippireads's review
4.0
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their afflictions, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. ~ James 1:27
Time Period: Western, 1870's
Location: Texas, USA
Time Period: Western, 1870's
Location: Texas, USA
cleah's review
4.0
This book was the third in her Lassoed in Texas Series and it was just as good as the first two. (Petticoat Ranch #1 and Calico Canyon #2.)
The tension cackles and sparkles as Grant and Hannah come together to save the orphans (and themselves) in Sour Springs, Texas. The natural attraction between these two is undeniable despite their constant bickering and constant misunderstandings.
Connealy excels at pulling the reading into her stories - with sharp-witted, sensitive characters, endearing plot-lines, and addictive dialog. She has created genuinely scary, vengeful villains in Prudence and Horace, slowly building fear while they plot to get rich and rid themselves of Grant and his children. Most notable about Connealy's writing is the way she can capture the nature around these characters - snow storms so raw and real that they will make you pull the blanket up a little tighter to stay warm, cliffs so high they will make your palms get sweaty, woods so thick that you will have no choice but to keep reading and find your way out.
The tension cackles and sparkles as Grant and Hannah come together to save the orphans (and themselves) in Sour Springs, Texas. The natural attraction between these two is undeniable despite their constant bickering and constant misunderstandings.
Connealy excels at pulling the reading into her stories - with sharp-witted, sensitive characters, endearing plot-lines, and addictive dialog. She has created genuinely scary, vengeful villains in Prudence and Horace, slowly building fear while they plot to get rich and rid themselves of Grant and his children. Most notable about Connealy's writing is the way she can capture the nature around these characters - snow storms so raw and real that they will make you pull the blanket up a little tighter to stay warm, cliffs so high they will make your palms get sweaty, woods so thick that you will have no choice but to keep reading and find your way out.
willowsfair's review
1.0
I honestly want to know how drivel like this makes it past an editor.
At the beginning you meet Grant, who is likeable enough, and the premise of a bachelor raising orphans in early 20th century Texas is just odd enough to work. However, that is the best I can say about this book. Even if you can manage to ignore the anachronistic language (I honestly can't), there is nothing else about this story that is plausible or even interesting. Hannah is an idiot and completely ridiculous, and it's really, really hard to ignore her lack of judgment or powers of observation (there aren't any). Even the way Grant and the children interact is completely out of the realm of reality given the time period. There are too many language foibles and awkwardly out-of-place sentences. I made it about 50 pages in and had enough.
At the beginning you meet Grant, who is likeable enough, and the premise of a bachelor raising orphans in early 20th century Texas is just odd enough to work. However, that is the best I can say about this book. Even if you can manage to ignore the anachronistic language (I honestly can't), there is nothing else about this story that is plausible or even interesting. Hannah is an idiot and completely ridiculous, and it's really, really hard to ignore her lack of judgment or powers of observation (there aren't any). Even the way Grant and the children interact is completely out of the realm of reality given the time period. There are too many language foibles and awkwardly out-of-place sentences. I made it about 50 pages in and had enough.
55_sallymander's review
5.0
Don't care for the really bad guys
I enjoyed this novel, I do have a hard time with the really bad guys in books, I reckon I'm too caught up in the characters' lives and I get angry over it. Silly, I know.
Highly recommend. #ginghammountain #maryconnealy #texas
I enjoyed this novel, I do have a hard time with the really bad guys in books, I reckon I'm too caught up in the characters' lives and I get angry over it. Silly, I know.
Highly recommend. #ginghammountain #maryconnealy #texas
emlickliter's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Gingham Mountain (Lassoed in Texas #3) by Mary Connealy – Hannah is fighting to make sure that her little sister Libby is safe and happy with the man who adopted her at the last stop of the orphan train. Grant and Hannah may butt heads, but they have more in common than either of them realize. Happy Reading!
kairosdreaming's review
4.0
It's been awhile since I've read a romance. And I found myself really liking this one but becoming frustrated with it at the same time due to some illogical aspects of the book.
Grant is a good guy and especially devoted to orphans. He's got four at home already (and twenty some altogether during his 27 year old life) and is picking up two more from the train when he meets Hannah, a scrappy beautiful woman who thinks he is taking the orphans to his home to work as slaves. Most who know Grant know this is the furthest thing from what he'd do, but with a history of abuse Hannah isn't able to see it any other way. She takes on the job as school teacher to stay near the kids and makes plans to rescue them.
Over time, and seeing Grant interact with the kids she realizes that he's not a bad guy, but still has her suspicions when several bad things start happening to the kids and to Grant. When one of his sons is nearly murdered, Grant isn't sure what to do but keeps an eye out in town. However, he's not the only one, someone's got their eye on him and their plans aren't nearly as altruistic as his. It all comes to head on a pageant night Hannah has arranged. It is hard to say whether Grant's family will come out ok or if Hannah will every understand what her feelings are for him.
The characters in this were mostly well done. The kids were all wonderful and I did like Grant. He was an awesome guy and it was nice that the author wrote him as such a great father. The bad guys were sufficiently evil although their plans were a bit complicated. The only character I had a problem with was Hannah. Why oh why must authors make their women characters stubborn without intelligence. Its kind of insulting. She redeems herself by midway in the book but I just wanted to slap her in the beginning.
Connealy has a clear writing style and it was easy to get absorbed in her book. She describes the characters well and the settings were easy to see in my head. This is a pretty clean book too for a romance novel, no sex scenes. In fact, along with the romance I'd dub it a bit of an adventure tale as well just because there is always so much going on.
Now for the not so good stuff. Aside from Hannah's annoying start there are some other characters that are just not needed. The whole side story about her sister just didn't add anything to the book and I found myself skipping through it and not enjoying it at all. There also is the motive behind Hannah being on the train in the first place, I can't quite understand that. Her getting the job as a schoolteacher is odd too when she is continually described as looking homeless. Also, things are resolved way too easily in the end of this book.
It was a cute book to be sure and I definitely will be checking out some of Connealy's other works. If they're all as good as this one I expect to like them.
Gingham Mountain
Copyright 2009
285 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2010
Grant is a good guy and especially devoted to orphans. He's got four at home already (and twenty some altogether during his 27 year old life) and is picking up two more from the train when he meets Hannah, a scrappy beautiful woman who thinks he is taking the orphans to his home to work as slaves. Most who know Grant know this is the furthest thing from what he'd do, but with a history of abuse Hannah isn't able to see it any other way. She takes on the job as school teacher to stay near the kids and makes plans to rescue them.
Over time, and seeing Grant interact with the kids she realizes that he's not a bad guy, but still has her suspicions when several bad things start happening to the kids and to Grant. When one of his sons is nearly murdered, Grant isn't sure what to do but keeps an eye out in town. However, he's not the only one, someone's got their eye on him and their plans aren't nearly as altruistic as his. It all comes to head on a pageant night Hannah has arranged. It is hard to say whether Grant's family will come out ok or if Hannah will every understand what her feelings are for him.
The characters in this were mostly well done. The kids were all wonderful and I did like Grant. He was an awesome guy and it was nice that the author wrote him as such a great father. The bad guys were sufficiently evil although their plans were a bit complicated. The only character I had a problem with was Hannah. Why oh why must authors make their women characters stubborn without intelligence. Its kind of insulting. She redeems herself by midway in the book but I just wanted to slap her in the beginning.
Connealy has a clear writing style and it was easy to get absorbed in her book. She describes the characters well and the settings were easy to see in my head. This is a pretty clean book too for a romance novel, no sex scenes. In fact, along with the romance I'd dub it a bit of an adventure tale as well just because there is always so much going on.
Now for the not so good stuff. Aside from Hannah's annoying start there are some other characters that are just not needed. The whole side story about her sister just didn't add anything to the book and I found myself skipping through it and not enjoying it at all. There also is the motive behind Hannah being on the train in the first place, I can't quite understand that. Her getting the job as a schoolteacher is odd too when she is continually described as looking homeless. Also, things are resolved way too easily in the end of this book.
It was a cute book to be sure and I definitely will be checking out some of Connealy's other works. If they're all as good as this one I expect to like them.
Gingham Mountain
Copyright 2009
285 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2010
krisis86's review
1.0
Yeah, this book is dumb. The idea is bad, the writing is terrible (including several glaring grammatical errors throughout the book) and the characterization is awful. I got 3 Connealy books from the library and I am returning the other 2 without looking at them - I'm just not a fan of her writing.
nicole1's review
5.0
It is like 'The Parent Trap', but in Mary Connealy fashion, complete with outlaws! This may be my favorite book written by her, I especially loved the fact that she brought in characters that love orphans. For I don't know if there is a more Christian action than to care for the orphans and widows of this world.
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