Mary Connealy

Can’t Wait Wednesday: The Accidental Guardian by Mary Connealy

March 21, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 4 Comments

Another Wednesday has rolled around. After you read more about the book I’m looking forward to reading (or another book I’m looking forward to reading), be sure and visit our host site and see what other books people are anticipating.

Most of my reading is based off authors I enjoy or suggestions from other readers/bloggers I trust. But some covers just stand out. Mary Connealy’s cover for the first in her new series is both beautiful and adorable. I mean, come on, how can you not smile when looking at this one?

And if that didn’t convince you…

About the Book

When Trace Riley finds the smoldering ruins of a small wagon train, he recognizes the hand behind the attack as the same group who left him as sole survivor years ago. Living off the wilderness since then, he’d finally carved out a home and started a herd–while serving as a self-appointed guardian of the trail, driving off dangerous men. He’d
hoped those days were over, but the latest attack shows he was wrong.

Deborah Harkness saved her younger sister and two toddlers during the attack, and now finds herself at the mercy of her rescuer. Trace offers the only shelter for miles around, and agrees to take them in until she can safely continue. His simple bachelor existence never anticipated kids and women in the picture and their arrival is unsettling–yet enticing.

Working to survive the winter and finally bring justice to the trail, Trace and Deborah find themselves drawn together–yet every day approaches the moment she’ll leave forever.

Amazon // Book Depository // B&N // CBD // Goodreads

What do you think? Is it something you’d like to read?

The Calico & Cowboys Romance Collection by Mary Connealy (Review)

November 30, 2017 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

About the Book

Love sneaks up on eight couples in the Old West.

The Old West comes to life under the talented pen of bestselling author Mary Connealy. Enjoy a lighthearted ride alongside seven historical and one contemporary cowboys and the women who tame their hearts.

The Advent Bride
Melanie Douglas is alone on the Nebraska plains, teaching school to get by. She finds a unique box with hidden drawers to use over the advent season to engage a young boy in his schooling. When Henry O’Keeffe sees a positive change in his son, he has to see for himself what this new teacher is doing.

A Bride Rides Herd
Matt Reeves arrives at his brother’s ranch to find Betsy Harden alone with the little girls during a cattle drive. Will the ladies be too much to handle when Matt steps in for the missing ranch hand?

His Surprise Family
A lonely young rancher orders a mail-order bride and after the vows are spoken, she “surprises” him with her three little brothers. No amount of apologies Meghan McCray gives are going to make Silas Harden, Jr. believe a word she says. Should Silas just build himself another house and let his mail-order family take over the one he’s got?

Long Time Gone by Mary Connealy

March 3, 2017 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Long Time Gone (Cimarron Legacy Series)

Mary Connealy

Available now

About the Book

The Boden clan thought their problems had ended with the death of a dangerous enemy, but have they truly uncovered the real plot to take their New Mexico ranch? Rancher Justin Boden is now in charge. He is normally an unshakable and rugged man, but with his brother, Cole, shot and in mortal danger, even a tough man faces doubts. And it doesn’t help that Angie DuPree, the assistant to the doctor trying to save Cole, is as distracting a woman as Justin ever laid eyes on.

With her and the doc’s timely skills, Cole looks to be on the mend, and Justin and the rest of the Bodens can turn their attention back to the dangers facing them. It’s clear now that everything that’s occurred is part of a much bigger plot that could date back to a decades-old secret. Can they uncover all the pieces before danger closes in on them, or is the threat to the ranch even bigger than any of the Bodens could imagine?

My Review

The Boden Siblings are back. Readers may remember that Connealy left us hanging a bit at the end of the first Cimarron Legacy book. If you don’t remember what happened at the end of No Way Up, don’t worry, you get a good refresher in the first few chapters of this one.

A couple of those cliffhangers are wrapped up within the first few chapters of Long Time Gone. But some remain because, let’s face it, that’s what keeps us reading to the last page.

Justin Boden and Angie Dupree are a good match. The problem is they don’t want to admit it. Angie’s determination to stand on her own and Justin’s determination to continue with a rancher’s life—a life he’s certain Angie’s both not strong enough and too good for—keep them apart. At first.

Connealy weaves the intricacies of a blooming romance, the nuances of siblings, and a mystery through her tale set on the Cimarron Ranch in the desert of New Mexico. Each thread is given the exact amount of attention it needed to pull me through the story. With a touch of humor in the midst of the chaos the Boden family is facing, Long Time Gone was a fun and fast read that left me itching for a little more.

Good thing there’s one more book coming. And I can’t wait to read about Cole and…. Well, I think I know who that might be, but you’ll have to read the first two books in the series in order to find out for yourself.

Disclosure statement:

I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Rocky Mountain Homesteaders

October 14, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Once in a while I like to expand my reading to something that I wouldn’t normally read. My go-to reads are contemporary romance followed closely by YA. Lately, I’ve been throwing a little historical fiction in there. And my latest read is something I don’t tend to read much of: Cowboy fiction. I’ve heard there’s a large following for this genre and after reading Mary Connealy’s book, I can see the draw.

Homesteader Bailey Wilde is determined to make a success of her ranch and if that means keeping Gage Coulter out of the canyon land he owns but has to cross her property to get to, so be it. She’s done harder things, like fight in the Civil War. Then Gage finds another way into the canyon, and Bailey’s left scrambling to figure out what to do with her own herd of cattle.

When Gage discovers the true identity of Bailey Wilde, he’s shocked and…interested. The woman is tough as nails, smart, and as hard a worker as any of his ranch hands. But her refusal to let him move his cattle across her property to get to his prime winter grazing spot in the canyon, his patience wears thin. He’s just as smart as the pretty blonde woman, and he will get his herd onto his property with or without her cooperation.

After a long and lonely winter, Gage shows back up on Bailey’s doorstep with a proposal. One that both intrigues and terrifies her. Can two stubborn-headed, independent people figure out that together is better?

Bailey Wilde’s no-nonsense approach to life might keep her away from the townspeople, but she’s willing to work for her dreams and prove herself worthy of her homestead. But she’s also lonely, especially when both of her sisters move away with their husbands.
Gage Coulter is another person who values hard work and is willing to break his back along with his crew to get the job done. What he doesn’t count on is an attraction to Bailey, something he’s never dealt with before when it came to a woman.

Throw in a visit for Gage’s mother, and what readers are left with is a bit of humor and a lot of trouble.

Fire and Ice is book three in the Wild at Heart series

****Bethany House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.