{Review} Blue Moon Promise by Colleen Coble

Blue Moon Promise
by Colleen Coble
300 pages
Thomas Nelson Publishing

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:  Book Number One in the Under Texas Stars series

A love like Lucy and Nate’s only comes along once in a blue moon . . .

Lucy Marsh's worldly resources are running out, but she's fiercely determined to care for her younger brother and sister. When she discovers that their father's recent death was no accident, Lucy is eager to leave town. She accepts a proxy marriage she believes will provide safe refuge. But trouble follows her to Texas where her new husband is surprised to suddenly have a wife and children to care for.

Nate Stanton always hoped he'd marry someday, but running the family ranch meant he had no time for romance. When his father deposits Lucy Marsh—a city girl—on his doorstep, with two siblings in the bargain, he expects ranch life will send her running on the first train out of town. But Lucy is made of tougher stuff than Nate imagined. When danger moves in, Nate finds he'd give anything to protect Lucy and the children he's grown to love. Even if it means giving up his ranch.

 

MY REVIEW:  I have to admit right off the bat that one of the things that first drew me to this book was the fact that it was set in Texas.  Fortunately it also turns out that this book is the first in a series so we can look forward to enjoying these characters again!

After her father’s death Lucy is set to do anything to keep her young siblings safe – including the acceptance of a marriage proposal to a man she’s never met.  The proposal couldn’t have come at a better time for Lucy as her job was abruptly ended and her landlord had just delivered the news that they must move out.

Unfortunately the news of a proxy marriage didn’t sit well with Nate and he was not pleased at all.  However, through faith and patience a workable solution was found.  And did love follow shortly after???

This book was a great read for me, even though it took a bit for me to get into.  Once I did there was no stopping and I would easily recommend this book to anyone who likes period romances.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, ACFW Book of the Year, RWA’s RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana.

For more about Colleen and her other books visit www.colleencoble.com

 

ABOUT THE PARTY:  Blue Moon Promise is a story of hope, romance, and suspense . . . immersing the reader in a rich historical tale set under Texas stars.

To celebrate Colleen is teaming up with her publisher Thomas Nelson for a "Blue Moon Promise" Facebook Chat party where she will giveaway a KINDLE Fire and a Texas-sized gift basket (fabulous Texas treats and fun Lucy-inspired housekeeping products)!

Click the banner, RSVP today for the Facebook Party and mark the date on your calendar!

Invite your friends and don't miss Colleen's evening of chat, trivia, prizes, and more.

Kindle Giveaway and More! Save the Date - 3/13!

 

** Thank you to Litfuse for providing a copy of this book for my review.

Friday’s Fave Five #178

YAY – time for some blessings of the week!!! <—she says bouncing in her chair….   Thank you to Susanne for hosting each week!

1. Loreal EverSleek Intense Smoothing Shampoo – Is it bad that I’m starting off with something that is somewhat vain???  I actually first heard about this shampoo in People magazine (another guilty pleasure of mine) and figured I had nothing to lose, so found it at the Big Box Store (for a lower price than the link above by the way).  I *love* this shampoo!!!  I have battled frizzy hair for years and it looks SO MUCH better!!! 

So yeah, vain or not, this stuff makes me so happy.

2. Coach Poppy Flower fragrance – Looks like this is the Vanity Edition of Friday Fave Five!  I got a perfumed sample card in the mail and fell head over heels in love with this.  I’m too cheap to buy it (yet?!!?), but I do pick up this card a couple of times a day and just love, love the scent.

3. Granddaughters – Specifically, MY granddaughter!  We went out to dinner with them Sunday night, then back to their house to visit for a bit.  She is the cutest thing ever and I so love playing with her!  We didn’t get a lot of time to play, but we did get out her My Little Ponies and used them in her dollhouse.  It really was quite fun to play and laugh together.

And we got this text yesterday from my daughter-in-law:  “I was at the store yesterday looking at mirrors for the bedroom and parked Brooklyn in front of a mirror I liked as I was looking at the ones beside it to compare.  I found another I liked and asked her if she liked the one in front of her or the one I had better.  She said she liked the one in front of her.  I asked her why expecting her to say it was pretty.  Nope!  She said 'Because it has me in it!!!’  I about died laughing!!!

I love 4 year olds……

4. Neighbors – We are so enjoying getting to know our neighbors better.  They’ve got two of the sweetest kids and it’s so much fun to be around them.

Last night our doorbell rang after dark and it was mom and the kids delivering our Girl Scout cookies (woohoo!).  The kids tore into the toy box so fast and were having a blast!  Mom had a meeting to go to and had to herd them out, but I did tell them they could come over and play with me again very soon. (see #3 and me loving to play with kids)

And a couple of times this week while Keith was outside working on the fence the little guy walked over with his shovel and was ‘helping’ Keith.  It is so adorable. 

Oh and their daughter, kindergarten, was looking at how Keith had his iPhone hooked to speakers so he could listen to music while he works.  She looked at him and asked “Do you have Angry Birds on that?”  When he said no she looked at him like ‘well then what use are you?’ and went back home.   LOL!

5. Corgi – When I went to a friend’s house Friday night (had the BEST time!!!) she was dog sitting a friend’s Corgi and I fell in LOVE with this dog!  Me, a golden retriever girl through and through, has fallen in love with another breed.  The more I think about it the more I think that might be a better thing for us to do when we are ready for another dog.  I’m just afraid that if I get another golden I will look at it and be comparing it to Joe too often.

So I looked up Corgi rescue and oh yes, DFW does have one.  I’m thinking before I did a breed switch it might be a good idea to maybe foster one and see if we like the way it fits with us.  Who knows?

Valentine Decorated Hand Towel

I’m rather excited to share this project simply because it somewhat justifies the many, many projects I have pinned on Pinterest….   :)

 

Very hard to see, but I have eyelet lace on each side of the Valentine fabric.  I used a 2.5 inch strip of fabric, folded down and ironed the top and bottom edge a quarter inch, tucked the eyelet trim under and used a zig zag stitch.

I saw the tutorial for Dressed Up Hand Towels and loved the method she used.  I purchased the same towels, though I’m not sure I would use them on future projects as I found my fingertips trying to stick to the fabric.

This went into the mail to somebody special to me as a surprise Valentine.  I got the most wonderful email response and it really does make it worthwhile when the people you care for are excited by the things you do for them.  

And I’m thinking I need to make a new board on Pinterest for things I’ve actually tried!!!

Valentine Berries and Flowers

What a fun surprise yesterday afternoon - my beloved came home bearing gifts!!! 

I confess that I adore fresh flowers.  I know they die quickly, too expensive, so on and so forth.  But every time I walk in this room and see them I smile.  I love the way they smell and I love the deep red color. 

 

I also love that he knows me well enough that he started taking pictures of the flowers for me.  That’s some true love right there!

 

He also brought these beauties home – and you might notice in the 1st picture there are only 2 on the plate.  Yeah…      It was a gorgeous afternoon here, so we each took a strawberry and sat in the backyard.  Such a wonderful time sitting and talking together.

We did go out for dinner and had a nice time.  We had considered going to a movie dining theater, but there just wasn’t anything playing right now that we’re dying to see.

One last thought – so many people posted on FB yesterday about how it is a ‘made up’ holiday and they don’t need that just to show somebody they love them, that it should happen every day.  They are absolutely right!  But I also don’t think it’s a bad thing to slow down one day a year and remind those you love how important they are to you.

Friday’s Fave Five #177

Oh my goodness – Valentine’s Day coming up!  Weren’t we just singing Christmas Carols????

Time to share some of my favorite moments from the last week.  What blessings abound and it’s good to take a morning and remember them.  Thank you Susanne for providing us this time to share on your blog – Living To Tell The Story.

 

1. Salvation Army – Last Saturday my daughter and I joined a group from our church to serve lunch at the Salvation Army.  I’m not sure what we really expected, but I can tell you that it turned out to be extraordinary.  We were put on the ‘women’s’ team and served lunch upstairs to the women who lived there, mostly due to abusive situations. 

My beautiful daughter, in between the groups of ladies coming in for lunch.

Our church does a “1st Saturday” project where we go out and do something for the community every month.  This month was serving at the Salvation Army and it was so well received we’ve already scheduled another. 

And this month we added a little something – out to lunch after the event for fellowship.  What fun that was!

2. Time Spent With Friends – I got to go out with friends last Friday night and had the best time!  The more I am with these ladies the more I love them.  And lucky me, time with friends tonight as well!

3. Valentines for Brooklyn – I decided this year to do something a little fun for our granddaughter.  They only live about 45 minutes from us, but you know how it is with busy.  My plan was to put something in the mail to her every day in February up until Valentine’s Day.  I got a little late start, but have made it every day so far.

Now when I say we’ve sent something every day I want to be clear that it hasn’t been big, fabulous gifts.  We’ve sent cards – homemade cards, singing/dancing cards from the store, cards with stickers – and little gifts – box of conversation heart candy, valentine bead necklace, a pack of Valentine tissues, etc.  Small things, but she has been having so much fun going to the mail box each day to see what is there.

We love this little girl so very much and it’s such a simple, small thing to do and brings her big smiles.

4. Orchestra at Church – Last Sunday was the first time we got to see our daughter play during church service in the church orchestra and it was wonderful!  She and her brother both played the viola all through school, then the instruments sat.  When our church put out a call for orchestra members she talked to the director, joined and is having a great time!  Another girl her age also joined – and she plays viola as well so the girls are enjoying getting to know each other.  God is so good.  :)

5. Genealogy – This past week our son has gotten immersed in genealogy and is thoroughly enjoying it!  What that means for me, besides the fact that is incredibly interesting, is that we’ve spent much more time on the phone together than normal.  And what mother wouldn’t love that???

Card #1–I’ve Got My Eye On YOU Valentine!

I love it when you can send a card that has special meaning between the sender and the recipient.  That’s the case with this Valentine for our granddaughter.

The back story – we sometimes do Face Time on the iPhones with her so that we can see her and chat.  Papa and Brooklyn started doing a close-up of their eye and saying “I’ve got my eye on you” which made everybody laugh.

 

This was such an easy card to make – I used the Monkey Eyes 4 You set from Scrappin Doodles for the pink dotted background, the monkey and the hearts at the bottom.  The sentiment I just typed out.  I bought googly eyes to fit and that graphic is raised a bit on pop dots.

I think he’s just darling!

Valentine Sticker Soap Pump

I confess – this little project is so simple I’m going to do it for every single season!  And even though my husband isn’t standing with pom pom’s begging me to do each one, he’s a good sport and does use them.

 

Very, very simple and fast.  Just remove the sticker from the front of the soap pump, then add stickers and ribbon.  You might notice this is only half full of soap – well apparently we don’t use an entire bottle of soap in a month, so I pulled the stickers off the Christmas soap pump and just reused it.

 

Be sure to put a sticker at the top of the pump – it’s like the little crowning glory.   :)