Friday, April 12, 2013

Swept Away (Trouble in Texas, #1)


Title: Swept Away
Author: Mary Connealy
Labels: Fiction | Historical Fiction
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: March 1, 2013
Recommended To: Women, YA, Adult
Contains: Clean. Slightly suggestive of some marital occurrences, but in a clean way.

Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | Kindle
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Blurb From Goodreads: Swept away when her wagon train attempts a difficult river crossing, Ruthy MacNeil isn't all that upset at being separated from the family who raised her. All they've ever done is work her to the bone. She prayed for a chance to get away, and then came the raging flood. Alive but disoriented, she's rescued by Luke Stone...so unfortunately, there are more chances to die in her immediate future.
Luke is heading home to reclaim the ranch stolen from his family. But the men who killed his father are working hard to ensure Luke doesn't make it alive. He has no choice but to keep moving. Still, he can't just abandon Ruthy, so she'll have to come along.
His friends--a ragtag group of former Civil War soldiers--take a fast interest in the pretty gal. Luke thinks that's rather rude--he's the one who found her. And the more time he spends around the hard-working young woman who is a mighty good cook, the more he finds himself thinking beyond revenge and toward a different future. For the first time in a long time, Luke is tempted to turn from his destructive path and be swept away by love.
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          I'll be honest, this wasn't my favorite book that I've ever read, but it wasn't bad. For the most part it kept me engaged and interested. The characters were all unique, but at times I felt like they were kind of one dimensional. I mean, everyone had their reason for doing what they did, and an overall motive. But nothing ever really stood in the way of that one motive; nothing really challenged their way of thinking. I felt like none of the characters really had any conflicting opinions that got in the way.

          The plot was interesting, and I'll admit that there were two twists that I didn't see coming. One was good in the sense I wasn't expecting it, but even that wasn't as exciting as I would have preferred. The second twist was just plain funny. It was hilarious to read that section from a guys point of view--I got a kick out of the explanations and reasoning of the dude's head. Definitely made it worth the read.

          Overall, while it wasn't my favorite, Swept Away was a good read. It had it's corny, stilted moments, but the section of humor was all worthwhile. This is a book that definitely got better as it progressed. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.


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