Naomi Rawlings

Tomorrow’s Lasting Joy is a wonderful story and an excellent wrap up to this series! If you have been reading the Texas Promise series, then you will know that Cain is a bit of an outlier for the group of friends who have been the main male characters in the previous novels. Cain’s story has been hinted at in bits and pieces throughout the series, however, the book directly before this one, Tomorrow’s Steadfast Prayer, would be an especially good one to read immediately before this one in order to learn more about Cain’s background. It will also help you to know what has been going on recently in both the town and friend group.

I adored Cain and Anna Mae! It was so clear that these two loved each other, but it was hard to imagine any way that they would be able to make a life together. It was heartwarming to realize that Cain was going to continue searching for Anna Mae out in the desert on his own, especially as he did not hold out any hope that she was still alive. And I loved the way he cared for her and helped her recover.

The way things played out in this story and the way these two ended up together was perfect. When they realized that they loved each other, my heart was so happy, yet they still had some trying times ahead of them as they needed to survive and navigate the future together. The epilogue was one of the best that I have ever read! I am also excited to read the next series that will be set in Alaska and has a side character who crosses over from this series into that one.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.… (más)

Naomi Rawlings has penned another deeply satisfying story with this new addition to her Texas Promise series. The premise caught my attention and my past enjoyment of Rawlings’s other tales had me turning the pages. The characters were realistic, layered, and engaging. Wes is a wonderful hero—courageous and capable, and Keely’s courage, determination, and grit make her the perfect partner if they can get beyond their pasts.

This book can be read as a standalone, but there are characters from previous books in the series that make appearances, so you may want to read the first two books first.

“Had he started trusting himself and his own decisions more than trusting God?”
“. . .trusting God meant more than just trusting Him when things were easy.”

With plenty of action, suspense, intrigue, and a dash of romance, combined with an underlying message of trust and hope, this story hits the spot. I recommend it to those who enjoy clean historic fiction with a faith thread.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.… (más)

This book came to me via two friends: one gave it to the other who passed it on to me. This book is also from the now defunct Love Inspired Historical line. (Love Inspired continues with it's Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense lines--it just ended the Historical line as far as I know.)

I think this is the first Love Inspired Historical book that I've read that was set in a country other than the United States. The story is set in France around the time of the French Revolution--at least as best I can tell.

The good thing about the Historical line was that it did tend to weave Christianity into the storyline more often than the other two, more contemporary lines do. In this case, one of the main points is forgiveness.

But the Historical line was probably also the one I liked least of the 3 options: i.e. if you put a book from each of the 3 lines in front of me, I'd read the other two before picking up the Historical one. I don't know why that is. I've read good stories with historical settings--but it's always a struggle for me to pick up a fiction book with a historical setting for some reason.

DNF 50%… (más)

The Reluctant Enemy continues the Belanger Family Saga series by Naomi Rawlings. This is a fascinating historical Christian fiction series set in France and following different members of the Belanger family. Danielle Belanger who was a child in book #2 is featured as a young woman in this one. She is courageous, daring, and compassionate as she helps a group of Englishmen travel toward the coast of France. Lord Gregory Halston is trying to free his captured brother when his plans go awry. I enjoyed seeing Gregory and Danielle’s relationship change and grow.

With lots of intrigue, suspense, action, and a big dash of romance, this tale is a great addition to the series.… (más)