I LOVED this book! I loved spending more time with Clay & Sophie and their family - a few years down the road. I loved intersecting with Silas & Belle from the other trilogy. The humor, the redemption, the strength, the romance - loved it all! ( )

I really enjoy Mary Connealy's style of writing. They are stories that can make you smile and laugh, but also have characters with real hardships and trials they are experiencing. I always come away refreshed having read one of her books. I especially like this series because in book one at least, you are reunited with people from her other series.

Beth McClellen is returning home after 4 years away learning how to become a doctor. She wasn't planning on having a stage coach accident before she reached her home of Mosqueros, Texas. And she definitely didn't want to be late arriving home because she wanted to see her sister, Mandy, before she left for Colorado with her new husband. But God sometimes has other plans for us and in this story you will see how the McClellen family learns how to "go with the flow" when things don't go their way.

At the scene of the stagecoach accident Beth will have to rely upon the "derelict" traveling with her on the stage. Alex Buchanan may seem like a drunken bum at first, but when you really get to know him and understand what he has gone through, you realize how badly he is hurting. Beth and Alex will find themselves almost "attached at the hip" for several days and they both will come to need each other for very different reasons. This relationship will be a joy to watch develop and see where it leads them and the danger they will find themselves in. So sit back and get ready for another delightful western adventure! I am off to begin book two in this series, "Wrangler in Petticoats". ( )

This book starts out fast, just like a runaway stagecoach, and doesn't slow down until the end!

Beth McClellan is on her way home to see her sister Mandy marry, she has been away from home studying to be a nurse, She is headed home on a stagecoach, and one of the passengers is a stinky man that she assumes is a drunk. When they happen upon an accident where there are injured people Beth demands that the drunk help her, boy is she surprised when it turns out he "Alex" is a doctor.

Alex Buchanan is a doctor who is a wanted man. There is a bounty hunter looking for him, because he deserted from the army after witnessing so much death and misery. Heartsick he abandons his medical profession, and tries to keep it a secret that he is a doctor. When he and Beth arrive in Mosqueros he wants nothing more than to work on the McClellan ranch. When the community finds out he is a doctor, he is soon set up with an office and several patients. The only way he can practice medicine is if Beth is by his side, he draws strength from her, so the solution is to marry her. Will Beth marry a stranger so that she can achieve her goal of practicing medicine, and can Alex face his demons and find solace in Mosqueros?

This was such a fast paced story that I didn't put it down, reading it in one sitting. I loved the character of Beth she is a self assured lady who also has a quick wit. I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions. I also enjoyed how the book bounces back and forth between the sisters. When Mandy realizes her marriage is a mistake, she feels like she has to honor her wedding vows and stick it out.
If your a fan of fast paced, historical christian fiction then you are going to love this book. This was my first time reading anything by Mary Connealy and she now has a new fan in me. I am anxious to read the next book in the series.

Book provided by Netgalley and Barbour Publishing in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Beth McClellen, a nurse who has been trained by a doctor; is riding on the stagecoach across from an annoying and very smelly she man believes is drunk. They come across a brutal stage coach accident and Beth forces him to help her while she helps the wounded. Beth is surprised when the drunk, Alex, turns out to be a doctor-- a doctor who is and army deserter and is on the run from the horrors and memories of his time as an army doctor in the war. He can only function with Beth at his side, yelling at him. Beth is drawn to healing him, just as she was drawn into nursing. He is drawn to her faith and her strength. Soon they form a partnership of sorts, more like a co-dependence and...well, I can’t tell you more or it would spoil a wonderful story!

Mary Connealy is a wonderful writer, and the thoughts that run through her characters minds are always intriguing and good for a few chuckles. I especially liked that she created a spiritually and mentally wounded man. But don’t get me wrong; although he is a broken man struggling for sanity and clarity of mind, he is still a rugged manly man!

You do not have to read the rest of the series to understand this book, but it is highly recommended that you do. I personally have liked all of Mary Connealy’s book series, but Husband Tree is still my favorite book by her. Mary Connealy gives a good performance in these books. She is a great storyteller. Her books just keep getting better and better. I look forward to reading each and every book she creates! ( )

Mary Connealy's new series, Sophie's Daughters, is E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T! I loved EVERYTHING about this book, from Mary's seasoned writing to the plot to sweet Sophie herself. There was no way I was putting this book down once I got started. WOWEE!

Doctor in Petticoats is Beth McClellan's story and oh boy! What a story this spunky one has. All she wants to be is a doctor....that is until she meets a broken, crazy lunatic by the name of Alex Buchanan. Both these fabulous characters wormed their way into my heart to stay. Mary Connealy really pulled me into the story with these two. I was right side beside them, in a west Texas town, helping to heal others. If only I could REALLY go back into time and to that town!

While I love the characters that Mary Connealy created for this tender cowboy story, I loved the laugh-out-loud humor she uses the most. It really gives her stories added oomph and keeps the readers hungry for more! Between the laughs and the spiritual messages this book was HARD to resist!

If you've never read Mary's work, this would be a great place to start, so what are you waiting for? Do so now! Doctor in Petticoats is more than 5 star worthy, and should be read again and again....and again! I can't wait to read about another of Sophie's spunky, sweet daughters in Wrangler in Petticoats. Well done, Mary!

*This book was provided for review by Barbour Books* ( )