the start of a good life

This series by Cathy Marie Hake is so much fun. Set in Texas in the 1890s, it follows the lives of the inhabitants of Gooding. Heartfelt and full of laughs, these christian, historical romance novels are easy to read and very enjoyable.

~While covering different genres, I do not read anything that has blatant sexual content. I will tell you if there is any sort of such (typically very mild and delicately put) in them and if I don’t think they’d be appropriate for young/teenage readers.~

Fancy Pants  – Stranded in America, Lady Sydney Hathwell reaches out to a relative in Texas. With a warm invite for his ‘nephew’ to join him on his ranch, Sydney knows her name has caused a mix up. But she decides that it just might be the best way to reach Texas -masquerading as a man. However, when she arrives, Tim Creighton is appalled at the wimpy, Eastern nephew that his boss and friend is going to come home to. He decides to make a man out of Fancy Pants – and right from the get-go he has the ‘kid’ hauling rocks, mucking stalls and assisting with a calving. When Sydney’s identity is eventually revealed, Tim doesn’t like how he’s been deceived. He also realizes he doesn’t like all the attention she’s getting now that she’s wearing ribbons and dresses.

Forevermore – Hope Ladley goes from one farm to the next, helping those who need it during harvest time in exchange for a bit of essentials. She ends up at the Stauffer farm – where widower Jakob, his young daughter and the pregnant sister that he’s protecting from an abusive husband are struggling. While Hope’s methods often leave Jakob confused and frustrated, he can’t deny the difference that her optimism and hard work are having on all of them. Just when Jakob has realized his feelings for Hope, his brother-in-law arrives, intent on reclaiming his wife. Their new-found happiness is gone, lost in the worry and danger that now plagues them. Can Jakob protect his sister and convince Hope to stay on – as his wife?

Whirlwind – Eager to start a new life in America, Millicent Fairweather boards the Opportunity with her family. When she’s taken from steerage to be a nanny for the voyage, she soon loses her heart to the sweet little boy. His father, widower Daniel Clark, is hesitant about such a young woman being his son’s nanny. But since it’s only a week, he relents. When tragedy strikes however, Daniel takes the opportunity to aid Millicent and her sister – by marrying Millicent herself. Both say it’s a marriage of convenience but Daniel quickly realizes he’s lost his heart to his new wife. How can he woo her when she’s completely oblivious?

That Certain Spark  – When a double blessing of veterinarian and doctor are found for Gooding, the town is overjoyed. Then they find out that the doctor is a woman. Soon they are up in arms over letting Taylor Bestman practice. Her brother Enoch supports her fully but she’s going to need a lot more in order to fulfill her dream of having her own practice. The town’s blacksmith, Karl Van der Vort, is unwillingly her first patient but is still upset by her chosen occupation. Though he does find himself protective of her as she goes about the town in her red waistcoat and drives around town on her own! Sparks soon fly as pride and attraction meet head-on.

Serendipity  -Todd Valmer’s plan of fetching his mother and bringing her home to live with him on his farm in Texas hits a major snag when she suddenly keels over on the train. They are dropped off in a small mountain town where the only reliable medical assistance is a young woman who barters for a living. Maggie Rose loves the community of miners that she barters and trades with. As well as making the rose scented soaps and perfumes that have been passed down through several generations. The rose bushes carry a wealth of treasured memories for her. Marriage has never been on Maggie’s mind – until Todd shows up. So when he proposes marriage, she agrees and they marry quickly so Maggie can go to Texas with them. But life in Texas is far different from the one that Maggie had treasured before. Todd and Maggie quickly realize that infatuation is different from love. And that Todd’s mom doesn’t want Maggie for her son. Will they fight for their love and future before it’s too late?

~I appreciated the different take on the *’meet-cute’ in this series. And, if you’ve been following SGL for a while, you know that the 1890s are my favorite era. I love reading novels set in this time period, whether it’s fashionable London or down-home farming – like many of Hake’s novels! As I said at the beginning of this review, these are very easy to read, perfect for when you’ve got an afternoon to wile away – or just a few minutes while on your lunch break. They pull you in quickly with the sweet simplicity of the times and interesting characters.

I can highly recommend this series to anyone, with the statement that Forevermore (book #2) and Serendipity (book 5) do deal with some weightier and sensitive issues (physical abuse, learning disabilities, physical intimacy/closeness etc). Even these, though, Hake does it right, I think. Nothing blunt or intense.

~Just in case you noticed that Forevermore isn’t in the cover photo, that’s because I didn’t read it til last – having bought it after I’d returned the few from the library. I do want to own the whole set of these eventually, but for now, the library it is!

*an amusing or charming first encounter between two characters that leads to the development of a romantic relationship between them

Tags: books, cathy marie hake, christian novels, christian romance novels, fancy pants, forevermore, historical romance, historical romance novels, only in gooding, only in gooding series, serendipity, series review, that certain spark, whirlwind