Review: Petticoat Ranch by Mary Connealy

Series: Lassoed in Texas #1
Genre: Historical Fiction 
Publisher: Barbour Books
Released: Jan. 1, 2006
285 pages

About the Book:

Sophie Edwards is doing just fine alone, until a strange-yet oddly familiar-man rides into her life, insisting on rescuing her and her four daughters. Can she find a way to love a headstrong mountain man? When Clay McClellan discovers his brother has been murdered, he's bent on finding the killers and seeing them properly hung. But first his Christian duty demands that he marry his sister-in-law. After all, Sophie needs someone to protect her - right? Faith and love help unruly wed newlyweds find common ground and a chance at love on the Texas frontier.

  

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

Sophie has endured a lot over the last few years and has had to fend for herself and her young daughters so when Clay comes along and orders her to leave the ranch work to the men, she speaks her mind. I really liked her strength and how she tried to listen to what God was telling her. The faith element is very strong. I really enjoyed the strength of the girls, Sophie and her daughters. The beginning grabbed me, I had to know what was going to happen. I loved the concept of a man who has only been around men most of his life being quickly surrounded by girls. Clay may be clueless when it comes to dealing with girls, but you could tell that his heart was in the right place. I laughed many times throughout. It was fun to watch the relationship develop however there were a few things I didn’t particularly enjoy. Sophie and Clay’s relationship felt strange to me, he practically forces her to marry him for her protection (which I didn’t have an issue with due to the circumstances), but it quickly becomes obvious that they were immediately intimate even though she was against the marriage. I struggled with this because I was hoping that Clay would show Sophie respect. The second thing that bothered me was the way that Sophie’s prayers were being heard and answered was strange. And the fact that these men just happened to show up at just the right time. This felt far-fetched to me. Overall this was a light-hearted read and I liked how God was a central part of the story. 

(I borrowed this book from my sister-in-law; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)