Sunday, March 22, 2015

Great Aunt Again!

I am a great aunt -- again.  I have two great nieces and five great nephews!  Why in the world does the term "great (or grand) aunt" sound so much older and more decrepit than grandmother?  You say great aunt to me and I see lavender.  Anyway, the newly arrived is Blake and belongs to my nephew.  From the pics on my phone he is robust and lively.  So glad to welcome him to the ever growing throng of young ones to the family.

A Texan's Promise

No, not me making rash promises but rather a Christian novel by Shelley Gray.  I believe this is one that I got free off the Barnes and Noble "Free Friday" offering or maybe BookBub.  Wherever I got it I am sure it was free. 



"A Texan's Promise" is the story of Clayton Proffitt, a ranch hand who had come to the Circle Z Ranch after the Civil War to work for the Grant family.  He was a traumatized man, straight from the war but his faith was in tact.  It was here that he met the 13 year old Vanessa.  No, there was no improper behavior, he just became her confident for the next six years.  During that six years, Vanessa's father passed away and her mother married again, not for love but for support and she made a very bad choice in the form of Price Venture.  He was a poor excuse for a man and when the story actually begins, he is found beating and attacking Vanessa.  Clayton takes her away and their story begins. 

This is a Christian-based book.  I am a Christian so I had no problem with that, in fact, it was refreshing.  The book didn't white wash things and gloss over the negative.  It dealt with beatings, rape, suicide, gun fights, chases, hard travel, etc.  It was a good read with one exception.  It was draggy in places.  I noticed that during the characters travel from Texas to Colorado every few miles they would look at each other and their relationship would change.  I found that to seem like a device to just drag out the story because nothing was happening to make their relationship change. 

The book is the first in a series and, while I enjoyed it, I don't think I will rush to read the next one.  It was enjoyable, definitely Christian fiction so it won't be for everyone, and I am glad I read it but I recommend with reservation.

Update

 Ok, so we visited our cardiologist yesterday to get the lay of the land for the Hubs.  Seems there is an issue with one of the grafts from ...