Welcome Margaret Brownley, and a Review

I'm so honored to have one of my favorite authors, Margaret Brownley, here today! She's talking about her Brides of Last Chance Ranch series, and the first book Dawn Comes Early. There's a contest, and a surprise too :)

About Margaret

Thrills, mystery, suspense, romance: Margaret penned it all. Nothing wrong with this, except Margaret happened to be writing for the church newsletter. After making the church picnic read like a Grisham novel, her former pastor took her aside and said, "Maybe God's calling you to write fiction."

It turns out God was and Margaret did. She now has more than 20 novels to her credit. In addition, she's written many Christian articles and a non-fiction book. Still, it took a lot of prodding from God before Margaret tried her hand at writing inspirational fiction which led to her Rocky Creek series. "I love writing about characters at different stages of faith," she says of the new direction her writing career has taken, "and I'm here to stay."

Happily married to her real-life hero, Margaret and her husband live in Southern California.

More Love and Laughter from New York Times Bestselling Author

Margaret Brownley

“Daily Reasons to Smile” Contest

“I’ve matched up twenty-three couples over the years and in all that time I only made one error. Although I still think the marriage would have worked had she not shot her husband.”

—From Dawn Comes Early (Brides of Last Chance Ranch) 

Characters from Margaret’s new book will send you a reason to smile every day until April 11th. Join in the fun and you could win a book, potted cactus (the story takes place in Arizona Territory) or an iPod Nano and alarm clock docking station. To enter send an email to info@NancyBerland.com. Be sure to put “Reason to Smile” in the subject line. That’s it!

Today’s the official launch day of my new book Dawn Comes Early. The idea for the Brides of Last Chance Ranch series came to me after reading an old newspaper article in the New York Times dated 1891 (It’s amazing what you find when changing the shelf paper).

A group of fifty ladies of the First Church of Millford formed a society of old maids in 1861. Each member vowed she would not marry. Each woman paid five dollars on admission with the principal going to the one who remained unmarried the longest. Thirty years later all but fifteen of the original had married. I was never able to find out who won the prize—and being a romantic I sincerely hope there were no winners— but that’s the wonderful thing about writing; you can make up your own endings.

Kate Tenney is a disgraced dime novelist who travels to Arizona Territory as “heiress” to a cattle ranch, but before gaining the ranch she must first sign a document forbidding her to marry.

She meets up with trouble the minute she steps into town thanks to Cactus Joe, the resident outlaw. Luke Adams comes to her rescue but it’s clear from the start that he and Kate are from two different worlds; she’s a college educated woman and he’s “just a blacksmith.” He doesn’t know what she’s talking about half the time.

What does Kate know about running a cattle ranch? Absolutely nothing! But she intends to learn if it kills her. If only she can stay away from a certain handsome blacksmith and his two matchmaking aunts.

 www.margaretbrownley.com

Thank you so much for sharing these insights into the creation of Dawn Comes Early! 

Now for the surprise :) Margaret is offering a copy of this first book in the Brides of Last Chance Ranch series to one of my readers! Isn't that awesome?! Leave a comment to be entered. Continental US Only! Ends March 19th!

 My Review

Morning came too early for me after staying up into the wee hours to finish this fascinating new book.

Kate Tenney comes to Arizona Territory after answering an advertisement seeking an heir for a ranch owner. She is a city girl and former dime novelist who has romanticized the west in her mind and finds out quickly, as soon as she gets there, in fact, that it is nothing like she thought it was going to be. Faced with an outlaw from the get go, Kate is thrown into the wild and wonderful world of western life.

Luke Adams is the local blacksmith. He’s a hardworking, not too formally educated but oh so lovable kind of man. He ends up rescuing that crazy city girl Kate from numerous situations. He falls for her pretty early on but doesn’t think he’s smart enough for a woman like her because she uses big words when she talks. Their romance was so much fun to watch with some exceptional scenes that would look good on the big screen!

The main aspect that kept me so engaged while reading this book was how well I got to know each and every character. From Miss Walker, the unusual owner of Last Chance Ranch, to the seasoned ranch hands and Luke’s charming, matchmaking aunts, I was held captive by the depth of characterization and humor! There was no glossing over anyone’s importance to the story at all. I loved that! I genuinely felt like I was seeing into each person’s life-their hopes and dreams, fears and heartaches, failures and accomplishments-and I laughed out loud, often!

There are a few scenes in the book when Kate reads to the ranch hands from one of her dime novels and all I can say is – they are priceless! I woke my husband from a sound slumber with my laughter. It’s during that scene and a few that follow, that I fell in love with all the cowpokes and knew they would champion Kate in her determination to conquer the challenge of learning ranch life.

I can’t wait until the next book! Margaret’s writing plunges me into the depths of the storyline with exceptional humor embedded throughout. Containing a strong spiritual thread, I never felt like I was being hit over the head with it. It’s just a natural part of who the characters are. 

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the Brides of Last Chance Ranch series! I want to thank Margaret Brownley for asking me to be an influencer once again and providing an Advanced Reader Copy for review purposes.