Blog Tour, Review and Party: Blue Moon Promise by Colleen Coble

Blue Moon Promise by Colleen Coble

Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers

Publish Date: February 14, 2012

Paperback, 320 pages 
Fiction, Romance, Historical, Christian
 ISBN:  978-1595549150
Under Texas Stars #1

My Review:
I loved this book from the first page and I was immediately hooked as well.  I think I picked it up and finally put it down because I had somewhere to go and I had sped through over 75 pages.

I loved Lucy, Jed and Eileen from the start.  Lucy is working so hard to keep her brother and sister with her since her dad died and her stepmother left them, but she has lost her job.  So when Henry Stanton walks into her life with the marriage proposal to marry his son by proxy and move to Texas, she prays on it and decides it is the thing to do, especially after they are visited by someone the night before leaving that seems to be after something she is sure they do not have.  But arriving in Texas she does not receive the welcome she thought she would.  Nate has been on his own with his father and brother for a long time and all he knows is he wants to make his family's ranch one of the biggest and the best and he's pretty sure the pretty frail wife won't be of any help in that matter and the fact that she comes with two siblings can't help either.

But then something starts to happen and that is the magic of the book.  It's not overnight and that's not the full story here.  There is more than the developing romance and family line.  There is also a suspense line, some family feuding and some inter-family tension as well.  All of this makes for a very well-rounded book.  I found myself on the edge of my seat.  I found myself cheering for Nate and Lucy. I found myself loving the tender moments between Nate and the children.  There is just so much powering this book and it is just amazing.

Blue Moon Promise has everything you could ever want in a historical romance and then even some more.  I can't gush enough about this book, I really can't.  I loved it.  I could read it again right now and fall in love with the characters all over again.  But I will make do with waiting for the second installment in the Under Texas Stars series.  If you enjoy a "mail-order bride-type" romance where the new bride and groom have to get to know each other, then this is a book for you, but again, this book is so much more than the romance.  It's amazing, I cannot say enough about it.  I'll say it again, I love it. 

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

About the book:

Book Number One in the Under Texas Stars series

A love like Lucy and Nate’s only comes along once in a blue moon . . .

Lucy Marsh's worldly resources are running out, but she's fiercely determined to care for her younger brother and sister. When she discovers that their father's recent death was no accident, Lucy is eager to leave town. She accepts a proxy marriage she believes will provide safe refuge. But trouble follows her to Texas where her new husband is surprised to suddenly have a wife and children to care for.

Nate Stanton always hoped he'd marry someday, but running the family ranch meant he had no time for romance. When his father deposits Lucy Marsh—a city girl—on his doorstep, with two siblings in the bargain, he expects ranch life will send her running on the first train out of town. But Lucy is made of tougher stuff than Nate imagined. When danger moves in, Nate finds he'd give anything to protect Lucy and the children he's grown to love. Even if it means giving up his ranch.

About Colleen:

Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, ACFW Book of the Year, RWA’s RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana.

For more about Colleen and her other books visit www.colleencoble.com 

Link to buy the book: http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=1595549153&title=Under_Texas_Stars_#1__:_Blue_Moon_Promise 

About the party: 

Blue Moon Promise is a story of hope, romance, and suspense . . . immersing the reader in a rich historical tale set under Texas stars.

To celebrate Colleen is teaming up with her publisher Thomas Nelson for a "Blue Moon Promise" Facebook Chat party where she will giveaway a KINDLE Fire and a Texas-sized gift basket (fabulous Texas treats and fun Lucy-inspired housekeeping products)!

Click the banner, RSVP today for the Facebook Party and mark the date on your calendar!

Invite your friends and don't miss Colleen's evening of chat, trivia, prizes, and more.

Kindle Giveaway and More! Save the Date - 3/13!

***I received this book from Litfuse Publicity for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free. I do make money from The Book Depository links, but all money made from book purchases goes straight back to the blog to fund giveaways and shipping of giveaways.  Thanks!

Guest Blog: Using Personal Stories in Writing: Do or Don't by Nelle Davy

Today I welcome Nelle Davy, author of The Legacy of Eden which I reviewed a couple of weeks ago.  It's an excellent family saga and today the author is sharing a very interesting topic in light of reading The Legacy of Eden.  Read this great post and make sure you check out the book as well.  

Using personal stories in writing: do or don’t? 

by Nelle Davy

Of course it is a do. One of my favourite books is Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson which is a reworking of her own childhood within a fictional format as opposed to an outright memoir. What matters is that you are true to the kind of story you wish to tell, regardless of what is the inspiration. I would also say that no writer works in a vacuum as if their books are ‘ex nihilo.’ Whether you mean to or not, you write the kind of story you are either interested in, or have been through in some way. It is all inspired by your personal past and you rework it, sometimes even try to ignore it, but then press it down and reshape it so that it can become unrecognizable from truth but it still has seeds in it. There are some stories I love to read but would never be able to write because I would never be inspired to write them because they come from a different sort of experience to the one I have had. But novels should be about trying to tell some kind of truth – either the one you wish was real or the one that is.  And sometimes I think the novels that have impressed me the most and the ones that have really stayed with me as visceral works of honest art are the one that you discover had some grounding in the author’s past. You do look at them in a new light and they seem so much more informed. But this novel is not based on my own personal story in any other way than it is about the interrogation and destruction of the family unit.

Thanks Nelle for stopping by today.
You can check out the rest of this blog tour here:  http://booktrib.com/?page_id=152294&preview=true

  About The Legacy of Eden

For generations, Aurelia was the crowning glory of more than three thousand acres of Iowa farmland and golden cornfields. The estate was a monument to matriarch Lavinia Hathaway's dream to elevate the family name - no matter what relative or stranger she had to destroy in the process. It was a desperation that wrought the downfall of the Hathaways - and the once prosperous farm.

Now the last inhabitant of the decaying old home has died - alone. None of the surviving members of the Hathaway family want anything to do with the farm, the land, or the memories.

Especially Meredith Pincetti. Now living in New York City, for seventeen years Lavinia's youngest grandchild has tried to forget everything about her family and her past. But with the receipt of a pleading letter, Meredith is again thrust into conflict with the legacy that destroyed her family's once-great name. Back at Aurelia, Meredith must confront the rise and fall of the Hathaway family... and her own part in their mottled history.