Sins of the Mothers

Sometimes we think that we know best, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. Despite what her Texas Ranger father, Henry Buckmeyer had asked, Mary, his daughter waited until the entire family left for their trip to Europe, before she took her inheritance and hightailed it out west with the man she loved, Caleb Wheeler. Taking a 100 gold coins in some saddlebags and some paper currency, she believed it would be enough for a fresh start to a happy and wonderful life.

But as things always go, Mary was able to face insurmountable odds, when Caleb announces that his cousin Lanelle is joining them as well to watch over his stock of moonshine that he is hoping to sell for $1 a shot on the west coast among those who are searching for gold out in the hills of California. He has a vested interest along with his cousin John in opening a mercantile to sell everything a miner could need and make a killing. With Mary's knowledge and ability to barter, he knows he has exactly what he has planned in convincing her to marry him and head west.

But when they arrive, Mary doesn't realize that Lanelle and Caleb have a twisted love affair going on behind her back. When she realizes she is now pregnant with their first child, she is convinced it will be enough to settle down Caleb's wild ways, but unfortunately Lanelle also winds up pregnant but she is able to keep that a secret from Mary. Lanelle hopes that once Caleb learns she is pregnant, he will leave Mary behind and marry her instead. But she too soon realizes that she has been played by Caleb for his sole benefit alone and moves up into the hills where she marries Moses Jones, who offers to be a great husband and father to his baby and she realizes that love can come in all kinds of packages. It also provides her some distance between Mary and Caleb who are working on making a profit in the mercantile.

When Caleb winds up in the wrong place and the wrong time, Mary soon realizes how sagely her father and mother's advice was, to help her to avoid making the exact same mistakes they did. Now she realizes that just what the Bible says, that the sins of the fathers can visit the third and fourth generations of their children, Mary understands that is precisely what has happened to her and even though she wants more than anything to reconcile her relationship with her family, she knows she can never return home or face the humiliation her family must hold against her.

I received Sins of the Mothers by Caryl McAdoo compliments of Create Space Independent Publishing Platform for my honest review of this novel. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review aside for a free eBook copy and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. Oh how I love a great historical western and no one writes them as well as Caryl McAdoo does. I can't wait for the 5th novel in this series to be published before the end of this year. Sins of the Mothers is the 4th novel in the Texas Romance Series and in the heart of this book reviewer rates a wonderful 4.5 out of 5 stars. There are so many exceptional overlays of biblical stories that this one relates to that you can't help but enjoy it among all the excitement of the California gold rush!

For more information about Sins of the Mothers, Caryl McAdoo or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Sins of the Mothers by Caryl McAdoo

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Vow Unbroken - Review and Giveaway

Susanna Baylor has been a committed woman of God. She learned her lesson once before when she married Andrew and failed to gain her earthly father's blessing. Shortly after that she lost him and his brother in a wagon accident. With her young daughter, Rebecca, to raise along with her nephew Levi unless she can find a buyer for her cotton, she will have to sell off some of her land to get them through the next year. But when she loads up her wagon to head to town to sell it for four cents a pound, Mr. Littlejohn changes his mind and offers her two cents instead. Unfortunately for Susanna, she can't afford to take such a loss. Her only option is to drive the wagon load to the town of Jefferson where she has been promised four cents from the cotton buyers there. But how will she be able to do it with just Levi and Rebecca?

Under the counsel of her wise friend, she hires Henry Buckmeyer, who rumor has it has been born lazy his whole life. Susanna believes it will be a waste visiting Henry to hire him since he is likely to decline. But when her friends refuse to let her go alone unless she asks him, she has no other choice. Without the sale of the cotton, she will be forced to sell the land Andrew left to her and Levi. Lucky for her that Henry agrees with the exception that he can also bring along his tobacco and furs to sell when they arrive as well as his trusty dog, Blue for protection.

Knowing she doesn't have any other options, Sue grants Henry the permission to come along as hired help as long as he is willing to listen to her advice on what they should do and how soon they need to arrive in Jefferson. But what Henry doesn't count on is how determined Sue will be to have her way despite all the risks she is willing to take to get to Jefferson in hurry. What Sue doesn't consider is what it means to plan out the journey and realize that despite the odds that will challenge them at every turn, and that she may have to concede to Henry's knowledge of just how to get them all there safe and in one piece. It may be the hardest pill she has to learn to swallow in learning to agree to let Henry take care of her and her children and in the process realize that trusting God to know what is best in the end.

I received Vow Unbroken by Caryl McAdoo compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for my review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. I love how determined and strong willed Susanna is, always looking out for what is best for her family and keeping her faith in God. She has made a vow to never marry a man again unless her earthly father has given his blessing as well as that man must be a believer in God satisfying her spiritual Father as well. But will a man be willing to do whatever Sue wants to get her to marry him and become the father to Levi and Rebecca in the process even if it means traveling to Tennessee to see her father? You'll have to see just how hard this journey is and what they all learn along the way by picking up this novel. This is the first in The Lone Star Series and one I rate a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Now for the best part, thanks to the generosity of Howard Books, they are providing a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here are your guidelines to enter:

1. "Like" Howard Books Facebook page so you don't miss out on any of their amazing books!

2. "Like" Caryl McAdoo' Facebook Page! Trust me you will LOVE her novels!

3. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

4. If you have a Twitter account, make sure you follow Howard Books and "Tweet about this giveaway using @Howard_Books @CarylMcAdoo in your tweet!

5. Leave a comment below telling me why you'd love to win a copy of Vow Unbroken along with your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols. But if I don't have your email address, I can't notify you if you're the lucky winner. Trust me, you don't want to miss this one!

I will notify the winner by email once the giveaway ends on March 20th to give you plenty of time to enter. .Remember you gain an entry for every one of the guidelines you complete and you can enter as many times as you'd like. Simply leave comments on Howard Books and Caryl McAdoo's Facebook if you have already "Liked" them.

For more information about Vow Unbroken, Caryl McAdoo or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Vow Unbroken by Caryl McAdoo

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To read more reviews on Vow Unbroken, please visit Howard Book's website.