Inventions of the Heart by Mary Connealy

About the Book:

Her heart seeks safety. But will trouble find her even here?

After her sister's marriage, Michelle Stiles is left hiding at Two Harts Ranch with the handsome but stubborn Zane Hart. She's managed to stay one step ahead of her stepfather and his devious plans, but if he finds her, she will no longer be safe.

Zane has problems of his own. Having discovered a gold mine on his property, he must figure out how to harvest it without kicking off a gold rush. Michelle, educated and trained to run her father's business, wants to manage all aspects of the mine, but Zane thinks for a person so smart she can have some misguided ideas. Running the mining operation will be a dangerous job, and he can't risk putting her in harm's way.

But danger finds Michelle anyway when she's suddenly attacked. If they go to the sheriff, they'll reveal her location, but if they do nothing . . . their troubles have only just begun.

You can read an excerpt here.

My Review:

This novel is the second in The Lumber Baron's Daughters series and is a good addition to the family story. There are three daughters so three stories to be told. It is the characters that make these books so good. The daughters are brave and strong women. In an era when women were not thought to be capable of men's job, they are each superior in design or engineering or blowing up things. It was interesting to see how inventions came to their minds and how they were created.

In addition to strong female characters, there is a good deal of suspense and a smattering of humor. The suspense is based on conditions revealed in the first novel in the series so that one should be read first to fully grasp this one.

I like that Connealy has written this novel so that Michelle's story is complete. There is one sister yet to fulfill her destiny so I'll be watching for the final book in this series. This is a good novel for readers who like historical romantic suspense with humor and a good faith message too.

You can read my review of the first in the series, The Element of Love.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

 

About the Author:

Mary Connealy (www.maryconnealy.com) writes "romantic comedies with cowboys" and is celebrated for her fun, zany, action-packed style. She has sold more than one and a half million books. She is the author of the popular series Brothers in Arms, Brides of Hope Mountain, High Sierra Sweethearts, Kincaid Brides, Trouble in Texas, Lassoed in Texas, Sophie's Daughters, and many other books. Mary lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero.

Bethany House Publishers, 304 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)