Review: In Firefly Valley

For fans of Amanda Cabot the wait is over! Book 2 in  the Texas Crossroads series is available now. I enjoyed reading At Bluebonnet Lake so I was really looking forward to reading In Firefly Valley. Kate and Greg welcome new guests to Rainbow's End and each new member will warm your heart as much as the characters in the first book.

Beautiful Marisa St. George is swept off her feet by Blake Kendall, a financial planner from California. She believes he is perfect in every way until she discovers he is covering his real profession as an author of suspenseful, fast paced fiction that she loathes.

He thinks she is the one woman who can make him happy until she shows a lack of forgiveness to those who don't measure up to her standards. First on her list of  unforgivable people is the father who abandoned her and her mother Carmen on the day of Marisa's high school graduation.

The story is very centered on forgiveness and it delivers a powerful message by Amanda. Believing people cannot change makes life difficult for Marisa. Can she love people who have made mistakes she disapproves of?   Can anyone live up to the standards of perfection she exacts?

The characters are developed, the story is engaging and perfect for your summer reading list.  Pick up a copy of In Firefly Valley and if you haven't read At Bluebonnet Lake yet, I recommend you read it first to get the history of Rainbow's End.

Reviewing At Bluebonnet Lake

I hear Bluebonnets are brilliant in Texas and after reading At Bluebonnet Lake I would love to see them firsthand in the spring.  Amanda  Cabot has a talent for getting us to read more into her characters. This book is no exception. Kate Sherwood is on track to make partner with Maddox and Associates, the Advertising and Consulting Agency where she worked. She lived and breathed her job and was never far from her phone or laptop.

Sally Fuller, Kate's grandmother has a desire to return to Texas to visit Rainbow's End, a Christian Resort she and her late husband Larry stayed at more than forty years ago.  When Sally recovers from a health scare with her heart, Kate is persuaded to spend a month at Bluebonnet Lake. A whole month away from the office with promises to check her messages frequently, Kate feels reluctant when she and Sally drive through the gates at Rainbow's End.

To Sally, it seems just like it did when she came with Grandpa Larry. To Kate, it seems like a deceptive ad campaign where the best kept secret was how it really looked. After checking in, they find a young man repairing one of the window screens.  Inside, the cabin has not television, no phone and definitely no internet connection for her laptop. Dread settles into Kate as she realizes that her promise to stay in touch with the office just may require a lot more creativity on her part.

When the handyman who fixed their screens joins their table at dinner, Kate suspects that the employees must sit with the guests for meals. There is much more to Greg than Kate realizes yet she can't put her finger on it. Joining Greg at the table is Roy Gordon who appeared to be the same age as Sally.  As fate would have it, Roy is attracted to Sally immediately.  Greg remains a mystery. He is between jobs, which worries Kate. He cares little about technology and the need to be connected 24/7 to their job like Kate.

The story is an old lesson on finding what is important in life with a little less predictability. I enjoyed the story and how the characters were developed. The small town with a broken down resort nearby will win you over. If you enjoy reading Amanda Cabot's books you won't be disappointed with At Bluebonnet Lake.   And....if you have read other books by Amanda, you will be rewarded when a carousel spotted between the pages.