"blue moon promise" by colleen coble

About the book: Lucy Marsh is at her wit's end after her father's death and her step-mother's abandonment which left her with custody of her half-brother and sister. Once she loses her job due to layoffs, she doesn't know how she can possibly make ends meet. Then her father's friend Henry Stanton shows up with a proposal she can't refuse—he wants her to marry his son Nate by proxy and move with her siblings to the Stanton ranch in Texas.

When Nate first meets his new wife, he is furious. After all, he signed the proxy statement so his father could sell his cattle, not find him a wife! But her hard work and tenacity soon begin to win him over. However, his harsh words upon Lucy's arrival caused her to believe she could never become the wife he wanted. Can he convince her of his love before it's too late?

My take: Most of Colleen Coble's books combine intrigue and romance, and Blue Moon Promise is no exception. I enjoyed the blossoming relationship between Nate and Lucy, and the interplay between Henry and Lucy's sister was sweet. However, there was a twist near the end of the book that I just couldn't buy (the intrigue part I mentioned before)—based on what we'd seen earlier in the book, it didn't quite make sense. (Yes, I'm being intentionally vague here, but I don't want to spoil anything for you!)

This isn't my favorite of Coble's books (that would be Lonestar Secrets), but it's still pretty good. I give it 3-1/2 out of 5 stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product free for review from Amazon.com through it's Vine reviewer program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.