Christine Lynxwiler Reviews

Added March 28, 2008

Along Came a Cowboy

Author: Christine Lynxwiler
Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: May 2008
Genre: Romance: Christian
Format: Paperback
Price: $9.97
ISBN-13: 978-1-59789-896-6
Reviewer: Sharyn McGinty
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Fifteen years ago, Rachel Donovan made a mistake that changed her life forever. She had a baby and gave it up for adoption. Since that day, she's become steady, reliable, dependent and a fantastic chiropractor. Her life is full; she has an amazing circle of friends and she's happy. All that changes, the day she is talked into joining the Shady Grove Centennial Planning Committee and learns she'll have to work with handsome cowboy Jack Westwood. If there is one thing Rachel knows: it's that cowboys are TROUBLE. She is determined to avoid him at all costs, if only the citizens of Shady Grove would stop matchmaking. Throw in the appearance of her niece who's learned she's adopted and wants to find her birth mother and Rachel's calm, ordered life goes out the window. Can she put the past behind her and trust that God's plan for her life is perfect?

Along Came a Cowboy isn't normally the type of book I'm going to pick up and read. Not because it's a Christian romance, but because the hero is cowboy. So why did I pick up this book? I picked it up because of the heroine, Dr. Rachel Donovan, and her aversion to cowboys. While my aversion has more to do with growing up in the South with cowboys and rednecks than a bad experience, I was able to relate to her distrust of cowboys in general. When I pick up a book, I pick it up to escape for a bit but at the same time I want to be able to relate to the characters on some level. It's a mark of a great author when the reader is able to enter her world and still find something familiar in the characters.

The storyline in Along Came a Cowboy is all about forgiveness, not just forgiving others but also about forgiving yourself. As the story progresses, Rachel is confronted with the need to forgive herself and understands she has to let go of the past, yet at the same time feels she needs to be punished. Her reconciliation with herself and her family is one of the reasons I heartily recommend this book. Another reason is the personal relationship the characters have with God. It's a very real part of their life and the author does a fantastic job of depicting without coming across as being preachy or holier-than-thou.

Along Came a Cowboy is just as much fun as a rodeo!

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This page was last updated on March 28, 2008

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