Lonestar Secrets- Colleen Coble

RATING: 5 Stars

BLURB ~
Five years ago, Shannon Astor left the beautiful high-mountain country of West Texas as a single mother. She was desperate for a fresh start and a way to keep the secrets of her past buried. It almost worked.
Until a chance to make a better life for her daughter leads her right back home. To the very place of the past betrayals.
But it also leads Shannon to horse-trainer Jack MacGowan–her handsome high-school nemesis, now a widowed father. His daughter looks so startlingly like her own that Shannon can’t help but question the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s birth. Wary of each other’s intentions, Shannon and Jack reluctantly join forces to untangle a deep mystery that swirls around Shannon’s parents, a lost Spanish treasure, and a legendary black stallion.
If Shannon can learn to entrust her secrets to the man falling in love with her, the truth just might set her free.

MY THOUGHTS ~
Colleen Coble is definitely one of my favourite authors for she is, just as Karen Kingsbury once remarked, “a master storyteller”. Lonestar Secrets is certainly full of secrets, trust and a heart-warming romance that will be loved by all romanticists.

Reading the blurb, I thought this was going to be a straight, easy-going love story. But I was delightfully wrong!! Coble’s talent of crafting such a complex plot, where twists and hurdles arise at the most unexpected place made for a really thrilling and interesting read. Personally I would rate this novel as a romantic suspense, not simply a romance.

People, most of the time, are not what you judge them to be. Adolescent Jack MacGowan, who broke Shannon’s trust by making fun of her, is not the same Jack 6 years later. His considerate, caring, gentle and loving ways takes Shannon some time to get used to. The same applies to Shannon, whose compassionate, self-sacrificing and loving personality makes Jack think twice about how he views her.
Both Shannon and Jack have realistic qualities which I love. Initially Jack got on my nerves quite a bit for his stubborn ways. Shannon however gained my sympathy for everything she has been through. The hurdles they had to overcome seemed to me ones anyone could face.
Even the other characters (would mention who but it would give the plot away) are portrayed in a different light to what they are really like. I loved it because it added a deeper dimension to the story.

And now, of course, the romance. Despite the fact that Shannon was the first one to declare her love, it was really heart-warming!!! The kisses, the intimate scenes where all they wanted was to be accepted by the other really made for an enjoyable read. What made it also believable was that it wasn’t rushed, meaning that the little threads here and there gradually brought it together. Absolutely loved it!!!

Colleen Coble is definitely an author to keep an eye on for her literary works are absolutely amazing!!!! For all you who love your romance with a little suspense, Lonestar Secrets is definitely for you. Don’t just let it pass you. Read it!!!!