Little Hickman Creek Series, Or Tagged Again!

Last Friday I was tagged by my buddy Shauna over at The Coffee Stop to share about a favorite but rather lesser-known book. (If you haven't visited Shauna's blog before, it's time well spent. She has three of the funniest boys you'll ever find!) From Shauna's post last Friday:

"Patti Abbot launched this great idea. Here's her original explanation:

This is the first of what I optimistically hope will become Friday recommendations of books we love but might have forgotten over the years. I have asked several people to help me by also remembering a favorite book. Their blog sites are listed below. I also asked each of them to tag someone to recommend a book for next Friday. I'm worried great books of the recent past are sliding out of print and out of our consciousness. Not the first-tier classics we all can name, but the books that come next."

So in keeping with Friday book recommendations (yes, I know I'm posting a bit early!), I am taking some liberties with this and recommending not just one book, but a 3-book series by Sharlene MacLaren. It's her Little Hickman Creek Series, and consists of three of my all-time favorite historical romances. I'm including the synopsis from each book.

When I started this blog last year, one of my first posts was about my favorite authors. Sharlene MacLaren, who is on that list, is a new-ish author with whom I have absolutely fallen in love! Every book of hers that I have read has been one that I've read at least twice, if not more. Each book is better than the one before. And not only are her books wonderful, Shar herself is such a fun gal that you will absolutely love her. She's been so generous with me with email notes that I feel like I've known her for years. Check her out at her blog or her website. You will enjoy getting to know her better. Till then, let me encourage you--STRONGLY encourage you!!!--to read her Little Hickman Creek series.

The first book in Shar's Little Hickman Creek Series is "Loving Liza Jane":




A Divine Leading: When Liza Jane Merriwether rode into the town of Little Hickman Creek, her first thought was, "Oh Lord, what have I done?" Kentucky was much different than what she was used to back East, but she knew God had led her here for a reason. Will she discover His plan for her life?

The Handsome Widower: Soon, the petite schoolteacher is beloved by all...including Benjamin Broughton, a handsome widower struggling to raise two young children. Will he overlook the perfect wife that God has practically dropped in his lap for a mail-order bride?

A Destined Love: Liza Jane's teaching contract implicitly states that she is to have "no improper contact with the opposite sex." Will she discover that with God, all things are possible?


Sounds good, doesn't it???? I can assure it, IT WAS!!!

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The second book in the series is "Sarah, My Beloved".

A Divine Mix-up: A beautiful redhead has traveled from Boston to Kentucky by stagecoach to be a mail order bride. But when Sarah Woodward arrives in Little Hickman Creek, she is greeted by her prospective husband, who tells her he has fallen in love with another woman. Disappointed but determined, Sarah refuses to leave until she finds out the reason why God led her here.

A Hardened Heart: A tall, dark and ruggedly handsome man, Rocky Callahan meets the fiery Sarah. He has tragically lost his wife, his only child, and his sister. Faced with raising his sister's two children alone, he suggests a "marriage in name only" to Sarah.

Healing the Past: Will Rocky let go of the pain in his past and trust God's plan for his life? Will Sarah leave him for a past beau, who has followed her to Kentucky to bring her home? Or will Sarah and Rocky find true love from the hand of the ultimate Matchmaker?


I love a good "marriage of convenience" story...and this one is JUST THAT!!! A REALLY GOOD ONE!!!

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The third and final book in the series, just recently released and what I think to be Shar's best work to date, is "Courting Emma":




A Divine Plan: Twenty-eight-year-old Emma Browning has built a barricade around her heart to survive the pain of growing up with her alcoholic father, Ezra. As she runs Emma's Boardinghouse, she plays host to an array of unkempt, earthy characters while trying to maintain a protective emotional distance from people. No one has succeeded in getting to know the beautiful yet steely edged proprietress. That is, not until Little Hickman Creek's handsome new pastor, Jonathan Atkins, takes up residence in the boardinghouse and begins to dismantle her carefully controlled world...

A Struggle to Forgive: Clinging desperately to her stubborn ways and unable to forgive her father, Emma begins receiving letters from a mysterious sender who somehow knows about her and has secret information about Ezra's past. Amidst all this, she is surprised--and unsettled--by the attentions of both Jonathan and Billy, the smooth-talking traveling showman.

A Miraculous Love: When the town of Little Hickman Creek is stunned by an unexpected turn of events, will Emma risk removing her protective shell to accept the love of God--and the love of a man?


As good as the other two are, this one is without a doubt my favorite. Well worth the wait!!!

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I love a good book, but even more I love a good series. A series gives me another book to anticipate. I also love when characters from one book show up in subsequent books. It's like visiting with old friends whom I haven't seen in a while. (Yes, I know I need to get out more!!!) Shar's "Little Hickman Creek" series has all those things, and then some. You can read these book summaries and probably guess how each book will end, but I can promise you that NONE of Shar's books are predictable. Her writing has quality and depth, and she tells a wonderful love story with a happily-ever-after ending that always leaves you sighing and wanting more. Check her out! You will be so glad you did!

And finally, to finish off my Friday book recommendation, I now tag Deb over at The Daily B. I noticed you have "Loving Liza Jane" on your Shelfari list, Deb! So next Friday is yours!!!

TAG! You're It!!!

I took a peek this morning at one of Michelle Sutton's recent posts. If you don't know who Michelle is, she is the Edgy Inspirational Author, and she writes and reviews a lot--A LOT!!!!-of Christian fiction. If you don't believe me when I say "A LOT!!!", take a look at her "What I'm Reading..." list. I don't know how she does it.

Anyhoo, the particular post I read was from last week--February 23rd, to be exact--and it sounded so fun I'm going to start the tag here. Here's how it works (although I'm changing it up just a bit):

1. Grab the book you are currently reading and turn to p. 123
2. Go to the 5th sentence
3. Post the next 3 sentences
4. Tell the name of the book and author
5. Tag 5 others

Michelle's tag said to grab the nearest book, but I want to know what you're currently reading whether it's nearby or not.

Okay, here's mine:

"I'm afraid I must, Miss Coleson." Katie firmly withdrew her hand from Blanche's grasp.


"You must call me Blanche." She took one step backward.


Catching Katie, by Robin Lee Hatcher


Well, I must say that I was hoping for something a little different than that. Maybe I should've gone to p. 124. Taken out of context, this sounds as if something fishy is going on between these two ladies! I've read the book before, so I assure you Robin, who is one of my absolute favorite authors, has not written anything inappropriate!!! This book, in fact, is one of the reasons I love Robin. It's quite dreamy.

Alrighty then! So I am tagging Jenster, Becky, Deb, Shauna, and Angela! Tag, ladies, you are IT!

TAG! I'M IT!!!

Hey everyone out there in Blogworld! I have been MIA this week because of a couple of things. First, I've been reading a REEEEEALY great book and haven't wanted to put it down! And second, my Little Bit has had an awful cough due to allergies, and we've all been through the ringer as a result. She's starting to improve--I think--and just in time for Thanksgiving vacation. Our school gives us the entire week off next week, so we're heading up to Tulsa, Oklahoma for the BMX Hall of Fame Induction for 2007 and the Grand Nationals. I'm taking my laptop with me, so I'll not be quite so absentee.

Becky over at Stuck in Frump (don't you love that title?!) has tagged me! I'm so excited--my first game of online tag! WOO HOO! I am to tell you 7 random things about me. Before we proceed, let me warn you: This may be more information about me than you ever wanted to know. Ready? Alrighty then.

1. I can't sleep on my hair.

I have tried and tried and tried to not be so persnickety about this, but if I lie down on my back with my hair underneath my neck and back, I will be up all night. I can stand it only about 5 minutes max, then I have to lift it up and out of the way. It drives me nuts. I know...freak of nature.

2. I don't like to tell people what kind of car I drive.

And yet, some--even most--of you know! The reason is because of people's reactions to this kind of car. Reactions range from "wow, that's an awesome car!" to "who did you have to sleep with to get THAT?" I actually had a former Bunko buddy suddenly turn cold toward me when she found out what kind of car I have. Yes, I know that how other people react is not my problem...it's theirs. But I would just rather not have to deal with that kind of thing, so if I can avoid saying anything about it, I do.

That being said, I HAVE THE COOLEST MOMMY MOBILE EVER!!!!!

Sorry for that outburst. Back to my randomness.

3. I like the AC vents in my car aimed at my neck.

I may be a freak of nature, but this one is pretty logical...for me, anyway. If it's blowing above my neck, it's blowing in my face and dries out my contacts, thus making driving a dangerous prospect. If it's blowing below my neck, it doesn't cool me off. The AC blowing at my neck is perfect.

And when I add the seat heaters...aaaahhhh!!! Nirvana...

4. I've always wished I could sing.

Those of you who attended high school with me may be thinking about now, "Uh, so you were in choir for three years...why?" Oh I can sing...I can carry a tune without the help of a bucket. I can even harmonize at times. But I can't SING. Jana, my friend from high school, can SING. My friend Pam has two incredibly beautiful and talented daughters who can SING. I can sing, but no one is beating down my door demanding I sing the National Anthem at the next Dallas Cowboys game. This bothered me for many years until I realized that, if God had blessed me with that talent, I would be required to use it in front of a lot of people, and that just isn't my thing. I took piano lessons for eight years, where I discovered that performing for others--even an audience of one in a competition--is horrifying for me. As I sat down at the piano, my hands would start to shake, my stomach would churn, and none of it would quit till long after I was done with my piece and back home for quite some time. I never got used to it. So even though I wish I was a better singer, God clearly knew what He was doing, and I'm at peace with the fact that I'm not.

The people who sit around me at church, however, may not be quite so at peace with this as I am.

5. I am severely athletically challenged.

I may be the world's most fabulous fan, but when it comes to athletic performance, I am not your guy. I tried basketball in junior high and played probably two, maybe three times the entire season. The coach put me in purely out of pity. I was on the JV volleyball team in ninth grade, and I was okay. My teammates may have something else to say about that, but I could get the ball over the net. Isn't that the objective of the game? I would've played softball if we had had a team. It is the next best thing to baseball, after all. Perhaps that's why I love sports...because the athletes can do something I never could.

I can, however, whistle so loud your ears bleed.

6. I hate being tickled.

Did I say hate? I meant DESPISE!!!! Getting tickled is something I just cannot, WILL NOT, tolerate. Just the thought of it gives me the yippies. I was the youngest (and most adorable) of seven kids, and my brothers were merciless ticklers. They would sit on me and pin my arms down to my sides so that I was helpless, then poke me in the chest till I was beyond miserable. I would be screaming at the top of my lungs, begging them to stop, pleading for mercy, and neither of my parents ever did a thing about it. Not even so much as a "Please stop whatever it is you're doing to her just so she'll shut up!" (Hang on...now that I think about it, Matt was the only one who did that. Matt, if you're reading this, run for your life while you can!) These days any time someone even attempts to tickle me, he/she gets threatened within an inch of his/her life. Fair warning is given, so anything I do in self-defense is permissible, well-deserved, and I will NOT feel guilty about any bodily injury. Needless to say that attempt is not made often because I will follow through on my threat.

7. I hate to cook but love to bake.

You would think that someone who majored in Home Economics in college might actually enjoy cooking, but not me! I hate it. I hate the planning, I hate the prep, I hate the mess, I hate the clean-up, I really hate it all. One of my favorite cookbooks is Peg Braken's "The Compleat I Hate To Cook Book". It's probably out of print by now (it was one of my mom's favorites too) but if you can find a copy, it's worth having if only because the author is such a riot. If you hate to cook, you will feel like you've found your soulmate with her. All her recipes involve just a few ingredients and minimal effort. I love her. And I do have a few recipes that I love and make me appear to be a genius in the kitchen, but they are few and far between. Baking, however...THAT'S another story. Baking involves "Happy Food"--cakes, cookies, pies, cupcakes--that makes people happy. While cooking involves survival, baking is celebrations. Cooking is fuel to get through the day; baking is the grand finale that leaves a smile on your face (there's a reason it's called "Better Than Sex Cake"). I mean really...who could POSSIBLY say no to Coca Cola Cake, Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Reese's Peanut Butter Chips, Peanut Butter Cookies with Hershey Kisses in the middle, Nestle's Tollhouse Cookies, Lemon Meringue Pie, Pecan Pie, French Silk Pie, Peach Cobbler...I could go on forever! Wouldn't you rather have one of those delicious delectables instead of eggplant? Brussel sprouts? Turnips? Notice I'm only mentioning veggies? A good filet mignon could supplant dessert, but it would have to be reeeeeealy good! Notice also that I'm a member of NutriSystem...enough said.

So those are my seven random things! Thanks again, Becky, for including me in the game! I am now tagging:

1. Misty
2. Cash
3. Shawn (this could be your first post!)
4. Dan (if you ever get one going!)