Review: Tomorrow's Garden

Tomorrow's Garden (Texas Dreams - Book 3) by Amanda Cabot

Publication Date: April 2011

Publisher: Baker Publishing Group

Genre: Christian Fiction/Western Romance

Pages: Paperback, 387pp

ISBN-13: 9780800733261

ISBN: 0800733266

(Received for review from Revell Books)

Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Christianbook.com, IndieBound

Amanda Cabot on the WEB: Website, Facebook,

Excerpt from Tomorrow's Garden

Synopsis (Book Blurb):

As a seed awaits the spring sunshine, so one young woman hopes for a brighter tomorrow.

Harriet Kirk is certain that becoming the new schoolteacher in Ladreville, Texas, is just what she needs - a chance to put the past behind her and give her younger siblings a brighter tomorrow. What she didn't count on was the presence of handsome former Texas Ranger Lawrence Wood - or the way he affects her fragile heart. But can Harriet and Lawrence ever truly conquer the past in order to find happiness?

Book 3 in the Texas Dreams series, Tomorrow's Garden is a powerful story of overcoming the odds and grabbing hold of happiness.

Thoughts:

Amanda Cabot takes readers back to Ladreville, Texas in her third installment in the Texas Dreams series, Tomorrow's Garden. Cabot's ability to take readers back to 1857 is remarkable. Her descriptions of life on the frontier and the people who lived in that time seem very authentic. Her characters believable and the message of God's love, comes through with flying colors. Cabot fans will be thrilled with this book and new readers to the series, will fall in love with this wonderfully told Western Romance.

Harriet Kirk is looking for a fresh start. She wants to leave the small town where she grew up and move to Ladreville to begin a new life for herself and her siblings. As the new schoolteacher she has the chance to outrun the pursuit of a man she doesn't want to marry, as well as help her brother get away from disreputable characters he had gotten mixed up with. When Jake becomes even more belligerent and threatens to become involved in even more trouble, Harriet is at her wits end. Ex-Texas Ranger, Lawrence Wood realizes that he and Harriet could have a chance at finding happiness together, but they have both had some tragic losses in the past. It will take time to win her heart. And it might help if he didn't have to arrest her brother...

Amanda Cabot has a gift for creating characters that readers want to read about. They are realistic and easy to understand. Even though the book is set in 1857 the characters face similar situations to many readers. Harriet wants to get away from her past, who doesn't? She is willing to sacrifice to for her family. She can't seem to get rid of unwanted attention. A lot of women can relate. Lawrence is also a character that people can get into. He is handsome, chivalrous, but still has the edge he needs to do his job. He is faced with a dilemma, do what he knows is right or do what he thinks will get him the girl? All situations that readers will find interesting and on their level. The storyline is believable and readers will enjoy reading about people who have the same kinds of problems they face every day.

Harriet is a great character. She shows a lot of courage and her faith is strong. She is willing to leave the town she grew up in, in hopes of finding a better life for her family. She will sacrifice a lot for siblings, even her own chance at love. She takes on the schoolteachers job with relish and seems to really enjoy teaching the children about more than just reading and writing. She has a great spirit about her that I think readers will find sweet and enchanting. Cabot does an excellent job of showing Harriet's strength in caring for her family and her vulnerability as she starts to have feelings for Lawrence. Readers will really see the growth that Harriet's character goes through.

Lawrence is a character that has appeared before in the Texas Dreams series and fans of Cabot's will enjoy finding out more about him in this one. He seems to have a very enduring faith that settles a sort of grace on his character. He is handsome and very much the gentleman. What woman wouldn't want to meet someone like him? One of the great things about romance is finding those characters that you wish were real. Lawrence is definitely one of them. I think readers will really fall in love with him.

I recommend this book to Christian fiction and Historical fiction readers as well. The story has some great western and frontier settings, but still clearly shows the message that the author wanted to get across. She doesn't overpower the reader with faith issues, but there is just enough to make a real difference for some readers. This book would be great for a rainy spring day or a day at the beach. It can be read as a stand alone or as part of the Texas Dreams series. I'm looking forward to more great books from Amanda Cabot in the future.

Tomorrow's Garden is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

Amanda Cabot is an accomplished author under various pen names and a popular speaker. The author of Paper Roses and Scattered Petals, she is also a charter member of Romance Writers of America, the co-founder of it's New Jersey chapter, a member of the ACFW, and an avid traveler. She lives in Wyoming.