Lonestar Sanctuary: Lonestar Series, Book 1

Characters: Flawed characters make for the best stories, and this novel certainly had them. They were the flaws that made them feel real and really come alive. Rick had guilt. Allie was a bit too self-assured. Even a number of the minor characters had those details that kept them from being too larger than life. I loved getting to know the people that populated this story. I was happy for them sometimes and feared for them at other times.Storyline: This novel was hard to put down. From the first scene Allie has someone threatening her, only she, and we, don't know who it is. Immediately she is on the run and we learn that whoever was threatening her has been doing so for some time and going so far as to killing the people she loves. It sets up this story to be fast paced and hard to put down. Coble does a great job of slowly building the tension and making it hard to decide who is after Allie.My Thoughts: This was one of those books that can't be read fast enough. First, because I couldn't wait to see what would happen, and second, it was going to keep me up all night if I didn't finish it. When I had to set it down, I was quick to pick it back up. I loved this story and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Loved The Lonestar Sanctary and am looking forward to reading the four book series. I am infatuated with Colleen Coble's ability to draw the reader in. Her characters are so interesting! In several of her books, of those I have read thus far, she includes characters of all ages. It adds depth to her story. Book was sad but not to the point of being depressing - there was, afterall, a mystery to solve and the painful pasts brought to life. And the mystery - AWESOME! She kept me guessing right up to the end. I loved when she grabbed a gun and headed outdoors. Raised on a horse farm, I would have done the same thing. This rodeo queen and I have a lot in common! I kept thinking the screaming woman Allie heard was that of a screech owl. First time I ever heard one, it sent shivers up my spine and I looked for a witch in our back yard! LOL Oh, back to the story...all the twists and turns is what makes it wonderful. I simply couldn't put the book down all day until I had read the last word! My aunt and I are both sold on Coble's writing. Just enought description to make it interesting and not too much to send you into boredom. I love the element of Christianity that empowers these characters to put past demons to rest. Rick and Allie falling in love is so sweetly done. One last word: I appreciate the men and women who have gone to war for the freedom that we enjoy in the U.S. Thank you!Dawn Kurtz: author of Christian novel:  Secret of the Mexican Doll

Lonestar Sanctuary by Colleen CobleI got this as a Kindle Freebie some time back and thought I would read it while I took a trip to California for my cousin's wedding.Lonestar Sanctuary by Colleen Coble is the first book in her Lonestar series.We start by meeting Allie Siders who is being stalked by some man who has claimed to kill her parents, and her sister. She isn't safe anywhere, and when he traps her in her bathroom and has the chance to hurt her daughter, Allie knows her only choice is to escape.So she takes her daughter and runs. As if Allie's life hasn't been hard enough losing her husband in Iraq, and her daughter hasn't talked since the terrible "accident" that killed Allie's parents, now Allie is on the run with no money and only a vague plan.Allie follow the instructions her husband had given her should anything happen to him and she goes to find Rick Bailey, a friend of her husband's. He is working at a horse rescue sanctuary with Elijah, the owner.When Allie first meets him, he is cold and scary. How could this be the man that her husband had told her to seek out? But Elijah welcomes her and her daughter easily, and she even discovers and unknown connection with Elijah. But then he is found dead and it is clear that whoever has been stalking Allie has found her once again...Will Allie ever be safe? Will Rick ever warm up to her? Will she be able to protect her daughter from whoever is after her? And what about her dead's husband's parents who want to take her daughter from her? Is this the sanctuary she needs? Or will she have to keep running to find freedom at last?Read Lonestar Sanctuary to find out!While Westerns are not normally my favorite, this book was great! I thoroughly enjoyed following along with Allie's journey. And the mystery element was really intriguing! I love mysteries! I wasn't able to predict this one!Of course, there is an element of romance, but I won't give that away!And, of course, this is Christian fiction, making it a good choice for anyone who likes a good Christian fiction read!I loved Allie, but sometimes I wanted to shake her to get her to stop being so overprotective of her daughter, Betsy. But, at the same time, it was understandable why she was so terrified of something happening to her daughter after everything she has been through.4 out of 5 stars!

Another 4.5 stars. I wish it had a bit more faith in it. Still, clean, exciting, and we’ll written. Now on to the next!

I did enjoy each story in the series, however, they are very much cookie cutter which was disappointing. I would have much preferred different story lines throughout the series. I did like that the characters carried through from one book to the next and the writing was decent. All the stories have the same theme: young woman with 5 year old girl escapes danger meets hero, they start out with a marriage of convenience but fall in love overcoming the danger when it catches up with them. This was my 1st time reading Colleen Coble; like I said while the individual stories are good as a series the books are too much the same. Good bedtime reading though.