The Colony by Cami Checketts
To protect her sons from the mistakes of her past, Brinlee Trapper escapes to a secluded mountain home. But there are dangers lurking in the mountains she has never encountered. The little family is saved from injury by Jed, a mysterious hunter. Brinlee is drawn to him, but she worries about his involvement with a peaceful commune hidden deep in the mountains behind her property. Lance, Brinlee’s attentive neighbor, has his own troubled history. Between his obvious attraction to Brinlee and his developing love for her children, Brinlee finds it more than difficult to guard her heart
against this tender intrusion. While Jed offers a life of excitement and freedom, Lance holds the key to the family Brinlee always wanted. When it comes time to choose, she learns that both men have secrets that could shatter her fledgling trust in men and the wrong decision could leave more than her heart exposed to danger.
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My Thoughts:
I liked this clean romance novel. Centered around a single
mother of two young boys, one six year old and one just under a year old, who
has move away from her home town to start over. She has come from two bad relationships
and her children have two different fathers. Her parents are missionaries and
have not been around since she was about seven years old.
Brinlee is an independent young woman who has straightened
herself out and is determined to be a good mother to her young children. She
has left her hometown because the reputation she had there was making it
difficult for her to raise her children there without stigma. But in this new
town in Northern Utah, with lots of nature around, things seem to be going
well.
Of course, the first thing that happens in the book that
grabs your attention and keeps you turning page after page is an attack by a
mountain lion. Brinlee is a courageous and fast-thinking young woman when faced
with danger. But it certainly helps to have a stranger with a gun appear when
there is a mountain lion around. Jed comes to the rescue from seeminly out of
nowhere and shoots the beast, literally saving Brinlee from out of the lion’s
jaws.
Once home, we meet Lance, the Brinlee’s handsome Native
American neighbour, who always seems willing and available to lend a hand when
Brinlee needs some help. And after the mountain lion attack, she needs help for
a few days with the boys. Lance tests baby Michael’s blood sugar (he’s
diabetic), fixes and feeds him his bottle, helps put the boys to bed, does
dishes and laundry, carries Brinlee up to her room at night and doesn’t expect
anything in return. He even goes home at night like an honourable man.
Jed is mysterious. He won’t say much about himself to
Brinlee. He lives up in the wilderness in the canyon in a colony of people who
don’t want anything to do with the government or the law. His group doesn’t
allow children, but he is determined to have Brinlee join the group.
I found this to be a very engaging novel that kept my
attention from beginning to end. I really liked Brinlee and the fact that she
had learned her lesson about men and was trying to live her life without
jumping into bed with every man that met her fancy. I loved that she had decided
to abstain until she found someone that she loved and married. The only thing
about her that I did not care for was the way she referred to her son in his
presence ‘“At least the little fart
cooled me off,” she said”’.
I absolutely loved Lance. I suppose that most people think
that there are no men who are as helpful as Lance, but there really are. I
know, because I am married to one, and reading about Lance reminded me of just
how wonderful the man I married is.
I was surprised at the things that the colony was involved
in….sort of. I guess what I was surprised at was that not all the members knew
about it – not even the second in command. That seemed a little unrealistic to
me. But it does explain how they could make sure that a woman who chose to keep
a child she got pregnant with and decided to rejoin mainstream society could be
set up well enough not to be left in poverty.
This was a clean romance novel. There was a lot of kissing
it towards the end (perhaps too much near the end), but it never went beyond
that. I liked the contrast between the honorable Lance and the lustful Jed.
This was an engaging read with some good themes for
discussion. I gave this book 4 stars out of five.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair
and honest review. A favourable opinion was not required. All thoughts are my
own.
Author Cami CheckettsCami Checketts is married and the proud mother of four future WWF champions. Sometimes between being a human horse, cleaning up magic potions, and reading Bernstein Bears, she gets the chance to write fiction. Cami graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Exercise Science.
Cami teaches strength training classes at her local rec and shares healthy living tips on her fitness blog: http://fitnessformom.blogspot.com.
Cami and her family live in the beautiful Cache Valley of Northern Utah. During the two months of the year it isn’t snowing, she enjoys swimming, biking, running, and water-skiing.
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Thank you for the fun review!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Cami
You are most welcome. Excellent book!
ReplyDelete