A while back my great-aunt passed away, and somehow my grandpa ended up with two boxes full of books. Almost all of them are ‘inspirational’ romances published by Harlequin as ‘Love Inspired’. At one point (not sure if you still can) you could subscribe and have a new book mailed to you every month. Aunt Darby did just that, and now I’m in possession of somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 or so of these ‘Love Inspired’ titles. Most of them are pretty cheesy but alright for a one-time fluff read. I’m sure that I’ll binge through some of them periodically. They’re perfect to grab out of the crate when I’m just looking for a quick, no-brainer book. However, most of them will probably end up exiting this house after that one-time read, because they just aren’t worth the shelf space to me. So if there’s one that sounds especially appealing to you… let me know, and I’ll be quite happy to mail you a gift! ;-)
After my last batch of these, back in the spring, I realized that overall I just wasn’t really enjoying them that much and there was no way that I genuinely wanted to read the bajillion that I had left. So I’ve been handing them off in goodwill shops and anywhere else that will take some books, and the pile is slowly whittling down.
However, I did have a few stacks that were actual entire series of books that all the books in that series had been in the original boxes that Grandpa gave me. I decided that I would keep those because I can always read the first book and then get rid of all of them if it looks like the whole series is going to be lame. And this is how I ended up reading the Rocky Mountain Heirs, a series of six books, each written by a different author.
- The Nanny’s Homecoming by Linda Goodnight – 3.5* – 2011
- The Sheriff’s Runaway Bride by Arlene James – 3.5* – 2011
- The Doctor’s Family by Lenora Worth – 3* – 2011
- The Cowboy’s Lady by Carolyne Aarsen – 3.5* – 2011
- The Loner’s Thanksgiving Wish by Roxanne Rustand – 3.5* – 2011
- The Prodigal’s Christmas Reunion by Kathryn Springer – 4* – 2011
It’s kind of fun because these were originally published as part of the mail order deal, where you get a book each months, so they came out six months in a row, and each one was published/distributed in the month that it takes place.
So basically the whole story takes place in a small town in Colorado called Clayton. The town was founded by a Clayton, but several decades ago there was a kerfluffle between two brothers, George and Samuel. George ended up with money/property that may or may not have been gotten as an illegal gain from Samuel. This has set off a feud that has lasted down through the next two generations, with Samuel’s family angry, bitter, and causing trouble with George’s family.
The first book starts when the family is coming together to listen to George’s will. His six grandchildren (hint: that’s why there are six books) are stunned to find out that while they thought their grandpa was barely getting by, he was actually very, very rich. He’s left all his money to his grandchildren… as long as they are willing to come back to Clayton and live for at least a full year. Since all of them except one fled their hometown as soon as they were able to, none of them are sure that they want to make the commitment. Of course they all end up doing it, and each book is about a different one of the grandchildren and their arrival/adjustment back into Clayton. It will come to no shock to anyone to learn that each of them discovers love and contentment in the process.
These aren’t the kind of books that you read if you are looking for something exciting or unexpected. Like a Hallmark movie, these books unfold exactly as you expect them to. They are perfect if you are just looking for something mindlessly relaxing. Honestly, there has been a lot of chaos in my life over the last few weeks, so these books were great.
All of these books were a bit melodramatic, and the villains could be a smidge over the top. I also didn’t really like the way that the authors did just kind of write of Samuel’s descendants as troublemakers and there wasn’t a lot of resolution there. Despite the fact that the books were each written by a different author, they flowed together well, and recurring characters seemed consistent. Of course, these aren’t books with a great deal of depth, but still.
I will say that I don’t think these books would have made much sense unless you read them together. There are a lot of strands that run strongly from one book into the next, so even though they are each independent stories, they still definitely make more sense read in order.
While the Rocky Mountain Heirs series isn’t going to win any awards for being groundbreaking literature, they are still peaceful and enjoyable stories with likable characters. The Christian themes throughout are presented in a gentle and natural way, and I enjoyed seeing each of the grandchildren find their true love.
The Aroma of Books 