Prairie Fire by Catherine Palmer

Book two in the Town Called Hope series, this books picks right up where the first one ended. In this book we follow Catrin Murphy an Irish immigrant and Jack Cornwall. If you have already read book one then you know that Jack Cornwall is Chipper's uncle and he devoted a lot of time to tracking Seth Hunter and Chipper down to reclaim his dead sister's son. Book one ended with Jack giving up and heading back home. This book picks up with Jack hiding out in the O'Toole's barn because he is injured and Catrin finding him and nursing him a bit in secret. The have a strong attraction to each other but Catrin had a strong faith in God and Jack doesn't. Jack leaves but promises to come back. While gone his faith in God is strengthened and he realizes that he needs to make changes in his life if he has a future with Catrin. Jack returns to Hope with his mom and "crazy" sister in tow. I don't want to spoil any more of the story so lets just say there are a lot of misadventures and prejudices along the way. The author shows a different side of the inhabitants of Hope and how many people, even Christians, can hold on to prejudices. The character development was better in the first book and I would have liked more background on both Mrs Cornwall and Lucy but still a great story. I loved the turn of events at the end of the book and look forward to the next installment!

Prairie Rose by Catherine Palmer

A Town Called Hope, the inspiring series set in post Civil War Kansas, is the creation of best-selling romance writer Catherine Palmer. In the fast-paced Prairie Rose, impulsive nineteen-year-old Rosie Mills takes a job caring for the young son of widowed homesteader Seth Hunter in order to escape the orphanage in which she was raised. Rosie's naive view of love and her understanding of what it means to have a Father in heaven are quickly put to the test. Afraid of being wounded again, Seth struggles to freely open his heart—to his hurting son, to a woman's love, and to a Father who will not abandon him. Together Rosie and Seth must face the harsh uncertainties of prairie life—and the one man who threatens to destroy their happiness.

This is one of the best Christian romance books I have read. I liked that there was a lot of reference to God and scripture, you don't see a lot of that and it was very refreshing. I also enjoyed watching Rosie "grow up" throughout the book. Even though the book doesn't span a great amount of time, we watch Rosie transform from a 19 year old "kid" into a woman, taking care of young Chipper, transforming Seth's soddie into a home, and helping to transform their settlement into a real town. I won't go into much detail because I don't want to spoil it for you but if you like Christian romance this series is definately for you. I am looking foreward to reading the next installment Prairie Fire.