Swept Away by Mary Connealy

Swept Away is the first book of Mary Connealy's that I have read. It is also the first book in the series Trouble in Texas.

About the Story -
Swept away when her wagon train attempts a difficult river crossing, Ruthy MacNeil isn't all that upset at being separated from the family who raised her. All they've ever done is work her to the bone. She prayed for a chance to get away, and then came the raging flood. Alive but disoriented, she's rescued by Luke Stone...so unfortunately, there are more chances to die in her immediate future.

Luke is heading home to reclaim the ranch stolen from his family. But the men who killed his father are working hard to ensure Luke doesn't make it alive. He has no choice but to keep moving. Still, he can't just abandon Ruthy, so she'll have to come along.

His friends--a ragtag group of former Civil War soldiers--take a fast interest in the pretty gal. Luke thinks that's rather rude--he's the one who found her. And the more time he spends around the hard-working young woman who is a mighty good cook, the more he finds himself thinking beyond revenge and toward a different future. For the first time in a long time, Luke is tempted to turn from his destructive path and be swept away by love.

My thoughts -
At the beginning of the story I had a really hard time getting into the book, but as it went on the harder it was for me to put down the book. The very end was the best with all the action in regaining the ranch. I love history so I enjoyed the back story of how Luke and all his friends met when they were prisoner's in Andersonville Confederate Prison. They all then moved to help him regain his ranch that was stolen. I hope to get to know them better in the future books of this series. Ruthy was a wonderful character that had been through a lot and I loved seeing her get right in the action of it all.  If you enjoy western or historical fiction and romance then you will enjoy this book.

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers for an honest review.