Josephine Nordegren is one of three sisters who grew up nearly wild in southwestern Colorado. She has the archery skills of Robin Hood and the curiosity of the Little Mermaid, fascinated by but locked away from the forbidden outside world–a world she’s been raised to believe killed her parents. When David Warden, a rancher, brings in a herd much too close to the girls’ secret home, her older … sister especially is frightened, but Jo is too interested to stay away.
David’s parents follow soon on his heels, escaping bandits at their ranch. David’s father is wounded and needs shelter. Josephine and her sisters have the only cabin on the mountain. Do they risk stepping into the world to help those in need? Or do they remain separated but safe in the peaks of Hope Mountain?
more
The cover of Aiming for Love by Mary Connealy captured my attention, and I couldn’t wait to read the story inside. I’m really glad I did. Connealy created conflict between three sisters who don’t know any better and the Warden’s. The external and internal conflict was different than anything I have ever seen before. And that says a lot because I read a lot. The conflict was driven majority by the characters who have never learned the proper way to interact with other humans. They were completely cut off from everyone else. I was fascinated with Jo ‘s story, and I’m really curious about Ursula’s story. She has major issues to work through. The romance between Jo and David was going on nicely and believable, but than Connealy wrote that they had their perfect happily-ever-after ending. Since this is a three-book series, I would have liked to see their relationship stretch a little more. Maybe be married in the second book or even the third book. Overall, Aiming for Love is a wonderful story on helping others when they need if even if you don’t honestly know them. A delight to spend a couple of hours with.
I received a complimentary copy of Aiming Love by Mary Connealy from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.
After hearing so many rave reviews for Mary Connealy’s writing I was excited to start at the beginning of a series with her. I found the premise intriguing and couldn’t wait to meet the characters. I have to admit to having some mixed feelings about it after reading though. While the story held my attention with plenty of adventure, it also felt too far-fetched. The characters were likable, but fell short of being realistic. With exception to Ursula, the abilities and personalities of the three Nordegren sisters didn’t seem to fit well with their background of living entirely separate from all other mankind. I did like however, that they confused the Bible with other stories they’d been taught as children because that was more believable. Taking some of the realism aside it was still a well written novel and the fast pace easily kept the pages turning.
Even though I had some mixed thoughts I still consider this worth the read and I’m glad I picked it up. If you can get past some of the realism issues I think historical fiction fans would enjoy it.
*I received a copy of this book through CelebrateLit. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.
Welcome to a brand-new series by Mary Connealy! Aiming for Love takes us to Hope Mountain in 1873 Colorado where we meet the Nordegren sisters who have been reared up high in the mountain by a set of grandparents who avoided civilization and taught them to fear the world outside of their cabin. With her trademark humor and easy-to-read writing style, the author paints a beautiful yet challenging backdrop of the untamed mountain as the three sisters meet the Warden family who are fleeing from those coming after their ranch in the “lowlands”. Jo, the middle sister, is the main character in this book and her musings about civilization and “other people” are thought-provoking and sometimes downright hilarious. Her curiosity, heart of gold, desire to help others and skill with living off the land endear her to Dave, the younger Warden brother.
There are plenty of struggles, physical and emotional and spiritual, as the Wardens forge their way in the wilderness of Hope Mountain with the help of the sisters. This is book one in the series and sets up quite a few secondary characters and scenarios that will likely come into play as the series progresses. If you enjoy historical fiction, especially set in the frontiers, you will love this book. I can’t wait to read the second book in the series where we’ll get to know the youngest sister Ilsa better.
I received a copy of the book from Bethany House Publishers via Celebrate Lit Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
Mary Connealy has created another winner! Aiming for Love has all of the ingredients that we’ve come to love in her books: laugh-out-loud fun, clean romance that will increase your heart rate, and a good dose of faith and inspiration. In this book she introduces us to three sisters who are unusual, to say the least. The Nordegren sisters have grown up high on a mountain in southwestern Colorado and have been isolated from society for the last ten years. Their parents died when they were young and their grandparents convinced their granddaughters that the outside world had caused their deaths. Josephine, Ilsa, and Ursula are now young women who excel in wilderness skills and in living off the land but know nothing about living with other people. And then, the outside world comes to them and Jo realizes that people in that ‘other world’ might not be so bad! And it’s obvious that rancher David Warden is intrigued by this young woman who ‘had eyes so light blue it was like looking into the stars shining in the night sky. Her hair white as moonlight.’ Could romance be coming to Hope Mountain?
This is such an entertaining story and I was especially impressed with Connealy’s ability to describe the Nordegren sister’s confusion about some of the phrases that Dave and his ranch hands use. Words and phrases that are so common to us seem so foreign to Jo and her sisters and their ability to combine Bible stories with fairy tales makes for some fun reading as Dave struggles with understanding just what Bible scripture Jo is talking about.
Aiming for Love has adventure, hope, inspiration, and the reminder that we all need each other. If you enjoy romantic comedy and Christian fiction, you will certainly enjoy this first book in the Brides of Hope Mountain. I am already wondering which Nordegren sister will be the next bride!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Mary Connealy and I am voluntarily sharing my thought in this review. These are my honest opinions.
Mary Connealy is one of my go-to authors, in other words one of my favorites, so when I found out she was writing a new series I could hardly wait for the release.
This is the first book in her new series, Brides of Hope Mountain.
This series centers around 3 sisters who grew up in the vast wilderness of southwestern Colorado widely known as Hope Mountain. As young children there parents went off the mountain, never returned and was assumed dead by their parents, so the raising of the children were left to the grandparents. Essentially they were taught to live off the land and to never venture off the mountain because of the wickedness and disease that was in the outside world.
This story vastly centers around the middle sibling, Josephine Nordegren. Some might think she’s wild because of her ability to slip through the forest without being noticed or maybe it was her cunning with a bow and arrow. She also has a curiosity about how things work or live an likes to sit back and watch.
Curiosity gets the best of Jo when a man, David Warden, brings a herd of cattle to the valley below their cabin. David longs for a ranch of his own and if he has to move up the mountain to do it, then he will. What he doesn’t expect to to find a half wild, but beautiful woman and his parents arrival soon after his with his father sporting a deadly gunshot wound. Now David knows he isn’t alone of the mountain and needs to protect his family from the bandits his father fought off at his homestead and his cattle.
This historical is an action packed adventure filled with innocence, humor, romance, mystery, and faith. Jo reminded my of Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games. She was a lovable character, deadly with an arrow, loves her family, but at the same time she isn’t afraid to try new things. David is like all people he wants something, land/ranch, to call is own. He’s not afraid of hard work or danger, but is intrigued/fascinated by Jo and her ability to live off the land completely. He loves and respects his parents as is evident by the way he treats them. The plot for me was very thought provoking. The thought of living away from civilization sounds very scary to me. I guess with the sisters you don’t miss something you haven’t experienced and when suddenly invaded by the outside world would be scary.
This is a book that I would recommend to anyone who loves history, romance or just a good clean read.
*I received this book from the author via the publisher as part of the book blogging team. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Oh what fun!
My rating is 4.5 stars
When Jo was caught sneaking into Dave’s camp, nobody’s life was ever the same again. I loved the way Dave was so appalled by Jo and yet so captivated by her at the same time. And bewildered at her strange behavior and beliefs.
The Nordegren sisters, having been isolated from the outside world by a grandmother who lived in fear of death and disease had a number of idiosyncrasies. Their ability to move through the forest so quietly even the woodland creatures didn’t notice their presence was one. Their strange speech and manner of quoting the Bible along with Aesop’s fables were yet another. While Jo and Ilsa had a fascination with the outside world, Ursula was terrified by it, having been more greatly influenced by their grandmother.
The sisters had to decide between surrendering to their fears and showing kindness to the Warden family when Dave’s father was injured. Then, when their greatest fear was realized, they had to again choose between hope and fear.
Ma Warden was a gem, especially the tactful way she dealt with the misunderstanding the sisters had concerning their “good books.” Her love and compassion were combined with wisdom.
Speaking of the “good books”. . . While making it clear the sisters were confused and that the Bible is the only infallible word of God, the story had some very funny sections where the confusion about the boy who cried wolf and wolves in sheep’s clothing had Dave’s head spinning and forgetting what was actually from the Bible and what was not. I laughed out loud as I read. Despite their confusion, the fact that the sisters revered God’s word, had such a large portion of it memorized (to the point they really thought they knew how to read!), and desired to live out the truths contained within were admirable.
If you have read Mary Connealy’s High Sierra Sweethearts series, then you are already familiar with the way she creates such quirky yet loveable characters. And then places them in familiar and yet unexpected circumstances making a very enjoyable story.
Now that I’ve met the Warden family and the Nordegren sisters and have seen the beginnings of this tale unfold, I’m excited to continue learning about them when Woman of Sunlight releases March 2020 followed by Ursula’s story whenever it comes out. I already have a hunch about who she might end up with but my aim could be completely off!
If you enjoy history and adventure, humor and romance, I highly recommend you read Aiming for Love.
Read my review of Aiming for Love by Mary Connealy at AmongTheReads.net
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
Aiming for Love is the first in Mary Connealy’s Brides of Hope Mountain series and if book one is any indication of the series, I can’t wait to read more! Connealy has a nice style of writing and kept my interest throughout the entire book. I was hooked from the beginning as the action starts right up and continues through the story, always keeping the reader wondering how in the world will things work out now. The characters are unique and likable. I really liked Ma Warden and her down-to-earth attitude and the wise way she dealt with the fears and idiosyncrasies of the self-sufficient Nordegren sisters. Jo, Ursula, and Ilsa, each with their own particular skills, lived in a land of grizzlies and mountain lions, lightning storms and blizzards and pretty much knew no fear. But to have strangers come and occupy their mountain was terrifying. Would they learn that not all folks from ‘down there’ bring trouble, sickness, and death? Think danger, suspense, a little romance and you have a recipe for an entertaining story. Aiming for Love is a captivating tale of family and faith, courage and love. Readers who enjoy historical romance will not want to miss this story.
I received a copy of the book through Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required and the opinions are my own. This review is part of a Celebrate Lit book tour.
This was one of my favorite books by Mary Connealy. I love the women of Hope Mountain. I loved Jo, Ilsa and Ursula. These three women have lived together on a mountain away from all other people since their grandfather died. They basically have honed their survival instincts and haven’t even talked to anyone else in 10 years. This story focuses on Jo and her finding Dave. This is very inspirational and full of hope. I can’t wait till the second book comes out in this series. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I’ll be honest here: when I first started reading the book, I thought it would be a Robin Hood type of retelling because I did not look at the picture closely or read the description. Completely my fault!!
This was my first book by Mary Connealy, and I have found a new favorite author! In Aiming for Love we are transported back in time to an era when anything could happen. Jo seems a little rough around the edges at first, but as the story progresses, she quickly became a favorite. I love how Mary Connealy touched on subjects and did not make them out to be just any old mountain people. Instead she opened our eyes to a possibility of why people were the way they were in that time period.
From the first time Jo sneaked around to the very last line, I loved this story! I am very excited to see that she will be making this into a trilogy and will be touching on each of the sisters because I want to see how their stories unfold as well!
I was provided a copy of this book through netgalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a review.
I am one happy reader here to have the opportunity read Mary Connealy’s first installment from her new series, Brides of Hope Mountain, Aiming for Love. I have loved her other books and this one does not disappoint. She has a way to bring on a inspiring story with fun and entertainment. It was great meeting Jo and her sisters. The story has a combination of suspense, mystery, delight, action, and adventure. And, of course, there is that well know Connealy humor mixed in there, as well.
I am giving Aiming for Love a very well deserved five plus stars. I would give it one hundred if I could. I can not wait to get my hands on the second installment from the Brides of Hope Mountain, Woman of Sunlight, releasing next spring. I am looking forward to it.
I highly recommend this book for readers who enjoy sweet and clean historical romance.
What an interesting story! Three sisters are living in the mountains alone after their Grandparents die. When a rancher brings his herd into the valley, Jo can’t stay away. She can move in the shadows and when David catches her… He has her attention and the story that follows is entertaining yet with a touch of danger that captured my attention and I did not want to put it down!
I was gifted a copy, no review was required. My review is voluntary.
“Aiming for Love” by Mary Connealy
Brides of Hope Mountain–Book 1
“Aiming for Love” will capture your heart. From the first page to the last it will grab you and take you on an wonderful adventure all over Hope Mountain in Colorado.
You will meet some amazing young women whose lifestyle is quite unusual. They are the three Nordegren sisters Josephine, Ilsa, and Ursula who have been living alone on Hope Mountain for years.
They are self sustaining and have never been off the mountain, they do not know anything about the outside world, and are fearful of people. Their greatest fears are realized with the unexpected arrival of men and cows on the mountain. Josephine is an expert with the bow and arrow and it is her curiosity that causes this story to unfold into a dramatic, but sweet romantic tale that only God could have orchestrated.
Throughout the story Mary Connely has weaved threads of love, faith, hope, fear, frustration and of course bits of humor. All these come together to create a novel that will leave you smiling, yet yearning for more.
This is an easy read, a page turner that you will find hard to put down. Once finished you will want to go back and re-read it because you won’t want to let the characters leave your mind. And, you will anxiously wait for book two to answer several questions that will be floating around in your head.
I hightly recommend this book to anyone who loves Western/Cowboy Romance novels. I was gifted this book by the author, but was not expected to give a favorable review. All comments are my own.
–Leona J. Atkinson
I absolutely loved this book. I loved all of the characters! This book made me laugh, but it also made me feel. I enjoyed the message about facing your fears and not letting them hold you back. I definitely can’t wait for the next book!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Aiming for Love is the first book in the Brides of Hope Mountain series by Mary Connealy and it is terrific. I find it nearly impossible to put down a book penned by this author and this book certainly was the same for me.
The Nordegren sisters are a bit unusual, having a fear of the outside world instilled in them by their grandmother. So, imagine their surprise and curiosity when Jo meets David Warden and his family who have made their way from the lowlands to Hope Mountain. The girls are certainly self-sufficient but Jo is curious about the family but more than that, she finds herself wanting to spend time with them much to her sister’s chagrin. Of course things are soon changed when the patriarch of the Warden family is wounded and is in need of medicine and shelter and the sisters are faced with the decision of keeping to themselves or opening up their home to David and his parents.
I absolutely adored how naïve the sisters are, it was refreshing to meet women who are truly innocent and unaffected by the trappings of the outside world. At the same time, I admired their inner strength and the fact that they took care of each other. Not only is this novel filled with endearing characters but as usual it’s infused with humor which this authors books always are.
I look forward to reading the next book in the series to see what happens next.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.
(You can find my full review at https://justjenniferpurcell.com/?p=1492)
Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Mary Connealy kicks off her newest series with her usual style: plenty of action, plenty of lovable characters, and enough mystery to make you keep reading.
Overall, Mary Connealy has crafted an entertaining, fast-paced read that will definitely keep you enthralled. I’m excited to read the rest of the books in the Brides of Hope Mountain series and see what becomes of Jo’s two sisters.
‘It was too perfect, a holy moment, as if they were closer to God up here. They were filled with the peace of the place.’
I never, ever miss a Mary Connealy book. No way, no how. She has been a favorite since the first book of hers I picked up. And nothing has changed since then. When I first saw the cover for this book, I fell in love with it. In fact, the covers for her last two series’ have been wonderfully done.
Connealy introduces us to the Nordegren sisters, Danish by blood, living alone in the Colorado mountains in a little hide away valley. They have been taught to fear the outside world, that it would bring sickness and death to them. So they’ve stayed put and lived off the land and their wits. Until one day, Jo (Josephine) tries to sneak into a camp of a few cowboys and their herd, hankering after a tin cup. David Warden, a rancher, catches her and hangs onto her till he can find out whether she is a real thief or not. Then his mother and father hurry into the camp, with a thousand head of cattle behind them, and someone has shot his father. Just so happens Jo’s sister Ilsa is well versed in healing. So thusly these two families meet. What happens next is all Mary Connealy. She can weave a tale of the old West like no other. I’ve always loved her cowboy comedies and I will never tire of them. There is a lot of good stuff in here, too, and she describes it all well: the pristine snowy winter of the Colorado mountains, how well these folks can track in the snow, how these sisters each have great strengths and talents, and on I could go. But just read it. I highly recommend this book. I can’t wait for the next Nordegren sister’s story!
*My thanks to Bethany House Publishers for a complimentary copy of this book through Net Galley. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
As always Mary has written another fun loving book with just the right amount of humor.
I love Mary’s books for this reason because she makes me feel like I’m in the book with the characters.
Whenever she writes a great story she pulls me in from the beginning to end. I spent a lovely afternoon by myself just giggling and snickering at David and Josephine. Mary does an awesome job with these two.
We once were going to move to a place called King’s mountain. It was pretty much described like Hope mountain was. Isolated, nearest town was 20 min away. Railroad tracks were behind the cabin on a hill so I pretty much didn’t like that at all!! I’m so very glad we didn’t move there! It was at least 1 hr and 30 min drive to Lexington. No thanks!
You will truly delight in this adventure yes I call every book an adventure. But I can’t tell u enough how much I enjoy her stories.
I encourage y’all to give this book a try. It’s super good!!
My thanks to Bethany House and Netgalley for a copy of this book. NO compensations were received and all opinions are my own.
I enjoyed reading this love story of Jo and Dave who met on Hope Mountain in Colorado. No was one of three sisters who learned to survive by living off the land after their parents and grandparents died. Dave had discovered new land in the mountains above his parents ranch before finding out about the three sisters who had been living there all their lives. I highly recommend this book as a clean Christian romance with a HEA ending and no cliffhanger.
This was a sweet romance. Jo & her sisters have an interesting lifestyle. I could almost see the mountains of Colorado in the beautiful descriptions.
I didn’t read the books in this series in the proper order. Didn’t matter. I enjoyed them all anyway. However, reading them in the right order will help it all make even better sense. This is a delightful, original series about three sisters who grow up far from civilization. It’s so fun to see how each meets the man that is just right for her. I highly recommend these novels.