Have you read SEEING DAYLIGHT by Tanya Hanson?

Purchase Link: Amazon & Pelican Book Group

A beautiful attorney widowed by a foolhardy man...a successful builder vanquishing guilt over his wife's death. Can they rebuild faith and find love enough to give each other and their kids a happy home together?

About Seeing Daylight

Sixteen months since the foolish death of her husband, attorney Rachel Martin aches to move on as much as she fears the future. Her three-year-old son deserves a dad, but can she chance losing another man she loves? Especially if he's careless of her feelings and impetuous in action?

Cutting back on her practice and living back at her childhood ranch means her son has all the attention he needs, but she wants to heal and strike out on her own. Finding love again is the last thing on her mind...until she meets Brayton Metcalf.

After years of self-blame for his wife's death in a plane crash he piloted, Brayton Metcalf, successful businessman, gets his life on track. When he brings his daughter to Hearts Crossing Ranch for therapy riding lessons, he is drawn to Rachel right away even as she backs off. He must whittle away at her doubts as well as put to rest ten years of his own guilt. Even as he keeps necessary secrets and jumps headfirst into a decision that affects Rachel's family, the couple draws together as renewed faith and shared griefs burgeon into true love.

Sharing my thoughts:
Second chances at romance, precious kids, and a return visit to the Hearts Crossing Ranch where "white-tipped peaks peered down on plump hills still wearing summer tans." Wow! How could I resist? I couldn't wait to dig into this book. 

"I need another husband like I need...like I need a rash on my backside during a trail ride." Ha! Do you get the idea Rachel isn't looking for love? Her risk-taking husband hadn't been dead two years when widower Brayton Metcalf shows up at the ranch along with daughter, Addie, who blames her dad for her mother's death. Well, he blames himself too, but after ten years, he's ready to bury the past, along with his guilt, and move on. Rachel's not quite there yet, and it takes a little convincing on his part. But that's all good, right?

"People can let their love die, let their relationships wither for stupid reasons--or even important reasons. But you fix it. Or at least try. Not like somebody dying and you never get another chance." Such a powerful reminder to make every day count with our loved ones, not to allow trivial matters to destroy relationships. Reminders that we all need occasionally, don't you think? I loved these little goodies that were sprinkled throughout the story.

Full of pre-teen angst, emotional depth and breathtaking imagery, my only complaint is that at 144 pages, Seeing Daylight just wasn't long enough! Since I believe this was the last book in the Hearts Crossing Ranch series, I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the Martin clan. :) Overall, Seeing Daylight is perfect for toting to the beach or curling up on the couch for a few hours on a Friday evening. 

Tanya Hanson

Disclaimer: Sending a big thank you to the author for allowing me the privilege of reviewing Seeing Daylight and for the free copy I received in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. This opinion is my own, and I received no compensation.

Meet Tanya Hanson... 

After a career as a high school English teacher, Tanya Hanson writes both inspirational and secular Western romances. A native Californian, she thanks God daily for the blessings of good health, a happy home, and exciting travels. Two little grandsons, the movie Frozen, and volunteering at the local horse rescue are her most favorite things!
www.tanyahanson.com
www.petticoatsandpistols.com
Tanya Hanson Author, http://tinyurl.com/ak5xqb5

My Review of CLAIMING HIS HEART by Tanya Hanson

Claiming His Heart
Purchase Link

About the book: Caught between a noose and a gold mine cave-in, Tulsa Sanderson must do anything within his power to prove his outlaw brother’s innocence…even if it means marrying a gold miner’s daughter he just met. Tulsa needs every nugget and flake he can pull from beautiful Charmlee’s worn-out claim, but he sure doesn’t need a wife! Charlotte Amalie lost her heart, her virtue, and her money to the last disreputable outsider who passed through her peaceful California valley months ago. She has no desire and no choice but to wed the handsome stranger who arrives, bearing a mysterious letter that will change both their lives forever. Charmlee and Tull each have plans of their own. He’s set on raising quick money to save his brother’s life—a secret he isn’t going to share. She’s determined to leave the valley to find a new life for herself and medical treatment for her own brother. Marriage would put an end to the plans they’ve each worked so hard for, but is there a bigger dream for the future ahead that they can’t see? Trusting comes hard for them both, but Charmlee realizes it’s the only way to stake her claim on what’s really important— CLAIMING HIS HEART.

Sharing my thoughts:

"Something warm and soft touched Tull head to toe. Like somebody had dripped honey down his back. This picture of friends helping out when they had tasks and busy days of their own was no mirage at all. After tending Reno for who knew how long, Miz Trudy still remained to help Charmlee even as Zeal expected a large shipment. And Miz Maudie, herself a new bride, had a homestead and husband out at the Pine Tree mine.

Yet, here they were. True community...A fine little town of good folks, this Spiggleville, this out-of-the-way settlement long used up, but not used up at all."

Claiming His Heart transports you back to the gold rush days in California, to a tight-knit mining community called Spiggleville. Neighborly folks all come together to help each other out when times get tough, and believe me, things get plenty rough in this story. You'll be drawn in and won't want to leave!

Tull's pa named all his kids after places like Tulsa, Bronx, Reno and Charlotte. Yep. You read that correctly. A twist I didn't see coming, and it's not what you're thinking. You'll have to read the book to figure that one out. :) 

"What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, 

in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me."

"Since then, Tull did fear. Never trusted. Never prayed."

Both Tull and Charmlee reminisce on this verse as the tragedies keep piling up. Hanson does a great job keeping you furiously flipping pages, ramping up the conflict, leaving you wondering if Charm and Tull will ever cast aside their past hurts and finally open up and trust God and each other. Claiming His Heart kept me reading through all the busyness of the Christmas season. It's the perfect book to curl up with in front of a crackling fire, a sweet romance with enough kindling to warm you more than the fire. But when summer rolls around, it should also be the first book you pack to take to the beach!

Disclaimer: Sending a big thank you to the author, Tanya Hanson, and Prairie Rose Publications for providing me with a review copy of Claiming His Heart. The opinions expressed here are my own, and I received no compensation.

SANCTUARY by Tanya Hanson ~ Sharing My Review

About the Book~

A beautiful plus-one at a wedding, a hunky cowboy..autumn leaves and rugged horse trails. The perfect setting to unite two healing souls... 

Ranch foreman and single dad Hooper Martin is ready to put his health and life back on track after battling cancer...including re-entering the dating scene. His little girl sure could use a mother. Falling hard for wedding guest Malia Cameron makes perfect sense to him: she's a survivor, too. 

Mallie has put her heart on hold, knowing she will never recover from her struggle with a brain tumor. She can't promise a future to anybody and vows never to fall in love. Letting Hooper Martin into her life would be a big mistake. But his good looks take her breath away, and his living faith starts to gentle her confusion about Who's really in charge.

Sharing My Humble Opinion~

Mallie Cameron arrives at Hearts Crossing Ranch as her brother's plus-one for a wedding, aiming for a weekend flirtation with a cute cowboy. That's all she will allow herself since she has GBM, Glioblastoma Multiform. Even if the dreaded disease is in remission, without a cure, she won't risk falling in love when she faces a death sentence.

Although Hooper (Hoop) Martin beat testicular cancer, he still worries about his daughter, Ella. Since his wife deserted them shortly after Ella's birth, what would happen to Ella if the cancer decided to return with a vengeance? When Mallie shows up at Hearts Crossing, he falls hard for the city slicker in pink-toed boots, but while Hoop leans on his faith, Mallie finds it "hard to accept a God who allowed perfectly decent, innocent people" to suffer. 

I felt that the author tackled a tough topic with sensitivity, and characterized Mallie and Hoop with realistic emotions and reactions. They must work through plenty of separate issues, including their faith, to find their happily-ever-after. 

With Hanson's vivid descriptions, prepare to be transported to a remote ranch set against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. At 155 pages, Sanctuary is the perfect size to read in a few hours. You'll be simultaneously entertained and encouraged, and alternate between laughing and tugging at the tissues. My only wish is that Sanctuary packed a few more pages, so I could savor the romance longer! But I'd pick it up and read it again, sure as shootin'!

Purchase Link

Disclaimer: I won this book at the Petticoat and Pistols blog, as a free gift from the author for a comment left on the blog. I received no monetary compensation for this review, and the opinions expressed are mine.

FAITHFUL DANGER by Tanya Hanson

What happens when a hot cowboy turned P.I. falls for the woman he's hunting? And what if she's nothing like he expected, everything he's always wanted, and pushes him towards a faith he's long since forgotten? Find out in Faithful Danger!

After her husband's financial crimes and suicide, Caffey Matthews leaves behind her wealthy Manhattan life-knowing her husband's enemies are in pursuit. Frightened and alone, Caffey hides her identity and finds succor in the remote California ranch land, which helps her to reclaim faith and trust in God.

Believing Caffey is involved in her late husband's misdeeds, cowboy-turned high-priced private investigator Rhee Ryland arrives in Rancho Lorena ready to haul her back to justice. He doesn't expect to fall in love with her. Even more surprising is his return to his childhood Lord.

Want to read an excerpt?Locked in the trunk of the car!

Caffey battled to stay calm, to breathe normally, to hold down panic. To conserve air. The compartment wasn’t air tight, but heat and hyperventilation could kill. Lord, keep me safe, she begged. But even knowing He was at her side, she had to figure out what to do by herself.

Breathe deep, slow. Breathe deep, slow. Amazingly, she did know what to do. Everett had borne a pathological fear that one day, either one of them might be kidnapped and held to ransom. Now, he was the abductor. Her lip quivered, and she swallowed tears.

Scrunched into a bundle of bones and hot, tightened skin, she widened her eyes in the darkness to try to detect a glow-in-the-dark-handle. Spirits deflating, she understood the car wasn’t a late model with a required trunk release. Just in case, she groped with her fingers to try for a toggle switch or button.

Nothing. Her heart flew into her throat, and she concentrated on easing the pain in her cramped shoulders. Maybe, just maybe the backseat would fold down. Doubtful she’d find a release in the trunk, she explored anyway with her fingertips, then unsuccessful, tried to unwind her legs enough to push the seat down. It didn’t give a centimeter.

Panic started to roil, but she refused to let it. A Psalm of David dashed through her mind. Keep my soul and deliver me, for I put my trust in You. The words had saved her before, too many times to count, and a smidge of relief skittered through her. The Lord wouldn’t let her face this alone.

Wow! Faithful Danger looks like it packs a punch! Now let's find out a little about Tanya.

What does a normal workday look like for you? I am lucky to have been able to retire early from my career as a high school English teacher, and I’m more “lark” than “owl,” so early mornings are not really my thing. I like leisurely mornings over the newspaper and coffee with my hubby. I get to the computer about nine thirty a.m. Since I nearly lost him to cancer three years ago, we love hanging out together, and often go to lunch and run errands after I write for a while. Then I get back to it in the afternoon. I also like to ride my Exerbike or actual bike, do Wii yoga, take a walk, or do Zumba (Latin American aerobics) with my neighbor galpals in the afternoon or early evening. I especially enjoy Zumba because writing is pretty isolating.

In general, I don’t have a regular time line for writing or a daily word count goal. I think I’m reacting to the very structured way of life in the high school classroom. I enjoy flexibility now. Of course I am way busy and disciplined when I’ve got a pending deadline. Which I actually do now LOL. The seventh in the Hearts Crossing Ranch Series. My editor and I have fine-tuned the synopsis, and I’ve gotten a good start.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?I’m a bit of both, especially since I sold my HCR series on synopsis. I need to stick with the program…but there are always surprises along the way. Nothing is ever static. I get ideas and inspirations all the time and have plenty of leeway as the synopsis are pretty skeletal. I can really flesh them out.

What are some of your favorite things to do when you’re not writing?
Most of all, I love hanging out with my four year old grandson and traveling with my hubby. We spent two weeks in Hawaii not long ago and are bound for Washington DC and other historic spots like Gettysburg, Jamestown, Williamsburg and Philadelphia in the fall. Oh, I’m getting another baby grandson in November!

Least favorite?
Trying to lose weight LOL. I am a chocoholic and cookie monster. I’m actually powering down some Chips A Hoy while I write this.

If you had a Friday night all to yourself, what would you do?
Curl up with my Kindle or watch a Hallmark movie. Either way, there will be a steaming cup of Café Francais by my side.

Where can readers find your books? 
My books are all available on Kindle, most e-book outlets, and through The Wild Rose Press (where I have a historical Western series going on) or White Rose Publishing. I blog first and third Wednesdays at the all-western romance site, Petticoats and Pistols. I have two blogspots, but finding time to keep them flowing is hard. For over a year, I’ve had quite a few deadlines and edits, with the eight-book Hearts Crossing Ranch series and several other books in the works. (Sanctuary, which released about three weeks ago, is the fourth book in the HCR series, one story for each of eight siblings.)

It had been both emotionally rewarding and totally mind-boggling to have two books released just three weeks apart. Whew. You can find me here: please sign the guest book and leave comments!

http://www.tanyahanson.com/

http://tanyahanson.blogspot.com/

http://heartscrossingranch.blogspot.com/

http://www.petticoatsandpistols.com/

Thanks for inviting me here, Dora. I hope you and your readers join me at Petticoats and Pistols tomorrow for a chance to win a pdf copy of Faithful Danger. I’ll pull one commenter’s name from the Stetson. Hope to see you all there. www.petticoatsandpistols.com

I’d love y’all to “like” my AUTHOR PAGE at Facebook, too.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tanya-Hanson-author/221563541211944?sk=wall