Kate Tenney has lived in the city all her life, but she’s written about life on a ranch, so hard can it be? Well, if you don’t count the cows, or the stubborn horses, it’s not that bad. Or the teasing of the ranch hands. Then there are the cacti. You have to watch the cacti. They’re sneaky. But aside from that, it’s all fun and games. Then you throw in a sweet and handsome blacksmith, his meddlesome-but-well-meaning aunts, and the most inept outlaw west of the Mississippi, and you have a delightful adventure.

Between falling off her horse and falling for Luke, poor Kate can’t get her bearings. She’s quite sure she has what it takes to become heiress of Last Chance Ranch. All she has to do is survive her four-month trial period. The clause forbidding her to ever marry really isn’t a problem. She’s been abandoned by men all her life. She’s not about to start trusting one now. Kate has to decide if she wants to put her faith in the land that can never leave her, or in God and in the man who loves her.

This was such a fun book to read. There were a few serious moments, and I did feel sad for Kate, and for Eleanor, too. But most of the story is one humorous scene after another. The message of God’s faithfulness was in the background of the whole book, but I didn’t find it preachy at all, even though Kate’s ranching mentor, Ruckus was constantly talking about God and quoting scripture. Brownley wrote Ruckus so that was just part of who he was and it came across completely natural and fit right into the story. I was a little sad to see it end so I’m thrilled that we haven’t seen the last of the Cactus Patch residents. The second book, Waiting for Morning, will be out in January 2013.

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Review of Dawn Comes Early by Margaret Brownley

Katherine Tenney has arrived in Cactus Patch, Arizona in 1895 on a Southern Pacific train from Boston. She has answered an ad in the paper that was "Looking for a woman of good character and pleasant disposition willing to learn the ranching business in Arizona Territory. Must be SINGLE and prepared to remain so now and forever more. Will be given ownership of ranch. Eleanor Walker". Because Kate had a history of disappointment from men, like her father and grandfather, also from her mother, she knew she would never marry. Kate was a writer of "dime novels" or potboilers as they were called here but her last book had been banned in Boston and she had nowhere to turn. Both parents had died and she was alone.
Her arrival was at a bad time as she arrived while Cactus Joe ( I pictured Jack Elam, one of my favorite actors), was causing problems again and most people were in hiding. The man who was to take her to the ranch had left when the problem occurred but the blacksmith, Luke Adams, took her to the ranch.
Luke's parents had died when he was young and his aunts, Lula-Belle and Bessie, raised Luke and his brother, Michael.
Her "training" to become a heiress began the next day and it was grueling. Breakfast was served between 4 AM and 5 AM. At 5 AM the ranch hands said their daily prayer and always asked for rain.
Kate had ridden a horse in Boston, but not like these horses. When Ruckus took her to get a saddle, he asked her "Western" or "Mexican" and Kate though as a blonde, she would think he would know she was not Mexican. This was a new world of words for her. She was college educated and used long words which confused the men. When Ruckus told her horse's name was Decker, she asked if it was for the English author, Thomas Deckker but Ruckus told her it was because he was the slowest horse and was on the "bottom of the deck".
The names of the ranch hands had barn names: Ruckus, Stretch, O.T. for some. Eleanor Walker was " the Boss Lady"; for a man it would have been "Old Man". The one name that surprised Kate was for God; He was called "Forever Man". She was dubbed "Goldilocks" by Ruckus.
Ruckus was in charge and even though he gave Kate lots of hard chores, mucking the barn as one of her first chores, he seemed to be on her side. This was not going to be easy to become the heiress; some who answered the ad only lasted for a day or so.
Luke is the main male character in the book. His aunts are concerned he has not married and he is already 30 years old. Michael is younger and more interested in writing than helping Luke in the blacksmith shop. Bessie is married to Murphy and Lula-Belle is married to Sam, who taught Luke about blacksmithing. I really liked these two wonderful mother-hen aunts.
This is such a good feel book and a well done Christian love story. This is a part of the country where God and the Lord is important to people and they are not afraid to show it.
There are some sad moments but lots of laughs and also confusing moments.
God invented night said Bessie so "we older folks can enjoy the benefits of youth without seeing how awful we look". They were discussing perfumes and satin unmentionables because the aunts had been reading Kate's banned book, Miss Hattie's Dilemma, which Lula-Belle had ordered. Bessie does not want to look like a painted lady and does not want to wear satin items. Lula-Belle has decided to order hers from Montgomery Ward; she wants to bring some spark back into her marriage. This book becomes part of the story in the book.
Other words that connected with me personally were dust storms or Arizona dusters; in West Texas we call them sandstorms. My high school, Monahans, school paper is called the Sandstorm. I have not heard the term.,"You best watch it" in Minnesota (where I now live), I "fancy" you, I have a "hankering" for you, a bowl of "fluffy white potatoes" sounded like something my father, who was born in Oklahoma, would say, "chipped cup" sounded so in place where Kate was at one time and Monday is washday. Uncle Murphy said "a drop (of rain) every 6 inches. My mother used to say " we had ten drops of rain" in Monahans; she was form Colorado where they had lots of rain. Ruckus says "Us western folks are easy to understand. You ought to know that by now. We may not always say what we mean but we always mean what we say".
There is a Reading Study Guide at the back of the book. This would make a good book for book clubs. I am recommending Dawn Comes Early to a friend who winters in Tucson and also belongs to a book club there.
I wish to thank Thomas Nelson Publishers, booksneeze.com and the author, Margaret Brownley for this complimentary book to read and review. Because is such a good read and not a complicated book to read, I am giving it a 5 star. Dawn Comes Early is one of a series of A Brides of Last Chance Ranch Novels.
Leona Olson
mnleona.blogspot.com ( )

Kate Tenney, from Boston, finds herself answering an ad that reads, " 'HEIRESS WANTED' Looking for hardworking, professional woman of good character and pleasant disposition willing to learn the ranching business in Arizona Territory. Must be single and prepared to remain so now and forevermore." Kate finds herself in Cactus Patch, Arizona determined to be the person that can fulfill all the requirements of the ad. What she wasn't counting on though was the handsome, trustworthy and caring Luke Adams, who was the town's blacksmith. Kate is determined though that men cannot be counted on or trusted so she does everything she can to fight her feelings for Luke.

This book had alot of very interesting characters throughout the story. The ranch hands, Luke's two aunts, and the town villian, Cactus Joe. They all kept the story interesting. This was a lighthearted read for me. It was not a page turner and can't put it down until I see how it will end, but I really did like the ending and the loving and endearing way Luke showed Kate how much he cared. I want to thank BookSneeze for sending me this book for review.
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 13, 2012)
ISBN-10: 1595549684
ISBN-13: 978-1595549686 ( )

After a dime novel she'd written was banned, Kate Tenney finds herself on the way to the Arizona Territory to answer add to become heiress to a large cattle ranch. Eleanor Walker wants someone who will make the ranch their life and promise to not only learn ranching, but also never to marry. For Kate, that is not a problem. She doesn't trust men at all since all the ones she's known have walk out of her life. She's not at all acquainted with the hard work ranching requires but she is determined to make it happen. Luke Adams comes to Kate's rescue the first day she's in town. He shows her kindness and is not at all like any man she's met before. He makes her feel things she's never felt before. Kinda like the 'toe curling' feelings she wrote about in her novels. So which will she choose? The Last Chance Ranch or Luke Adams?

You can always expect a fun adventure when you pick up a Margaret Brownley book. Dawn Comes Early is no exception. Kate and Luke are really fun to get to know. The way Kate learned ranching was not only funny but seemed very natural. I thoroughly enjoyed Luke's aunts. They were a hoot and had me laughing out loud more than once, especially toward the end. One character I particularly appreciated was Ruckus. He had such great faith and wisdom. It wasn't just what he said but the way he said it. He provided Kate with many teachable moments that we as readers could also relate to. The ending was cute and there is a hint as to the next installment. Also, the author gives you a little 'dime novel' history, at the end, which was fun. If you enjoy a good western romp then I recommend Dawn Comes Early! A thank you goes to Booksneeze for providing this complimentary copy for my review.
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 13, 2012)
ISBN-10: 1595549684
ISBN-13: 978-1595549686 ( )