LONESTAR SANCTUARY was my second read by Colleen Coble, and it will definitely not be my last. Ms. Coble writes great romantic suspense, and what's even better - she writes great Christian romantic suspense, without beating you over the head with the Christian references.

Allie Siders has dealt with too much death over the last few years. First, her husband was killed in the war in Afghanistan, and her in-laws are determined to gain custody of her daughter. Then her parents died in a tragic plane accident, and her sister was killed during a burglary. As if that wasn't enough, her five-year-old daughter, Betsy, has stopped talking.

Allie has made a life barrel racing on the rodeo circuit. But trouble has a way of finding her, and when a man claiming to be behind her sister's death tries to attack her in her trailer, she decides that it would be in the best interest of both herself and her daughter to leave the rodeo and travel to the Bluebird Ranch.

The ranch is owned by Elijah, a man who holds more importance to Allie than anyone knows, and who also runs a program that uses horses and ranch work to help troubled kids. But even more importantly, the ranch is run by foreman Rick Bailey - the man who was her husband's closest friend during the war, and who is harboring secrets of his own.

When it becomes clear that someone is determined to make Allie suffer for a sin she doesn't even know she committed, both Rick and Allie will have to put their differences aside to keep Betsy safe.

Let me just say, this book is a real page-turner. The suspense is perfectly plotted, and although I wasn't personally fond of people close to Allie dropping like flies, it worked with the story. And as I mentioned, the Christian/inspirational references were well done, without being over done.

The ending was realistic, the dialogue throughout the story was perfectly believable, and I actually enjoyed getting to know these characters. LONESTAR SANCTUARY is a winner! ( )

I loved this book! I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I loved the characters because they were so real and the dialog really held my interest. I highly recommend this book. Colleen never disappoints in bringing a great story to her readers. ( )