Well...I just ended an eight book streak of Lauraine Snelling....

I am not one to read whole series one after the other...I usually spread things out with different books in between. However, I started reading A Promise for Ellie and did not stop till I had consumed eight of Lauraine Snelling's books!
I absolutely loved the Red RIver of the North series, and Return to Red River as well. I then picked up Promise for Ellie, book one of Daughters of Blessing. Oh how I loved the families of Blessing. I continued to read Sophie's Dilemma and A Touch of Grace as well. I absolutely loved all three books. I cannot wait for Rebecca's Reward. I am curious however, if we will hear the story of Astrid; and I also wonder how long she will continue with this setting and line of characters. I absolutely adore this series and sooo do not want to see it end.
I then started Lauraine's Secret Refuge series. This took place in the south (Kentucky) during the Civil War. First starting out I had a hard time getting into the first book of the series Daughters of Twin Oaks. However, by about page 100 I was hooked and didn't stop reading until I had finished Sisters of teh Confederacy and The Long Way Home as well. This was a great series filled with lots of great historical facts. I also enjoyed the wagon train heading west aspect that Lauraine interwove into the story. She just included a lot of interesting adventures; women working in the hospital, going on raids in the north for drugs not readily available in the south, living in caves, encountering Indians. This series was great.. However, I felt that it was ended slightly abruptly and I was really puzzled with the way that it ended.
I then tackled two of Lauraine's contemporary works, The Healing Quilt and The Way of Women. Both good books about serious issues; both included characters with cancer. However, I felt that both books ended with a little bit too much left for the imagination... I prefer for the author to tell me how all the characters lives wrap up rather than figuring this out in my mind on my own. I also was slightly disappointed with the use of profanity and sexuality in The Way of Women.
However, overall, the point of this post is ...if you haven't already... CHECK OUT LAURAINE SNELLING! Fans of historical fiction, esp. You cannot pass up her Red River books or Secret Refuge series.
Happy Reading!