As a huge fan of the author, I found that this series wasn't like her usual writings. Then I realized these were originally written in the 90's and that explained a lot. I liked this book better than the Orchard Valley Grooms. ( )

In Norah, Norah is the last of the sisters to marry. When Randy crashes her sister's wedding, literally, she's the hospital nurse & the only one that stands up to him. In Lone Star Lovin', Sherry moves to Pepper, Texas and is immediately run over by the helpful townspeople, all except brooding rancher Cody. But his daughter Heather, thinks that Sherry is perfect mother material for her! ( )

Though I have loved some of her books, I'm not a huge DM fan. She can be hit or miss for me. These are two short novels that were originally published in the early 90s.

I enjoyed both of them. Some of the notions were a little antiquated, but for the most part these novels are timeless. ( )

“Orchard Valley Brides”, a sequel to “Orchard Valley Grooms”, consists of two previously published books by Debbie Macomber: “Norah”, first published in 1992 and “Lone Star Lovin’” first published in 1993.

Norah

Norah Bloomfield’s sisters Valerie and Stephanie have found true love but Norah is still looking for Mr. Right. She certainly doesn’t think it will be Valerie’s ex-boss Rowdy Cassidy, whom she meets after he crashes his small plane in Orchard Valley. Rowdy is cantankerous, stubborn, and proud yet Norah is increasingly attracted to him. There’s one big problem however – Norah thinks Rowdy is still in love with Valerie.

I really enjoyed reading “Norah”. Yes, the story is a bit implausible (I doubt there’s a hospital in the world that would allow Rowdy to get away with what he does) but the chemistry between Norah and Rowdy is good and it is fun to watch them fall in love – in fact, I was smiling the whole time I read the book. Norah’s concerns about whether or not Rowdy is still in love with Valerie are very understandable and add another dimension to the book. Rowdy at first is a bit of a cliché as a character but as the book goes along you begin to understand why he acts the way he does and his character becomes a bit deeper.

Lone Star Lovin’

Sherry Waterman feels the need for a change so she leaves Orchard Valley and moves to Pepper, Texas to work as a Physician Assistant. She knows things will be different in Texas but isn’t quite expecting everyone in Pepper to know her business – including her growing attraction to rancher Cody Bailman. Cody seems attracted to Sherry but he’s not quite so good in the romance department. Hopefully he’ll get better – Heather, his twelve year old daughter, thinks Sherry would be the perfect mom.

Sherry was such a minor character in the Orchard Valley series that I was a bit hesitant to read an entire book about her but I was glad I did as “Lone Star Lovin’” is a very cute romance. Macomber always does an excellent job of portraying small town life and Pepper, Texas, with its assortment of slightly eccentric but caring characters is a lot of fun to visit. The romance between Cody and Sherry is very cute and there are some very funny moments as Cody does his best to woo Sherry. Heather is a typical Macomber child, a bit too good to be realistic, but she plays an important part in the romance. Orchard Valley fans will be happy to see Norah appear in the book and to get an update on her life with Rowdy.

I really enjoyed reading “Orchard Valley Brides”. ( )