Customer Reviews

Lanterns and Lace (Texas Legacy, Book 2) (Truly Yours Romance Club #3)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
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DiAnn Mills creates a compelling story in Laterns and Lace, the second book in her Texas Legacy series. Jenny arrives in Kahlerville with the intent of taking her niece back home. A mysterious man, Aubrey, is a step behind Jenny and trust is not his middle name. It is a story of good and evil and the power of love.

Jenny Martin has gone to Kahlerville to investigate the death of her sister Jessica and to take home her sister's child Rebecca. However, when she finds the child has been adopted by the town's doctor, she is confused as to why. A strange man, Aubrey Turner has followed her all the way from Cleveland, Ohio, and seems to know entirely too much personal information about Jenny, Jessica and the child.

When a lovely elderly widow woman drops dead, her home is ransacked, the town's brothel burns and then a former soiled dove is beaten senseless, the town knows there is someone bent on destroying people and the sheriff sets off to find the guilty person or persons.

Jenny is determined to take Jessica away from the only family she has ever known. She believes the child belongs to her blood family. However, when a letter of estrangement arrives from her parents, she realizes they will not be the best caregivers for lovely little Rebecca.

It takes Jenny and the doctor a long long time to sort through everything, and when they do, a diary provides some much needed information. This book is a page burner, and book three promises to be just as good. Thank you DiAnn Mills, for another "Texas Legacy" volume.

Lanterns and Lace is another enthralling tale from gifted author DiAnn Mills. Second in her Texas Legacy series, this story keeps the reader guessing with all its suspenseful twists and turns. As with all of Mills's books, Lanterns and Lace moves beyond its historical setting to speak to today's readers with timeless themes of faith, honor, and redemption. DiAnn Mills never fails to deliver a compelling story. Once again, she has raised a lantern to light our way to adventure.

LANTERNS AND LACE picks up several years after LEATHER AND LACE and centers around Grant Andrews, brother of Morgan Andrews. After getting his medical degree, Grant settles back home in Kahlerville and becomes the town doctor. His life turns out a little different than he had planned when he promises a prostitute, who is not going to make it through childbirth, that he will adopt her little girl. Everything is fine until the woman's sister comes to town determined to take the child back to Cleveland with her. Though Grant is livid that Jenny feels she can just rip his little girl away from him, he decides to handle the situation with a generous amount of understanding and diplomacy, hoping to convince Jenny that Rebecca belongs with him. A strange man follows Jenny to Kahlerville as soon makes trouble for the people who befriended Jessica before her death.

I enjoyed LANTERNS AND LACE, but it was a bit slower than LEATHER AND LACE. The story line was well thought out and kept you interested but didn't seem to carry the same punch as LEATHER AND LACE. An enjoyable story overall. I liked the way DiAnn Mills built on the characters she introduced in LEATHER AND LACE.

In 1895 in Cleveland Jenny Martin learns that her fallen dove sister Jessica passed away leaving behind a two years old daughter, Rebecca. She travels to Kahlerville, Texas to bring her niece home with her. The trek on the Union Pacific is stifling and difficult with Jenny obtaining no sleep and little to eat. In the small Texas train station, Jenny faints; hitting her head as she is ill. Fellow passenger Aubrey Turner who knows all about her and her sibling sends for Dr. Grant Andrews who arrives to help Jenny.

Jenny soon learns that Grant has adopted Rebecca and with the help of his housekeeper Mimi is raising the child with love. Ready to contest custody, Jenny realizes that her niece is contented living with Grant and Mimi. Still though she reluctantly accepts that Rebecca needs to remain with Grant, she still wants to be there as a loving aunt; besides which she likes the town and its residents. As Jenny and Grant begin to fall in love, their differences over the role of God in their lives keeps them apart; whereas he has found the Lord, she was raised to believe solely in science. Meanwhile Aubrey insists he and Jessica were an entry and that she died hiding a treasure of his that he demands Jenny find or else people she cares about will die.

This superb western romance is a terrific inspirational tale that interweaves its message of have faith in the Lord whether things are going good or bad into the exciting plot so that sub-genre fans first and foremost obtain a strong late nineteenth century Texas tale. Jenny and Grant debate faith vs. Darwinism until she eventually finds religion in the "foxhole". Readers will enjoy this action-packed story line, which brings to life this bygone "Wild West" era.

Harriet Klausner

When you read DiAnn Mills, you're supposed to "Expect An Adventure." In this novel, expect an adventure about a handsome doctor, a precious orphan, and an unwelcome visitor.

Jenny Stevens comes to the town of Kahlerville, Texas determined to find out more about her sister's death, and to take her sister's child, Rebecca home with her. She is not prepared to meet resistance, as the town's doctor, Dr. Grant Andrews has custody of Rebecca and is not willing to give her up. The longer she stays in this small town, the more she learns about herself, and the events surrounding her sister's death. As she comes to love Rebecca her niece as her own, and Dr. Andrews, she also finds herself in danger from her sister's old fiance. As she works with the people of the town to unravel the mystery her sister left behind, she also finds Christ who changes her life, and maybe even some the decisions she has to make.

I really loved this story, because of how different it was. It is definitely an involved story with mystery, intrigue, danger, and love. Although there are a few things in the book I rolled my eyes at a bit because of how corny they were or because I felt the author repeated herself, it did not take away from the story. Diann Mills has added a wonderful second book to this series!

Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed a compelling story by Diann Mills. Lanterns and Lace is the second book in the Texas Legacy series. It had just the right mixture of romance, redemption, drama and action. Jenny Martin comes to town with purpose and a determination to secure her parents affection, which has been lacking. While in this Texas town, and away from her cold, overbearing parents, she experiences a change from the prim and proper, austere and fearful Society girl, to a sweet, kind and strong young woman who becomes comfortable with who she is.


The cast of characters are delightful and dramatic. There are twists and turns, and displays of love and hate. Faith overcomes unbelief, good triumphs over evil, and redemption rules over judgment. The pace is quick and the tension is just right. It is a wonderful western adventure. Mills promises her readers to "expect an adventure" and she most certainly accomplished that. I look forward to the 2nd book in the Texas Legacy series, Lightning and Lace.

For readers who enjoy suspense/tension in a western romance.This book shouldn't disappoint. Interesting story and great character development. I enjoyed the different character types. I especially like it when the heroine/hero are so different,it makes the development of their relationship so interesting.

The title of this book did not prepare me for lay inside. This book was such an encouragement to me. It was hard to put it down so it sit by my computer and while pages loaded, I would read a page or two.
It was fasinating to find a young lady traveling across country to learn of her neice and instead finding faith and hope herself. Little did she know she was being followed and that her life could be in danger. One thing I liked about this book was how God leads in ways one does not expect to protect and bring about his will.
Also I like how Jenny and Grant cannot figure out they are in love - this is so real about how people feel themselves. So unsure at first.
I recommend everyone read this book.