Montana by Ann Bell

Synopsis :

Montanans are legendary for their courage and willingness to take on challenges as big as the Montana sky.  But the heroines in these four inspirational novels are ordinary people facing mountains of trouble.  As the comforts of daily routine are threatened, they'll need to dig deep for a sustaining faith.

Edith Harkness is a widowed teacher who quits her job after a shooting at school. Though her children urge her to retire and take life easy, Edith takes on a new job - and meets a new love interest. Can life begin afresh with an Autumn Love? Libby Reynold's marriage has fallen apart and her husband is a threat to both her and her children. Forced to seek refuge, Libby prays for a miracle in the life of the man she still loves. But does she have the emotional strength to wait for a Contagious Love? Beth Slater is no stranger to life's challenges. Raising a four-year-old son alone has tested her strength and molded her into a beautiful young woman. But when her son is kidnapped, her strength suddenly vanishes. Can she grasp onto Inspired Love - the love of God and the love of a godly man? When Rebecca Sutherland retires as the librarian at Rocky Bluff High School she accepts a position in Guam. Before she leaves, the house next door burns down and her home becomes the investigation command center. Partnered with the handsome fire chief, she attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding the fire - while ignoring the sparks of romance. Can Distant Love survive her two-year contract? Set in the fictional town of Rocky Bluff, Montana, these four complete contemporary novels by author Ann Bell demonstrate the power of prayer, friendship, and love.

Montana was one of the books I bought at the book sales two years which I thought would be quite charming as a slow read.   A slow read it certainly was as it took me a few months to complete and I read most of it only during my lunch hour as my lunch companion.

There's actually one main story in this book but it does focus on different ladies in the four different chapter.  The first story is on Edith Harkness and she is the one that gels everyone else together.  Second stor is on Libby Reynold who first met Edith through a helpline and from there there's Beth Slater who also met Edith the same way.  The final gal and final story focused on Rebecca Sutherland who is a library and a friend of Edith and the other ladies. In the midst of all these, there is mysteries of a fire and suspected arson and a kidnapping.

So, is it a charming book?  In a way it was but it was also borderline boring as I was never a fan of romance books so I was quite disinterested in the book by the time I read the third story that when it came to the final story, I kinda skim through.

Anyway, it was a great lunch companion as I can just stop anytime when lunch break's up so for that I have no issues with this book.  If you are a fan of romance (clean romance as it happens to be!), you would enjoy Montana.