1872 California. A continuation and second in a series about three sisters, daughters of the owners of a huge logging company. When their father died, their mother married again, to a man who turned out to be a monster. Since he was about to marry them off to other monsters, the sisters escaped but were always in danger of being found. All three are brilliant in their own way. It's interesting to see each one's strengths put to use. Their journey progressed in many ways at their home and at Zane's ranch where the girls had taken refuge. This book is concentrated more on Michelle and her new husband, who were hastily wed. They have to get to know each other, trust one another, learn each other's strengths. It's an entertaining story to read, would make a fabulous mini series. Nominate!

I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#InventionsOfTheHeart #NetGalley #BethanyHouse #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #ChristianHistoricalFiction #FiveStarBooks #MaryConnealy #BethanyHousePublishers

Inventions of the Heart
by Mary Connealy
Pub Date 05 Jul 2022
Bethany House,Bethany House Publishers
Christian| Historical Fiction


Netgalley and Bethany House Publishers provided me with a copy of Inventions of the Heart for review:


Her heart seeks safety. But will trouble follow her?


After her sister's marriage, Michelle Stiles is left alone at Two Harts Ranch with the handsome but stubborn Zane Hart. She has managed to stay one step ahead of her stepfather, but if he finds her, she will be in trouble.

Zane has his own problems. Discovering a gold mine on his property, he must figure out how to harvest it without starting a gold rush. Michelle wants to manage all aspects of her father's business, but Zane thinks she has some misguided ideas for someone so smart. Mining will be a dangerous job, and he can't risk putting her at risk.

Yet Michelle finds herself in danger when suddenly attacked. They will reveal her location if they go to the sheriff, but if they don't, their troubles will only get worse.


I give Inventions of the Heart five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

As I did not finish or review the first book in this series I do not feel it is fair to read or review this one as I am prejudice to not finish it.

This is another series I have truly enjoyed. A wonderful story of how greed can cause people to do things you would never expect of them. As Michelle only wants to go home and help run the family business she finds herself the object of a suitor promised her hand in marriage. Danger, family and marriage made for another interesting story in the Stiles saga.
I was gifted a copy through NetGalley, my review and opinion are voluntary.

Danger and adventure in the 1870s! A threat of drought, the discovery of gold, strong heroes, and truly evil villains---Inventions of the Heart has everything that I love in a western story! This is the second book of the Lumber Baron's Daughters series and author Mary Connealy has created some extraordinary heroines. Laura, Michelle, and Jilly Stiles are beautiful, rich, and extremely intelligent but they still need trustworthy men to help them along the way. They're trying to stop their stepfather in his plan to handpick their husbands and gain control of their late father's fortune. Laura is married but at least one more sister needs to find a husband to stop his evil plan. Rancher Zane Hart is willing to marry Michelle but will this work? Is it possible that their marriage of convenience could turn into something more?

Reading this story gave me all of the emotions that I've come to love in Connealy's books. She provided romantic moments that made me swoon, hilarious antics that left me laughing out loud, and nuggets of inspiration that fed my soul. Inventions of the Heart is fantastic reading and I recommend it to all who enjoy historical Christian romance.

I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. There was no obligation for a favorable review. These are my own thoughts.

This novel is the second in The Lumber Baron's Daughters series and is a good addition to the family story. There are three daughters so three stories to be told. It is the characters that make these books so good. The daughters are brave and strong women. In an era when women were not thought to be capable of men's job, they are each superior in design or engineering or blowing up things. It was interesting to see how inventions came to their minds and how they were created.

In addition to strong female characters, there is a good deal of suspense and a smattering of humor. The suspense is based on conditions revealed in the first novel in the series so that one should be read first to fully grasp this one.

I like that Connealy has written this novel so that Michelle's story is complete. There is one sister yet to fulfill her destiny so I'll be watching for the final book in this series. This is a good novel for readers who like historical romantic suspense with humor and a good faith message too.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

This book is the second in Mary Connealy's series, Lumber Baron's Daughters. It follows Zane Hart and Michelle Stiles as they find adventure, danger, and romance in California in the 1870s.

Adventure seems to chase the Stiles sisters as the try to evade their evil stepfather's plans for them. Michelle Stiles is hiding on Zane Hart's ranch when they find gold. How do they prevent a gold rush on the ranch? How can Michelle help Zane and the ranch during a terrible drought?

I loved the first book and this one was amazing, as well! I couldn't put it down! It feels like a long wait until the final book in the series comes out.

Inventions of the Heart by Mary Connealy is book two in The Lumber Baron’s Daughters series. This story takes over where the first in the series ends, so it is best to read this series in order. In this story we visit Michelle as she is staying at Zane’s ranch. While he has a working ranch, Michelle is full of ideas to make it better.

I so enjoyed this story, it has wonderful, caring characters. I especially enjoyed the knowledge the sisters have about designing and building. I enjoy the imagination the girls have and the dedication to their father’s plans. Once two of the girls are married, they have control over their father’s business and can remove their evil step-father. It was interesting to read the different steps that were needed for this to happen. I enjoyed reading of how Zane’s family come together. This story also has humor written into it with the amount of people who are forced to stay at Zane’s home for various reasons.

I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this story, this is my honest review.

This book was awesome! It’s the story of the oldest Stiles daughter Michelle, she an inventor who already has several patents. She and her sister Jilian find them self now hiding on the Two Hart’s ranch runner by Zane Hart. They’re hiding from their stepdad evil plot to marry them off to his evil friends. Michelle finds herself becoming sweet on Zane but Zane doesn’t think he could ever marry someone who is smart as Michelle is, along with a little zeal for inventing. The story includes finding gold, a tragedy with Zane sister, a break in in Michelle room, a proposal from Zane to Michelle ( to protect her and his family), visiting the governor of California, a kidnapping. There is a whole lot more but you will have to read this awesome story to find out the rest.
Thanks for another wonderful series Mary Connealy!
Ready for the last story about Jillian!

Inventions of the Heart, book two in the Lumber Baron’s Daughters series, is set on a California ranch in 1872. I enjoyed this story more than the first book in the series.

After circumstances in the first book, Michelle and Jilly Stiles are forced to go in to hiding on the Two Harts Ranch. Laura, and her new husband Caleb, go back to her childhood home to rescue her mother and kick her stepfather out of the family business.

After Michelle and Jilly are attacked on Zane’s ranch, Zane decides it might be best for him to marry Michelle so that he can protect her even more. It is fun to watch their relationship grow as Michelle starts making changes to the ranch with all of her inventions.

The are lots of fun twists and turns in this book, as well as mystery and adventure. There are gold strikes, evil men who think they can do anything they want because they have money, very strong women who can hold their own when in tough situations, and all of this is woven together with faith and love.

I was provided a copy of the book from the author/publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

I was dying to read this story! I first met this group of amazing women in the first book in the Lumber Baron’s Daughters series, Element of Love. I immediately loved the three sisters and couldn’t wait to hear their stories. In Element of Love we follow the sisters as they leave their family home in search for husbands to save their family dynasty. It was a page turner, and if you haven’t read it you are missing out, but you can still totally enjoy this novel as a stand alone. Inventions of the Heart was as good as I was hoping it would be. I already loved Zane and Michelle and couldn’t wait to see if they found their happy ending. Connealy didn’t disappoint! This story was full of unexpected twists and turns and I couldn’t put it down. If you enjoy Historical Romance this is the book for you. Connealy mixed in the perfect amount of romance, mystery and suspense to make the perfect recipe. It was a joy watching Zane, Michelle and their families. I can’t wait to see what happens next! I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers and was in no way forced to post a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Hiding Out!

Join three sisters on the run from their stepfather. Until a few years ago, the girls lived a wonderful life with their mother and father. Their father's unfortunate death changed everything.

Their mother married a mean man who was after their money. He made the girls and their mother virtual prisoners while he auctioned off the girl's hands in marriage to the three highest bidders. These were unscrupulous men whose only interest in them was their big inheritance.

The girl's made a dangerous escape, and Laura has already married, so is no longer subject to their stepfather's plans. Michelle and Jilly have been hiding out with Zane Hart on his prosperous ranch. Even though Michelle and Zane are attracted to each other, Zane has no intention of leaving his ranch to lives miles away at Michelle's home.

While the two work on not being attracted to each other, they face problems, starting with the discovery of gold on Zane's property. Zane's sister also shows up seeking safety from serious troubles of her own. Danger even shows up on the ranch itself.

Will Michelle ever find a husband and free herself from her stepfather's plans? Can things work out well if Jilly never marries since the idea is so repulsive to her?

This five-star story contains lots of ups and downs, with serious situations along with humorous ones. This book will be enjoyed by fans of westerns, family stories, or well-written tales!

NetGalley has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, Inventions of the Heart, for the purpose of review. I have not been compensated in any other manner. All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest appraisal. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

I enjoyed this continuation of the Lumber Baron's Daughters series with Michelle and Zane's story. It was so fun to see the way her inventor's mind works and all the ideas for improvement she has. She and Zane have good chemistry despite their bickering, and he feels protective of these heiress sisters who have landed on his ranch through interesting circumstances. Naturally there is danger around every corner and plenty of adventure as the sisters fight the hold their wicked stepfather has on the family along with the honorable men who are devoted to them. Even though Zane is tied to his ranch and the struggles there, Michelle's future becomes his own and I loved the way she became just as invested in the ranch as the lumber business. We also see the perspective of their mother on the mountain as Laura and Caleb return and the overturning of power begins. This series has the author's trademark humor, action, and faith woven together with vibrant characters and interesting plots.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

A sprightly, spunky story, just like I expect from Mary Connealy! She manages to keep her signature western flavor in her books but constantly tosses new and varied adventures to her heroes and heroines. This one is very much tied in with what happened in book 1 and it adds a few new crimes to the record of the villain and his friends.

I loved Zane and Michelle’s relationship from their first meeting in the previous book. They are so clearly meant for each other and very well matched. This one builds on it, introducing Zane’s siblings and letting us hear more of Michelle’s family along the way. Both families are almost as spitfire as Zane and Michelle are!

I am very eager to get book three and see how they get rid of the bad guy!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.

Ooh, I can hardly wait to read the final book in this scrumptious trilogy!

I love that this series is completely intertwined. Each book builds upon the previous one, and each features all three sisters, though one takes the lead every time. It’s wonderful to see such intelligent sisters learning to rely not only upon themselves but on men (and, more importantly, God) for protection and assistance. So far, this has been on beautiful display, and I’m eager to see how it plays out in the next book.

This book, like its predecessor, was loaded with family, faith, adventure, and danger. And I loved every second of it! Between the family issues and the gold find, there were lots of things to enjoy. I especially enjoyed that the leading lady was a scientist putting her hands to inventions. How this was presented was lovely and consistently pushed the story forward. I liked the nuggets of mathematics in one of her sisters. I’m hoping that comes into play even more in book three.

The danger and adventure in this one were spectacular. Attacks, kidnappings, an almost-gold rush… My, my, it was quite difficult to catch my breath at times! That is not a complaint, because I loved every inch of adventure that caused the breathlessness.

The ranch was a beautiful setting, and I also enjoyed the scenes in the city. Each new scene built wonderfully to create a memorable adventure that I’m hoping to revisit many times in the coming years.

Content: alcohol

Mary Connealy has written another favorite. In fact, my daughters beat me to the finish on this book. They enjoyed it just as much as I did. Twists and turns and new developments leave us excited for the next book.

I love the Stiles sisters and was delighted to read Michelle’s story. I really like that the story picks up pretty close to where Laura’s left off. If you haven’t read the first one in the series, you can still enjoy this one. There are enough recaps to leave you informed while reading. Having said that, I enjoyed so many characters in this series that it was nice to catch up again. Michelle is super smart and has so many ideas for wonderful inventions. Zane is a rancher and determined to take care of his sister and those left in his care. I like how the relationship progressed for Michelle and Zane. It was slow and deliberate despite their attraction and obvious interest. It moved at the right speed and was laced with plenty of witty humor and action that Connealy is known for in her stories. Michelle and Zane balance each other nicely and each bring an element of expertise their respective problems. Connealy does such a great job of balancing humor, faith, and clean romance in a way that draws me back repeatedly for more. I cannot wait for Jilly’s story now!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Inventions of the Heart by Mary Connealy is the second book in The Lumber Baron's Daughters series and it looks to be a good series. Connealy has a nice style of writing and kept my interest throughout the entire book. I was hooked from the beginning as the action starts right up and continues through the story, always keeping the reader wondering how in the world will things work out especially as there seem to be villains everywhere! The characters are realistic and relatable and there's lots of edge-of-the-seat action. Michelle has lots of ideas about how Zane can run his ranch and mine. He's just not sure he will like all of her ideas and now his house is filled with his and her relatives to boot! When Michelle and Zane agree to an arrangement neither is quite sure what is ahead for them. Inventions of the Heart is a captivating tale of family and faith, courage, and love and it is full of lots of adventure and a little humor too. Readers who enjoy Western romance will not want to miss this series. I read a complimentary copy of the book and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.

This second book in the series, is full of action, with a little romance thrown in. This is about Michelle the second of the three sisters, daughters of the wealthy lumber baron. Their mother remarried after their father’s death and realized too late that she had married a cruel man who only wanted the wealth that was left to the three daughters. So the only way they could keep their inheritance was to marry before they are forced to marry the men their stepfather has chosen for them. Laura is married now to Caleb but Michelle and Jilly are still unmarried. These girls are extremely intelligent and educated and could do most anything. They are hiding out at Hart’s ranch who is the rancher who owns the land that they found themselves on. There is much excitement and also hilarity as is Connealy’s style as you turn the pages of this delightful novel. Will Michelle be forced to marry the awful man her stepfather has promised her to or will she be able to stay hidden on the ranch? You will love this second book also as much as the first one….I was given an e-copy and my review is in my own words.

Definitely loved this book lol. It's always the last ones of a series that are the best!
Mary has delivered once again another heartwarming story of three sisters that are trying to find husbands.
This is a laugh out story in some places and others you'll want to strangle the characters at times especially Michelle.
But yet, at the same time she's a strong one. I did decide that I liked her best though. She has a good head on her shoulders and a caring heart.