He Who Finds A Wife Finds A Good Thing…

This tale takes place in 1869, shortly after the Civil War has ended, in the small town of Broken Wheel, Texas.  Stuck Together is the story of Vince Yates and Tina Cahill.  Tina was orphaned at an early age, and raised by a maiden aunt, Iphigenia, who made it clear she didn’t want the responsibility of caring for a child.  Iphigenia was stiff, set in her ways, and never showed Tina any affection or love.  Because of her aunt’s cold treatment, beautiful Tina believes she is unlovable.  Suddenly, Iphigenia marries, and Tina finds the new uncle uncomfortable to live with.  Impulsively, she sets out to find her older brother, Jonas, and live with him instead.  The day Tina arrives in Broken Wheel, Vince is immediately smitten with her.

Vince Yates was raised with little love.  His mother, Virginia Belle, came from a rich southern family, and, although kind, was distant.  His mother’s riches have been multiplied many times by his father, Julius, whose only love is money.  Julius raised Vince with a heavy hand, and was cruel and intolerant.

Virginia Belle suffers from an early form of dementia, and most of the time, is confused about who she is, where she is, or the identity of those around her.  Because of that, she must be watched constantly.   Julius has no compassion for his wife, and his only feeling about her condition is that it is an embarrassment for him in society.  Vince is concerned he will either inherit the dementia his mother suffers from, or become cruel like his father, so he vows never to marry.  This becomes a difficult resolution to keep the longer he is around Tina.

Vince is a Civil War veteran who had survived the infamous Confederate Prisoner-of-War Camp, Andersonville Prison.  Vince forged life-time friendships with Jonas Cahill, Dare Riker and Luke Stone while incarcerated there together.  The four had become known as “The Regulators” as they worked with each other inside the prison to bring order to the miserable disease ridden Andersonville.  After that ordeal, the men consider each other family.  They all had settled in the Broken Wheel area after coming there to help Luke get back a ranch that was rightfully his.

The author uses humor while telling a story that includes the serious subjects of indifferent and hard-hearted parenting, and the difficulty an adult child experiences with the long-term caretaking of a sick parent.  The story also includes kidnapping, a jail break, erratic and dangerous behavior as a result of alcohol, and conflict between American Indians and white settlers.  In the midst of all this, romance blossoms.

This is the third book in the series, Trouble in Texas, and the story can stand on its own. I have read a number of the author’s works, and have enjoyed all of them.  She is an expert at interweaving many character’s stories, and including humorous situations, too.  Ms. Connealy’s tales are always entertaining, interesting, and written from a Christian perspective.   This book is no exception, and I recommend this 5-star book to anyone who enjoys tales of the Old West, romance, or clean fiction.

The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through Bethany House Publishing for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are my own, and I have not been compensated in any other manner. Despite my receiving the book free, it has not influenced my judgment, and I have given an honest opinion.

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