Ellie's Family: Her Father, Martin and Leroy

The panel has strong words for Ellie's father: "What a scumbag." Without giving the details away, the group notes that "people still do it today." Ellie's brothers get a closer look, too. Leroy pitches in and works hard. Still, his plan to take the younger kids back to Michigan only stresses Ellie out more. Martin, on the other hand, has a huge chip on his shoulder. "I just wanted to like throttle Martin at that point," one panelist admits.

The Pact That Starts the Texas Promise Series

The book opens with a group of boys, barely teenagers, playing poker in their hangout. Wes's mom has just passed away. When they spy the pastor kissing his girlfriend, the conversation turns to marriage. Kane and Harrison swear they'll never marry. Wes, Daniel and Sam take the other side. So they make a pact. Daniel, Wes and Sam must marry before they turn thirty, and Harrison and Kane can't marry until after thirty. Otherwise, they get their heads shaved.

Wes, Charlotte and Anna Mae

When Sam brings Ellie home, Wes is skeptical and does not greet her kindly. Neither does his sister Charlotte, who had hoped to marry Sam herself. Daniel's sister Anna Mae, however, is sweet and bubbly and takes Ellie right in. Charlotte comes around later, too.

A Stolen Deed, Loose Cattle and One Hard Day After Another

How did the panel react when Sam's deed is changed? "This is not good," Jessica says. He has no money to fight it, and he has a wife and all those siblings to care for. Thankfully, the clerk is honest, and Harrison, now a lawyer in Austin, helps. The judge's ruling, however, "just didn't feel right."

Naomi, the panel agrees, does a really good job hitting the hero and heroine with problems. First come the extra siblings. Then the deed. Then Sam goes home to find that Martin has let all his cows out, and he spends until the wee hours rounding them up.

The Branding Scene and the Porridge

Ellie has never been around ranch work. So when she brings breakfast out during branding and castrating, she is horrified. As the panel recalls her reaction: "Don't you have chloroform or something?" Then she offers everyone porridge, which Sam can't stand. Everyone knows it except Ellie. "You two need to talk," the panel says. Add a spilled spread at the church potluck, and poor Ellie gets hit with another embarrassing moment.

The Faith Factor: Romans 8 and Two Are Better Than One

When troubles pile up, Sam tells Ellie that God may be trying her faith like He did Joseph's, but He isn't bringing these things on her as revenge. Melissa reads Romans 8:35–39, a panel favorite. "I love how Sam just spoke God's words back into her life," one panelist says.

Sam's go-to verse is Ecclesiastes 4:9–10: two are better than one. He even quotes it in the prologue as a boy. The panel loves how Naomi plays it out. Where would Ellie be without Sam, and where would Sam be without Ellie? The verse seems to be the core of the whole series.

Would You Be a Mail-Order Bride?

In a quick deep dive, the panel cheers Wes for standing up to his dad to help Sam. Then comes the big question: would you have chosen to be a mail-order bride if you were Ellie? "That's scary," Jessica says. The person writing the letters could be a totally different person. Still, the group understands the desire to go somewhere new and start over.

Would they keep all their siblings, as Ellie did? Yes. And as one of Ellie's siblings, would they want Sam to adopt them and take his last name? Probably, especially the younger ones. Sam adopting them all is "such a cool ending for him."

Rosemary Bread and Our Coffee-Themed Ratings

Melissa baked a treat inspired by Anna Mae, who bakes rosemary bread and cheese bread later in the series. The verdict on the rosemary bread? "my word, that rosemary is good." Cheese bread is coming next time.

Then come the coffee-themed ratings. Mystery lands at a mocha, and the panel thinks it escalates through the series. Suspense is an espresso. Inspiration earns a mocha, because "She does such a good job of having her characters speak God's word into situations." Drama splits the panel, from espresso to mocha-to-latte, and the romance waffles between espresso and mocha. The overall lasso rating? Three out of three: "Definitely hooked and hog tied."

Listen to LiteraryScape Podcast Episode 220

Ready for the full conversation? Listen to Episode 220 of the LiteraryScape Podcast now. Pick up Tomorrow's First Light in the LiteraryScape store, and learn more about Naomi Rawlings at naomirawlings.com. Next week, we're back with book two, Tomorrow's Shining Dream. Want to read along? Join the LiteraryScape book club membership at literaryscape.com. Plus, 10% of LiteraryScape's profit goes to Destiny Rescue.