Imagine her shock when Violet Colby discovers she has an identical twin sister she never knew existed. Why her family was torn apart remains a secret no one can answer—yet.
Hoping to develop a sisterly bond, Violet invites her sophisticated city twin to the Colby Ranch in tiny Grasslands, Texas. But when her sister's former fiancé arrives with questions of his own, country girl Violet finds herself drawn to handsome businessman Landon Derringer. And learns that true love requires faith—and a heart as big as Texas.
Marta Perry is a Pennsylvania-based author of over 35 novels, many of them inspirational romances. She uses her rural Pennsylvania life and her Pennsylvania Dutch heritage in writing her books, especially in her Pleasant Valley Amish series for Berkley Books and her new Amish-set suspense series for HQN Books.
Marta and her husband live in a centuries-old farmhouse in a quiet central Pennsylvania valley. They have three grown children and six beautiful grandchildren, and when she's not busy writing her next book, she's usually trying to keep up with her gardening, baking for church events, or visiting those beautiful grandkids.
A fun (but slightly unrealistic) read with an interesting plot (that was a little jumpy at times). Not great, not bad. It was clean (except for the time he kissed her after she was emotionally upset and crying) and easy to read quickly.
I ended up in hospital and am still slowly recovering and didn't read for around 10 days due to being to weak and tired. When I started back this is the book I choose. While It took awhile due to being so tired etc I did really enjoy this book more than one night I feel asleep holding the kindle. This is the first in a LI series of six books set in Texas called Texas Twins. In this book we see Violet find her twin sister she didn't know existed. Her mother is in hospital and she wants to know more about her life, and find her father. This is where she finds she has a twin. Her twin's former Fiance Landon also has a part in the story. The twins want to get to know each other and Landon is out to protect Violets sister. I enjoyed the story and how it unfolded. Watching the interaction between the twins was interesting. While the book can be a stand alone it does leave you wanting to read more to find out what will happen next. I love the idea of this series. Good read.
Her Surprise Sister by Marta Perry was a delightful read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a Love Inspired book, which I had no clue what that meant, but I thought what an interesting premise about twins and decided to try it. Without sounding preachy and in your face that God is the answer, it did show me that I am not that far off with my own approach to prayer and a God-filled life. The heroine in the story Violet Colby is a hard- working, church attending person and has been dealt a horrible blow when her mother is in an accident and is now in a coma from a head injury. Her only sibling Jack feels guilty for causing the argument with their mother before the accident and is of little support to Violet. Violet doesn’t know what to do and has her fleeing home to go to Fort Worth. Just by happenstance she goes into a coffee shop and is mistaken for someone else. Landon thinks he’s seeing his ex-fiancé Maddie but now realizes that she is someone else entirely. Before Violet knows it that man makes a call and she is confronting her identical twin face to face.
How can you go from feeling all alone in the world to finding out you have a twin? Shock probably doesn’t begin to cover the emotions Violet must be feeling but she lets her heart go with it and wants Maddie in her life. There is a mystery to solve her on how and why these sisters were separated and the answers aren’t so easy to find. Violet’s Mom is in a coma and Maddie’s Dad is out of the country. Landon wants to help and he starts the ball rolling and gets an investigation started on finding answers for the girls. What he doesn’t count on or foreseeing is how entering into Violet’s life he has to confront some guilty feelings of his own and coming to terms with new feelings he has for Violet.
I surprised myself on how much I liked this story. I usually don’t go for cheesy everything falls into place stories, but this had a truly genuine believable approach how ordinary people live their lives. We all have doubts and regrets over past actions. We are all trying to deal or not deal with them in our own way. Marta Perry’s story just shows me that with a little faith in God, and in yourself to forgive, that sometimes we can move forward and put the past behind. Things don’t get wrapped up in a tiny little bow at the end of the story but it does end nicely to move onto the next story in the series. I plan to read the next one in the Texas Twin series to see how things work out for Violet and her twin Maddie.
Right from the start this book became a page turner, but I will have to read some more books for all the answers. Violet Colby's Mom is in a coma after being injured in a horse ridding accident..she had just had a fight with her brother Jack. Her brother had wanted information about his Dad!! We find Violet in Fort Worth TX...looking for information on their Dad. What happens could only be with God looking out for her...I can't even imagine. Putting myself in her place...after all those years...finding out she has a sister...and identical at that! We find out that Violet and Maddie were infants when the family?? broke up...but even more amazing is that there are another set of twins? We don't find out any answers, but keep reading. Belle, Violets and Jack's Mom doesn't come out of her coma, and their Dad has not yet been reached. I want to read the next book in this series, they have pulled me in.
I received this book from Netgalley and the Publisher Love Inspired, and was not required to give a positive review.
His heart recognized what his love would look like, but not knowing there was two he proposed to the wrong twin... in my opinion this is a rather silly story, with superficial characters and too much going on in the background. So much is hinted at that it's obvious a lengthy series is started and the story suffers from it by getting rather shallow. The written language is good though, and the investigation credible.
Nice story really got my attention in the beginning, but as it went on I found myself skimming and losing interest because I wasn't finding the answers to the questions that it left lingering around in the end. So you are still left wondering why. :)
So at first glance, this whole premise is hokey as heck. Apparently six 'Love Inspired' authors decided to do a series together, each taking a book. The theme is 'twins' - so we have Belle and Brian, who gave birth to twin sons and then twin daughters... and then something sinister happened and they split, each taking a boy and a girl. Belle disappeared off the map... and *drama*!!! But this way, There could be a book series - four books for the twins, a book for the parent's reunion, and a bonus for the dad's youngest son.
From what I can tell, Marta Perry was chosen to write the first book either because 1) it was her idea, or 2) they wanted to start strong. And it's a GREAT beginning. Marta Perry has the chops to do this. In fact, she's absolutely incredible. The writing is solid, the dialogue great, and she provides SO MANY avenues for her fellow writers to follow. There's a hospital angle (Belle/doctors), a church angle (Jeb/Sadie), a ranch angle (Ty/ranchers), a market angle (Harriet/teens), a youth ministry angle (Tracey/family), a redemption angle (Sam/buddies). LOTS of options for the women coming up behind her.
Not only did Marta provide all sorts of directions for the other authors, she left the characterizations of the people in upcoming books wide open for the other authors. At first glance, you think "What a cheat - half of the characters are conveniently out of the picture so she doesn't have to write about secondaries"... but then comes the realization that she's left those characters out so that the next authors can use their own creative license with them. So Belle is in a coma and out of the picture, Brian is on a mission trip in Africa and out of the picture, Chase is military and overseas on a clandestine mission, Grayson is an undercover cop out of the picture...
And Marta manages to write a SOLID story, in spite of all of the things she has to do to set all of this up for the other ladies! She manages to give them options and free rein while creating a world and storytelling her own tale at the same time. I. AM. SO. IMPRESSED!!!
And okay, the premise *is* hokey. Long lost double twins? But at the same time, it's like setting parameters and trying to craft within them, which makes is REALLY fun for the author.
What tickles me the most is that Jillian Hart got stuck at the end of things. Apparently the started with the strongest and worked down to the worst? Because I haven't seen a single good thing out of Hart. Or maybe she was given a consolation prize add-on? I don't know, but I find it amusing.
Anyhow, THIS is what I wade thru dozens of badly written 'Love, Inspired' books to find.
The ONLY problem I have with this is that Perry doesn't seem to understand documentation. Neither girl has a birth certificate - you can't even get a license without one, so how does THAT work? And like they've never asked where they were born, before? And like a P.I. couldn't find the marriage certificate (or lack thereof) for Brian Wallace? I... had trouble with this.
But otherwise? AMAZING. And what's more? I think I've got all of these in my newly acquired stash of Love, Inspired books... so I can continue thru the series. Yay!
I think this book at more 'depth' to it than most 'Love Inspired' books do. The issues that the teens faced in the church's 'Teen Scene' ministry were realistic, to say nothing of what Violet discovered about having a twin she knew nothing about. I liked how both Violet and Landon were people of faith, who didn't just talk about having faith, but actually lived it out in their lives as they learned from the situations in which they found themselves. I'm looking forward to reading the next story in this series and eventually finding out what happened to fracture Violet's family.
I will be the first to admit the premise of this series is a bit far fetched. but it is Fiction after-all. I find it fun to suppose a bit and that is what I am finding as I read this. Suppose a family is torn apart and siblings, who had no idea the other existed, find each other. Technically you can read this book alone but you will be left with unanswered questions. So be prepared to read on into and through the series.
This was a fairly quick read.. help my attention.. included complex relationships and issues beyond the obvious one of reunited siblings.
Violet Colby unexpectedly discovers that she is a twin. With her mother in a coma and no father in the picture. She is wanting answers but unable to find them. However, her twin Maddie's friend Landon has offered to help them sort through what little they know and hired a PI to dig into the mystery and find the facts of what's going on with her family. A good little read. I wish the ending would have been a little more reveling about what had happened to the family all those years ago.
Marta Perry is one of my favorite Love Inspired writers, but I don't think this novel is typical of the writing of which she is capable. I felt that the plot wasn't well-planned and that the characters weren't well-developed. I didn't like the conclusion of this book either. I do hope Ms. Perry's next book is much better than this one.
It was ok, I feel like it didn't suck me in like these types of books normally do. I didn't realize the mom and dad dilemma wasn't going to be resolved in this one, so I will just have to keep reading to figure out what happens :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A very entertaining story about twins. Some stories about twins are boring or predictable but this one isn't. Twists and turns and now information keep popping up.
An inspirational romance where the conflict isn't one of the characters struggling about their religious beliefs is great, but the "hero" of this book...not so much for me.
I picked this up because my half brother just found me and I wanted something to relate with and it related in some ways but it's something I probably won't read again
When Violet Colby’s mother Belle goes into a coma after a horseback riding accident, Violet leaves their ranch in Grasslands, Texas for Fort Worth trying to find the biological father she has never met. Violet is in for the surprise of her life when she comes face to face with a young woman named Maddie Wallace who looks exactly like her! Adding to the shock of finding an identical twin sister she didn’t know she had, Violet has an immediate attraction to Maddie’s ex-fiancé Landon Derringer which further complicates the fragile relationship she is forming with her newfound sister. Violet is worried about her mom and also wants to get to know Maddie and find out why their family was separated. Although Maddie and Landon share a mutual attraction, Landon isn’t sure he can fully trust Maddie’s motives and is determined to find out the truth, even if it puts his potential relationship with Maddie at risk.
“The normal rules don’t seem to apply when you find out something that changes everything you think about who you are.” Violet’s words get to the heart of this story. Imagine the surprise of not only finding out not only do you have a sister, but an identical twin. Violet is already distraught over her mother’s accident and now her whole life has changed. I love the premise of this story and the way it unfolds. Most of the story is seen from Violet’s point of view, but it is written in a way the reader connects with Maddie as well and relates to her sadness over finding her biological mother, but not knowing if Belle will ever be well enough to speak to her.
Violet, Maddie, and Landon are all very likeable characters, although the twins are almost too good to be true. Landon is realistically and understandably skeptical of Violet’s story, but after some initial suspicion, Maddie and Violet almost instantly bond. That is somewhat believable since they are twins, but their close friendship does seem somewhat rushed. It’s a bit predicable that Violet and Landon would have feelings for each other, but their story is still interesting and romantic. I’m not sure what to think about Violet and Maddie’s parents. It seems unbelievably cruel to keep siblings apart, but the full story behind the family’s separation isn’t revealed, so it’s not fair to make a judgment at this point in the overall story. The central mystery in the book is very intriguing, although most of the subplots are fairly predictable, but still entertaining.
"Her Surprise Sister" is the first book in Harlequin’s Texas Twins series. This first book is by the author, Marta Perry, but the subsequent books will be by different authors. I am a fan of Ms. Perry’s Amish romantic suspense stories, and I enjoyed this story as well. The book is a great combination of romance, inspiration, and intrigue. I like the way the characters’ faith is a part of their lives, and it is very natural and fitting to the storyline to see the characters praying, attending church services, or volunteering at a church youth center.
Fans of Hannah Alexander or Debbie Macomber will find this author to their liking. Just be aware that while a few things are resolved by the end of the book, many aspects of the story remain untold and presumably will be revealed in the remaining books in the series. Violet is the main character in this book, but the next installment will focus on Maddie. As long as you can stand the wait to get the answers to the central mystery of Violet and Maddie’s parents, this is an entertaining, well-written book.
This review was originally written for The Season EZine. (3.5 stars) The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
5 Stars Now I have to wait for the next book in the Texas Twins series. I hate to have to wait. The first book in the Texas Twins is Surprise Sister was a hit in my eyes. It has mysteries,romance,caring community, no sex scenes or swearing to make me cringe. Loved the characters and can not wait to meet the others brothers & see why it happens. It looks like thier are 5 books in the series by 5 different authors. Violet Colby's come to the big city of Fort Worth, Texas to see if she can find who and where her father is. She stops first at a coffee shop she needs the caffine to help her think what to do next. Violet is sitting by the window looking out when A guy comes in and starts to talk to her in a rude way. Tells her that he still wants to marry her. She knew he was coming to her apartment in 5 minutes how come she is not home waiting for him. Violet thinks this guy is crazy and tries to leave and he grabs her by her arm. She has no idea who this guy is. Finally he realizes that she is not Violet and asks her to give him 5 min. to explain. Landon Derringer makes a call and tells who ever is on the phone that he might have the answer to the letter she got awhile ago. To come to the coffee shop right away to meet someone. Landon tells Violet to wait till Maggie comes. Maggie is still mad at Landon when she walks into the coffee shop and stares at Violet. Violet stares back at her in shock. Except for hair and clothes they are the exactly the same. They figure they are identical twins. Maggie dismisses Landon and invites Violet to her apartment to talk. Violet tells Maggie that her mom is in a hospital in a coma and she knew she was born in Fort Worth. Violet looking at a picture on the wall and asks who the younger guy is. Maggie tells her thats her big brother. Violet gets her phone out and shows a picture of her big brother Jackson. They are the same another set of identical twins. Maggie shows Violet her younger brother picture and wants to make sure that thier is not another twin. Maggie comes to the ranch with Violet so she can meet her brother and tomorrow go to the hospital and as least see her mom. Her older brother is a cop working undercover and can't be reached. Her father is a doctor helping in another country right away and is not reachable by cell but he will check emails when he can get to a different place that has service. Her younger brother is in the milatary over seas and just tells him to call when he can. Landon gets a P.I. he has worked for him to check the hospitals for twins born that day. He is upset that Maggie just took off with someone they just met an hour ago and follows her. He has promised his best friend and Maggie brother that he would watch over her when he is undercover. I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley. 06/26/2012 PUB Harlequin Love Inspired