Hannah Cartwright has been raising orphans for as long as she can remember. She considers herself their "sister" and gives them as much love as she wishes she would have had. When one of her orphans accidentally gets adopted by a man named Grant, she is determined to ensure the safety of her mute sister, Libby. What she finds out displeases her immensely; as she finds out this man has been adopting children since he was 17, not married, and has had over 20 children in his care for the last ten years. Set on thinking he is forcing the orphans into child labor, she goes out on a limb to ensure the safety of all the children. Will Hannah realize that Grant is doing the best he can for those who cannot provide for themselves? Or will other things get in the way - namely a certain seamstress in town - that will ruin the good thing Grant has going?

I have heard so much about Connealy's books, and as soon as I was able to get my hands on some of her writing, I quickly found out why she has so many rave reviews. I laughed so much over this book, my husband actually got irritated with all the noise I was making. The shenanigans from the girls in the first book were hilarious to read. Grace's primness versus the Reeves in book two had me bursting in giggles almost every page. And while book three was a little more serious, I had to just laugh at Hannah and her overactive imagination. A very enjoyable read, and one I will revisit again and again.

Gingham Mountain is the third and final book in the Lassoed in Texas series. While it's not as good as the first two, Petticoat Ranch & Calico Canyon, it's still a fun read. The conversations between Hannah and Grant are entertaining. Sparks fly and tempers flair every time these two get together. I wish there was a little more connection between the two characters though. It seems he just fell in love with her all of a sudden. This book deals a lot with bullying and how to deal with a bully as well. The message of the story is about the love and compassion of the Lord, shown in our treatment of widows and orphans. "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the World." - James 1:27

Overall, this was a satisfying conclusion to the Lassoed in Texas series and I look forward to enjoying more books by Mary Connealy.