Home at Last

Triple Creek Ranch #2

by Rebekah A. Morris, Nikola Belley (Illustrations)

Orlena Mavrich little dreamed what winter on Triple Creek Ranch would be like. Her awakened conscience and inability to “be good” are not the only cause for tears. Will the long winter days ahead bring only trouble and quick tempers? Join Mr. and Mrs. Mavrich, Mrs. O’Connor and the ranch hands as they face winter’s storms within and without, relying on the Lord’s help to bring some wanderers home at last.This is the second book in the Triple Creek Ranch series by Rebekah A. Morris

Genres: Westerns, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2014

About the author

Rebekah A. Morris has lived her entire life (as of now) in Missouri. Being home educated during her school years was great, except for writing. That was the worst subject (along with math) that she had to do. It wasn't until after she graduated that she discovered the joys and wonder of writing. Now she can't write enough. After spending six years in research and writing, she completed her first book, "Home Fires of the Great War," a 500+ page, historical fiction about home life in the United States and Canada during the First World War. Since then, she has been an avid writer and always has more than one story going on at once because only one story at a time got tiring and dull.

Get a free collection of stories here: https://sendfox.com/lp/3ezo5k

Reviews

[Bethany M. Griggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed continuing to read about the relationship between Orlena and her brother. The story has touches of mystery and different interesting threads. I like the lesson that shows how you can't do good without the strength of the Lord and surrendering to Him. This is brought out through Orlena's life as well as the life of a cowboy. I love the descriptions that the author included in the book! Overall, this is a sweet story that I enjoyed!

[Angie Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this second installment! Orlena's slow improvement is believable and well-handled. The other characters are just as good as before--Mrs. O'Connor still delights me "entirely." :D

Reading these books feels almost like watching a TV show (for the record, I love the TV shows I'm thinking of) in that you get "episodes" based around certain situations that may or may not directly affect what happens later. There were some instances where I expected a major incident that didn't happen, but I enjoyed seeing how the characters dealt with each situation. I didn't feel like things were left incomplete, the story just moved from one incident to the next with a few connecting strings threaded throughout.

About my only complaint was the lack of obvious scene transitions in some places that got a bit confusing at times. Otherwise, it was great! The next book in the series just keeps squeezing its way into line before everything else I should be reading first. ;)

[Hannah E. Griggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book to follow Unbroken! The spiritual lessons were good, that no matter how hard we try to reform ourselves, we are going to fail, because ultimately God is the only One who can change us. I also loved the story, and seeing more of the Mavrich's and their ranch hands and friends. Orlena was definitely a more enjoyable character than in the last book!

[R.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my, that was amazing!!

The Characters:
Norman and Janelle - I loved them!! Janelle is so sweet; Norman, well, I'm glad he's learned to keep his temper in check! He's nice!
Orlena - phew, I've been through a lot with her these two books. Thank the Lord she got saved finally!!!! I'm glad she's learning to hold her tongue as well!
The cow-hands - I love them all! The different personalities of each of them are the best! I still need more of Lloyd though!

The Story-line:
Again, western stories are great and I really enjoyed this one! I loved all the things the men did - fetching the cows, riding horses, working even though there was a blizzard raging!

Content:
The main married couple hugged and kissed quite a lot. No details.

All-in-all:
LOVED it! Thank you so much for sending this to me on my birthday, Rebekah, it was very sweet of you! <3 Of course, I loved all the illustrations throughout the book - I think it makes it so much more fun to read!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was well narrated and a nice gentle story. It is one more about characters a plot. If you are looking of a keep you on the edge of your seat read, this isn't it. However, if you are looking for a story that is sweet, godly, and well-written, this fits the bill.
The only romance is the married couple who kiss (not detailed).

[Lydia Willcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 stars

I so enjoyed the second installment of this series! First off, I appreciated how realistic is was and how long it took Norman to actually recover from his injury of the last book. Also, how Orlena didn't become good all at once, and how despite her resolution continued doing bad things until at last she came to see what it was she truly needed. I'm surprised at how much I came to care about Orlena and want get to find happiness.
Also, Norman and Jenelle were just as sweet and caring as in the first book. Norman knows better how to handle things now, I think. And Lloyd and Hardrich and all of them are still great characters. I loved hearing Norman's stories about Hardrich from when Norman was still a boy!
The subplot with the Ledfords was interesting. I'm sure we'll be hearing about them more in the next books.
This series is such a nice series so far and I really enjoy the slower pace and the interesting details about life on a ranch. Having this book set mostly in winter made it even more interesting, with the snow and the blizzards. It has so many excellent lessons, too! I definitely would recommend this for younger teens especially, but really for all ages. Looking forward to Rustlers!

[Gera Wilkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as much as the first one! I love the sweet spirit and message of this book. I will definitely have to buy the other books in this series as I’m not ready to tell Jenelle and Norman goodbye!

[Avery · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are spoilers in my review, if you don’t want to know what happens then don’t keep reading.

I loved this book! I really liked it whenever Norman told stories about when he was younger. And whenever Orlena finally accepted Jesus as her savior I was smiling so wide! Even though these are fictional characters, I was still so excited about her coming to know the Lord! Rebekah A. Morris described Orlena’s feeling so well! Also, I’m with Orlena about not liking whenever the wind is howling! Oh, another thing, Rebekah Morris has an exchange between two characters about rustlers in the last chapter right before the book ends! Shows how good of an author she is because now I just HAVE to start the next book, called ‘Rustlers’, as soon as I finish writing this review. 😁

[Kate Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Triple Creek Ranch series, and it is just as wonderful (or even better) than the first! The cover is, once again, very beautiful and accurately portrays the tone of the book.

The Setting:
This story was set on a ranch in the Midwest during winter which added an extra danger and excitement to ranch life. It was great to be able to learn more about the setting of the series, and their little town featured more into the story this time. The illustrations are just fabulous and really bring to life the world of cowboys and prairies.

The Storyline:
The storyline was really great! I loved “watching” the continued journey of Orlena and those around her. The plot was very interesting (and even set up some more for the next book!!!), and I loved how it mirrors the struggle going on in the Orlena’s life at the time. Lessons in controlling a temper, loving difficult people, and leaning on Christ for help, as well as a clear Gospel presentation, were integrated into the book. And it was so awesome that Christmas got to be in the story!!!

The Characters:
The characters were delightful, (though there almost were too many ranch hands to keep track of). As always, I very much enjoyed Mr. and Mrs. Mavrich, and their relationship was a beautiful reminder of how wonderful marriage can be under Christ’s headship. Once again, Mrs. Mavrich was sooo sweet, and Mr. Mavrich was awesome in his own way! : ) Their friends, ranch hands, and housekeeper Mrs. O’Conner (as well as a few new people added) made up the rich group of side characters. Orlena has definitely improved since the last book, but she still has lots to learn. (I love the way that turns out!)

The Concerns:
Parents should have caution in considering this book for younger readers because of some things that Orlena says in her arguments with her older brother. Also, although the marriage relationship between two of the main characters is very sweet and godly, some parents may not want younger readers to read this yet because there is a lot of married kissing throughout the book. : ) Also, a small scene takes place with a drunkard in the town, and there are small mentions of drinking and gambling throughout the book (but the character comes around!).

I was very excited to read this book! It tells the continuing story of the transformation Christ can bring to our lives and added to that it is a really good story! I can’t wait to read the next book that just came out!

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/2025 - I’ve lost count of rereads. Anyway, still 5 stars. Still a once or twice a year listen for me. I love the narrator.

I’m getting attached to the characters in this series! I am glad to see the gradual changes in Orlena. It's a very believable transition from a spoiled brat to a girl who learns to love and respect her family. I can't wait to listen to the next installment. Awesome narrator!

[Sarah Allerding · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book picks up pretty much where the last one left off. This was another enjoyable read about life on Triple Creek Ranch. In the first book it was summer, and this one mostly takes place in the winter. It was really interesting reading about the different work that took place on the ranch in the different seasons. I look forward to reading more of these books.

[Mikayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this continuation of the Triple Creek Ranch series. Rebekah Morris has a engaging style that made me want to keep reading through the whole book in one sitting. I really loved seeing the characters grow, espechilly Norman and his relationship with his sister. As always with Rebekah Morris, it was perfectly clean with a good message. I can't wait to read the next books!

[Pam McCallister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Bekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the second book in the Triple Creek Ranch series and I really enjoyed this second installment! I really appreciate this author writing clean, God-honoring books!

I really enjoyed reading of the Mavrich's getting through the winter months and how Orlena struggles to be good in her own strength, but slowly discovers that it isn’t possible apart from Jesus Christ. It was refreshing to see how fervently Norman and Jenelle prayed for their sister to come to the Lord and how patient they were with her.

I also enjoyed how Rebekah A. Morris added some stories from Norman's childhood and teen years into this book. I think it definitely added to the story and a couple of them left me chuckling in amusement!

I highly recommend this book to kids who love clean, adventurous, God-honoring books!

[Hailey Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than number 1! This author is wonderful.

[Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a long break between the first and second books, I felt like I could easily recall the most important facts. I was well reminded without being bonked over the head. And throughout the book I caught many hints of an Isabella Alden-influence. So that was lovely. ;)

Setting: On a ranch, in the west ... somewhere. Sometime. These details were not provided in the least. Descriptions of the west appeared in good balance, like the snow and terrain and neighbors and town and school. But the state (or territory) or year (or even decade)? Not many hints were given. The civilized society (existence of a sheriff and school) indicated possibly early 1900s rather than late 1800s, and the ranch descriptions put me in an idea of Wyoming for a state. But those are of course just guesses--and if they are correct guesses, than the setting descriptions were written well.

Characters: One couldn't help but like Norman and Jenelle, the sweet, godly couple. Norman's occasional impatience and confusion was adorably realistic and necessary. Orlena's character arc was done well, and smoothly picked up from where the last book left off. (I know that, and I barely remember where the last book left off!) In fact, Orlena's character was really where I felt like I was reading a Pansy novel. It was sweet.

Mr. Davis wasn't a strong character, though I expected he would be. There are many ranch hands--some I can't keep track of--but Scott was distinctive. I kept getting Hearter and Hardrich mixed up.

Plot: It was a bit meandering, and it wasn't altogether clear what certain scenes had to do with the main plot. A lot of little scenes focused on little daily events, and detailed descriptions often focused on routine tasks (if dangerous, but hey, it's a ranch), seeming to gear up for a bad thing, but rarely did anything long-term serious happen. The climax--or rather a conflict scene that occurred where one would expect a climax--was a prime example: drawn-out, well-written and detailed, but ultimately leading to nothing. Still, the whole story was a nice tale of day-to-day life with real-life problems and real-life struggles. Also, there was a clear plot point that served as a prologue for the next book, and expounded in the next-book sneak-peek--as if the sneak-peak were part of this book.

Faith content: Very explicitly Christian, and beautifully so. It was simple Christianity, which is so often lost in our own self-made complexities of life. So again, it's Isabella Alden set on a western ranch. Is there really anything wrong with that?

Recommended for fans of Isabella Alden set on a western ranch.

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded to 4

A simple, sweet continuation of the Mavrich family's ranch life. This installment did not have a particularly engrossing plot curve, though it does follow a significant change in Orlena's heart.

Notes:
- A bit too sweet and predictable.
- The gospel presentation was lacking some depth and missing the points of repentance and surrender, focusing more on just receiving Christ's saving work on the cross and accepting Him.
- Numerous mentions of marital affection, though nothing intimate or improper.

[Rebekah Morris]

This book brought a smile to my face several times as I felt like I was returning to visit old friends. I’d also forgotten some of the things in the story, so that was also enjoyable to discover them again.

[Elise Stegman · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good