Lightning And Lace

Texas Legacy #3

by DiAnn Mills

Bonnie Kahler, immersed in grief since losing her husband, attempts to rise from the ashes of mourning. Will love and faith give her the power to conquer the demons within and evils without? In an attempt to outrun his past, Preacher Travis Whitworth arrives in Kahlerville, incognito. When he stumbles across a dead body, suspicion falls on his shoulders. Is Travis in too deep to win Bonnie's love? As Bonnie finds herself drawn to Travis, her life and heart are threatened. When secrets unravel, will she be strong enough to face the twisted truth? The Texas Legacy Series just keeps getting better! Lightning and Lace is book 1 in the Texas Legacy series. Other books in the series include Leather and Lace: Book 1 and Lanterns and Lace: Book 2.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Clean Romance

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2007

About the author

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who invites her readers to step into stories where suspense meets adventure and romance warms the heart. Known for crafting unforgettable characters tangled in unpredictable plots, DiAnn believes every breath we take unfolds a story waiting to be told—so why not make it thrilling?

Her novels have consistently landed on bestseller lists including CBA, ECPA, and Publishers Weekly, and have won prestigious awards such as the Christy, Selah, Golden Scroll, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol awards.

DiAnn is a founding board member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Conference Advisor for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers. She actively participates in Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, International Thriller Writers, Outliers Writing University, and The Christian Pen. DiAnn passionately invests in helping fellow authors succeed through mentoring, book coaching, and editing. She travels nationwide speaking and teaching engaging writing workshops.

A proud coffee snob who roasts her own beans, DiAnn also enjoys diving into good books, experimenting in the kitchen, and unabashedly spoiling her grandchildren—whom she insists are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband make their home under the sunny skies of Houston, Texas.

Connect with DiAnn online for behind-the-scenes glimpses, writing tips, and lively discussions on any of the following social media platforms:

Website: https://diannmills.com/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/diann...
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Reviews

[Rosina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read three books by DiAnn Mills. They are very engaging. This book is about a preacher named Travis who was shunned from his previous church. When arriving in the new town of Kahlerville Travis meets a widow named Bonnie Kahler with three children. She has mourned for a few years from her first husband, Ben. When she wakes up from her pain she realizes that the children have not had a mom to keep them a family unit. The oldest son, Zack, is rebelling. Brother Travis takes on the role of a male figure in his life and invites him into his home to save him from military school. Sylvia and Lester are a married couple. Lester has a past of being unfaithful. Sylvia is unable to have children, plain looking and is in lust with Lester. Lester manipulates the town with his wife's money. He makes threats and believes he should be feared and respected. Although, fear maybe the right name for him respect is not. I wish this book would have ended with an epilogue. Oh, well. It is still a very goo book.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 of the Texas Legacy series once again focuses on the Kahler and Andrews families of Kahlerville Texas along with the town's citizens. This time widow Bonnie Andrews Kahler is featured along with the new preacher in town Brother Travis as well as Bonnie's troubled son, Zack.

Mills does such a great job of bringing the old west alive yet filling it will suspense and danger. We've already been introduced to banker and power hungry, controlling Lester Hillman in previous books and know what he is capable of. This time he has Bonnie in his roving eye whether he is married or not and will use any means he has at his disposal to get her as his mistress.

Bonnie opens up and realizes in this book that she has to stop grieving her dead husband, take control of the ranch, and figure out how to help Zack get over the anger he feels over his dad's death. It was so nice to see her regain her strength, independence, and faith in God. Brother Travis as well as the townspeople were an important part of helping her through all this.

Once again a great story from a master storyteller of romance and suspense with a spiritual base.

[Angela Goble · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the best of the three that I have read so far. It showed how God can take imperfect people and change them with his Love. He can make a weak woman strong and a troubled child redeemed. I loved this book! There were times that I was brought to tears.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. It was by far the best of the 3 in the series. I think I will change from a 4 to a 5. The story was put together very well. Did't see the end of Lester coming.

[Terry Yaceyko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don't like weak heroines or mothers. I knew from the beginning of the series that Bonnie was going to be a weak woman.
Ok story. Won't read it again.

[Shandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the time this one came along I was so involved in the reading and putting together the pieces that I didn't want it to end.

[Clara K Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Story was realistic and the characters spiritual growth was inspiring.
There were a few surprises. Kept me turning pages till the end.

[Doreen Nicolet]

didn't like

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. I had this series sitting on my shelf for a while, and now wishing I had read them sooner

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of the Texas Legacy three books. While it's not a requirement that you read the prior two, it does help if you have done so.

This is a wonderful Christian read that manages to pack several sermons within yet without being "preachy".

Everyone has things that they hope people will cease to remember or will never learn about.

"Hiding from the truth doesn't make it any less the truth."

And our two lead characters are just like us. The new preacher in town is hoping for a second chance since he was asked to leave his previous "job". Our minister grows as a man & as a pastor as "he understood that God didn't look at deeds to cover up wrongdoing. He looked at a man's heart."

Our widow lady hopes no one will find out how she has managed to get to sleep after her husband has died. Not only does she learn to stand on her own two feet but she becomes quite a strong individual. Not only as a woman of the community but as a woman of God.

Enter the bad guy. And believe me, HE is a bad guy. And then he gets worse. The story is how two people accept that God has meant for them to find each other. And it deals with how difficult it is to pray and hope that an evil person finds God.

I found myself reading this book WAY past bedtime. The characters are interesting. The ones from the previous two books stay in character. Nicely done, DiAnn Mills

[Tamara Tilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

LIGHTNING AND LACE is the third novel in the Texas Legacy Series. It continues a few years after where Lanterns and Lace left off, focusing on the character of Bonnie Kahler. Now widowed, and dealing with depression and an unruly son, Bonnie has to dig deep to strengthen herself and her family before she loses them completely. With the help of the new pastor in town willing to help Zack deal with his father's death, Bonnie does what she can to keep her family together. The unwelcome advances of Lester Hillerman continue to bother Bonnie. When she discovers what an inscrutable man he is, she finds herself barely holding on and praying that others will finally see Lester as the monster he is.

LIGHTNING AND LACE definitely picked up momentum where LANTERNS AND LACE had slowed the series down. I feel this novel had a lot more conflict that had to be solved and deeper characters that the reader could hang on to. I really enjoyed the interaction between families. I like sequels that add and build on characters from previous books instead of merely mentioning them. I look forward to reading A TEXAS LEGACY CHRISTMAS, the final in the series.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

this story is another Andrews story of Bonnie and her relationship with her children, God and in her community. Evil runs rampant with those that have not been punished with consequences of their actions and get off the first time, as they continue the pattern as they haven't changed. Children can have many secrets of things they have seen n heard and have difficulty in handling life...they need to see modeling behaviour of forgiveness, respect and goodness. The story of Zack and how grief of his father death and mother grieving causes Zack to be rebellious and disrespectful.... and the new preacher who has a part with the help of much prayer and God turns this families lives to Jesus n justice.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not like it much at all. The preacher's overgrown hair and beard with fake spectacles and baggy suit just sounded downright stupid. The story built up all this animosity toward the wicked banker and defenseless women and then his wife, Sylvia ends up being the murderer. The townsfolk never saw through Lester's facade and the women never developed any backbone. The romance between Bonnie and Travis was disappointing. They never even shared a kiss...of course given the disguise, that is probably a good thing (Yuck)!

[Joleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A recent widow with a troubled son and being preyed upon by an evil man is the basis of a pretty good Western.
Then a new preacher who had a rough past tries to be a Godly example in his town, takes an interest in the troubled boy.
I like that the new preacher has a wooly face and baggy clothes. The congregation really has to look hard at his heart, because his outward appearance is off-putting.
He wins people over and even Bonnie begins to like him after a super rocky beginning.
Good easy read

[puppitypup · Rating 1 out of 5]

Christian Romance The heroine is so unlikeable through the first several chapters of this book that I couldn't get myself to finish the book. And having the hero look like a vagrant didn't help much either. But the thing that really sealed the deal for me was having two names for each kid. It's hard enough to remember characters in a book, but to have to remember the first and middle name? That's asking a bit much. Plus, it made he heroine seem pretentious.

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonnie's story is revealed! Her heart and family are broken after the death of her husband. She is working toward becoming the mother her children need. The new preacher in town enters her life on the wrong foot. After the second confrontation, Bonnie strives to befriend him and rein in her rebellious son.

Time Period: 1989
Location: Kahlerville, Texas, USA

Reviewed from a library copy.

[Sandy Duke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably my favorite in this series. The author really lets us inside the heads of the characters to understand the inner struggles they are experiencing. She manages to clearly deal with topics such as forgiveness, repentance, salvation, and redemption with very little scripture, and non-preachy conversations, but rather shows us these concepts through the character's lives.

[Carman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me so mad! But I loved it! The characters who were making bad decisions out of fear, and illogical thinking, made me want to scream! Yet, that happens every single day, people making irrational decisions because they are afraid. I thought it was good, and can't wait to read the last book in the series.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because unlike other "Christian" romances, the main characters don't kiss until after they marry. It has a great story line too. A father dies, leaving his children and wife behind. A pastor moves to a different church hoping to forget about his past. I love a good story!

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has a good story line that keeps you reading until the end. A good book that makes you feel good reading it with romance, without bad words and naughty sex. Christians can enjoy it without feeling quilty. Thanks to DiAnn Mills for such a good reading experiance.

[Danica is Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this conclusion. I loved seeing Bonnie grow up and stand up for herself. I love DiAnn Mills style and can't wait to read more books by her. She knows how to write interesting stories that also contain good messages.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story line dealing with grief over the loss of a parent and spouse. Often that is dealt with on a superficial way but I found this plot was a lot more realistic and believable. Better than book 1 and 2 in the series.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book with some odd plot twists.

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 2 of 3

[Jacquelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the late 1800's in texas, a small town is plagued by lies and deceit. How can the new preacher in the town help the town to come to God? I really liked this story, well written.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series.

[Paula Võ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suspense isn't my thing, but it was detailed and written well. I just needed a change of scenery and plot a bit.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last of a great series of Prairie stories.