What do you think?
Rate this book
Lonestar #1
Lonestar Sanctuary
In the quiet safety of the Bluebird Ranch, old promises resurface and unexpected love brings new hope.
Though tragedy has wrecked her life, Allie Siders holds on to the hope that her five-year-old daughter, Betsy, will speak again. But with a stalker out for revenge, all Allie can think about now is their safety. She must sever all ties and abandon life as she knows it. She heads to the peaceful Bluebird Ranch, nestled deep in Texas hill country, and to the only person who can help them.
The ranch is a sanctuary for abused horses, and also for troubled youths: The perfect place for Betsy to grow and recover. Ranch owner Elijah DeAngelo eagerly welcomes the duo. But Rick Bailey - the ranch foreman and DeAngelo's right-hand man - hasn't decided to let his guard down...yet.
Promises made long ago soon force Rick and Allie to work together to escape danger. Will they discover love along the way?
Though tragedy has wrecked her life, Allie Siders holds on to the hope that her five-year-old daughter, Betsy, will speak again. But with a stalker out for revenge, all Allie can think about now is their safety. She must sever all ties and abandon life as she knows it. She heads to the peaceful Bluebird Ranch, nestled deep in Texas hill country, and to the only person who can help them.
The ranch is a sanctuary for abused horses, and also for troubled youths: The perfect place for Betsy to grow and recover. Ranch owner Elijah DeAngelo eagerly welcomes the duo. But Rick Bailey - the ranch foreman and DeAngelo's right-hand man - hasn't decided to let his guard down...yet.
Promises made long ago soon force Rick and Allie to work together to escape danger. Will they discover love along the way?
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
About the author
Colleen Coble
141 books5,500 followersUSAToday bestselling author Colleen Coble lives with her husband, Dave, in Indiana. She is the author of dozens of novels including the Rock Harbor Series, the Aloha Reef Series, the Mercy Falls Series, the Hope Beach Series, the Lonestar Series and two Women of Faith fiction selections, Alaska Twilight and Midnight Sea. She has more than 2 million books in print.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 376 reviews
April 8, 2009
Last week my insomniac husband couldn't sleep, so he went into our guest room to try and fall asleep. Unable to do so, he opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out a copy of Lonestar Sanctuary - leftover from when I read it long ago. He figured that if anything was going to make him go into catatonic sleep, this book would do it, so he began to read. To his surprise (and mine), he couldn't put it down, and went to bed early each night for the next two days so he could read in bed. It was the first book he has finished in three years. All those years I wasted my money on Clive Cussler and Louis Lamour, and I could have been buying Christian romance novels. Huh.
February 17, 2017
Now suspense is not my number one go to genre but I love the way Colleen Coble presents it.
I've read her light house series as well and it's not to be missed.
This sucked me in right from the start and I'm so glad I bought it a few weeks ago. Suspense that keeps you right on the edge of your seat and light romance, now that's my kind of book!
I've read her light house series as well and it's not to be missed.
This sucked me in right from the start and I'm so glad I bought it a few weeks ago. Suspense that keeps you right on the edge of your seat and light romance, now that's my kind of book!
March 14, 2017
I've heard of this author for awhile and was excited to finally get a chance to read one of her books :) While the beginning was a little slow, I was swept into this suspenseful romance that held a few surprises along the way.
I'm not a huge ranch or animal person, but I did find myself loving this setting. All the characters were great, even down to the teenagers that stayed at the ranch for a few days. I loved how the author focused on true love in a marriage, instead of just physical attraction. A lot of times love is an action and not a feeling!
I could have used a tad more spiritual content, especially Bible verses, but there still were great reminders throughout this book. There seemed to be two very, very subtle hints at evolution that I found surprising.
As for the killer...
A book I'd recommend to mystery, suspense, and romance readers. Thanks, Deanne, for picking this one for me :)
I'm not a huge ranch or animal person, but I did find myself loving this setting. All the characters were great, even down to the teenagers that stayed at the ranch for a few days. I loved how the author focused on true love in a marriage, instead of just physical attraction. A lot of times love is an action and not a feeling!
I could have used a tad more spiritual content, especially Bible verses, but there still were great reminders throughout this book. There seemed to be two very, very subtle hints at evolution that I found surprising.
As for the killer...
A book I'd recommend to mystery, suspense, and romance readers. Thanks, Deanne, for picking this one for me :)
December 11, 2021
4 Stars ✨
This was a entertaining quick read. I love any kind of story that involves a ranch, horses or a homestead. The atmosphere is always cozy and beautiful. The writing was simple and easy to read with very likable characters with a small town feel.
The suspense was ok. I liked that it was light and fluffy although, I feel a little more depth could have been portrayed considering all the death that takes place over the course of the book. I felt it lacked emotion. Of course I don’t like reading about people who constantly grieve, but I think a little more emotion would have been a great benefit to this book considering the amount of people lost who were connected to a certain character. Other than that I found it to be enjoyable and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
This was a entertaining quick read. I love any kind of story that involves a ranch, horses or a homestead. The atmosphere is always cozy and beautiful. The writing was simple and easy to read with very likable characters with a small town feel.
The suspense was ok. I liked that it was light and fluffy although, I feel a little more depth could have been portrayed considering all the death that takes place over the course of the book. I felt it lacked emotion. Of course I don’t like reading about people who constantly grieve, but I think a little more emotion would have been a great benefit to this book considering the amount of people lost who were connected to a certain character. Other than that I found it to be enjoyable and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
November 8, 2012
LONESTAR SANCTUARY was my second read by Colleen Coble, and it will definitely not be my last. Ms. Coble writes great romantic suspense, and what's even better - she writes great Christian romantic suspense, without beating you over the head with the Christian references.
Allie Siders has dealt with too much death over the last few years. First, her husband was killed in the war in Afghanistan, and her in-laws are determined to gain custody of her daughter. Then her parents died in a tragic plane accident, and her sister was killed during a burglary. As if that wasn't enough, her five-year-old daughter, Betsy, has stopped talking.
Allie has made a life barrel racing on the rodeo circuit. But trouble has a way of finding her, and when a man claiming to be behind her sister's death tries to attack her in her trailer, she decides that it would be in the best interest of both herself and her daughter to leave the rodeo and travel to the Bluebird Ranch.
The ranch is owned by Elijah, a man who holds more importance to Allie than anyone knows, and who also runs a program that uses horses and ranch work to help troubled kids. But even more importantly, the ranch is run by foreman Rick Bailey - the man who was her husband's closest friend during the war, and who is harboring secrets of his own.
When it becomes clear that someone is determined to make Allie suffer for a sin she doesn't even know she committed, both Rick and Allie will have to put their differences aside to keep Betsy safe.
Let me just say, this book is a real page-turner. The suspense is perfectly plotted, and although I wasn't personally fond of people close to Allie dropping like flies, it worked with the story. And as I mentioned, the Christian/inspirational references were well done, without being over done.
The ending was realistic, the dialogue throughout the story was perfectly believable, and I actually enjoyed getting to know these characters. LONESTAR SANCTUARY is a winner!
Allie Siders has dealt with too much death over the last few years. First, her husband was killed in the war in Afghanistan, and her in-laws are determined to gain custody of her daughter. Then her parents died in a tragic plane accident, and her sister was killed during a burglary. As if that wasn't enough, her five-year-old daughter, Betsy, has stopped talking.
Allie has made a life barrel racing on the rodeo circuit. But trouble has a way of finding her, and when a man claiming to be behind her sister's death tries to attack her in her trailer, she decides that it would be in the best interest of both herself and her daughter to leave the rodeo and travel to the Bluebird Ranch.
The ranch is owned by Elijah, a man who holds more importance to Allie than anyone knows, and who also runs a program that uses horses and ranch work to help troubled kids. But even more importantly, the ranch is run by foreman Rick Bailey - the man who was her husband's closest friend during the war, and who is harboring secrets of his own.
When it becomes clear that someone is determined to make Allie suffer for a sin she doesn't even know she committed, both Rick and Allie will have to put their differences aside to keep Betsy safe.
Let me just say, this book is a real page-turner. The suspense is perfectly plotted, and although I wasn't personally fond of people close to Allie dropping like flies, it worked with the story. And as I mentioned, the Christian/inspirational references were well done, without being over done.
The ending was realistic, the dialogue throughout the story was perfectly believable, and I actually enjoyed getting to know these characters. LONESTAR SANCTUARY is a winner!
May 31, 2017
The sad thing is that this didn’t have to be a disaster. Ms. Coble can write. There are no glaringly bad sentences and the characters are likable. But not one of her editors ever told her that “less is more.” This story is multi-layered in a very bad way.
First, the heroine is running from a mad killer. He killed her entire family and her best friend and is now after her and her daughter. She’s a widow whose traumatized child hasn’t spoken in a year. Husband was a war veteran, killed (sort of) by his best friend. Widow runs to refuge indicated by husband before his death. Husband’s BF is there and marries her to protect her from mad killer and former husband’s parents who belong to a Christian cult and who take in foster children for the money. BF’s mother whipped the tar out of him as a kid. He also has a long-lost brother he is trying to track down. And he is a former alcoholic. Widow’s mom lied to her about her upbringing. Ranch owner is her long-lost grandfather. He dies mysteriously. Widow has rare eye disease. And the “sanctuary” is a ranch that takes in wounded horses and at-risk kids. Sweet pastor. Check. Corrupt sheriff. Check. Ex husband’s BF saves the day and is forgiven all. Check.
Seriously? One third of these story lines would have been enough to keep the story going. But all of them together were a hot mess. The motive for the multiple murders was hardly believable.
I ask myself why publishers print this stuff and then I see all the five star ratings and realize that people really don't mind the flimsy plots as long as some Christianity and romance are thrown in.
First, the heroine is running from a mad killer. He killed her entire family and her best friend and is now after her and her daughter. She’s a widow whose traumatized child hasn’t spoken in a year. Husband was a war veteran, killed (sort of) by his best friend. Widow runs to refuge indicated by husband before his death. Husband’s BF is there and marries her to protect her from mad killer and former husband’s parents who belong to a Christian cult and who take in foster children for the money. BF’s mother whipped the tar out of him as a kid. He also has a long-lost brother he is trying to track down. And he is a former alcoholic. Widow’s mom lied to her about her upbringing. Ranch owner is her long-lost grandfather. He dies mysteriously. Widow has rare eye disease. And the “sanctuary” is a ranch that takes in wounded horses and at-risk kids. Sweet pastor. Check. Corrupt sheriff. Check. Ex husband’s BF saves the day and is forgiven all. Check.
Seriously? One third of these story lines would have been enough to keep the story going. But all of them together were a hot mess. The motive for the multiple murders was hardly believable.
I ask myself why publishers print this stuff and then I see all the five star ratings and realize that people really don't mind the flimsy plots as long as some Christianity and romance are thrown in.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2016
This romance was well-written and had me wanting to keep reading. The thing that impressed me the most was the romance was not based mostly on physical attraction. I'm not sure that God would allow Christians to be forced into the kind of relationship they had, but given the circumstance, the author handled it very well. At first they loved more from choice than from emotion, and worked to make their relationship better. They admired and then loved each other because of strength of character, not because of the color of their eyes or sexual attraction.
March 11, 2018
I really enjoyed this book, even though I thought I’m in for more of a thrilling ride than what I ended up in, this story still kept me turning pages.
The moment the one character was introduced, I knew it was the stalker so the reveal wasn’t surprising.
All in all an enjoyable suspense.
The moment the one character was introduced, I knew it was the stalker so the reveal wasn’t surprising.
All in all an enjoyable suspense.
January 5, 2020
First read 2014-4 stars
Re-read 2020-4 1/2 stars!
I dont know why..but I enjoyed this 1st book in this series even better this time.
I re-read because I wanted to find out if it was worth picking up the rest to read or move on.
Well..need now to find the others!
This is a inspirational romance, and not at all preachy, it focused on the characters, plot, and the healing through love.
Widow Allie Siders is desperate to help her 5 year old daughter Betsy speak again after witnessing something that made her withdraw from the world.
But with an unknown stalker out for revenge, all Allie can think about is the safety that awaits th Nestled deep in the Texas Hill country, the ranch is not only a sanctuary for abused horses but troubled youths.
Here is where Allie is determined that her young daughter can heal as well as give them both a safe haven.
Ranch owner Elijah DeAngelo, who is compassionate and kind eagerly welcomes the two.
But Rick Bailey the handsome foreman, hasn't decided to let his guard down...yet.
As promises made long ago soon force these two together, they now have to work together to save all that they hold dear.
And along the way, they will discover the remarkable power of love and how to heal and let the past go and to allow new beginnings to grow.
This was a really good story of building a relationship between two strangers, learning to trust, and letting love grow between two remarkable characters.
A great mystery as well thrown in as to who this stalker was and had me guessing to the end, as well as a few surprise secrets that unfold from the past.
A nice clean romance that kept me held in and was very happy with Allie and Rick's road to the discovery of love and the power of healing.
I look forward to the next book in the series.
Re-read 2020-4 1/2 stars!
I dont know why..but I enjoyed this 1st book in this series even better this time.
I re-read because I wanted to find out if it was worth picking up the rest to read or move on.
Well..need now to find the others!
This is a inspirational romance, and not at all preachy, it focused on the characters, plot, and the healing through love.
Widow Allie Siders is desperate to help her 5 year old daughter Betsy speak again after witnessing something that made her withdraw from the world.
But with an unknown stalker out for revenge, all Allie can think about is the safety that awaits th Nestled deep in the Texas Hill country, the ranch is not only a sanctuary for abused horses but troubled youths.
Here is where Allie is determined that her young daughter can heal as well as give them both a safe haven.
Ranch owner Elijah DeAngelo, who is compassionate and kind eagerly welcomes the two.
But Rick Bailey the handsome foreman, hasn't decided to let his guard down...yet.
As promises made long ago soon force these two together, they now have to work together to save all that they hold dear.
And along the way, they will discover the remarkable power of love and how to heal and let the past go and to allow new beginnings to grow.
This was a really good story of building a relationship between two strangers, learning to trust, and letting love grow between two remarkable characters.
A great mystery as well thrown in as to who this stalker was and had me guessing to the end, as well as a few surprise secrets that unfold from the past.
A nice clean romance that kept me held in and was very happy with Allie and Rick's road to the discovery of love and the power of healing.
I look forward to the next book in the series.
September 14, 2015
First of all, I admit It's entertaining and it keeps you interested.
The story is easy to read and characters are good. Nice dialogues as well.
However, most of the book is too shallow. Really hard issues were not treated with the depth they deserved. It was a rush.
There were very dramatical moments that had no impact in me at all. They just happened.
I couldn't connect with the characters and sometimes I'm not sure they could connect with themselves either. Sometimes their feelings seemed way too forced or faked.
Mystery is not that intriguing and the plot is kind of predictable but, for some reason, I couldn't stop reading. You can give it a try.
The story is easy to read and characters are good. Nice dialogues as well.
However, most of the book is too shallow. Really hard issues were not treated with the depth they deserved. It was a rush.
There were very dramatical moments that had no impact in me at all. They just happened.
I couldn't connect with the characters and sometimes I'm not sure they could connect with themselves either. Sometimes their feelings seemed way too forced or faked.
Mystery is not that intriguing and the plot is kind of predictable but, for some reason, I couldn't stop reading. You can give it a try.
March 28, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. I've read others by colleen coble, and some I've enjoyed reading more than others - she always combines a little romance with a lot of suspense, and in this book she does that again - keeps you guessing as to who is behind everything. The only thing I thought was cheesy was just how conveniently she had the characters all connected - it just so happened that the main character Allie was related to the guy who owned the ranch that employed the guy who her dead husband told her to contact in case something happened.... AND that ranch also was for kids with emotional problems, which was perfect for her daughter who hadn't spoken in a year after witnessing the death of her grandparents. If that weren't enough the ranch is also connected to the person who is harrassing Allie as well. A little too conveniently pulled together, but that aside, it was a good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2017
I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't work for me. To begin, I was unprepared for the fact that this would be a marriage of convenience story. Not that I don't like that trope, but I typically have to be in the mood for it. The rest of the story just felt flat. A little disjointed. The story didn't flow.
And as the threats to Allie hit closer and closer to home, I started to get irritated that they didn't look closer to home for the bad guy. Seriously, Rick saddles the horse, and then by the time Allie gets on it, someone has compromised it. Who would have had access? Wouldn't they have noticed a stranger lurking about? Wouldn't that have been a clue that it was someone on the inside?
It had potential as a story line, but I just didn't enjoy the execution. On to the next...
And as the threats to Allie hit closer and closer to home, I started to get irritated that they didn't look closer to home for the bad guy. Seriously, Rick saddles the horse, and then by the time Allie gets on it, someone has compromised it. Who would have had access? Wouldn't they have noticed a stranger lurking about? Wouldn't that have been a clue that it was someone on the inside?
It had potential as a story line, but I just didn't enjoy the execution. On to the next...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2017
I read the reviews and wanted very much to like it. Maybe it was the narrator but it was just too cheesy. It was the equivalent ( for me) as a Turner Classic Movie- too much to believe. You expect that from a fantasy genre or horror, but even for a romance, this was just not believable. The characters were not well developed and some of the situations were beyond ridiculous. She gave Rick her dead husband's ring???? She loved Jon and when he died in combat, she was devastated. She marries Rick to keep her child safe. No woman would give another man her deceased husband's wedding ring!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2024
Pretty popular plot to use. Not my favorite because of that. Overall, not a bad read.
October 25, 2019
Great, flawed characters. A nice suspense but I figured it out quite early. That does not bother me, but some people do not like figuring it out earlier.
June 11, 2016
I've been excited about Lonestar Sanctuary for weeks and when I finally started reading, I was a goner! The author brings together some of my favorite elements for a great story; suspense, mystery, romance, the tough-but-tortured-soul-cowboy with a troubled past, a bonafide Rodeo Queen, and so much more!
Having recently lost her parents and her husband in separate incidents, Allie's had more than her fair share of grief. Now she's on the run from a deadly stalker...with her five-year-old traumatized daughter...seeking guidance and safety on the Bluebird Ranch. Rick Bailey, the ranch foreman, isn't sure what to think of Allie. Not one to easily trust strangers (even the pretty ones) he thinks she's out to take advantage of Elijah's good nature. It took me a little while to warm up to Rick, but as his story came out I grew to understand why he was a bit of a jerk in the beginning.
Overall the story is a fast read (maybe a little rushed at times), easy to follow, and perhaps a bit predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. I would've loved the book to be a little longer with more attention spent on character development and interpersonal relationships, especially the relationships between the young teens and the adults. I just didn't feel as much emotion from the characters as I normally do from a Colleen Coble book, which is why my rating is four stars. It's still a very good book.
If you are a romantic suspense fan or enjoy western romance, definitely check out Lonestar Sanctuary! I'll be moving on to Lonestar Secrets very soon!
Having recently lost her parents and her husband in separate incidents, Allie's had more than her fair share of grief. Now she's on the run from a deadly stalker...with her five-year-old traumatized daughter...seeking guidance and safety on the Bluebird Ranch. Rick Bailey, the ranch foreman, isn't sure what to think of Allie. Not one to easily trust strangers (even the pretty ones) he thinks she's out to take advantage of Elijah's good nature. It took me a little while to warm up to Rick, but as his story came out I grew to understand why he was a bit of a jerk in the beginning.
Overall the story is a fast read (maybe a little rushed at times), easy to follow, and perhaps a bit predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. I would've loved the book to be a little longer with more attention spent on character development and interpersonal relationships, especially the relationships between the young teens and the adults. I just didn't feel as much emotion from the characters as I normally do from a Colleen Coble book, which is why my rating is four stars. It's still a very good book.
If you are a romantic suspense fan or enjoy western romance, definitely check out Lonestar Sanctuary! I'll be moving on to Lonestar Secrets very soon!
February 8, 2008
I didn't learn anything from this book. It was just a good entertaining read. I enjoyed the romance, the suspense and the mystery that was throughout the book. It was pretty predictable though. Damsel in distress, finds man to take care of her, they marry to protect her and daughter. Of course they fall in love. Bad guy almost gets away with his dastardly plan to murder damsel and daughter. Husband saves the day all ends well. Kiss kiss sigh sigh!
June 19, 2019
Very predictable and not super mysterious. I'm not a huge fan of western type books anyway, but this one was nothing memorable.
March 28, 2012
Easy read, good plot, likeable characters. I figured out who the stalker was 2/3 of the way through though so it took some of the pleasure out the the story.
March 16, 2020
This is my 2nd time reading this book and its sooo good from the first to the last page.
It started out at a rodeo where the widow of her late husband was riding and winning but not until she starts getting death threats from someone that she doesn't even know she then quits the rodeo to take her daughter who hasn't spoken since the day of the accident happen. She takes her to this ranch where they help young ppl that are in need of a life change and there she does speak and finds safety for her daughter again but also finds everlasting love!!!
It started out at a rodeo where the widow of her late husband was riding and winning but not until she starts getting death threats from someone that she doesn't even know she then quits the rodeo to take her daughter who hasn't spoken since the day of the accident happen. She takes her to this ranch where they help young ppl that are in need of a life change and there she does speak and finds safety for her daughter again but also finds everlasting love!!!
September 25, 2018
Wow! Talk about a moving story. I was crying by the end of this book. I loved it. I love Rick, and how he is amazing. I like that he finally keeps his promise in the end, and marries Allie and how he loves her so much. Allie is an amazing and strong woman. I feel for her when she was going through everything. Betsy is the most awesome little kid ever. I loved how in the end
March 29, 2017
That ending, though!!! *happy tears* I'm not usually one for romance, but this was definitely a page-turner.
April 1, 2019
Audio book. Sweet romance story with mystery.
September 25, 2020
Kept my attention. Maybe way too long into the night.
April 13, 2022
Second series i have started by this author. Promises to be another good series. Great fast pace and again love the christian elements. Looking forward to further books.
November 12, 2024
Unfortunately for me this story was too predictable and everything happened in the last 20 pages. There were some spots that were cute, but overall the book could have been at least 100 pages shorter and been a better story. Overall plot was very good but the writing could have been better.
November 22, 2024
The story sucked me in. I enjoyed it all the way through. I am looking forward to finishing more books in the series.
July 20, 2017
Too much horses, too little Christian in the Christian romance, too much wishy washy sappy.
Good otherwise.
Good otherwise.
June 28, 2023
Oh my! I read the back cover to this and thought I'd be reading a suspenseful romance. My oh my was I mistaken. It was more like a thriller! I'm actually surprised it isn't labeled a thriller. Allie, one of the main characters, is on the run for her life. The intensity of the danger she was in throughout this book, actually made me not want to read it at night. I love suspense and this was definitely that! It's set on a ranch in Texas, and I came to love a few of the characters. It did feel a bit unrealistic to me. As far as the significance of the danger she would encounter and how she just stayed put and resumed life like it was an every day occasion to be stalked. But it was clean and with a light faith based element. I will definitely read the other three books in this series and hopefully end with the Christmas books near Christmas of this year.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 376 reviews