Tomorrow's First Light: Historical Christian Romance

Naomi Rawlings

Feb 2019 · Cedar Lake Press

About this ebook

Marrying a stranger to keep the woman's siblings out of an orphanage is one thing, but when more children than expected pour out of the stagecoach, what’s a man to do?

Nervous about meeting her fiancé for the first time, Ellie Spritzer’s lifelong hope of finding love is about to end—or rather, begin. She never imagined her quest for love would take her to the other side of the country with all eight of her siblings in tow, but after her mother dies unexpectedly, what choice does she have? At least the man she’s been writing for the past year is still willing to marry her and take in her siblings… or so she thinks until she arrives in the dusty town of Twin Rivers, Texas. 

Growing up an orphan, Sam Owens never had a place to call home or a family to love. So if his wife-to-be needs to bring three of her siblings with her, he has no complaints about having a ready-made family. But his mail-order-bride doesn’t arrive with three. She arrives with eight. 

Sam can’t make himself turn away children in need. But as a beginning rancher, he doesn’t have the resources to care for so many people. When sinister forces threaten the things Sam and Ellie both hold dear, can they figure out how to keep their fledgling family together, or will they lose the very things they cherish most?

Tomorrow’s First Light is the first book in the Texas Promise Series by bestselling Christian romance author Naomi Rawlings. If you like tender marriage-of-convenience stories, you’ll love this heartwarming tale filled with hope and new beginnings.

Texas Promise Series

Book 1—Tomorrow’s First Light (Sam and Ellie)

Book 2—Tomorrow’s Shining Dream (Daniel and Charlotte--available 2020)

Book 3—Tomorrow’s Constant Hope (Wes and Keely--available 2020)

Book 4—Tomorrow’s Steadfast Prayer (Harrison and Alejandra)

Book 5—Tomorrow’s Lasting Joy (Cain and Anna Mae)

Ratings and reviews

Tomorrow's First Light Book One in the Texas Promise Series Naomi Rawlings is author of the Eagle Harbor book series. She connects both series through Ellie. Ellie was a baker in Eagle Harbor, Michigan but now she has embarked on a new adventure. She is a mail-order bride for Sam the rancher. He is from Twin Rivers, Texas. I loved this book. I especially liked Sam, Ellie's rancher husband. Sam is expecting Ellie (his mail-order bride) and three of her siblings to arrive on the stage but is surprised when Ellie and her eight siblings step off. Instead of backing out of their arrangement, Sam promptly marches Ellie down to the church to get married. Sam never waivers in his commitment to his family. He frequently tells Ellie "two are better than one". This book is full of surprises. I could not put it down since I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Cattle rustlers, land swindlers, and miscommunication are a few of the obstacles Sam and Ellie must confront and conquer. Naomi Rawlings does a great job sharing God's love through her writing. She is not preachy but rather very subtle in her presentation. I was given a copy of this book for free. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own

Tomorrow’s First Light is the exciting first in the Texas Promise series and re-introduces Ellie, one of our friends from the Eagle Harbor series. Events take place in Texas in 1885, with an arranged mail-order marriage, a built-in family, mysteries, and a spiritual lesson that is excellent for this reader. Ellie Spritzer wants a husband who will love her for who she is, despite her closely held family secrets. She and Sam Owens meet through an agency that introduces prospective brides and grooms, corresponding for about a year before they agree to marry. Ellie’s mother died, so it is important to Ellie to find someone who will allow her to bring her three youngest siblings, 6-year-old twins and a one-year old babe while a family member takes in her other siblings. All was going well except a letter seems to have been lost along the way. Sam Owens grew up in an orphanage, never knowing his parents or if he had any siblings. He wants a family of his own, and likes what he has read so far in Ellie’s letters. While Sam was writing to Ellie, he inherited his ranchland from a man he used to work for, built a house and barn on it, and purchased a hundred head of cattle. He didn’t tell anyone about Ellie until the very last minute, which upset his close, life-long friends. The surprise was on Sam. When the stage arrived, eight – count ‘em, eight – children piled out along with his fiancé. Then, Sam learns that his ranch has been taken from him. He now has nowhere for Ellie’s family or his cattle. Spiritual battles are throughout this breathtaking novel. Ellie has long believed that her family was cursed due to the secrets of the past. Leaving Eagle Harbor apparently didn’t make a difference; she now believes God’s punishment is extended to Sam. She thinks she’s made a mess of everything. She then hears the sister of one of Sam’s old friends, Charlotte, irate because Sam should have married her rather than bring a stranger into his home. Even if Charlotte’s father wouldn’t accept an orphan for a son-in-law. Ellie’s sixteen-year-old brother Leroy wants her to send all the children back to Eagle Harbor. Leroy knows she has spent her life caring for them, and he wants her to be happy, but she wants her family with her. I like Ellie. A lot. She has learned to do much with very little. She has just a tiny bit of faith, yet knows just enough about law and not enough about grace to understand what the Lord might have in store for her. The primary characters are three-dimensional; we get to know Sam and Ellie very well throughout this drama. This story was very hard to put down! The contrasts between Texas and Northern Michigan, especially to this reader who left Michigan for the Arizona desert, is very well drawn. Sam and Ellie face many challenges, from their marriage to her siblings to having to leave his land and find a place for everyone to stay. Sam will do anything to keep the children from going to an orphanage, and his faith in God is strong. From the time he was a lad, he believed a verse from scripture that says, “Two are better than one”. Now he has an opportunity to prove that in the Lord’s strength! I highly recommend this Christian historical novel for women of all ages who appreciate well-written, inspirational fiction with likable characters who face challenges with prayers and scripture. From a grateful heart: I received a copy of this novel from the author, and this is my honest review.

TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE Once again, Ms. Naomi Rawlings has wowed me with another book, a new series that is a spin-off from her Eagle Harbor series. The story is a clean Christian story with Godly principles, human emotions, troubles from the past, and new beginnings and a future. The story is not preachy but does contain Bible passages. Mail-order bride, Elle Spritzer, has corresponded with Texas rancher, Sam Owen’s for over a year, and now is traveling from Eagle Harbor, Michigan to Twin Rivers, Texas to marry him. He knows she has eight siblings and has even consented to her bringing two teenaged boys, Martin and Leroy, and baby sister, Lynette. Sam inherited a twelve-thousand-acre ranch in a will, something an orphan would never expect to happen—and now he has a wife and children on their way—his life’s dream coming true. The plot will include a shock when Sam arrives in town to meet the stagecoach and not only will the four people he was expecting to arrive, but there will be five other siblings in tow. Sam, understanding what it is like as an orphan, won’t turn the children away—but this will change things for him and Ellie. Both Sam and Ellie have their secrets, and issues that create angst and misunderstandings, but when they are honest with each other, they both find that where one is weak, the other is strong, and they are perfect together. Sam also has good friends from his childhood, friends that come through during times of trouble and hardships. “I don’t care about what kind of family you came from. I care about the family I can make with you going forward, right here in Twin Rivers.” I love the communication between Sam and Ellie, especially when they finally open up to each other. Ellie proves to be supportive of Sam when it looks like he will lose the ranch, and he refuses to allow the children to be divided up. When they each seek the Lord, asking for guidance and trusting God in everything, things fall into place. “We’re a family, you, me, and the whole pile of young’uns you brought with you, for richer or poorer, for better or worse. I don’t want anyone to question that in the future.”