As a writer, I read a lot of books. Many of them are written by authors that I've met. Such is the case with Counting the Cost by Liz Adair. Although I don't know her well personally, Liz belongs to my writer's group, ANWA, and since she's been to my house, I can call her friend.

Counting the Cost is a masterful story spun by Liz Adair. Set in the 1930’s when the west was still being tamed, we meet Heck Benham living the cowboy life—and working toward his dream in rural New Mexico. When Ruth Reynolds, a socialite from back east moves to town, both of their lives are changed forever.

Is love an undeniable force that those struck by it are helpless to deny? What is the personal cost of loving someone from a different culture or with a different value system? Can two completely different people live happily ever after? These questions are entertained throughout the book as Heck and Ruth try to meld their lives into the one great whole they can both be happy with.

Counting the Cost is told with authority and detail, and we willingly immerse ourselves into a life where the path to the outhouse out back is standard fare, and indoor plumbing is for snooty rich folk. The characters are portrayed vividly and we sympathize with them—laugh with them—and cry with them as they struggle through the journey called life.

Counting the Cost by Liz Adair is a must-read.