Chasing Charity seems a fitting title for this book. There is Daniel and Buddy Pierce both chasing Charity for her love. Charity is downhearted because Daniel left her at the altar on her wedding day. Then Buddy comes to their house and finds oil on their property.
That turns everything upside down as a best friend tries to steal their land. They have to leave their land while Buddy directs those who are looking for the oil. As they are about to give up and return to their house, oil falls everywhere including on them as they are returning to their home.
Charity is in love with Buddy but feels she has to marry Daniel to save their home. But she is about to make a mistake. Only God can change things for her.
Her best friend who ran off with her groom is hurt and destroyed and used by Daniel. So Emmy and Charity don't speak to each other and a friendship is separated. Yet they love each other enough that in the end Emmy does everything in her power to save Charity from marrying the wrong man.
There is humour, joy, sadness, and above all faith. Lifes are affected in so many ways by those who come in contact with each other. So much to learn about life itself. When the books ends, you wish to just keep on reading.

It's the year 1905 in Humble, Texas, one Charity Bloom will never forget. Being left at the altar when her fiancé, Daniel Clark, flees in full view of the town is bad enough, but seeing her life-long best friend, Emily Dane, dashing after him is almost more than she can bear.

Humble is overrun with fortune seekers eager to cash in on the oil boom, and Charity vows to have nothing to do with them. However, when oilman Buddy Pierce arrives and hits a gusher on Charity's mother's land, she can't deny her attraction. But Daniel, who's quickly tired of Emmy, regrets leaving Charity and refuses to lose her to Buddy. Which man will convince independent Charity he's the one for her-repentant and rich Daniel or handsome and honorable Buddy?

Chasing Charity, book two in Gruver's Texas Fortunes Series, is every bit as delightful as her debut novel, Diamond Duo. I enjoyed spending time with a couple of characters we'd met before as well as being introduced to a wonderful new cast. Gruver brings every one to life with consummate skill. Not only are Charity and Buddy delightful, but the secondary characters shine, too, from traitorous Emmy to the devoted hound dog that befriends Charity. I loved seeing both Charity and Emmy learn to surrender their situations to the Lord.

The story takes off from page one and builds with each scene, providing for a fast, fun read. Gruver tosses in wonderful twists that keep things interesting. I blasted through this book. I was so eager to see how the story ended that I stayed up late to finish it. Those yawns in church the next day were Gruver's fault.

I heartily recommend Chasing Charity to any reader who enjoys an inspirational historical romance. If you haven't read Diamond Duo, it's another great book. And the third in the series, Emmy's Equal, is coming this fall. It's on my must-read list, that's for sure.

I love Marcia 's characters. Charity lives up to her name. She's been raised on I Corinthians 13. But she is a real person, she suffers from hurt feelings and when she cuts she bleeds like any human. I enjoyed watching God work on her friend Emily. This book is sold as a Historical Romance, and so it is. But it could also be tagged as the importance of the friendships of women. Read this and be inspired!

"Chasing Charity" is the follow-up to "Diamond Duo" and it is a wonderful addition to the Texas Fortunes series. My only regret is that I didn't pick up my copy of "Diamond Duo" and refresh my memory of the story before I started this one, I didn't do that until I was finished with "Chasing Charity" and then I went - "Oh, duh! That's who those characters are!" Just to help you all out - "Diamond Duo" is about Bertha and her best friend Magda and "Chasing Charity" is about their daughters Charity and Emmy.
This is a wonderful romantic historical with a sweet story. Charity is left standing at the altar by her supposed to be husband as he leaves the church... the shocker is that her best friend Emmy leaves the church right behind Daniel. So Charity loses her fiancee and best friend in the same moment. Then her world gets turned completely upside down when it looks like oil is on their property... or is it? She and her mom, Bertha, have to leave their home and stay somewhere else until it is settled. What about the handsome man who is determined to find oil? What about the fact that Daniel is regretting leaving Charity at the altar? Can Charity find God's will in all of this?

Oil, black gold, Texas T!! Humble Texas has an oil boom in full swing, the little town is changing quickly into a place that is no longer a small safe town, and Charity is not happy with the changes to her hometown.
However Charity, has much more to be unhappy about, than just the changes to the town, left at the altar, betrayed by her best friend and the talk of the town gossips, has Charity in a stew as she barges into a man in the motel where she has gone to pick up her mail. Buddy Pierce, a tall handsome stranger with eyes that make her feel like he can see her soul, an oilman, Buddy is looking for a place to stay. Charity takes him home to speak to her mother about boarding with them, and Buddy discovers oil on their property.
Life becomes a jumble as Charity and her mother move to town, while the oilmen drill on their land. Charity faces the shame of the betrayal of her friend, overcomes her bitter feelings towards oilmen in general and falls deep into love with a tall handsome stranger.
The boyfriend who left her at the altar, is suddenly pursuing Charity again, making her realize that she never loved him, and wondering what she saw in him. His jealousy causes him to make trouble for Charity, by spreading rumors and gossip about her, and causing trouble wherever possible.
The faith of Charity, her mother and the tall handsome stranger are evident throughout this story, Ms Gruver did a superb job in portraying the faith of this family and how it affected their lives. After reading the interview with Marcia, I was really interested to read this book, and now I am glad I did. This book is definitely a 5 star rated book, leaving me anxious to read more from this author. 301 pages

Chasing Charity is a delightful, fun read. I found the story very compelling and hard to resist. What I mean by that is I wanted to keep picking it up to read it. I breezed through the novel fairly quickly and didn't get bored with the story at all. The near-kisses were pretty exciting, but not overly so. I enjoyed the history of the town and the added conflict shown through the variety of perspectives, which is not usally done in typical romances.

On a more comical note, I enjoyed the crazy mamma and her friend and the antics they pulled coupled with their hillbilly speak. I found the dialog and colloquialisms especially entertaining. But it's not all silliness, though it will make you smile on a frequent basis. The heart of the story is about love and forgiveness, which is clearly relayed through this novel. Nothing edgy, but still very enjoyable for me.