Review: A Vision of Lucy by Margaret Brownley

Lucy Fairbanks is a twenty-year-old woman with a passion for photography, a tendency to allow her curiosity and impetuousness to get her into trouble, and an unfortunate habit of talking too much, particularly when she is nervous.  The man known as David Wolf is a half-white, half-Native American living in Texas only a few years after the end of the Indian Wars.  He has returned to Rocky Creek to find the four men who drove him out of town as a ten-year-old boy, and to reclaim the box they stole from him, the box that he hopes will hold the key to his identity.  David and Lucy meet when he rescues her from a stagecoach robbery-gone-wrong (and quickly finds the most effective way of quieting the talkative woman).  

While her father keeps trying to marry her off, Lucy wants a career in photography.  Unfortunately, her first assignment for her local newspaper ends when the unscrupulous printer rewrites her story about the ‘wild man’, David Wolf, which results in him being shot and Lucy secretly nursing him back to health.  David faces further trouble when man goes missing, and David is suspected of being involved, which presents both characters with problems. 

Lucy is a likeable character, although she has her faults – she is talkative, freethinking and possibly overly independent, while David is more private (to the point of being secretive). Although A Vision of Lucy is the third book in Brownley’s Rocky Creek series (following A Lady Like Sarah and A Suitor for Jenny), it can easily be read as a stand-alone.  A Vision of Lucy is a formula Western romance, but is no less enjoyable for its predictability, with the instant attraction between Lucy and David providing both enjoyment and some frustration (well, as the saying goes, the path of true love never did run smooth, and this is especially true in romance novels).

Oddly enough, this is the second historical Christian Fiction I have read about a lady photographer (the other was A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas), but both were quite different in tone, with A Vision of Lucy being the lighter of the two.  This was an enjoyable novel, and while for the most part it was a light-hearted romance, it did touch on deeper issues including discrimination, revenge, forgiveness, and how our upbringing affects our views of God.  I would certainly read more books from this author.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for offering this as a free ebook in an online competition.

Review: Shadows on the Sand by Gayle Roper

I loved the first four books in Gayle Roper’s Seaside series – Spring Rain: 1, Summer Shadows: 2, Autumn Dreams: 3, and Winter Winds.  Although all five books are based in Seaside, New Jersey, they can be read in any order or as stand-alones, as the main characters in each book are different, with only a few references to recurring minor characters.  If you want to know my absolute favourite, it’s always the one I read last – whichever one that was.  Each has its own appeal.  So when I found out that Roper had written another book in the series, I was keen to read it.  So, does Shadows on the Sand: A Seaside Mystery (Seaside Mysteries) measure up?  Certainly.  It is now my favourite – at least, until I re-read one of the other books (or the entire series). 

Carrie Carter runs Carrie’s Café, helped by her sister, Lindsay, Ricky (their cook, who is in love with Lindsay), Adie, a teenage waitress, and Jace, her part-time dishwasher.  Adie is madly in love with Bill, who apparently knocked Jace out at a party for spending too much time talking to Adie - but now Jace is missing again, having only recently returned to Seaside after several years with The Pathway, a cult in Arizona.  Carrie is concerned for Adie and her relationship with Bill, as Adie reminds her of the motherless teenage runaway she once was.

Greg Barnes (the Police Chief in previous books) lost his wife and children three years ago in a car bomb attack.  Having resigned from the police force, Greg now works as a property manager for some of the summer rentals around Seaside, eating at Carrie’s every day as he slowly recovers from his losses.  Carrie has been secretly in love with Greg for ages, but he never notices her. 

Meanwhile, Seaside has discovered Twitter, with all the happenings of the town promptly tweeted by an elderly café customer who manages to be wherever something of interest is happening.  This provides both a unique plot device and some amusing moments. 

Shadows on the Sand: A Seaside Mystery (Seaside Mysteries) follows the same successful romantic suspense formula as the previous Seaside novels.  The main story is told in the first person from Carrie’s point of view, and in the third person (which allows us to see the situation from the point of view of Greg and Adie), with both interspersed with brief insights into the mind of the (unnamed) villain.  Underneath, Roper explores recovery from grief, cults and forgiveness in a novel that is amusing, suspenseful and romantic in turns.

By the way, WaterbrookMultnomah give away free books at random to those readers who rank reviews of their books.  You can rank my review using the buttons below, or read and rank more reviews on their website, http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/book-lovers.  This will also help me - the more people rate my reviews, the bigger the selection of books I get to choose from.

Review: 'Belieber! Fame, Faith and the Heart of Justin Bieber' by Cathleen Falsani

I don’t usually read non-fiction, but Belieber: Fame, Faith, and the Heart of Justin Biebercaught my eye because it is a biography and assessment of Justin Bieber, teenage superstar.  It will probably not cover a lot of information that fans of Justin Bieber don’t already know, as much of it is sourced from Justin’s own autobiography (Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever (100% Official)), the movie (Justin Bieber: Never Say Never), other interviews, his Facebook posts and his Tweets.  However, for those of us who don’t know every minute detail of the background and superstar life of this teen singing wonder, this book provides an interesting read with the added benefit of placing Justin’s upbringing and actions in a clear Christian context.  It also answers one of my questions – is this guy really a Christian?  (He is.  Bieber is quoted as saying “I’m a Christian.  I believe in God.  I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins… I have a relationship with him… and really, he’s the reason I’m here”.)

Although Falsani was not able to interview Justin Bieber personally, nor any member of his close team of supporters, she has researched him thoroughly, including reading each of his thousands of Twitter and Facebook posts.  Bieber is a true child of the age of social networking, and tweets several times a day, unless his mother has confiscated his phone and laptop for bad behaviour!.  Twitter and Facebook make it possible for his many fans to ‘know’ Justin in a way that was inconceivable a few short years ago. (It is testament to the power of social marketing that this book doesn’t solicit Amazon reviews or star ratings.  Instead, it asks you to ‘like’ the book so it is shared with all your Facebook friends.)

Belieber: Fame, Faith, and the Heart of Justin Bieberis written in a conversational style, making it an easy-to-read short book (which includes dozens of quotes from fans about why they like Justin, and a comprehensive bibliography).  A true Belieber will no doubt need a copy in order to complete their collection of Bieber-nalia.  Reading Belieber: Fame, Faith, and the Heart of Justin Biebermight start a non-Christian thinking about the ‘secret’ behind Bieber’s success (or they might just find it too preachy, with a whole chapter about how Justin’s mother gives God all the credit).  Falsani herself says that her hope is that the book with act as “a catalyst for conversations among adults and young people, pastors and their flocks, teachers and students, parents and children… about the things that matter most in life”.  

However, I think the book is really intended for the rest of us – parents and friends of Beliebers, in order to help us understand what all the fuss is about, and to find out whether Bieber is worthy of the adoration our tweens and teens give him.  Falsani portrays Justin Bieber as a Christian with a strong support network, but points out, “the only celebrity whose way of life we should worry about comparing ourselves to is Jesus”.  Reading Belieber: Fame, Faith, and the Heart of Justin Bieberhasn’t turned me into a Belieber, but I have a better understanding of the singer and his influence on our young people.

Thanks to Worthy Publishing and NetGalley for providing a review copy.

Review: A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas by Erica Vetsch

Addie was forced to move states after a relationship with the wrong man cost Addie her reputation, which impacted on her uncle’s photography business where she worked as a photographer. In Dodge City, the shock death of her uncle leaves her alone and with just ninety days to pay back the mortgage on their new photography business. But when a new businessman arrives in town, Addie fears her past might be catching up with her. Her secrets will affect her friendship with Fran, who works at the local mercantile, and her might-be-more friendship with Miles Carr, the new Sherrif’s Deputy.

Miles has problems of his own. He is a new Christian who is afraid to speak openly about his faith, and he too has secrets from his past, secrets that might affect his ability to do his job here in Dodge. These fears are confirmed when old acquaintance Vin Rutter arrives in town. Meanwhile, Fran is dreaming of the handsome adventurer who will marry her and take her away from her mundane life – if he can get past her older brothers and Jonas, a childhood friend who has ruined that friendship by announcing that he is in love with her. Fran meets Vin Rutter in the mercantile, and thinks her prayers might just have been answered…

Now, A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas is another one of those books where I am not sure about the title. Sure, it is about a portrait photographer in Dodge City, Kansas, but there is no bride in the story. Hmm… Ignore the title, and enjoy the book. I did. It was a fun read, and although a couple of the misunderstandings could have been sorted out much earlier if the characters just spoke to each other, it all ended happily ever after. I particularly liked the originality of the heroine’s occupation – the author had obviously researched early photography, which added to the interest of what could otherwise have been just another historical western romance.

Review: Attracted to Fire by Diann Mills

Meghan Connors has been assigned to the Secret Service detail of Lindsey Hall, the alcoholic and drug-addicted daughter of the Vice President of the United States.  As the only female on the team, she has to battle the prejudices of Ash Zinders, the Special Agent In Charge, who is famous both for his attention to detail (his nickname is ‘A2Z’), and for his belief that women do not belong in the Secret Service.  However, death threats and a series of inexplicable incidents at their supposedly confidential location mean they have to work together to protect Lindsay from an unknown fear that is bigger than her addiction problems.

I really enjoyed Attracted to Fire. I would have read it all in one sitting, except that actually had some paid work to do, so I managed to put that first – then raced home and cooked dinner so I could read more.  Attracted to Fire had excellent characters, good pace, and some real suspense, particularly around the nature of Lindsay’s fear, and (once this was disclosed) how the characters were going to overcome the person who was conspiring to bring down the presidency by manipulating Lindsey.  There was also the growing romantic relationship between Meghan and Ash - despite their efforts to the contrary. The story had an underlying Christian tone, but this formed a backdrop to the main plot rather than being the central theme.

I have read several previous books by Diann Mills, including Breach of Trust (my personal favourite), which won the 2010 Christy Award for Romantic Suspense.  Attracted to Fire is not quite as good as Breach of Trust – but it is close, and it is probably the best romantic suspense novel I have read this year (which is a lot more of a big deal in September than it would have been in March, for example!)  Although I received a free ebook version of Attracted to Fire (courtesy of Tyndale House Publishers and NetGalley), I have also ordered it in hard copy – to reread my favourite parts, and for my friends to borrow…