While I would highly recommend reading this engaging story to anyone who enjoys a good, clean Christian romance. There are some definite good points and bad points.
The Good:
The character of Cassandra, her struggles to come to grips with the death of her husband and child then reinvent her life was beautifully portrayed. The subject was not glossed over in a sentence here or there but was woven into her life throughout the book - allowing people to see a more realistic view of grief and acceptance.
The relationship between Cassandra and Nadina, the troubled teenager whom Cass agrees to mentor is also written with both realism and compassion. That's a hard line to walk when dealing with issues such as substance abuse and teenage sex and pregnancy. Ms. Dudley tackles it with the perfect touch.
The interactions between Daniel and Cassandra are absolutely delightful! There is nothing more fun to read than the sexual tension that exits between the incredibly handsome lothario and the religiously conservative widow. Their banter and exchanges are at times hilarious and all the reason needed to enjoy this book!
The Bad:
Those wonderful interactions between Daniel and Cassandra are way to far and few between. The story was so centered around her relationship to James that we miss her growing relationship with Daniel and are completely left in the dark over their feelings!
Because of the limited interaction between Daniel and Cass, his declaration at the end was hard to believe. We needed to see how those feelings developed, not just be told what they were when it was all over. By not spending more time with these two characters, one of the best parts of the book was
overlooked.
The word "church" alone is used a total of 11 times within the first 180 words - that's one in every sixteen words for heaven's (hee, hee) sake! This heavy handed beginning would be distracting to even the most devout. Anyone who is not familiar and comfortable with Christian writing might be completely put off and give up before even giving this story a chance. That is really a shame, because as the story progresses and we watch Cass's struggle, the message becomes much more personal and poignant, leaving the avalanche behind and allowing the lessons to sink in quietly rather than the initial hammering.
The ending is totally left dangling. Big pet peeve. Enough said
Yes, I will read the sequel because I love the relationship between Daniel and Cass so much. Here's hoping it's worth the leap of faith in reading!
The Good:
The character of Cassandra, her struggles to come to grips with the death of her husband and child then reinvent her life was beautifully portrayed. The subject was not glossed over in a sentence here or there but was woven into her life throughout the book - allowing people to see a more realistic view of grief and acceptance.
The relationship between Cassandra and Nadina, the troubled teenager whom Cass agrees to mentor is also written with both realism and compassion. That's a hard line to walk when dealing with issues such as substance abuse and teenage sex and pregnancy. Ms. Dudley tackles it with the perfect touch.
The interactions between Daniel and Cassandra are absolutely delightful! There is nothing more fun to read than the sexual tension that exits between the incredibly handsome lothario and the religiously conservative widow. Their banter and exchanges are at times hilarious and all the reason needed to enjoy this book!
The Bad:
Those wonderful interactions between Daniel and Cassandra are way to far and few between. The story was so centered around her relationship to James that we miss her growing relationship with Daniel and are completely left in the dark over their feelings!
Because of the limited interaction between Daniel and Cass, his declaration at the end was hard to believe. We needed to see how those feelings developed, not just be told what they were when it was all over. By not spending more time with these two characters, one of the best parts of the book was
overlooked.
The word "church" alone is used a total of 11 times within the first 180 words - that's one in every sixteen words for heaven's (hee, hee) sake! This heavy handed beginning would be distracting to even the most devout. Anyone who is not familiar and comfortable with Christian writing might be completely put off and give up before even giving this story a chance. That is really a shame, because as the story progresses and we watch Cass's struggle, the message becomes much more personal and poignant, leaving the avalanche behind and allowing the lessons to sink in quietly rather than the initial hammering.
The ending is totally left dangling. Big pet peeve. Enough said
Yes, I will read the sequel because I love the relationship between Daniel and Cass so much. Here's hoping it's worth the leap of faith in reading!
