I was really excited to discover this book as I was browsing through the A’s in our library (looking to see if I could quickly spot any more Lynn Austin books — always love those). The beautiful cover caught my eye and I noted that it was published by Bethany House (a Christian publisher). I pulled it from the shelf and read the back: "At a different time, in a different place, under different circumstances … could two people fall in love once again?"It then went into more detail: "Ten years ago, Kathryn Jennings made a vow. For better or worse. And that promise still holds true, even though her marriage has not turned out as she expected. When her husband fails to return home one stormy night, she struggles to keep their ranch . . . What she wouldn’t give to turn back time and be able to love her husband for the man that he was, not for the man she always wanted him to be."Sounded good! (Yes, I am a sucker for good, clean, historical-fiction romance — not something I want to read all the time, but it’s like a dish of chocolate ice cream — something to be enjoyed surely for the fun of it and not at all for the nutrition. ;-) )I put it in the stroller basket to add it to the pile of books to be checked out, eager to begin.Well, I began … but was soon disappointed. The plotline is far-fetched, but given the genre, that was forgivable — at least it was innovative (more than I can say for most of these books!). Every other page was infused with mini-sermons that bordered a little on the preachy side — but again, forgivable (I mean, I am religious — and yes, religion is woven into my daily life, too). There was quite a bit of seemingly unnecessary drama (including a whole novel’s worth of backstory and a ridiculous amount of miscommunication), but then again, what was I expecting?No, I think it boiled down to two things I didn’t care for.First, the main character, Kathryn, was too good. From the back cover, she sounded flawed — “what she wouldn’t give to turn back time and be able to love her husband for the man that he was, not for the man she always wanted him to be.” But from everything I could see, she did love her husband, almost perfectly, almost to a fault (but it was never addressed as “a fault”). She was ridiculously lovely and ridiculously angelic — and while I don’t find myself ugly or evil, I sure had a hard time identifying with her. If she ever made a harsh judgment, she had no problem letting go of that judgment within a few pages, even no problem forgiving herself for what she’d done, really.Perhaps she already was “made perfect through Christ” before the novel began (I think this is what the author was hinting at). So why write a book about that? Or, at least, why tell the half the story from her point of view?Second, the novel’s pacing seemed … off. Before I got to know the characters at all, they were thrown into turmoil — and then it took to page 200 to get to their story again. A lot of this was because of tangents to set up characters for the next novels in this three-part series.So. All that said, I actually rather enjoyed the last hundred pages or so of the book. The writing itself was very good (especially for a first novel!), and finally the characters were acting more or less believably.I hate giving negative reviews, because I think I’m a little too critical of this genre in general. So many Goodreads readers absolutely loved this book.So. If the words from the back cover drew you in like it did me, by all means — go for it!I mean, I didn’t care for Twilight, either. ;-)
To begin with, I think the message in this book is a beautiful one and I thought the premise was not only interesting, but a promising one. Upon finishing the book, though, I found myself less than satisfied.I think I truly enjoyed probably the first 25% of this book. I didn't always understand Larson's jealousy, however, I knew it was part of his character and stemmed from his roots from childhood, so I went with it. I think the core of my frustration with this book is this: 50% of it is propelled by misunderstandings and blatantly obvious ironies.In addition to that, something that just didn't settle with me is the fact that Larson's land is supposedly so incredibly precious to him, yet after he returns, his wife is the only one fighting to keep it. Before anyone says to me "Yes, but once Larson returned, he was a changed man with different priorities," I have to ask "Then why let his wife continue to work herself to death for something he no longer wanted?" To me, it felt not only cowardly, but extremely inconsiderate of his wife. Another thing that annoyed me is the way he is so concerned about whether his wife will be able to see past his physical deformities, yet when he (mistakenly) believes she has had to resort to uncouth activities in order to survive in his absence, he initially wonders how he can love her again. Seriously, dude?I've seen some of the bad reviews for this book complaining that Kathryn was "too angelic/good". While I can see why they would say that, I have to admit that I personally found her a lot more tolerable than a lot of Christian fiction heroines I've read. I may have wanted to shake her a couple of times and say "Can you not see that it's Larson?!?" but her goodness didn't irritate me at all. I think it was the passivity of her husband upon his return that frustrated me most.Nothing in this book surprised me except for who discovers Larson's true identity. For the most part, I just wanted someone to tell Kathryn (or for her to realize it for herself SOON after his return) instead of dragging out his charade by a string of coincidences and obliviousness. I also felt like I was being "told" many things (emotions, etc) rather than shown, which is a pet peeve of mine in any novel.I realize this is a less than favorable review, but it is also just my opinion. I would suggest anyone to read it for themselves and come to their own conclusions. Some have loved it and I think that's great. It just wasn't for me, I suppose.
What do You think about Rekindled (2006)?
REKINDLED is a wonderful novel filled with emotion and characters you can't help but fall in love with. Kathryn Jennings' life has been difficult, but she soon learns that her most difficult times are yet to come. REVEALED is about second chances, new discoveries, and the importance of looking past a person and into their soul. Kathryn learns that lesson well and soon finds what she was looking for all along. At times, the book moves slower than the reader might like, but never so slow that you want to put it down. You are just so drawn by the main characters and the anguish they are going through, you want nothing more than their secrets to be exposed so they will have the opportunity to find each other once again. I look forward to reading REVEALED. The second novel in the Fountain Creek Chronicles
—Tamara
I usually read Christian fiction and historical fiction with God introduced in the storyline, but reading this author because of another author's suggestion. She likes this author as well as a few others and wanted to check out. I like the title, but seems to be written in the 1860s. I will see how this story plays out and if I will be sold once I read her work as well. The prologue left you intrigued and begging for more, as I get a bit further, a man left for dead isn't quite dead yet. Isaiah, a free man who once worked on a plantation, is helping save this man he thought was dead and setting his grave. I was glad the author introduced this character and a little background of the Black man during this time of 1860s which is with the likes of Abby, a fair woman. I'm waiting to see how this scene in the book plays out. There was some slow parts midway of the book; not sure if it was for a page count or word count but I can see that Tamera Alexander wants you to grasp in-depth of the character(s). Reading into the mindset of the characters: Kathryn and Larson, at times, made me want to choke them and say "come on...don't you know!" But we do this as human characters as well. Moreover, Annabelle has a discerning gift and reveals things when necessary but allows the person to draw it out for themselves. What comes goes on in the dark will come to light; and finally seeing a bit about Larson's mother was the tip of the iceberg that made Kathryn feel more comfortable around Annabelle since she finally saw and understood it firsthand in the brothel. What upset me was Larson not admitting who he was when he had the chance with Annabelle even with Kathryn and wondering if he ever will to the bitter end...but if this is a three part series, probably not in this first novel...prolong to read the next one I suppose.I like how some Biblical aspects are weaved into the story, just enough to make one be open to it or think about it as a whole. If the book continues like this, I will be looking forward to completing the series by this year.Leisure eBook read 2014Adrienna TurnerDream4More Reviewer, www.dream4more.orgAuthor of The Day Begins with Christ
—Adrienna
I’m not sure if I can really give this one a fair review. I enjoyed the overall story, but I did skim or skip over a lot of the book. I think the book was just too long and boring. The book was written by a Christian author, so overall it was pretty clean. However, these type books just take on such a serious note, and it’s like the authors try and throw in all the horrible things that can go on in the world, just to eventually prove the point of God’s love and forgiveness. In a lot of ways it reminded me of the book Redeeming Love. I did like this one a bit more it wasn’t as descriptive or depressing. It’s a nice love story (although, it did become a bit repetitive of just how in love Larson is with Kathryn), and I enjoyed the times when Kathryn and Larson are actually together. Overall it was an okay read; some may really enjoy the nice slow pace.
—Kathy
