This was a good story and my first Lori Wick.For awhile I was conflicted about what rating I would give, or whether I would finish. At first the characters seem to repeat observations and do a whole lot of telling the story rather than the plot moving much, but once Pup goes into the field things really pick up. And then it was excellent and very hard to put down! The ending was particularly well played out and not rushed at all.I didn't feel like the spiritual parts were overly preachy at all, but were a natural expression of who the characters were or became; however, I wouldn't hand this book to a nonbeliever and expect them to enjoy wading through the Scripture parts. It was nice, though, to read through a book written in recent years in which I didn't find the author's theology trampling on my toes a wee bit--it all seemed quite solid scripturally, which was quite a relief.I liked it that the romance was not overly squishy and mushy. The undercover work and Pup's spiritual journey both took up more space than the kissy-lovey parts, but there was enough to be realistic and pleasant. The only thing that bothered me was the time when McKay accidentally runs across Pup bathing in the lake by moonlight...yes, it was subtle, but I still didn't quite like it. And later it is referenced again as McKay realizes "he'd never had a hard time thinking of her as a woman" (though most of her undercover work is done as a man) and then adds mentally, "that would have been difficult after seeing her at the lake." The whole idea of a man seeing a woman without clothes before they are married, even by accident and moonlight, is improper. Especially if he recalls it with pleasure.The other thing that bothered me was--the numerals! Every single number in this book was written down as a numeral. So my mind is heading along a path of English words, and my eyes are assailed with, "6 years," "age of 13," "36 yards" and so on. The only numerals that should not be spelled out in prose are years and really long numbers. I'm surprised the editor gave that a pass. It definitely pulled me out of the story flow on repeated occasions.
To Know Her by Name is the first Lori Wick title I got. I have a thing for Christian fiction set in this time period, and since I had nothing else to read at the time and the book was hardback for less than $2 at a thrift store, I couldn't pass it up.The story is of the mysterious Callie Jennings. After her outlaw brother was killed in her own home, she was responsible for the decision to allow the agent who killed him to die untended or to try to save him. The decision to save him led to a journey of self-discovery that changed not only her life but the lives of others around her.My experience with the Christian fiction genre is a bit limited. I'll admit that the spiritual side of it didn't draw me in as much as with other writers. Some of the decisions made and lessons learned by the characters seemed to happen in a way that felt odd to me, even a little unrealistic. Some of the spiritual-based dilemmas the characters found themselves in also seemed unrealistic to my thinking- though perhaps both the above issues I found actually have more grounding in real struggles and solutions than I give credit for. The storyline itself was enjoyable, though. Callie's quirks left the character an enjoyable one to read about, and seeing her grow throughout the story was fantastic. The action felt like it dragged a little in some scenes, but some of those scenes were good for giving more depth to the characters, and the action scenes were well-written enough that I actually dreaded the possibility of getting called away when in the middle of one of them.All in all, To Know Her By Name is a good read. Some elements that I didn't care for, but those are mostly easy to overlook in the grand scheme of the story that Lori Wick provides to her readers.
What do You think about To Know Her By Name (2006)?
This is the best Wick book I've read so far. It is from one of her earlier series. Others have said that Wick's early books are better than the later ones, and this book is evidence of that. The storyline, about a woman who masquerades as a man and works for the US Treasury Department in the 1870s, is more exciting than and the writing isn't nearly as stilted. None of the "this woman" problem shows up here.The books in the Rocky Mountain Memories series don't intertwine much with each other, so you could read this book out of order without missing anything. If I were to recommend Wick to someone who has never read her stuff, this book would be at the top of the list.
—Dani
Who is this woman? McKay Harrington wondered. After chasing and killing an outlaw in the Boulder foothills, Harrington finds himself critically wounded and dependent upon a mysterious woman named Callie. When Harrington returns to his job at the Treasury Department, an unexpected encounter reveals a dangerous masquerade...Can McKay Harrington penetrate the wall of secrecy surrounding Callie’s true identity to share the saving love of Jesus Christ?And what about the love growing in his heart for this woman of mystery?
—Nikki
I have felt the same way with her books, and I don't even mind being preached at... a little. I just think she is so focoused on getting her point across, she lacks on the entertaining part of the story.
—Mandi Ellsworth
