When Sparrows Fall

When Sparrows Fall: A Novel

About the Book:

A widow and mother of six, Miranda Hanford leads a quiet, private life. When the pastor of her close-knit church announces his plans to move the entire congregation to another state, Miranda jumps at the opportunity to dissolve ties with Mason Chandler and his controlling method of ruling his flock. But then Mason threatens to unearth secrets from her past, and Miranda feels trapped, terrified she’ll be unable to protect her children.

College professor Jack Hanford is more than surprised when he gets a call from his estranged sister-in-law’s oldest son, Timothy, informing him that Miranda has taken a serious fall and he has been named legal guardian of her children while she recovers. Quickly charmed by Miranda’s children, Jack brings some much-needed life into the sheltered household. But his constant challenging of the family’s conservative lifestyle makes the recovering mother uneasy and defensive—despite Jack’s unnerving appeal.

As Jack tries to make sense of the mysterious Miranda and the secrets she holds so tightly, Mason’s pressure on her increases. With her emotions stirring and freedom calling, can Miranda find a way to unshackle her family without losing everything?

My Comments:

I LOVED it.  My regular readers know I read a lot, and enjoy most books but grant few of them grades of "A".  I debated about this one--and finally decided to give it an A-.  The story is original, the characters anything but stock and it has a happy ending.  Usually for an A, I like to see some extraordinary use of language, and I didn't really see that her, but still I loved the story.  

Miranda is a woman who has men telling her what to do for years.  After her husband dies, she names his half-brother, who she has met once, as the children's guardian.  When she suffers a fall he comes into their life and takes over--but he is a good guy, trying to free her and her children, not hold them captive.  I loved the ending though--she told him to stay out of it, that she had to do it this way, and then proceeded to tear down the jail (figuratively speaking).  

Homeschooling plays a part in the story, and those of you who homeschool will be pleased with the treatment it gets, and those who are suspicious of it will have some of those fears validated as well.  

I'd like to thank Waterbook Multnomah for making a review copy available via their Blogging for Books program.  You can read more reviews here.