Review: Angel's Peak

Angel's Peak (Virgin River)

I''m not sure which number this one is in the series, but it was obvious I missed quite a few books between this one and Virgin River.  This is one of those series where the author spends pages catching the reader up with characters who have little to do with the story at hand, but who the readers will remember from other stories (if they read them).

I didn't like Angel's Peak as much as I did Virgin River.  The couple in this one is Sean and Franci.  I think Sean is the brother of one of the Marine buddies of the hero of Virgin River.  He is an Air Force pilot and while he loves Franci, he doesn't want to get married or have a family.  When she insists on a commitment or a break-up, he chooses the break-up.  What she didn't tell him was the reason she drew the line in the sand, namely, she was expecting.  Fast-forward four years and they run into each other again, and he wants her back.  He soon learns about the baby and decides they should all become a family.  Franci isn't so sure....but...it's a romance novel, so guess what?

As I said before, we catch up with several couples who have gotten together in earlier books, and this book includes the wedding of one--a Presbyterian minster and a single mother.  It also features a romance between Sean's mother and the minister's father.

Why didn't I like it as much as Virgin River?  Well, for one, I prefer stories where the passion flows from the romance, rather than those where the passion leads to romance, and in this one, at least at the beginning, passion seems to be the driving force.  Also, Carr makes a big deal of Sean being raised Catholic, and his mother being uber-Catholic, but then knocks the Church's stand on birth control and has her agreeing to move in with a man without the benefit of marriage.  She also has the minister and his fiacee in bed together.  I guess I'm old fashioned and think that a minister should wait (or at least feel guilty for not waiting).

Grade:  B-

Katy's Debate

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Kim Vogel Sawyer

and the book:

Katy's Debate (Katy Lambright Series, The)

Zondervan (May 7, 2010)

***Special thanks to Krista Ocier of Zondervan for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bestselling, award-winning author Kim Vogel Sawyer has many titles besides “writer.” As a wife, mother of three, grandmother of six, Sunday school teacher, and speaker, her life is full and happily busy. In her spare time she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband make their home in Kansas, the setting for many of Kim’s novels.


Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (May 7, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310719232
ISBN-13: 978-0310719236

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Z

Browse Inside

Browse

Info

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My Review

Mailbox Monday and More

This week the mailman thought I needed more religion in my life I guess.  From The Catholic Company, I got 

  Here is what The Catholic Company website has to say about it:

Read the entire story of the Bible in one captivating and inspirational book…
We all have a deep sense of the importance of the Bible. But many of us get lost when we actually dive into the Scriptures, and our time spent with the Bible can be more frustrating than fruitful. We are reading a collection of writings drafted by an ancient people, in an ancient culture. But Scripture is the Living Word of God, and it is meant just as much for us as for those who lived thousands of years ago.


In Walking with God, Dr. Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins unpack the central story woven throughout Scripture and present it in an easy-to-read, concise manner. Gray and Cavins take readers on a journey through the “narrative” books of the Bible—the ones that tell the story—and present a panoramic view of God’s glorious plan of salvation. Their expert commentary dives deep into the mysteries of Scripture, unlocking its riches and showing you how you how these inspired words are meant for you today.


Enter into the Scriptures with Walking with God. Witness the fascinating story of our faith unfold, and see how you, at this moment in your life, fit into God’s plan for all of humanity.

I let you know what I think of it in the next week or so.

Tiber River, a review program run by Aquinas and More, another Catholic bookstore, sent me No Turning Back.  As my review indicates, I really enjoyed it.

Never let it be said that I am not a good and loving wife.  I am an Amazon affiliate and this month I got a nice gift certificate from them (no I'm not getting rich, and months without sales are more common than months with sales) and after selecting a couple of books for me, I picked up two for my husband.  He says they are both five star books:
     Of course his books came and I'm still waiting for mine.


While you are here today, take a look at my reviews of Virgin River and Fortunate Harbor.  Enter my giveaways for a Crazy Critter and Bark-off and for a Total Pillow.

Have a great week and check out everyone else's mailbox over at Chick Loves Lit. 

Virgin River, my review

Part of being a book blogger is reading other book blogs.  On other blogs I've read about the Virgin River books by Robyn Carr and I've been wanting to try them.  I haven't seen them at my library, so this weekend I stopped at the used paperback store, and sure enough they had a big selection.  One of them I grabbed was the first in the series, Virgin River.  It is a contemporary romance set in a very small California town which is in the hills far away from everything.  Melinda is a recent widow, and a nurse-midwife.  She wants to get away from the memories and so she answers an ad to work in this small town.  When she gets there she notes that the ad was somewhat inaccurate in its descriptions, but she is convinced to stay to care for a patient.  Days turn into weeks....
He is Jack, an ex-Marine, who is trying to forget a few things himself.  He owns the local bar/restaurant and has never wanted a serious relationship with a woman.  That soon changes.

We follow Melinda as she adjust to life in this small town, makes friends, treats her patients and deals with a surprise of her own.  Virgin River is mass-market romance and there are bedroom scenes and they happen before marriage, but this isn't one of those romance novels that are nothing but romance or where the main thing binding the couple is the bedroom.  Melinda and Jack are real people who care and hurt like real people, and I"m glad they got to live happily ever after.  I have one more book to read, and unfortunately it isn't the one that I just read the first chapter of at the back of this one--well, I guess another trip to the bookstore is in order, since they don't show up on Bookmooch.