This
is a delightful historical Christian romance. It reminded me of
novels from a generation ago. By the end, people were getting saved
left and right.
Our
heroine is Jennifer Parks, a young seventeen year old orphan in the
care of a crotchety uncle and aunt. When his physical abuse threatens
to become sexual, she runs away. He's livid because his continued
care of her is necessary for him to get title to the Parks ranch.
Jenny
travels hard and fast to escape her uncle. She has exciting and
dangerous adventures along the way. She is rescued more than once by
William O'Casey, a peddler who travels the area looking for his
prodigal brother and showing a movie about the passion of Christ.
The
story line for this novel is a fun one. It's 1908 in Colorado. Jenny
is an elocutionist who performed songs and poems. She is also a
feisty young woman, capable of making her way over the mountain range
to freedom – until her uncle manages to locate her. I liked William
too. He is struck by Jenny the first time he sees her performing.
When their lives intersect later, he falls hard for her. But their
romance suffers through many problems and near disasters.
The
novel is not perfect. There were a couple of turns in the plot that I
thought were just a bit too convenient. Nonetheless, the novel was a
delight to read. I loved the way Christian faith was portrayed and
the way people supported each other. In an Author's Note, we find out
that Brownell's grandmother was an elocutionist and her grandfather
traveled around in his youth showing the film mentioned in the novel.
Although the novel is fiction, it was fun to know it was generated by
real people.
I
recommend this novel to anyone who likes a good, old-fashioned
Christian western romance.
Ada
Brownell had her stories published in Sunday school papers and
Christian magazines before she discovered if she wanted to send her
children to Christian colleges she needed a regular paycheck. She
worked as a reporter for The Pueblo Chieftain in Colorado. She
continued to freelance and sell to 45 publications. This is her fifth
book. You can find out more at
www.inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com.
Elk
Lake Publishing, 360 pages.
I
received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher
for the purpose of an independent and honest review.
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