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| I read this on my kindle |
The topic of this
month is Recommended
Read (a book that was recommended to you)
Published: 2014
Genre: Christian - Historical
My Rating: 2 stars
Part of a series: Home to Mildford College #0.5
In March we have to look for a book that was
recommended to us. And that’s the reason why this book was in my TBR pile.
This is a short story about Aurelia ‘Realie’ Baxter, a slave on the
run that hopes to arrive to Canada. She robs a horse, but the rider of that
horse follows the trail and finds her. He is no other than Lawrence, a free man that is going to pass the exams in order to be
a lawyer. He protects her and falls in love in a very short time, so he decides
to go South and buy her. She waits in the North for him. But of course, not
everything goes the way they expected.
I like the style in which this book is written,
the voice of the author. I also fell for the characters, you wanted them to
have luck in their lives, although my heart went with Realie. She’s a real
person, in flesh and blood, while Lawrence is very naïve and knows really
nothing about what the real life of slavery is. Realie is the best thing in
this novella.
The author chooses a very balanced set of
secondary characters, two couples, one in Ohio and another one in Georgia. In
each of these couples there’s someone who at least understands Realie, while
the other one does not trust her. The women are quite clichéd but the men are
not what you expect and I think that’s a very interesting twist that gives
depth to the story.
But, alas, I had two problems with this book.
The first one is that I did not really believe in the happy ending. I didn’t
have the sense that Realie was free
to choose Lawrence. You are supposed to accept that they both fall in love in a
very short time, not really knowing each other. That’s the kind of story line
that does not work well with me in the novella format. I’d rather she had time
to enjoy her freedom, run to Canada and then,
in time, chose to be with Lawrence.
The second problem is about me not the book
itself. It’s me, not you, dear Ms. Huguley. Christian stories are not my thing,
‘cause religion is not my cup of tea.
So it was one of those awful moments when I realised that I loved the way an author tells her story, but I'm not interested in the kind of story she chooses to write. That's what usually happens to me with paranormal books, and it looks like Christian novels have the same effect in me.
If you don't have that problem, perhaps this is a book for you, so I recommend other reviews, like the one in
Dear Author (that gave this book a B-) and a 4.5
stars review that can be found here.
Yeah, I have the same problem with religion in general; characters start praying/asking for divine intervention/whatever, and I'm out of the story.
ResponderEliminarHuh. I just made the connection. This is probably yet another reason I rarely enjoy all those Christmas-themed anthologies.
That is an issue with inspirationals - you do not know how much religion you may or may not get. I have read some where the religious aspects are so light they are non-existent, and other books where religion plays a much heavier role.
ResponderEliminarI have not read this book by Huguley, but the one I have read (A Virtuous Ruby), the religion elements plays a very significant role in the story (in both plot and character development). I enjoyed the book, but if I was a reader who did not want religion mixed in with my romance? It would have been a difficult book to get through.
I've bee wanting to read Huguley, because I keep seeing her work praised pretty much everywhere, but without the overblown hype that puts me off other books. Unfortunately, I'm one of those readers: I really, really don't want religion (any religion) in my books.
EliminarI'm glad to know I'm not the only one put off by inspirational.
ResponderEliminarReally interesting choice. Christian romance can be a hit or miss for me. It's like anything else in a romance, it needs to suit the plot and not be overbearing. I'm intrigued with this one so thanks for bringing it to our attention. :)
ResponderEliminarThank you all of you for your kind posts. I hope the author will write something different in the future, because I like her style. And certainly, for those who like religion and this kind of book, this could be a good choice.
ResponderEliminar