In a prior post, I told you that I gave my oldest grand two autographed books for Christmas. Even though neither book was the usual genre (contemporary fiction) I read, I was anxious to read these debut works of authors I follow here on Blogger.
In my first post of Broadening My Horizons, I reviewed Paranormalcy by Kiersten White. I had to wait to get hold of the other book.
Last night, I borrowed Dani's copy of The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund. Tonight, I finished it. I couldn't put it down!
The story takes place within a group of Puritans as they are engaged in a struggle against the Anglican Church. Elizabeth Whitbread is thrown into the life of John Costin, a Puritan preacher, when his wife suddenly passes from this world, leaving John with four children to tend, including a newborn son not likely to survive. Elizabeth's personal fortitude and her passion to do God's will leads her to ruffle the feathers of the community leaders in order to save the life of this tiny baby. She is then persuaded to become a housekeeper to the widower, despite his protests.
As John faces pressure from the Anglican Church, and threats from a man with a grudge against the Puritan evangelist, John and Elizabeth's faith is put to the test.
This book is a true page-turner, lacking the gaps that can weigh down an otherwise good story. Jody's character development is sensational. Not only were the main characters rich with personality, the secondary characters were just as full of life. I truly felt like I knew these people. I could smell, hear, feel... Jody accomplished the task of painting a picture of the times. Her writing not only took me into the story, it took me into the age.
I truly look forward to more books from this author. I definitely recommend this one for the nightstand. Two thumbs up.
6 comments:
I loved Jody's book! She knows how to pull the reader in and incredible history.
Awesome! I'm glad for the recommendation. I saw this book on one other blog and thought it was Amish at first. It's great that you enjoyed it, though, I always love finding those favorites. It's always refreshing.
I am just going to have to read this! I've seen it on Jody's blog. Thanks for the great review.
Thank you, Lily, for this beautiful review of my book! And thank you so much for broadening your horizons, for taking a chance on reading my book, and for writing up such a complimentary review! I appreciate it so much!!
Blessings!
I figured I'd comment here about Jody's comment.
If I ever read a book from an author I'm following and find it's terrible... you won't see a review here.
I won't run down a title with my own opinion. But trust me that I wouldn't give high marks to a book unless I found it deserving. And this book IS deserving.
What a great review! I'll have to check this book out.
Post a Comment