Friday, July 20, 2012

THE GIFTED, by Ann H Gabhart


"Torn between duty and desire" is a hackneyed phrase, but there's nothing hackneyed about Ann Gabhart's newest Shaker novel, The Gifted. The compelling plot had me reading until I could no longer hold my eyes open.
Jessamine Brady has lived in a Shaker village since she was ten years old. She embraces their beliefs and ways of love, but as she approaches twenty-one, the age of decision, she longs to learn more about the world before she turns her back on it forever. Shakers believe in duty to God and one another, with no room for imagining or flights of fancy. Unfortunately, Jessamine's mind is often filled with both.
When she and another Shaker sister find Tristan Cooper wounded in the woods near their village, Jessamine helps him onto his horse and the two girls take him to a doctor in the village. As he recuperates, Tristan is intrigued by Jessamine, the beautiful girl with the cornflower blue eyes. However, the time comes for him to return to his obligations in the world.
The conflict that fills both Jessamine and Tristan's hearts makes for an absorbing story. They both have good reasons to remain apart forever. To say more would spoil the plot.
I enjoyed all the details about life in a Shaker village. Ann Gabhart is respectful and accurate in her recounting of a religious group that flowered in the mid-nineteenth century.
The Gifted is a book I’m happy to recommend.

My thanks to Revell for providing my review copy.

Monday, July 9, 2012

JOY TAKES FLIGHT, by Bonnie Leon


Kate believes she's living her dream when she and Dr. Paul Anderson marry. After all of the hurdles their relationship faced, now life promises smooth sailing.
But some promises can be misleading. Kate visualizes her life as an Alaskan bush pilot continuing without a hitch. Unfortunately, Paul has other ideas, especially after they learn they are expecting a child. Demons from his past haunt him, and Kate is unable to break through the barriers he's erected around himself. She wants one thing, Paul wants another. As their life unravels, Kate comes to believe she's lost Paul for good.
Joy Takes Flight is an engrossing story, filled with authentic details of Alaska in the 1930's. Reading Leon’s skilled descriptions of flight in a bush plane will have you clinging to the edge of your seat.
Joy Takes Flight is the thrilling conclusion to Leon’s Alaskan Skies series. If you haven’t read the first two books, hurry out and buy all three! You're in for a treat.
My thanks to Revell for providing my review copy.

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