Book Review: The Valentine Edition

October 10, 2018 by  
Filed under Book and Movie Reviews

Written by Robin Shope
Reviewed by Donald James Parker

Turtle Creek, Wisconsin is my kind of place. They have one restaurant (Ma’s Diner) and a weekly newspaper. The people are much friendlier that Jodi encountered in Chicago. Her move to the small town lets her see an entirely different style of life.  She finds romance an hour after she hits town. It takes the entire book to discover where that instant crush is going to end up. There are a lot of twists and turns as the adage true loves never runs smooth manifests itself big-time in this story. It’s an emotional roller coaster ride for the characters and for the readers.

Although I’m a guy, I love romances. To really enjoy them though, I need to fall in love with the heroine myself. In this case Jodi does things that drive me crazy, such as spending a thousand dollars to buy a dress and four hundred dollars to buy a fishing lure, so I didn’t get romantically attached to her (do women get actual feelings for men characters in a novel?). Since she doesn’t make much money at the small newspaper, it is a little puzzling where she comes up with money to make those kinds of purchases. This and some other situations make me wonder how realistic the story is, but hey, this is fiction and you have to suspend your disbelief.

The Christian aspect of the story exerts itself toward the end, leading to an epiphany for one of the characters. It was nice to see God finally get through and change someone’s behavior. A realistic portrayal of sexual temptation was also an ingredient in this book.  That was nice to see.

The pacing is quick in most spots, pulling the reader along on the romantic roller coaster ride. This would indubitably be labeled a chick book, and I think most romance lovers of the female persuasion will like it. I can’t speak for that one other male chick-lit reader, but I found this book to be a pleasant romp through the countryside of Wisconsin.

Donald James Parker is the founder of Sword of the Spirit Publishing, and the author of several books. He is also a regular reviewer and interviewer at The Christian Pulse.com Love Waits is a featured book in The Great Escape 2009. You can find out more about him at www.donaldjamesparker.com.

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