Welcome to another week of fiction! This weeks reads were a mixed bag for me and are all from authors I have never read from before. I hope you take a chance on these women and their stories, because no matter my opinion their words matter. Happy Reading!
First Impressions
by Debra White Smith
First Impressions
is a contemporary retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Eddi is a small-town Texas lawyer who finds herself cast as the lead in the towns
production of Pride and Prejudice.
Her co-star ends up being the most arrogant and eligible bachelor in town; Dave Davidson. Eddi does
everything in her power to avoid him at all cost, but as hard as she tries to
resist she finds herself face to face with him and her attraction. But, Dave has
a secret one that he has worked hard to keep hidden in London, Texas, from his
nosy neighbors. Through fiery dialog and lots of heart Debra has crafted a
beautiful retelling of a classic story.
I have a confession. In all my years of literature classes,
I have never read Pride and
Prejudice. I have only seen the movie and even then, I saw the Kara
Knightly one, not the BBC version which is a sin to all Austenites. With that out of the way, I think this retelling is
perfect for any reader who may be scared to pick up a Jane Austen novel, especially young women
who are not interested in classic literature. I did not know what to expect, I
thought this book would be cheesy and flat. But, I found the story engaging and
witty. I enjoyed this book and it would be a perfect vacation read or book club
pick. I am excited to read the rest of Debra’s Jane Austen retellings.
Toward A Secret Sky by Heather Maclean
Maren Hamilton has had a rough go of it, both her
parents are dead and she has been shipped
to Scotland to live with grandparents she has never met. After she arrives, she receives a package containing
the contents of her mom’s home office, including a journal that holds the key to saving everyone around her
while sweeping her up in work her parents left behind. Demons are just as real as the Angels her parents worked with to
protect the world from evil. Through many twists and turns, with her Guardian
Angel by her side, Maren
has to embrace who she is, along with
the realities of good and evil, in order to pick up where her mother left off
and serve the world.
This story was not my favorite. I think the premise of the
spiritual battle on the earth is powerful and shines a light on what we are up
against in the world. But, this book was so jam-packed with adventure and romance that neither won in the end and it landed flat with me. I went
back and forth on my opinion of this book, but I rest in being undecided. It is
neither good or bad, so I challenge you to decide, through the ups and downs,
if this is your new favorite. There is so much potential in this story. I
wanted to pick up my pen and make suggestions because I think this type of story is needed to illustrate truth to a young audience; we are up against and live
amidst a spiritual battle.
The Love That Split The World by Emily Henry
Natalie Cleary is an average girl trying to make it through graduation, so she can
finally get out of her town and start her new collegiate life. The twist is that while Natalie’s life appears to be average, is not average at all. Natalie sees an apparition that she affectionately calls Grandmother who
comes into her room at night and tells her stories; stories that unlock the
whole world. But Natalie’s
flashes do not stop at Grandmother,
she starts to see buildings in
her town disappear and be replaced by other landmarks and boy is in this
“other” town too. As Natalie discovers the world, she finds all the other
paths we can leave unexplored.
I adored this book. I can’t get over the beauty of this
story. I did not know what to expect from this one, the cover jumped out at me
and so I decided to get it. But, the
beautifully written and crafted story within these pages is timeless. This is
not a book that feeds from current hype, but on everlasting themes of the human
life, while taking you on a mystical multi-dimensional journey that is bittersweet. I love a book that
surprises me and impacts me; The
Love that Split the World did both. I highly recommend this
beautifully crafted story.
- Hannah
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