Pelican Bride by Beth White – A Book Review

Many thanks to Beth White for giving me hours of delightful entertainment immersed in the world of Genevieve Gaillain, Tristan Lanier and their siblings. Her wordsmithing allowed me to truly experience the discomfort and hardships of life in the early 1700s French colony of Louisiane. It also allowed me to experience joy found amidst adversity, which is in direct contrast to our current society in which so many experience material abundance yet lack joy. Genevieve certainly models for us that joy is indeed a choice.

The Pelican Bride is a wonderful blend of history, intrigue, and romance. Responsibilities and traveling mandated breaks in my reading, otherwise I would have read this book in one sitting. There was little about this book that was predictable. Those things an avid reader might think were predictable were always in question. Beth keeps her readers turning pages anxious for the next turn of events.

I believe myself to have a good vocabulary, but enjoyed five or six trips to the dictionary. The new-to-me vocabulary was befitting the times and manner of speaking, and I enjoyed learning something new. I also enjoyed learning about the history of the brides who came over from France to such a hostile environment to marry a virtual stranger. The important role the Indians played in the politics between the French and British colonies played a big part in the plot development of this book, bringing back memories of lessons learned in college history classes. The additional historical information Beth provided at the end of the book was most interesting. Her penchant for history and research was quite evident.

While this is book one of The Gulf Coast Chronicles, I appreciated that the book also served well as a stand alone read. I will however, be eagerly watching for book two, anxious to know about future generations of the Lanier family.

I want to thank Revell, a division of the Baker Publishing group, for providing this book in exchange for my honest review. I give it five stars.

Summers' Love by Stu Summers

Summers’ Love by Stu Summers: A Book Review

     I admit I have a love-hate relationship with this book, but I wonder if that’s not what the author intended.  As I was reading along I would think, “This is ridiculous!” or, “People don’t do things like that!”  When someone who had critiqued his writing told Stu (the character) that his dialogue was unbelievable, “Not unbelievable as in ‘good,’…but as in ‘not even close to believable,’” I felt the same way about Stu (the author).  If I had not been reading this book to review I probably would have closed it and moved on to another book, and I would have missed out.

     In spite of everything I was compelled to keep turning pages to see what would happen next to the two main characters: a rich, famous writer who is a closet wanna be and a poor ball cap salesperson who moonlights selling stun guns.  To say that their romance was a rollercoaster ride sounds so cliché, but what else could describe the sharp twists and turns and the rapid ups and downs?  Nothing that I know of.  Another thing, and a huge part of what I loved about this story, that kept me reading was Hattie, AKA the holy ghostwriter.  Her spunky attitude and pearls of Biblical wisdom were truly endearing.  I would love to read another Stu Summers book with Hattie as the leading lady.

     Summers’ Love did contain some dialogue I’ve rarely found in books written for the Christian fiction market.  One worth noting in a review of this type is what is in my opinion the careless use of the Lord’s name, maybe not in vain, but careless at the least.  As a popular movie and dvd reviewer would say, I give this book a three out of five jolts from a stun gun for reader friendliness. 

I received this book from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas in exchange for my honest opinion.