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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Heart of Stone: A Novel by Jill Marie Landis


Alright, so this is not my regular type of read, but I figured why not branch out a bit and read something that I wouldn't normally pick up. So here goes:

From the back of the book:

SHE HAD THE DARKEST OF PASTS.  AND HE HAD EVERYTHING TO LOSE BY LOVING HER.

Laura Foster, FREE FROM THE BONDAGE OF AN UNSPEAKABLE CHILDHOOD, has struggled to make a new life for herself.  Now the owner of an elegant boardinghouse in Glory, Texas, she is known as a wealthy, respectable widow.  But Laura forgets that she is always just one step ahead of her past. 

When Reverend Brand McCormick comes calling, Laura does all she can to discourage him as a suitor.  She knows that if her past were discovered, Brand's reputation would be ruined.  But it's not only Laura's past that threatens to bring Brand down - it's also his own.

When a stranger in town threatens to reveal too many secrets, Laura is faced with a heartbreaking choice: Should she leave Glory forever and save Brand's future?  Or is it worth risking his name - and her heart - by telling him the truth?

My thoughts : (This review will be short, because I don't really have all that much to write about this novel. )

Heart of Stone was my first foray into the Christian Lit genre and I'm glad it was.  The book was an easy read with solid writing and interesting characters.  However, the story line seemed a bit cliched to me: woman with 'sordid' past meets man of cloth and must decide to follow her heart and tell him about her past or run away from him and her heart. It reminded me of what I think a romance novel would be like, but without all the sex scenes in it. As far as religion goes, the book was not stuffed with religious references like I thought it might be - that was rather surprising.  The 'message' of the book was rather dated, but still rings true: never allow anyone or anything to define you.  Overall, it was actually a great way for me to get a taste of Christian Lit.  And now I know that mild romance novels are just not my cup of tea. 

By the by, if anyone in the US would like my copy of this book, just send me an email  - the first one who does, gets it! Cheers!!

P/S Thanks Anne (from The Book Report Network) for providing me with a copy of this book - I really appreciated it!

2 comments:

Mrs. Fry said...

Not sure, I would read this one. I read Wednesday Letters, a Christian lit book, and found it very boring! thanks for the review.

Nadia said...

Brenda, I've heard of Wednesday Letters, but wasn't sure about it. Thanks for the heads up that its boring- I think I'll pass on it.