Christian romance novels.

[ladybranwen]

As you might recall, a couple weeks ago, I was working on a reader's advisory for Christian romance novels. At the time, I decided that perhaps I should read some of them (much like with Nora Roberts and Danielle Steele) so I wouldn't blindly recommend something and then have it turn out horrid. Well... I've only "read" two so far, but I might have to switch up my list.



The first book chosen for this experiment was Kristen Heitzmann's Freefall. After watching Casino Royale, I realized that this book had more plot points and twists than a James Bond movie. And believe me, that isn't a good thing. It starts off slow, but ok, with the main character Gentry (later known as Jade for some of the book) falling over a waterfall, and managing to only bang her head and lose her memory in the process. Her uncle (though you don't find that out until later), seeing her fall leaps into the water, only to lose her and gets banged up pretty bad drags himself, broken legs and all, into a nearby cave. After dragging herself through the Hawaiian forest, she ends up Nica's house. She in turn, eventually calls her brother Cameron, who is a PI with major issues (like his parents drowning in the ocean when he was a kid and his wife walking out on him) to investigate who this person is. That's like the first ten pages. She turns out to be a famous movie star, which, of course, nobody recognized her living as they did on a remote Hawaiin island. This one I eventually skimmed as things just became more unbelievalbe. Gentry is kidnapped at gunpoint not once but twice! And, big suprise, Gentry and Cameron get together at the end.

The second one, I have strong feelings against. It is Deeanna Gist's The Measure of a Lady. Personally, I don't see how a Christian publisher (Bethany House) would publish it because the main character is basically a hypocritical Christian. And is that the image you want to put forward? Well, plot is that Rachel (20), her two siblings Lissa (15) and Michael (13) were on their way to San Francisco with their father during the gold rush when he dies aboard ship. Thus, Rachel is left alone with few means to raise her siblings in a Godless town. She pretty much fails as her sister runs off to join the prostitutes at the brothel and her brother becomes a gambler. But, all the time that she is grumbling about the evilness of the society around her and how she refuses to become acquainted with any of them, she is off doing such "ladylike" things as making out in a redwood tree with the local saloon keeper. She thought she had the right to judge everyone around her, pushed everyone away, and yet she was perfect. You can't get more hypocritical than that. So, no. I really don't think I can recommend this one. But that's just my personal opinion.


Maybe I should just skip reading the other ones I have, read something Karen Kingsbury, and call it a day.

And speaking of Christianity at the library, we apparently have a patron who likes to censor or edit books. I was looking at one on Saturday that needed to go to mending, and noticed that throughout the entire book, every time that "God" was written, it was crossed off. The funny thing was it was next to "God damn it" every time, so apparently God is worse than swear words to them.

Now I must call my papa, because it is his 86th birthday today!

ETA: I guess I should say something about the books I read this weekend for my own enjoyment. Firstly, Penelope by Penelope Farmer (one must wonder if it was written with her own experience) is about a girl named Flora Penelope who is having memories of another life in which she was called Penelope, had a poet for a father and Dr. Darwin for a friend until his large dog viciously mauled her little puppy and the phrase "Eat or be eaten" enters her head. Everyone around her thinks she's been reincarnated. She's not so sure. It was a fun read. I had only read Farmer's Charlotte Sometimes book when I was younger and really liked that one.

Secondly, a Peggy recommended book is Regency Sting by Elizabeth Mansfield. This is in the line of Georgette Heyer, though not as well written. Still fun, however, with the exception of the author trying too hard to get the regency "slang" down. Books should still be readable! Sometimes a bit more "nesh than dash" as one of her characters would say.

Comments

[sparklybee.livejournal.com]

Christian romance novels are the BEST. My mom seemed to think that I liked reading them back when I was a fundy Christian, so she got me a subscription (I guess?) to Heartsong Presents. And let me tell you, that stuff is totally crack.

I listed a bunch of them on ebay recently because I wanted to make space (plus it never hurts to have extra money to fund Phantom adventures ;) ) and I was reading the backs of them so I could see if they were historical or contemporary. Well, this one...darned if I don't forget what it was called...was about this woman who was in her forties, and she had gone to graduate school and was really successful in her business but was wondering why God hadn't given her a husband yet (because a woman is not complete without a man!) and the back blurb actually said that she had "disobeyed God" by going to graduate school, and it might be too late for her to have a man because she had spent all of those years in disobedience, because it turns out that there was this one guy who wanted to marry her a long time ago, before she went to graduate school, but it was either marry him and pop out a ton of kids or go to graduate school, so she went to graduate school (because apparently he couldn't handle having her be smart? I don't know...). Anyway, two guesses who she marries in the end. ;) And the best part? She totally repents for going to graduate school instead of marrying him the first time around.

[ladybranwen.livejournal.com]

Oy. There are no words to express my feelings on that. How backwards! Maybe that will do. So that's why no man has been knocking down my door! I'm too smart for all of them. Excellent.

I think they might be more interesting than regular romance novels. There was a pirate one I found listed called Pirate's Prize that I really wanted to borrow just to see how awful it was, but I couldn't get it through the library system, and there was no way I was going to have them try to get it out of state. I'm not that pathetic!

You, um, wouldn't happen to have that book, would you? ;)

[sparklybee.livejournal.com]

My friend and I had a nice time laughing over that book, since she has gone to graduate school too. I told her that is why she doesn't have a man. ;)

I remember when I went to church, the pastor was very anti-education. He said that he didn't finish high school and God didn't need him to get his GED. He was also very hostile towards people who went to college, especially women. The biggest reason why I didn't end up going to graduate school was because of that. :\ Ironically, I was eventually shunned so I should have just gone and faced the wrath sooner rather than later. Haha.

And, umm, no, I don't have any romance novels about pirates! LOL Sadly that one was published after the whole deconversion process, otherwise you might have been in luck. ;)

[ladybranwen.livejournal.com]

See! The book is proven! I must lose brain cells if I'm to find a man! ::hits head::

Your ex-pastor sounds like a creep. And a jerk.

Tragic. I really am quite interested in how there could be a Christian pirate roaming about the high seas. Does he cross himself before going in to the kill?

[jess-squirrel.livejournal.com]

LOL, I actually have Pirate's Prize. It's a Heartsong book, right? I bought a bunch of those for $.50 apiece and PP is one of them. Haven't read it though... I have read a few of those books--some I loved some I wondered why they were printed. Hogtied is a really good one. ;)

Have you read anything by Debra White Smith? She's an excellent author and I love her books! She wrote a series of books that are based off of Jane Austen's but set in modern times. First Impressions is the one based off of Pride & Prejudice and it's just lovely...

Oh! And have you read anything by Dee Henderson? She has written over a dozen suspense/romance novels that are impossible to put down once you pick them up! Danger in the Shadows is a really good one to pick up. Plus, she's pretty popular in the Christian community so you shouldn't have any problems finding at least one of her books. ;)

*Laughs* Now I've exposed myself as a Christian bookworm...ah well. :D

[ladybranwen.livejournal.com]

You have it?!??!! Haha, now I need to figure out how to get it from you so I can read it! ::cackles::

Hogtied? Do I even want to know?

Funny thing. I was at a used book sale a month ago and came across two of her other novels in the series. Well, I was about to walk out the door when I saw Jane Austen on the cover. And, being an Austen fan, I picked them up. I didn't realize until I got home that they were Christian romance novels. Haven't read them yet. They are the ones based on Persuasion and S&S.

Yes! Dee Henderson is the author I was told by the patron that I must read. Her O'Malley series, I believe.

[jess-squirrel.livejournal.com]

LOL, I sure do! *is thoughtful* You wanted the Pimpy DVD with Marc Kurdisch from 10/9/99, right? Technically speaking, I could stick the book in with the DVD and mail it to you. ;) 'Course I'd probably want it back... What if I sent you the package with the DVD and book, you read the book, and then you send it back with whatever DVD you're supposed to send to me? I wouldn't mind doing it this way, and I know you to be trustworthy... Plus, the book is only 169 pages so it won't take you long to read it (assuming of course, that you had time). What do you think?

Yes, Hogtied! Would you like me to type up the back for you? It's a pretty good book!

That's pretty cool! I loved the S&S one, but I haven't read the Persuasion one yet. She has one for all the other Austen books too. The one based off of P&P is the best. ;)

Definetly the O'Malley Series! They are very good and I'm glad I read them on a road trip last summer. I really couldn't put any of the books down. ;) Her Uncommon Heroes series is really good too.

[ladybranwen.livejournal.com]

Bwhahaha!!! That would be excellent! Except, I can't remember what you wanted. Do you?

I think I want to read the back of that one. Yes, do please! If you have time, that is.

And, I just ordered First Impressions and read some of it tonight. Have you ever read Melissa Nathan's Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Fields? It's somewhat the same premise, as the characters are thrown together in a play production of P&P.

I'll try the O'Malley Series next. I think they've been returned to the library.

[jess-squirrel.livejournal.com]

LOL, I'm soooo behind on comments. I don't think I ever picked anything out, but at least I remember what you wanted! Could you point me to your site again? I'm hoping to make a post office run on Monday so I'd send you your SP3 and the books (if you still want to borrow the books).

Did you like First Impressions? I haven't even heard of the other book...interesting that it would have the same premise. I wonder which book came first.

*Bounces* Did you get a chance to pick up an O'Malley book?

Here's what's on the back of Hogtied: ;)

"Urias must save his sister, even if it means marrying the daughter of the man who holds his sister's bond. But something doesn't add up in Urias's mind when it comes to his new wife, Prudence. Her father's desperation for money and secretive business dealings raise questions no one can answer.

Prudence Greene cares deeply for Urias's sister Kate. She hates the idea of anyone being owned and longs to see Kate set free. But Prudence can tell Urias O'Leary doesn't trust her motives. As her father's shady financial involvements come to light, they cast an even deeper shadow over Urias's view of her.

Can the Lord unravel the knots that leave Urias feeling hogtied and helpless? WIll his heart ever be free to love Prudence? Or will the sins of Prudence's father forever mar her beauty in Urias's eyes?"

Yes, there are hogs involved. ;)

[shawk.livejournal.com]

Wait, Cameron is Nica's brother, right? For a moment, I thought that the main character got together with her own brother, which, well, would be sort of Old Testament.

[ladybranwen.livejournal.com]

Haha... no. I guess that would be a whole other genre of novels.

Please, dear God, let me not have to read that type.

[shawk.livejournal.com]

I would almost rather read that type, assuming I had to read either. I think.

[kyttenfae.livejournal.com]

*facepalms* Oh, Christian romance novels... I was the church librarian at my parents church for four years and had to read all the books we bought using the money left for the library by this little old lady... and we had to buy at least a fourth of all the requests every year. Needless to say I read a lot of utter crack, most of which made me majorly facepalm. However, one series I remember really, really enjoying that was a Christian romance/mystery series was the Rosemary for Remembrance one... it's been years since I read it, so I don't know if I would still like it or not, but I remember it being really quite cool, despite the dorky, overly punning cover blurb. *rolls eyes* It's all rather literary and I remember it being half-way between Dorothy Sayers and L.M. Montgomery in style. Anyway, that's the one and only series I would /dare/ to recc to anyone, out of all those books I had to read, which is amusing but rather sad. ;-)

[ladybranwen.livejournal.com]

I had no idea you were the church librarian. I could have asked you so many more questions last semester when I was creating a collection development policy for a church library.

Which I guess means I should be more up with this, but for the fact that I focused most of my attention on the non-fic, rather than fic.

And, it doesn't look like my library has books by that author. I guess there is always ILL.

[islandgirlsj.livejournal.com]

Hi, I'm sorry, I'm not a friend of your journal, but I do belong to period_stills and was hoping that I might be able to use your Illusionist icon you submitted. I really love it.
Will credit for sure, but wanted to ask you first. Thank you.

[ladybranwen.livejournal.com]

Certainly! And, thank you!

[islandgirlsj.livejournal.com]

*YAY* Thank you so much ... and for such a great entry, it really should have won!