Doctor in Petticoats by Mary Connealy

From the back cover:

When nurse Beth McClellan survives a stage coach accident, she soon realizes the derelict traveling alongside her is a doctor, and she forces him to help tend the injured. Alex Buchanan, army deserter, finds he can only care for the patients as long as Beth is right beside him, giving him courage...by yelling at him.

Beth thinks he's a lunatic when he proposes that they marry and work together in her hometown. But there's no denying his skill, and she can see the emotional price Alex pays to help hurting people. Besides, the owes the guy for saving her own sister.

So she agrees to marry him.

And that's when the real trouble begins. A murderous bounty hunter is on Alex's trail. Alex only has to live long enough to turn himself in, and then he may face a firing squad. Not exactly the honeymoon of Beth's dreams.

Alex may find the faith he lost while surrounded by the horrors of war, but will doing the right hing by facing his past cost him his wife...and his life?


My review:

This was my first book by Mary Connealy, and I can say beyond any doubt, it will not be my last. I absolutely could not put Doctor in Petticoats down from the first chapter. It's quite possibly one of the funniest books I've read all year.

Doctor in Petticoats is filled with color characters. The voice that Beth has is just marvelous. I loved her sisters and parents (and have since learned one of Ms. Connealy's earlier books tells the story of Beth's parents, I will definitely be borrowing that one from the library.) I'm looking forward to reading Sally and Mandy's stories as well.

While reading Doctor in Petticoats, I couldn't help but think of how much my stepdad would enjoy a movie version of the book. He loves westerns, and I could clearly imagine his reactions to the last third of the book.

Doctor in Petticoats is a book I highly recommend.

The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn

From the back cover:

A husband, a family, a comfortable life: Theodora Lestrange lives in terror of it all.

With a modest inheritance and the three gowns that comprise her entire wardrobe, Theodora leaves Edinburgh — and a disappointed suitor — far behind. She is bound for Roumania, where tales of vampires are still whispered, to visit an old friend and write the book that will bring her true independence.

She arrives at a magnificent, decaying castle in the Carpathians replete with eccentric inhabitants: the ailing dowager; the troubled steward; her own fearful friend, Cosmina. But all are outstripped in dark glamour by the castle's master, Count Andrei Dragulescu.

Bewildering and bewitching in equal measure, the brooding nobleman ignites Theodora's imagination and awakens passions in her that she can neither deny nor conceal. His allure is superlative, his dominion over the superstitious town, absolute — Theodora may simply be one more person under his sway.

Before her sojourn is ended — or her novel completed — Theodora will have encountered things as strange and terrible as they are seductive. For obsession can prove fatal...and she is in danger of falling prey to more than desire.


My review:

I loved Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia series when I read it this winter. I also enjoyed reading The Dead Travel Fast.

It reminded me a lot of Victoria Holt's novels. Specifically, it reminded me of The Devil on Horseback, which just happens to be my favorite Holt novel.

The book begins with the death of Theodora's grandfather, in the opening pages Theodora's brother-in-law wonders what is to be done with her. That question is answered when she receives a letter from her school friend Cosmina, inviting Theodora to visit her in Transylvania. So Theodora travels from modern western Europe to feudal eastern Europe. She enters a world completely foreign from her own.

The Dead Travel Fast is a very atmospheric novel. I could see the dense woods, and hear the howls of the wolves as I was reading. I could easily visualize the decaying castle at the top of the mountain. It was a wonderful book to escape into.

Hillsong United - Hosanna - With Subtitles/Lyrics

Sunday Worship: Hosanna by Hillsong United

Above you will find a video of one of my favorite worship songs, Hosanna by Hillsong United. It's one we sing often at church, in fact it was our closing song this weekend. Enjoy!

I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter (YA)

From the back cover:

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school--typical, that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses, but it's really a school for spies.

Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man seven different ways with her bare hands, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl.

Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"--but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?


My thoughts:

First, I want to thank my friend, Laura J. for recommending this author. I'm not a fan of first person narrative, so it did take me just a bit to get into the book. That said, I truly enjoyed this book. I loved the world, which was brought to life. A super, secret spy school filled with genius students, and a very colorful faculty. I found both Cammie's mother, who is the headmistress, and her Covert Ops teacher, Joe Solomon to be very interesting characters.

The book takes place during the fall semester of Cammie's sophomore year. She's known as the chameleon because she's able to blend into her surroundings so well. But when she meets an ordinary high school boy who notices her, Cammie has no idea how to handle it.

The book is quite hilarious in some places, yet just as poignant in others. I'm looking forward to reading more about Cammie's missions.

The Sister Wife by Diane Noble

From the back cover:

What if the man you loved told you God wanted him to take another wife?
What if the woman was your best friend?

Set in the heart of the earliest days of a new 19th century sect known as the Saints, The Sister Wife, is a riveting account of two women forced into a practice they don't understand, bound by their devotion to Prophet Joseph Smith. When Mary Rose marries Gabriel, neither of them could foresee how quickly the community would turn to the practice of plural marriage. Devastated when Gabe is faced with an order from the Prophet to marry her best friend, Brownyn, Mary Rose tries to have the faith to carry through with the marriage. But can she really be married to the same man as her best friend?

Can Mary Rose and Brownyn face betraying both their husband and their God to do what is right?

My take:

Mormon polygamy is a subject which has been in the new the last few years. From the legal proceedings against various polygamy leaders to the success of HBO's drama series Big Love, Mormon polygamy has been brought to the attention of the American culture. I am a fan of Big Love, and I admit the show has made me ponder the psychological and sociological aspects of modern day polygamy.

The first section of book, where they are on the ship to America was a little slow for me, however I felt the story picked up when they arrived in Nauvoo. Almost from the beginning, Mary Rose is hearing the rumors of polygamous relationships amongst the leadership of the sect. The scenes were Joseph Smith gives the men his revelations about polygamy were fascinating. It was deceptive and manipulative all at the same time, just like Eve and the snake in the Garden of Eden. The later scene where Gabe is trying to convince Mary Rose that it is imperative for his marriage to Brownyn to be consummated is just as manipulative.

I won't say The Sister Wife was an easy read, because it was not. However, it was one of the most thought provoking books I've read this year. It was not a light read, quite honestly I found it to be spiritually dark in many places. A Christian reader will be shaking their head at the Mormon theology, and at the actions of the characters. However, the light is there, peaking through the darkness. The seeds of later redemption are planted.

The Sister Wife was a book which stayed with me long after I read the last page. Honestly, it is the first book I can remember renewing at the library, even though I've finished reading it. I look forward to the rest of the books in the series, and to the journey to redemption.

Apologies

My apologies for being MIA the last few weeks. Real life sorta took over for awhile. I am back, and I'm planning to post at least one review tonight, possibly two. Hope everyone is well.