What is one character trait that will cause you to close the book? I finish most of the books I start, so it didn’t take long to come up with an answer to this question.
Stupid.
I don’t like stupid characters. I don’t like characters who make stupid decisions then spend the rest of the book (or movie) complaining about or trying to fix the mistake.
I would like to qualify that statement by saying stupid is not the same as naivete or immaturity or lacking conventional intelligence. Forrest Gump is an example. He is not clever, but he is not stupid. His actions are consistent with his character.
So what is stupid?
Stupid is a character doing something when they should know better.
Stupid is doing the thing everyone said not to do, then expecting the reader to sympathise when something bad happens.
Stupid is the main character moving to a small town in another country where they stand out as the only non-local, then joining all the local clubs when they’re trying to hide from the evildoers.
Stupid is the main character quitting a well-paid job with health benefits to do … well, pretty much anything, then not knowing how they’re going to pay for their sick child’s health problems.
Stupid is the main character going to investigate the strange noises in the basement, even though the 911 operator told them to stay upstairs until the police arrive.
Get the picture?
I used to finish these books, but no more. There are too many other books to read.
What about you? What’s one character trait that will cause you to close the book?
I’m not a big fan of either trope, and can’t remember the last time I read either a jilted or a runaway bride.
A jilted bride is always going to have my sympathy …
As long as she’s a likeable character–and romance heroines tend to be likeable.
A good novel always needs a good story question, and a jilted bride is a great story question: why has he jilted her?
For a jilted bride story to work as a romance for me, one of two things need to happen. Either the initial couple either have to end up together (which means he needs to have a really good reason for jilting her in the first place, and he needs to convince me he’s not going to do the same thing again).
Or she ends up with a different guy, one who will treat her right. For this to work, we need to find out something about the first fiance which shows she never really knew him.
Otherwise, I’m left wondering if she really knows what it means to love someone until death us do part.
A runaway bride is similar but different.
For a runaway bride story to work for me, I have to understand why she ran away. Did she decide she didn’t love him enough (or at all)?
Did she discover something about him that shows her he’s not the man she thought he was (this probably works best in romantic suspense, when she finds out he’s an assassin for hire or something similar).
If so, be the runaway bride. Leave before the wedding.
Even in real life, I would absolutely say to anyone that if they are having any second thoughts about marriage, they should call off the wedding. Despite the inconvenience and the expense, that’s going to be easier than working through a divorce later.
What about you? Do you prefer a jilted bride or a runaway bride romance?
It’s an enjoyable story of a teenage girl who goes to Thailand on a short-term missions trip, and what she learns about herself and God during the trip. Some of the scenes are based on Hannah’s own mission trip to Thailand, and I particularly enjoyed those scenes.
I hadn’t planned to read the whole book in a single day (do we ever?), but I found it hard to put down.
What about you? What’s the most recent book you’ve read in a single day?
I’ve read a lot of holiday romances and (recently) more than a few road-trip romances.
But the first title that came to mind when I read this question was an older story: Whispers by Robin Jones Gunn, which was first published in around 1995. But even after almost thirty years, I can still remember most of the key points.
Teri is a Spanish teacher from Glenbrooke, Oregon, who goes on holiday to Maui to visit her sister. She hopes to reconnect with Mark, the marine biologist she met last summer, but (if I remember correctly), he’s now in a serious relationship.
She then somehow reconnects with her high school crush (Steve, I think), and Gordon, better known as Gordo, an Australian pastor with a second job as a pizza delivery guy.
Looking back, the plot has nods to Pride and Prejudice in that Teri is initially attracted to Steve, who now strikes me as a Wickham character, and ignores the slightly uncoordinated Gordo. Gordo isn’t really a Darcy figure – he’s not proud and he isn’t rich and he has no secret history with Wickham – but he’s a good man who loves Jesus and respects Teri.
One of the reasons I remember this story after so many years is because of Y’s catchphrase: “until”. Terri eventually asks him what “until” means, and … that’s the one thing I can’t remember about the story.
If you’ve read it, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll have to re-read it (oh, dear. What a sacrifice).
What about you? What novels have you read that feature a character on holiday?
I read all the Narnia books as a child, but they were never specifically written or marketed as Christian fiction, so I don’t think they count.
I also read and enjoyed Joni by Joni Eareckson in my early teens (so only a few years after it was first published in 1976). That’s definitely Christian, but is nonfiction so definitely doesn’t count.
The first overtly Christian novel I remember reading was This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti, which I read when I was about eighteen. My aunt bought it and loaned it to my mother (who never read it). I read it and the sequel, Piercing the Darkness, and the duology got me started on many happy years reading Christian fiction.
What about you? What’s the first Christian novel you remember reading?
I have inherited my great-grandmother’s Book of Common Prayer, which was gifted to her by her mother over 100 years ago. This is definitely the oldest book I own.
I have also inherited my grandmother’s King James Bible and her copy of Mrs. Beeton’s cookbook, and my grandfather’s copy of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. All date from the 1940s, which feels old until I consider the Book of Common Prayer.
I often preorder ebooks, which means there are two possible answersto this question: the most recent book I’ve ordered, and the most recent book that has landed on my Kindle.
Funnily enough, both are from the same series: Trinity Lakes Romance.
The most recent book I’ve ordered is Blue Skies Dreaming by Amanda Deed, which releases at the end of May. It features Nick Gordon, an Australian skydiving instructor who travels to Trinity Lakes because he’s chasing a girl: online influencer Violet Reynolds.
And the newest release to land on my Kindle is In Truth and Love by Jenny Glazebrook, which brings together responsible pastor’s daughter Jodie and somewhat less responsible Brandon Taylor, son of Luke Mcaffrey, better known as the Junk Man.
And the most recent book I’ve downloaded to review …
Last week, I looked at characters I’d like to go on holiday with. Wes and Sunny from The Billionaire’s Teacher by Elizabeth Maddrey won because of the location: the Caribbean.
But a great location doesn’t guarantee a great holiday.
For example, I wouldn’t go on holiday with journalist Callie Brown from Poison Bay and Venom Reef by Belinda Pollard.
They are great books and set in some of the best locations in Australia and New Zealand, but come with a significant body count that puts me off holidaying with them.
This isn’t the fault of any of the characters, nor is it any commentary on the quality of the stories. (Christian science fiction is a small genre, and i love the Jewel of the Stars series).
The reason these characters win my “worst travel companion” award is the situation the poor characters are in.
Imagine this …
You’re looking forward to a cruise through the stars on a spaceship with all the mod cons. Great, right?
You’re only a couple of days into your cruise when your entire planet and everyone you know and love is destroyed by aliens. Now you’re cruising the universe, looking for somewhere safe. Not fun.
What about you? Which fictional character do you think would make the worst travel companion?
I can think of a lot of characters I wouldn’t want to go on holiday with …
I like modern comforts such as electricity, hot and cold running water, and flush toilets. On that basis, I think I’ll avoid holidaying with any characters from historical fiction.
I live in New Zealand, so I’ve already visited most of the locations in Close to You by Kara Isaac. I’d definitely recommend a holiday with Alison Shire and Jackson Gregory if you’re a Lord of the Rings fan … or if you just want to visit New Zealand.
I do enjoy a good road trip, and a few road trip novels do spring to mind:
I recently read an advance copy of The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh, and it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Kelsey and Georgina have a lot in common (although neither wants to admit it). I enjoyed tagging along on their fictional road trip, especially once we met Georgina’s son …
Another road trip that springs to mind is The Roads We Follow by Nicole Deese. Raegan Farrow heads off on a cross-country road trip with her country music star mother, her sisters, and a driver. They’re a fascinating family, and it’s sounds like a great trip.
And one more: The Billionaire’s Teacher by Elizabeth Maddrey is set in the Caribbean, so features lots of warm islands and no pesky restrictions on budget. It also happens to be a great romance.
Overall, I think my pick is Wes and Sunny in the Caribbean, simply because of the location.
So those are my picks.
What about you? Which character would you most like to go on holiday with?
A few different titles sprang to mind this year: two I’ve read and reviewed recently, two I’ve read and will review soon, and two I read years ago which feature my favourite US state: Hawai’i.
The Roads We Follow by Nicole Deese
The Roads We Follow by Nicole Deese might not count – it’s a road trip across the US, but it isn’t really a holiday. But it’s a great story!
As the youngest daughter of a country music legend, Raegan Farrow longs to establish an identity away from the spotlight and publish her small-town romances under a pen name. But after her dream is dashed when she won’t exploit her mother’s fame to further her own career, she hears a rumor from a reliable source regarding a tell-all being written about the Farrow family. Making matters worse, the unknown author has gone to great lengths to remain anonymous until publication.
Raegan chooses to keep the tell-all a secret from her scandal-leery sisters as they embark on a two-week, cross-country road trip at their mother’s request and makes it her mission to expose the identity of the author behind the unsanctioned biography. But all is complicated when she discovers their hired bus driver, Micah Davenport, has a hidden agenda of his own–one involving both of their mothers and an old box of journals. As they rely on each other to find the answers they seek, the surprising revelations they unearth will steer them toward their undeniable connection and may even lead them down the most unexpected of paths.
A 500-mile tandem bicycle ride isn’t my idea of a fun holiday, but Becca Kinzer turns it into a fun story.
She’s perfectly content leading a quiet life in her small hometown. He’s an adventurer with unquenchable wanderlust. The two couldn’t be any more opposite if they tried. But a tandem bicycle and a 500-mile road trip just might change all that.
After a failed engagement and her mother’s battle with cancer, Charlotte Carter’s life is finally turning around now that she’s landed a dream job teaching music. What she didn’t see coming was the imminent closure of the school’s music program. She’s determined to save it, even if it means getting creative. There’s no way she’s chalking this up as just another failure in her book of recent embarrassments.
Zach Bryant is back in town just long enough to see his brother Ben get married and then he’s off traveling the world again. He never imagined he’d run into Charlotte Carter, his brother’s ex-fiancé, or that everyone would believe he and Charlotte are an item. He certainly didn’t dream he’d end up riding a tandem bicycle hundreds of miles with her in an attempt to raise funds for a defunct music program, but how can he say no when the prize money would help him out of his financial predicament too?
Charlotte is sure she can set aside her differences with Zach long enough to cross the finish line and win the giant cash prize . . . can’t she? A few hundred miles in, she’s questioning her deeply held assumptions about Zach and wondering if maybe tandem biking is only the start of their biggest adventure yet.
An unusual and unpredictable unplanned holiday leads to Kelsey having a total rethink on life … and love. My full review will publish in July, but I couldn’t help myself – I had to read this as soon as I got my review copy!
Sometimes you’re so busy writing other people’s stories that you can lose the plot of your own.
This wasn’t how Kelsey Worthington’s day was supposed to go. She wasn’t supposed to be picking up Starbucks for her smarmy boss. She wasn’t supposed to get hit by a car that jumped the curb. And she certainly wasn’t supposed to wake up in a hospital room next to Georgina Tate—the legendary matriarch of New York City businesswomen.
Kelsey and Georgina couldn’t be more opposite. Kelsey’s a dreamer, a writer who questions her own skill. And Georgina is a confident businesswoman whose years of shouldering her way into boardrooms and making her voice heard have made her far too outspoken for the faint of heart.
But now, when Georgina’s failing kidneys force her to face some big regrets about the way she’s lived her life, the two women recognize they share a common thread. Maybe it’s time to confront a few things. They must ask themselves: What if I said yes to everything I’ve always said no to?
With Georgina as her companion, Kelsey soon finds herself doing things she’s never done before. Eating street food. Swimming in the ocean. Matchmaking for Georgina with the help of Georgina’s handsome son. And writing her own romance—both in book form and in real life.
Join Jade, Benny, and Bridger on 2,448-mile road trip down the historic Route 66. Now I want to My full review will publish in May.
How far would you go to fix the mistakes you’ve made and regain the trust you lost? For Jade Jessup, the answer is 2,448 miles. Once one of Chicago’s significant financial advisors, Jade lost her credibility when her fiancé (and coworker) stole millions of dollars from their clients in a Ponzi scheme. Now she’s agreed to help one of them–an aging 1960s Hollywood starlet named Berenice “Benny” Alderidge–seek financial restoration.
Jade sets off along Route 66 with Benny and her handsome adult foster son, Bridger, who is filming a documentary retracing the 1956 trip that started the love story between Benny and her recently deceased husband, Paul. Listening to Benny recount her story draws Jade into memories of her own darker association with Route 66, when she was kidnapped as a child by a man the media labeled a monster–but she remembers only as daddy.
Together, all three of these pilgrims will learn about family, forgiveness, and what it means to live free of the past. But not before Jade faces a second staggering betrayal that changes everything.
I’ve visited Hawai’i several times, including two visits to the Big Island and one to Maui, but I’ve never been to Kauai. Hawai’i is my favourite US state – its the best of New Zealand combined with the best of the USA (although I haven’t yet visited Alaska yet, so that view may change …)
When a young woman stumbles out of the Hanalei Mountains on the island of Kauai with no memory of who she is or how she got there, Cameron Pierce reluctantly agrees to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding her arrival. As pieces begin to fall into place, he suspects her injuries were no accident, but he’s far from convinced she’s an innocent victim. And there’s that nagging feeling he’s seen her somewhere before….
Now known as Jade, the woman begins to recall fragments of what led her to this place, and she realizes the danger isn’t over. Jade and the cynical Hawaiian investigator attempt to reconstruct the threads of her identity, but the stakes are far higher than either expected.
I enjoyed the entire Glenbrooke series, but love the first three books the most. Whispers takes us hiking in Maui, and it was great to see the island through Teri’s story.
Version 1.0.0
Teri leaves Glenbrooke thinking her visit to see her sister on Maui is going to be her chance to reconnect with the Marine biologist she met last summer.
She’s surprised to run into an old high school love interest from Escondido. And who is this clumsy, endearing guy from Australia who keeps showing up? Three men want her attention. What a vacation this is turning out to be!
Only one of them makes it clear that he’s got what it takes to win her heart. How does Teri know? The answer comes to her in whispers.
Come to Glenbrooke – a quiet place where souls are refreshed.
