Reviewer: Lori Graham
Title: Blessed Vows
Author: Jillian Hart
Publisher: Steeple Hill
ISBN: 0-373-87337-9
Release Date: November 2005
Genre/Sub-genre: Inspirational Romance
Year/Setting: Current/Montana
Overall rating: 4.75
Sexual content rating: None (occasional kiss)
Jillian's Website: None found
Once again as I found my Christmas spirit begin to wane just a bit, I found a book to put me back into gear again. Rachel McKaslin is trying desperately to hold onto that family feeling. She is trained as a teacher but she is giving that up to run the diner for her sister. She and her siblings were orphaned quite young and the eldest daughter stepped in to take charge of the family. Rachel now feels it is time for her to step up and run things so her sister can take a break. After all, she has no life of her own so it is no great sacrifice right?
Rachel is height challenged and doesn’t feel very confident in herself. So she is happy to help out any member of her family in whatever way she can. She is especially glad to help her brother, Ben, out when he says that a friend of his is coming to town and asks her to feed him dinner for one evening. Of course, the friend, Jack McCall, arrives early (catching her far from made up – or at least as made up as she gets), gets attacked by her "pet" moose, and with a small child in tow.
Jake’s brother and sister-in-law have passed away and Jake promised to care for their daughter. One flaw in that plan is that Jake is part of "special services" just as her brother, Ben, is and that doesn’t lend itself to taking care of a small child. Jake knows this is a problem and figures he will find a nanny once every thing calms down but after meeting Rachel and watching the bonding begin between Sally and Rachel, he begins to form another idea. Having a new mother for Sally would be much better than a nanny, wouldn’t it? Sounds like a simple plan until this little thing called Christmas spirit and human nature begin to work their magic.
I greatly enjoyed Jillian Hart’s characterization of the growth of Rachel and Jake. Rachel truly comes across as a woman capable of great love but yet a bit on the naïve side when it comes to human nature. Jake, of course, being in special services has seen more than his share of the tragedies caused by humans and therefore he expects nothing and has shut most of his emotions off. Jillian has taken two humans from the opposite ends of the spectrum and brought them together in a way that doesn’t detract from either of their strengths. Blessed Vows is a well done depiction of two halves forming a whole as well as illustrating the power of three. It took the child to bring them together and when bond with these two strong individuals; they all became even stronger in the end.
If you do just a quick read of this book, you might find it a bit simplistic. Take your time, however, to discover some of the deeper meanings that come across through the book. It is worth the read and will encourage that spirit, especially if you are finding yourself a bit humbug.
Lori
Question or comment regarding the review or the book? Click here and let Lori know.
Top
Reviews
Featured Reviews
Archived Reviews