Emma nervously meets Matthew's family. She encounters his seventy-year-old son, Henry, and learns how unique the family really is. As Christmas approaches, it is clear that Emma is not welcomed by all: what does Matthew's great-granddaughter have against her, and what might his sinister psychiatrist granddaughter, Maggie, be prepared to do?
Bound by their faith, Matthew and Emma have accepted that they must wait to be together until his wife dies. Very reluctantly, Emma meets Ellen--an elderly woman with a core of steel--and learns how living with Matthew will mean concealment and lies. How can they have a life together?
MY THOUGHTS-I had really high hopes for this book. The plot sounded interesting from the back cover and who could resist that! Not me! So I requested it for review and finished it last week. I have to say though, I was not very pleased with the book. Part of it was me not understanding the concept that was at work here and other things really bothered me as a Christian. Please bear with me as I go through this because I hate having to do this to a book. And realize, these are my opinions so if the book sounds like something you would like, read my concerns and then go for it!!
To start off there is an opener which catches you up on what has happened previously. I hadn't read any of the previous books and even with the opener I was somewhat lost at first. We see Emma who is studying a journal that somehow is connected to a surgeon, Matthew. After she is attacked and left for dead one night Matthew saves her. She finds out that in reality Matthew is from the Civil War era and had a wound which should have killed him but instead he survived. Now he lives a very guarded life because of his secret and while Emma loves him, she can't get past his guard. So she returns home not realizing he will follow her. While there at her house an argument ensues and in the debate, she finds out that Matthew is also married! His wife is bed-ridden and will soon die but after the affair she had in the past, she isn't sure what to do. Emma realizes though that she loves Matthew so much that she will go home with him for Christmas and see how things progress.
Now, I almost just put the book up at that point. We have a woman who has had an affair with a man, getting ready to do it again and not sure whether she should continue. Um, hello people! That should be a big stop sign right there. At the first hint of him being married she should have run as far as possible. There were also some strange things such as her meeting a man who she thought was Matthew's father because of his age and yet it turns out to be his son. We also have the whole thing of him living all these years. Just not my cup of tea I guess. Then further in the book we meet his sister who has no issues at all with Matthew and Emma loving each other, even while his wife is alive. She basically says that the wife will die at some time so however the cookie falls. Sorry, but not exactly what I wanted to hear. The book goes on and we meet many strange people and different reasons why the two of them should be together and some for them not to be. There was also several instances of language(Words I was not expecting in a Christian book at all) and parts that were too in detail for me. As in sexually. The overall feel of this book made me think of a dark gothic style of writing and while I didn't enjoy it, others might like that type of book. Not my cup of tea but it could be yours!!
**DISCLOSURE: I was given a free product in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given, and all thoughts are 100% mine. Please read my full disclosure policy HERE.**
1 comment:
This sounds interesting--I'd never heard of this author before.
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