Trust cats to find the perfecting hiding spots. Here's Crayton, whom we adopted from the local shelter 3 years ago. He's a cream-point mix with beautiful powder blue eyes.
Funny, I haven't had a cat in any of my stories lately. Must make a note to include one...
A Lasting Impression, another strong romance by Tamera Alexander, takes the reader from her Western settings to the war-torn state of Tennessee a year after the Civil War.
Plenty of conflict abounds in this absorbing novel, from the young lawyer who has lost everything from fighting on the wrong side to the young heroine who dreams of painting masterpieces, but who must hide her sordid past of painting forgeries once she begins a new life.
Claire Laurent, the heroine is saved from penury and worse when she gets the job of personal assistant to the wealthy owner of Belmont, where she seems to be given a new chance at life.
Sutton Munroe, the hero, fighting to regain his family's lands and his father's good name, cannot begin rebuilding his life as long as he carries around the guilt of having prevented his father from signing the Oath of Allegiance (to the Union). He is haunted by the knowledge that he caused his father's death and sentence of treason.
As the two hide their growing attraction, Claire knows time is against her. The past finally catches up with her and it is only by coming to the knowledge that God is on her side and cares for her that she is able to own up to it and face the consequences. The spiritual thread is deftly woven into the love story.
I would have enjoyed seeing Claire come clean sooner and read about the developing relationship between Sutton and Claire once he knew the truth than have a relationship built on her hiding so much of her past from him. That said, Alexander writes a powerful story about a young woman whose self-esteem has been badly destroyed by her father and who gradually comes to the knowledge of the Savior's love for her and that her talent is God-given.
Shadowed in Silk will keep you up long past your bedtime—each time you want to put it down, you tell yourself, just one more page, just one more page…
Lindsay has written of two characters, Major Geoff Richards and Abby Fraser, who grab you from the beginning and don’t let go until the last page. They are in an impossible situation which only gets more difficult, but the reader roots for them from the moment they meet on board a ship bound for India, he to take up his old post after surviving the horrors of World War I and she to return to her childhood home.
You’ll fall in love with Geoff—the strong, silent hero with a tragic past, who proves to be a wonderful surrogate father to Abby’s young son, and a quiet protector to Abby when she is faced by more danger than she knows.
And you’ll feel for Abby, trying to do what’s right when her life seems to have ended before it has a chance to begin and coming finally to that place of acknowledging that she can’t do it on her own.
There’s a wonderful set of secondary characters, especially those Indian Christians who endure the loss of everything for their newfound faith.
The Indian backdrop with its sights, smells and sounds and the increasing turmoil under the British raj only add to the allure of this story. For those who love The Far Pavilions and The Jewel in the Crown, with the addition of a strong Christian theme and a wonderful romance, this book is for you!
