Monday, November 29, 2010

Love's First Bloom by Delia Parr ~ 3 stars

Love's First Bloom
Delia Parr
Bethany House Publishing
About the book:
She must conceal her past, her identity. What hope can there be for love?

Life changes drastically for Ruth Livingstone the day her father puts a young child in her arms and sends her under an assumed name to a small village in New Jersey. There she dutifully awaits his acquittal, certain that her father, Reverend Livingstone, soon will be cleared of the outrageous accusations against him.

When tragic events transpire, Ruth finds solace tending a garden along the banks of the Toms River—a place where she can find a measure of peace amid her growing heartache. It is also here that she meets Jake Spencer, a man who both frustrates and intrigues her. Fearful of the newspapermen intent on tracking her down and unsure of whom to trust, Ruth knows she must carefully maintain her identity as Widow Malloy. But as love begins to slowly bloom, can the tenuous affection growing between Ruth and Jake withstand the secrets that separate them?

My review:
I’m giving this 3 stars, not because I disliked the book, but because I didn’t really enjoy it. The writing was interesting, but I wasn’t wowed by it. However, I couldn’t really find anything to fault it for, either. (Except for a couple of places where a character’s name would be misspelled into a different name.) It just wasn’t my cup of tea. I liked the characters and setting, but the story didn’t keep me engaged. I wasn’t flipping through the pages as fast as I could to see what would happen next. I’m sure that there will be people who love this book, but it just wasn’t for me. I hope that others who read it find it more to their liking than I did.

Thanks to Bethany House for my free review copy of this book.

10 comments:

Molly said...

I really thought your review was interesting. While I did enjoy this book, It was not one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing!

~Molly

Emily said...

Very interesting review!

Carman said...

Molly~ Thank you. :) Thanks for letting me know what you thought of the book too! :)

Emily~ Thanks! Thanks for commenting. :)

Unknown said...

The story content seems to hold potential for a great story. You have a keen eye for good info written into the story that isn't there and should be there. Your review might squelch my choosing this book to read.

Barb Shelton
barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com

MaureenT said...

I have read books like this before also. While you can't say you didn't like it just doesn't turn you on.

Charlotte Kay said...

Once again, another honest review!
I do appreciate it!
Keep on keeping on, dear:)
Blessings,
Charlotte
chakasa58 at gmail dot com

Carman said...

Barb~ Thank you, Barb. :) I hope that if you do decide to read it that you enjoy it.

Maureen~ I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who feels that way about books sometimes.

Charlotte~ You're welcome. :) It is nice to know that honest reviews are appreciated. :)

Tressa said...

Thanks for the review. I was thinking that the story sounded interesting, but I'll have to decide if I'll pick this one up.

Judylynn said...

Looks like a good one! Thanks for letting us know about this book.

seizethebookblog(at)gmail(dot)com

Carman said...

Tressa~ You're welcome! Thanks for commenting. I hope that if you decide to read it that you will enjoy it. :)

Judylynn~ You're welcome. Thanks for commenting. :)