Critical Pursuit

Critical Pursuit by Janica Cantore

Cantore brings another intense police adventure. Brinna Caruso was abducted as a child. The cop who found her, Milo, never rested until she was back home. Taking a page from his book, Brinna dedicates her life to finding missing children with her K-9 partner, Hero. An incident while on duty sidelines Hero and puts Brinna back on patrol with Jack O'Reilly. Jack is grieving his wife and unborn child killed by a drunk driver. Unable to go back to Homicide, O'Reilly took desk duty until he was told to return to Homicide or patrol.

Neither wants to be in a squad car with each other. Suddenly though their pasts catch up with them. Young girls are being abducted and Brinna is being taunted by the abductor. The driver who killed Jack's wife will be sentenced in two weeks. Brinna's mentor, Milo, passes away and her father is dying of cancer. There isn't time to face the past though when two young girls close to Brinna are abducted by the person who abducted her twenty years before.

Cantore delivers with real-life police situations and the application of where God fits in amidst tragedy.

When I Fall In Love

When I  Fall In Love by Susan May Warren

Warren has a way of telling a story which will completely gut you and fill you with hope simultaneously.  Grace Christiansen has a gift, but fear has sidelined her from experiencing the potential she possess. Max Sharpe lives life fearlessly on the hockey ice and off except when it comes to love. Their lives intertwined through Max’s former teammate and Grace’s brother, Owen, is about to clash. Max has no time for fear and Grace has no time for anything she fears. Until a vacation in Hawaii has them learning about more than just mixing ingredients which shouldn’t complement each other into gourmet meals.

While Grace and Max learn to overcome their fears, we are introduced to Casper Christiansen and Raina. I’m hoping a story for Casper is on the horizon although depending on what Warren does with Raina, we might be visiting Owen first. Either way I’m interested to see the next saga of the Christiansen family. Warren has a way of surprising you.

I don’t want to spend too much time on the story because if you enjoy a good novel, you don’t want to miss out on When I Fall In Love. However, I need to take a moment and recognize the gifting Warren has for intertwining story with lessons. Each of Warren’s novels has caused me to pause and reflect. When I Fall In Love resonated with me. Ten years ago I was Max, concerned less with the future and more with this present moment. These days I’m Grace, bogged down with responsibility of being dependable to those in my life. It isn’t just “falling in love” where Warren will challenge how you view life. The truth is there needs to be a balance. It is about marrying Max and Grace in our own lives so we glorify Christ with our eyes on eternity while not worrying about tomorrow.

A good story is a wonderful escape. You might find yourself in another country or falling for a man you wouldn’t in real life. A great story will do the same, but also challenge your way of thinking. Warren proves to be consistent with each novel.

Beauty - in all shapes and sizes

In argument of my last post concerning physical attractiveness, I give you Kyle Carpenter. Who was a good-looking guy when he entered the Marines. He's an amazing man after all he's been through.

Then we have a movement of beauty.

Visit help-portrait.

282,295 PORTRAITS GIVEN

HELP-PORTRAIT IS A GLOBAL MOVEMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHERS, HAIRSTYLISTS AND MAKEUP ARTISTS USING THEIR TIME, TOOLS AND EXPERTISE TO GIVE BACK TO THOSE IN NEED.

Writing for the soul? Writing for entertainment? Writing for the PG crowd?

Twice a month I attend a webinar on writing. Which is awesome. Tonight's was great. I found it very informative.

However, I also found it incredibly disappointing. I won't lie. I asked a question of the presenter which was answered at the end. As you can see from a post in April it is a topic which has been on my mind for a while.

I wanted to know what a Christian author could rely on besides overstating a character's physical attraction to make a "despicable" character likeable to their love interest. The answer in a nutshell was "it's risky to try making your character anything less than physically attractive because readers don't want unattractive characters."

We'll leave aside the fact this webinar was geared towards the Christian fiction writer which means the Christian fiction reader should be unique from the non-Christian reader.

The beauty of books is you can't "see" the characters. I can name attractive actors. I've gone to see movies just because an actor is in who I appreciate. Some actors I see their movies because of their talent. Some actors I see their movies because of their looks. Some actors I see their movies because of a balance of looks and talents. Let's be honest though not every good-looking person is a talented actor; not every talented actor is a good-looking person. I've found a good balance of both is rare. You don't really have to be a good actor to fight machine aliens shirtless though. You just need to clock decent time at the gym.

Beyond the fact you can't see a book character though, why does one have to be physically attractive for us to relate to them? I can't root for the slightly pudgy girl to get the guy? I can't hope the balding guy won't be turned down by the girl he's crushed on forever? If a writer has to rely on a strong jawline, perfectly ruffled hair, deep blue eyes, and a six pack to make the character our hero, I'd suggest they find a new line of work.

Why support Hollywood's presentation of a love story? We all can't wait for our Noah (Ryan Gosling) to sweep us off our feet. We all aren't Allie Calhoun (Rachel McAdams) choosing between Noah and Lon Hammond (James Marsden). Most of us will find our Fin (Kevin Connolly), a guy who next to Noah appears plain. It doesn't make him any less the right man for us.

I read Nicholas Sparks. More than a few of his books are on my shelf. However, when I read his books I can cast the inevitable movie. In the end his books are just longer versions of the movie script. His books are like eating rice cakes. They are an easy hour and a half away from daily life, but they don't satisfy the hunger.

The reality is we are all beautiful. The truth is we are all ugly. There are beautiful people with ugly souls.  There are unattractive people with beautiful souls.

I guess it isn't really writing for the soul. It is writing PG-rated love stories for the Christian reader.

There are so many thoughts running through my head, I'm losing coherency. I'm sure we'll revisit this topic. In the meantime...

"Excellence matters." Brandon Webb

FWIW the last guy I found ridiculously attractive, let's just say his character caught my attention first. My eyes eventually caught up but it was the person he is which I first noticed.

Here To Stay

Here To Stay by Melissa Tagg

I am so glad Tagg told Blake Hunziker’s story.

*ahem*

Blake Hunziker returns to his hometown of Whispering Shores five years after leaving to forget the painful memories of his brother, Ryan. Ryan’s death has simultaneously pushed Blake to a life of adventure while guilting him into leading a quiet life. After a fake marriage with a reality TV star, Blake returns home to face the wrath of his family.

Except wrath isn’t waiting for him when he opens his parent’s front door. Unexpectedly his parents couldn’t be happier to see him and Blake wasn’t prepared for their joyous response. At his father’s bidding Blake finds himself committing to reviving the Christmas Festival. Facing tinsel instead of a lynching mob has Blake overwhelmed, he turns to Autumn Kingsley to assist with the planning.

Autumn’s life is wrapped up in a not-so-perfect bow in Whispering Shores. Her family’s Inn is falling apart and one missed loan payment away from no longer being the family inn. Her not-so-secret dreams of leaving Whispering Shores are one letter away from coming true. If she can just get an investment, she can save the Inn and the jobs of her friends. When Blake shows up on her doorstep asking for her help, she agrees believing a successful festival will cement the chances of her departure.

What follows is a fun and charming story. Made To Last was a cute story, but Here To Stay was memorable. A good writer tells a story. A great writer makes you part of the story. I was engulfed in Here To Stay. I wanted Autumn to realize her dreams of traveling. I wanted Blake to come home and finally shake off the guilt. I wanted them to be together. I’m curious to see what Tagg has planned next.  

Made To Last

Made To Last by Melissa Tagg

What does a woman who hosts a home repair show with slipping rating do to increase public interest? She introduces the husband she's spoken about for the past three years. What does a woman who hosts a home repair show do when there is no husband? She hires one to be a stand in for the press. What does a supremely private woman do to further help her struggling show? She allows a reporter to shadow her and compose a daily blog.

At least this is what Miranda Woodruff does when her show is threatened with cancellation. Only three people know the truth the husband she talks about so often was supposed to be the ex-fiance who walked out on her three years prior. She mistakenly believes Blake "Blaze" Hunziker is the former fiance, Robbie, and an idea is born.  Suddenly Randi's solitude in the mountains of North Carolina is overrun when reporter, Matthew Knox, moves in to a cottage on her property to observe her relationship with Blaze. The weight of the lie rests heavily on Randi's shoulders until it threatens to overwhelm her when Blaze, Matthew, and Robbie collide.

Made To Last was the first book by Tagg I've read. I enjoyed her voice and the authenticity she pens stories with. I would have appreciated a little more information on Blaze. I'm over the schtick of introducing a character and teasing their back story for the follow up novel. It tends to keep the character from being fleshed out.

Beside the one minor nitpick, I am looking forward to Tagg's next novel. Luckily for me it is Blaze's story. It's on to Here To Stay.

Undetected

Undetected by Dee Henderson

Gina Gray excels at everything academic she touches. Twenty-nine years old and she's a secret weapon for the U.S. Navy. She fails socially in her own mind. Freshly single with her thirtieth birthday around the corner, Gina recovers from her breakup at her brother's condo on a Navy base.

When she asks Jeff to consider introducing her to a few of his friends, Jeff immediately considers Mark Bishop. After consulting with Mark, Jeff introduces Gina to Daniel Field. As Gina and Daniel grow closer, Mark realizes his mistake.

While Gina struggles with determining her romantic future, her professional future stands on the cusp of a breakthrough. As Gina's discovery change the scope of modern warfare for the U.S. Navy, her personal life becomes a series of conflicting emotions. As Gina grows socially and determines the roles of the two men in her life, she becomes a national asset with long-reaching ramifications.

I was hesitant to invest in Undetected. I've loved Henderson's writing from the O'Malley series. She came back from her hiatus and lost the action-suspense which set her apart from most other writers. Her books have become light on action while increasing the number of pages.

Undetected was a wonderful read. While still light on the action-adventure, the characters and their journeys was compelling. Gina Gray is awkward with her relationships with men. She wants a straight-forward answer and direction. She's looking for honesty. Mark Bishop, a widower, is looking to be a good husband again. Daniel Field is hoping be a husband one day to the right woman.

Each character had flaws. While at times the characters can appear to be a bit too perfect, they are real. They struggle with their faith and hoping for a future. Gina tries to balance the responsibility of her naval discoveries and the insecurities she feels regarding every other aspect of her life. Once I opened the pages to Undetected I became lost in the story.