Title: Forget Me Not
Author: Vicki Hinze
Pages: 336
Genre: Christian Suspense/Thriller/Romance
Source: This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.
He stopped at a red light and looked over at her with longing in his eyes. "I want what you've got." What was he talking about? Curiosity got the better of her. "What do I have?" "Faith." The light turned green and he drove on. (p.178)
My short synopsis: Ben Brandt was a man that had it all: a beautiful, loving wife, young son, money, and a direction for his life. All of that changed when it one short moment his wife and son were murdered. Since then he's avoided the Crossroads Crisis Center because all it does is remind him of what he's lost. Until one day a woman shows up claiming her name is Susan and has an eerie resemblance to his dead wife. She claims she doesn't know who she is, but then why is she wearing his wife's cross???
What worked for me: The story was very fast paced and there really wasn't a time that I found myself bored with the story. I really liked the character Ben...he felt real in regards to his pain and why he avoided the Crossroads Crisis Center at all costs. I was touched by his vulnerability and at times my heart ached for all of the loss he had suffered. The storyline was pretty intriguing for the most part and I wanted to continue reading so that I could find out who really were the bad guys and who were the good guys. I liked Susan's (she goes by several names in this book) continued strength in her faith even when she had nothing else to anchor her to this world. I'm always amazed by those that never doubt!! Her character made me stop and reflect on my own lack of faith and why I've never been able to just totally give up control over my life. What didn't work for me: Many of you know that I don't mind at all reading Christian fiction...I just don't want it to be too preachy. Well, this one in my opinion, is a bit heavy in that area. The only place that you find it is with Susan/Karen/Kelly (all the same person). I understand why the author did this (I think), but for me it was just a bit too much. One other thing that was a little hard to believe was the inclusion of a bio-terrorist ring. I don't want to delve into this too much because it is a big portion of the plot, but at times it felt very contrived and frankly, not very original. With all of that being said, I still enjoyed my time spent reading this book. I read in the author's note that even though Vicki has penned over 23 novels, this is her first foray into Christian fiction. So, to be fair to her I'm not going to dwell on the heavy religious tones that appear throughout the book. I think she did this in order for the reader to truly understand what kind of person Susan/Karen/Kelly really was, that even though she couldn't remember details of her life, she knew in her soul that she was loved and known by God. I feel comfortable recommending this book to my friends and fellow book lovers. In fact, I think it would make a great book club read..the readers guide contains many thought provoking questions!! I liked it enough to want to read the next in the Crossroads series which will be available Spring 2011.
Sorry to hear it was a bit on the preachy side :\
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing fans of Christian Fiction may really like this book. I'm not a big fan of suspense/thriller novels. I'm glad you liked it enough to give the next book a try. Great review.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least you liked it enough to read the next one. Some Christian fiction is so subltle while others beat you over the head with it. I prefer the subtle. The synopsis of this thriller sounded interesting but once you mentioned bio-terrorist ring, you lost me.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week, Tootsie!
i am a huge fan of suspense/thrillers .... but i think it would be hard to mix that with christian fiction...great review as always staci! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
ReplyDeleteI wonder how the author managed to mix Christian with thriller/suspense. That's an odd mix. Anyways, I'd still read this one as it sounds interesting and also entertaining. Thanks for your review! :)
ReplyDeleteVery fair review Staci. Even though it violated your "a little bit preachy" rule, you still greatly enjoyed the book. Not bad.
ReplyDeleteOh no preachy, that is my cue to leave. I do not care for that in books
ReplyDeleteThat was a great review. I like thrillers, but don't know how I would feel either about it being mixed with so much christianity. I love how you made those boxes with the highlighting in blue. I need to figure out how to do that. Your blog looks great!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your review - I don't like preachy books either, so I'll skip this one.
ReplyDeleteI've read Christian fiction but no Christian suspense/thrillers specifically. Interesting concept.
ReplyDeleteYour comment on my review the other day made me laugh, so I mentioned your name in my latest review :)
Lynne's Book Reviews
Looks like a suspenseful read. Would never have guessed from the cover that it was Christian fiction.
ReplyDeleteHarvee
Book Dilettante
Great review! I feel the same way abut Christian Fiction...I don't want to be hit over the head with it. But this does sound like a good book. I'm not a big fan of reading about terrorist plots but if the rest of the story is good I could probably handle it.
ReplyDeleteI've never read this author but was surprised to see this listed as Christian fiction, until I saw this was her first one.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way as you about Chrisitian fiction and I'm guessing that I'll not be picking this one up.
Great review Staci. I saw this one somewhere else today. I enjoy Christian fiction. Not sure whether it really bothers me if it's preachy or not. I guess it depends on how it's done for me. This book does sound good though.
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