Monday, August 18, 2014

Book Review: Miracle in a Dry Season

Miracle in a Dry Season. Sarah Loudin Thomas. 2014. Bethany House. 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Miracle in a Dry Season is a historical romance novel set in 1954 in Wise, West Virginia. The hero is a bachelor in his thirties, I believe. His name is Casewell Phillips, and he's a carpenter. The heroine is a single mother. A never-been-married single mother. She's coming to live with her aunt and uncle. Her name is Perla Long and her daughter is Sadie. (Sadie is a lovely little girl! She makes quite an impression on Casewell! I thought the scenes between the two were great!) Casewell has certain ideas about the woman of his dreams, the kind of woman he could see himself marrying and having a family with. The woman of his dreams, for better or worse, does not  already have a child, and certainly not a child born out of wedlock. Yet the more time he spends with Perla and little Sadie, the more time he wants to spend with them. They seem to fit together just right--the three of them. She needs his friendship--for various reasons--but he needs her too. It may just be the whole town needs her.

The novel is called Miracle in a Dry Season, and the book is definitely about a dry season--or drought. Aside from the developing romance, I found Miracle in a Dry Season to be a mess requiring a good amount of patience. The elements of the story that did not work for me--at least not work well for me--would require many spoilers.

There were definitely characters that I loved spending time with. I really loved the Talbot sisters Angie and Liza, for example. I liked elements of this one. But I didn't LOVE it.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

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