Title: BE
STILL MY SOUL
Author: JoAnne
Bischof
Publisher:
Multnomah
October 2012
ISBN: 978-1601424211
Genre:
historical
Night’s
chill tickled her skin. Lonnie pressed her hands together and glanced up. He
was even more handsome up close. Having grown up the shy, awkward daughter of
Joel Sawyer, she’d hardly spoken to any boy, let alone the one who had mothers
whispering warnings in their daughter’s ears and fathers loading shotguns.
Pretty Lonnie Sawyer is shy and innocent, used to fading into the background within her family, and among the creeks and hollows of the Appalachian hills. Though her family is poor and her father abusive, she clings to a quiet faith. But when handsome ladies’ man and bluegrass musician Gideon O’Riley steals a kiss, that one action seals her fate.
Her father forces her into a hasty marriage with Gideon—a man she barely knows and does not love. Equally frustrated and confused by his new responsibilities, Gideon yearns for a fresh start, forcing Lonnie on an arduous journey away from her home in Rocky Knob.
Her distant groom can’t seem to surrender his rage at the injustice of the forced matrimony or give Lonnie any claim in his life. What will it take for Gideon to give up his past, embrace Lonnie’s God, and discover a hope that can heal their two fractured hearts?
Gideon only ever cared about himself. Now that Lonnie is his wife, will he ever be worthy of her heart?
Pretty Lonnie Sawyer is shy and innocent, used to fading into the background within her family, and among the creeks and hollows of the Appalachian hills. Though her family is poor and her father abusive, she clings to a quiet faith. But when handsome ladies’ man and bluegrass musician Gideon O’Riley steals a kiss, that one action seals her fate.
Her father forces her into a hasty marriage with Gideon—a man she barely knows and does not love. Equally frustrated and confused by his new responsibilities, Gideon yearns for a fresh start, forcing Lonnie on an arduous journey away from her home in Rocky Knob.
Her distant groom can’t seem to surrender his rage at the injustice of the forced matrimony or give Lonnie any claim in his life. What will it take for Gideon to give up his past, embrace Lonnie’s God, and discover a hope that can heal their two fractured hearts?
Gideon only ever cared about himself. Now that Lonnie is his wife, will he ever be worthy of her heart?
BE STILL MY SOUL has a good premise, and I love that the title is part of
a Bible verse. This is the first book in the Cadence of Grace series. I have books two and three waiting in my
to-be-read pile.
Fans of historical fiction will want to pick up Ms. Bischof’s debut
novel, set in the Appalachian mountains . The
story begins with Lonnie at a community dance and begging to stay over. She
watches Gideon wooing another girl, and wishes she hadn’t stayed. The story is
slow moving, with short chapters, easy to put down and pick up. Ms. Bischof is
a good writer, using descriptive phrases.
I did not like Gideon. He was rude and hateful. I understand why. There
isn’t any sexual tension between the characters. And like I said, it is very
slow. But there are 82 5 star reviews, so it may just be me. Discussion
questions are included. $14.99. 352 pages. 3 stars.
1 comment:
I recently read this entire series. I'd had Be Still My Soul for quite awhile but waited to read it until I received the others for Christmas. I think as you read books two and three you will begin to like Gideon. I thought The Cadence of Grace series was wonderful. There are so many lessons to be learned. Our actions have consequences that sometimes come back to haunt us, even when we have tried to change. But, God's grace is still evident. I highly recommend this series. Read all three books, one after the other, to get the full story.
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