Staci Stallings

I have read this author before. This particular book, the author states, was written around 1997, prior to their being a Christian Contemporary Romance genre. I suspect that she had to give something to publishers and decided to dust this one off and polish it up some. She does state that she deliberately did not update technology from the time when she wrote it to the time it was published.

Likes:
*Lane is cute
*Jenna's comfort with children is explained by her teaching and by her being a show more mother.
*Scott's parents do seem to really care about him and about their grandson, Lane. (Even if in Scott's mother's case, that care seems to come in the form of spoiling her grandson, which makes Lane's behavior harder on Scott after their visits.)

Dislikes (and things that did not make sense to me):
*My main complaint, which is true of most romance genre books, is that there is only a short time that the two characters know each other before they end up engaged. I have heard people tell me they knew from the first time they met their prospective spouse that he/she was "the one" but even so, most of them did not get engaged in the matter of a few weeks after meeting each other. I do worry that some readers might get an unrealistic view of romance from reading books like these.
*Both characters need to work on their communication skills. Scott doesn't reveal he's a doctor or his history with Amber; Jenna doesn't reveal she's a widow and that she lost a child in the accident. Neither really talks to each other about their feelings for each other.
*Scott really needs to tell his mother to stop spoiling her grandson so much and explain what problems this behavior causes after Lane is no longer in that environment. (Note: I'm not saying she shouldn't be able to spoil him some, but it does sound like she went somewhat to excess during their visit at the beginning of the book.)
*The length of time Scott and Lane take to convalesce seems off. Scott, I'm sure, can afford to stay in a hotel, but I'm not so sure about Jenna and Janis. Is the airline paying for this hotel all that time? I'm not sure that's realistic.
*Jenna and Janis must have a mound of flight change fees by now (unless the airline is waiving them as a thank you for not suing us about the plane crash). I can't count how many times one or the other claims they're leaving only to change their plans. Even right at the end, Jenna and Janis have tickets to go to Texas. We don't know if either of them use them. show less

3.5 stars--note: rating seen may depend on whether the site allows half stars to be recorded.

For me, this book got going in the last half or so where the two main characters (Jaycee and Derek) finally admit their feelings for each other and start working on their personal problems that have kpt them from romantic commitments in all their previous relationships. I liked the interaction between Mrs. P and Jaycee moreso than the ones between Pastor Steve and Derek because I felt like the female show more interactions flowed more naturally than the talks the men had. There were a couple times that both heard Pastor Steve preach a sermon--I have to admit that most of the time when that comes up in a book I tend to start skimming the text rather than reading the full sermon.

I think the readers that gave up on this book missed some good things that came at the end--but I can't really fault them for not finishing the book either because there were times I wondered if I was going to myself. The plot point of characters loving each other but neither being willing to admit it to the other is so over-done in romantic fiction these days. I'd so much rather read about couples that know they love each other but need to work through what life throws at them and come out the other side stronger for it.

This is billed as a Christian romance but the Christian part was hard to see in the early pages. I guess both believed in God but neither was really walking the Christian walk. That is another part that didn't really come to light until they settled in Jaycee's hometown of Ridgemont.

Kate/Katie was a bit of an annoying thorn in the side. I liked the boys (Luke's and Sage's as well as the pastor's boys) and how they helped out in the town after the hurricane. I liked that the town was building the boys's self worth by praising them and by being willing to let them help out and teach them skills. I was also glad to see that Derek made Mrs. P feel useful and made it seem like it was a trade for them to work on her house in exchange for her helping to feed the crew. show less

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

To Protect & Serve surprised me in many aspects with pretty much all of them good ones. It was heavily Christian at times and leaned on one of those aspects I don’t agree with (of giving up autonomy for God’s will)…and then turned it around until I agreed with the concept entirely by making it a trust issue rather than a “sit back and wait” issue. Even more, despite direct conversations with God in which there was a response (though show more unclear whether the response came from God or within), the inspirational aspects supported rather than overwhelmed the story.

This is not a light and fluffy read in any definition of the type. The story delves into the darker side of life with the burden of unreasonable guilt, bullying, and even a mention of date rape. Then it takes on the very real traumas of being a firefighter and of loving one, pulling no punches as characters you quickly grow to love throw themselves into danger time and again…and don’t always beat the odds. This is where trust comes in most heavily because Lisa must trust that however long or short she has with Jeff, her life will be better for loving him than not.

As you might have deduced, this is a powerful novel, but Staci Stallings wasn’t done with just the above aspects. No, she took on a hero who has little sense of self worth, thinks his heroic efforts driven by a childhood mistake rather than strength of character, and who cannot talk to women and is still bullied as an adult, though by well-meaning friends rather than enemies. Jeff is a complicated figure as a person and even more so as the hero in a romance novel where for every step forward he takes a step back.

Lisa has her own reasons for backing away, ones that have made her devote her life to work and ones that are re-enforced by practically every guy she comes across. Her first brushes with the group of firefighters at her sister’s bachelorette party only prove her reservations, except for Jeff. The man hardly spoke to her, but something about him draws Lisa when all other men make her want to run away.

It’s an awkward love story with both of them stumbling forward only to leap back, but there’s nothing awkward about their connection. It’s their social limitations and fears that make the process so difficult for both Jeff and Lisa, and which make it so beautiful as well.

More than most, this book is a perfect example of romances that can demonstrate how people work through the obstacles to accept love. Lisa and Jeff face numerous serious barriers, both internal and external. They have only an amorphous connection to drive them, but it’s enough to give them both the strength to step outside their comfort space and take the leap of faith true love requires.

A beautiful story filled with lovely and loving people who struggle with the harsh reality of the firefighter life to find, and keep, love. show less

Wow. I see a lot of myself in both Melody and Blaine. I've struggled with the "if I just looked different people would like me" demons and prefer to do things myself rather than asking for help. I've also had someone I considered a friend and hoped would become more fall in love with and marry someone else. I started out thinking if they would only talk to each other, they could clear up this confusion, and, unlike most books, Melody and Blaine actually do talk honestly to each other.

The show more sermon passages were a bit long, though they did point out important truths. The author didn't really wrap up what happened with Blaine's career ambitions (he was getting an associate's in architectural design, but we never find out if he got a job in it--nor do we find out if Melody pursued her idea to become a teacher's assistant (or perhaps a daycare operator).) show less