Hearts Awakening

I really, really liked this book in the beginning. Apart from mail order bride stories, coming across historical fiction that goes beyond the vows is rare, so I was really looking forward to reading about a married couple.

My heart broke for Ellie over the calloused way that Jackson thought of her, spoke toward her, and allowed others to speak for her. Despite Ellie thinking that Jackson defended her, I didn't really see that. I saw him abruptly end conversations, which may have been appreciated, but were not the same as directly fending off the attacks against her.

I really enjoyed the Christian themes and challenges regarding honesty and faithfulness, trust and forgiveness. I thought the role of stepmother was well done, though I found show more the complexity of the three year old a little unbelievable.

What really brought this book down, though, was the issue of Dorothea. Loving and lusting after a married woman is bad enough, but while being married himself? How does a Christian man not know that it's adultery, equal to what his wife did? And why does he think it would be acceptable to dissolve his marriage to Ellie, just because it's "in name only?" Since when has God ever been confined by the laws of man?! I don't know why he would think that just because the law said he could annul the marriage if he hadn't been consummated, that God would approve of his abandoning his commitment and responsibility to his wife. Why would Ellie accept that? None of this sat right with me; it just wasn't in line with God's words on marriage.

Then Dorothea comes into the picture... her husband has been dead a week? less? and she's immediately writing a former flame not just to renew an acquaintance, but to demand professions of love? WHAT?! there's not even a word for how inappropriate that is. Then, let's add to the fact, that she must be aware that Jackson is now married himself. No one questions her character based on these two facts?! Ellie doesn't question Jackson's character for not questioning Dorothea's?! Rather, she invites Dorothea to stay for dinner after catching her in her home. Oh. OH NO. There is SO much wrong here, it makes me nauseous. This was not an example of self sacrifice or love. This was just wrong. show less

Elvira has no choice. She can either continue life as a spinster or marry this man as a business arrangement for the sake of his boys. But her faith is stretched when she sees not only his love for his boys, but his distrust and quick anger at her. This agreement is held by a thin thread as he constantly threatens to send her away for any rule she breaks. How can any business stand against that?

Although an interesting concept, several things stick out as "non-real." Men do not normally fight women. That includes verbal fights. When a woman "attacks" verbally, men will retreat into silence, rather than fight back. When Elvira thinks she has won an argument, she has just shown herself as non-submissive to his rules. He will retreat from show more her, but that doesn't mean he has conceded to what she has said.

There were too many instant fixes at the end that made for a quick ending, but not a satisfying one. Anger is not controlled by just an apology and a "I'll try better."
Her faith seemed to lean on God, but she forgot as a Christian that his must, too. Going to church does not equate to faith in God, although many "Christian" books are making that connection.

The spiritual lessons are deeper than just pat answers, which was a refreshing change to other books. show less

I was VERY excited to win Hearts Awakening by Delia Parr. When I started this book, I realized it was one I wasn't going to be able to put down until I knew all the secrets to the book. Ellie and Jackson marry for convenience and try to make their marriage work. The little ups and downs they have along the way help them to fall in love with each other. On a side note, I wished the author would have written one more chapter and not ended so fast. Without giving away the ending, I felt it ended fairly fast after EVERYTHING happens. But over all, this was an amazing book and I would share it with others!

A nice story without much substance.

The plot itself is mediocre and winds its way along without taking any risks or leaps, staying predictable and comfortable. Thus I would say, if you want a book that isn’t going to surprise you and that you can simply follow along for the sake of following a nice story, this one’s for you.

However, that’s also what bothered me. There weren’t any risks. The main character was flawless, despite the “secret” she held (which you can guess in the first 10 pages) — even the cookstove that she struggles with and burns food on isn’t much of a flaw at all, as it’s something external that she has to conquer. The things others see as flaws — she’s too old to ever find a husband, she’s show more plain-looking — aren’t flaws, they’re external obstacles. Where’s the internal development? Where’s the weak point that helps us regular people connect with the character?

The hero of the story is definitely flawed, but the problem is with his reactionary attitude throughout the novel. I understand why he does it, as the back story clearly explains, but he doesn’t learn and reacts the same way every time. Yes, I get that he’s stubborn, but it would help to have a little more dialogue to flesh out the reactions rather than the basic “extreme action + consequence + revelation that he’s in the wrong” every single time.

Finally, the love angle. Oh, how this bothered me to no end. In a story like this, you know that the couple is going to fall in love by the end of the book, it’s no secret. You read these books for the journey, not for the end result, and that’s where the charm lies — or is supposed to. I kept waiting for hints on both sides, things that would make me believe that they were truly falling for each other, but I was disappointed and felt slightly cheated… because in the end, we’re told that they’ve fallen for each other, rather than truly and honestly shown. Personally, I thought the heroine’s side of the story was the most cheated of the two, as we learn in one sentence that she’s developed feelings for him, rather than having the reader follow the development of those feelings from the get-go.

In Conclusion…

Like I said at the beginning of the review, if you want a comfortable read, this is the kind of book to go to. It does exactly what you expect (in fact, my husband read the back cover copy, smiled, and proceeded to ‘predict’ the plot… which he got exactly right), and in that respect it does what it promises the reader it will do. So that’s a good thing!

I only wish that there had been some more risks taken within the story (and character development!), and that the love story follow-through hadn’t been rushed — a bit better pacing in that area would have made this a more well-rounded book.

I’d say this is another one for church libraries — many women borrow from their church libraries looking for “comfort reads”, so I believe it would find a wide audience there. show less

This story revolves around two main characters. Ellie Kilmer, who has seen her marriage prospects pass her by while she cares for her elderly parents, and Jackson Smith, who has lost his wife through drowning and left him with his two young boys. Now one might think this is just another story like all the rest, Ellie helps out Jackson and they fall in love and end of story, but for me it was a much deeper story. What I liked about this story is that Ellie isn't a pretty girl and doesn't turn into a pretty woman in the story. She is a faithful and loving woman, who has had to love when she was unloved and show forgiveness time and time again for when she has been wrongly treated. A vital aspect to making their marriage work was show more communication and being honest with each other. It was a refreshing look at a story line I have read many different ways. show less

Ellie Kilmer has spent her life caring for her parents. In her thirties and well past marrying age she finds herself being shuffled off to her cousins house. He finds her a temporary job with a widower Jackson Smith caring for his two boys. After being hurt by his first wife he decides that love isn't the answer but Ellie is good with the boys and trustworthy. So he proposes a marriage between them in name only. He would have someone care for his boys and she would have a home to call her own. Can two hurting people find love together with God's help or will fear, pride and an old flame get in the way?

I loved this story. The chemistry between the main characters was totally tangible. The emotions and feelings of Ellie and Jackson were show more right-on. The dialog seemed true to life. I loved the inner strength Ellie displayed and the way she trusted God through everything. She was honest with Jackson even when he didn't want to hear it but she did it lovingly. Jackson was a wonderful tortured hero. He had so many buried hurts that affected how he reacted to Ellie. But he really didn't set out to be cruel. Another thing I appreciated about this story was the fact that Ellie was a plain girl but beautiful in heart. This story kept me turning page after page. I highly recommend it. show less

Ellie Kilmer, a not-quite-middle-aged spinster, goes to Dillon's Island hoping for temporary employment that will provide her with a reference and help her become self-sufficient, rather than dependent on her overbearing relatives. Instead, she finds two little boys grieving their mother's death, and a widower bitter over his wife's betrayal. Ellie is shocked when Jackson Smith asks her to marry him and take care of his sons, but when she considers it as a business arrangement, she decides it's worth trying. Ellie and Jackson both carry hurts from their past, and unless they learn to trust each other, their marriage is doomed to failure.

This Christian historical fiction novel makes use of several conventions of the genre, particularly show more the marriage of convenience. The writing is undistinguished, but the plot is gripping enough to keep the reader's attention -- even if the reader is thinking the whole time, "If these two would just sit down and tell each other everything, they could stop having these problems and get on with their lives!" Secondary characters are fairly one-dimensional, though since so much of the action takes place in the tight family circle of Ellie, Jackson, and the boys, this is understandable. Fans of authors like Janette Oke and Tracie Peterson will enjoy this book. show less