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Hidden Under Her Heart by Rachelle Ayala
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the third book I have reviewed by this author, and each one is unique in its own way. But I am going to be honest. Until the last 50 or so pages, I was pretty certain I didn’t like this book all that well. There were many things that initially turned me off. One of the main problems for me concerned the main characters. I found that Maryanne and Lucas were just too annoying and stuck on themselves. I had no issue with the abortion element of the story. Indeed the author covered a highly contested topic with grace and dignity. And it was certainly balanced. I grew tired of the interactions between these characters, and I did not care what happened to them. I know that this review sounds extremely negative, and I would not have put all of this here if it had not been for the fact that the book made a shift for the better.
This is the third book I have reviewed by this author, and each one is unique in its own way. But I am going to be honest. Until the last 50 or so pages, I was pretty certain I didn’t like this book all that well. There were many things that initially turned me off. One of the main problems I had concerned the main characters. I found that Maryanne and Lucas were just too annoying and stuck on themselves. I had no issue with the abortion element of the story. Indeed the author covered a highly contested topic with grace and dignity. And it was certainly balanced. I grew tired of the interactions between these characters, and I did not care what happened to them. I know that this review sounds extremely negative, and I would not have put all of this here if it had not been for the fact that the book made a shift for the better.
Interested in reading more about the book? Click here.
It never ceases to amaze me how the books that often stick with me the longest I did not relish in the beginning. Indeed, this is one of those books. When the book was almost completed, the author tossed a dash of danger into the mix. In a flash, I was so absorbed with the story that I found myself caring about what happened to the characters. It certainly helped that the profanity usage decreased. I know the author warned me about the profanity, but I will say one thing to her credit. She never used God’s name in the wrong way. However, if you are turned off by profanity, I would caution you concerning the book. I saw the reason for the usage, but I was glad when the words began to disappear. There were no graphic sex scenes, but there was a lot implied. This, on the other hand, did not bother me in the least.
If you are still wondering why I gave this book such an extraordinary rating, let me reveal the reason. Very rarely do I find myself crying over a book, but this one brought me to literal tears. Sometimes I have strong emotions, but I was so moved that I was wiping the copious tears from my cheek. Why did I cry? Well, dear reader, I don’t want to spoil the book for you. This book never comes across as being preachy, but the Christian message of the book is probably just as strong if not stronger than mainstream Christian books I have read. I was so touched that I could do nothing else but rate the book five stars. Now we’ll have to see if the author writes a sequel. I would love to see the next chapter of this couple’s life!
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
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3 Comments
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I think you did it perfectly. I have the hardest time writing my reviews when I know there is something I have to get out that bugged me, but I have always had thankful authors when I’m done. I just realized that the author of this book and I have the same last night. I think I saw it yesterday but it didn’t click.
Thank you for entering the giveaway too! He is pretty on the ball with his fans. I’ve been impressed seeing how many likes/responses he has on FB and he gets to every single one of them. He really cares what the fans think. I was touched deeply by his book and then watching him interact with his fans kind of solidified favorite author spot for him. 🙂
Heather – Not Everyone’s Mama recently posted…**CLOSED** Flash (24 hour) #Giveaway 1 Signed Paperback & 3 E-Copies of Jane’s Melody by Ryan Winfield
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I started out going, maybe I don’t want to read this, but you turned that around. 🙂 I love it when people are honest in there reviews, it’s hard to do sometimes. Thank you so much for participating in the blog hop! It’s the first day. Hopefully it’ll gain momentum. 🙂
Heather – Not Everyone’s Mama recently posted…Flash (24 hour) #Giveaway 1 Signed Paperback & 3 E-Copies of Jane’s Melody by Ryan Winfield-
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Heather, I always try to be completely honest when I review a book. And sometimes my reviews start out somewhat negatively–especially if things turned around as the book was going on. When I read a book like that, I do my best to take the readers of my reviews on the same ride I went on. The author so appreciated this review–she has received many negative reviews from Christians, and I do understand how the book could rub one the wrong way. But I also know that this book is no expressly marketed as a Christian book. I have learned so much about reviewing, and the hardest thing to do is to make sure that I don’t mark it down just because there’s a little thing in it I don’t like. I made the policy some time ago that I do not mark down a book for profanity or sex scenes unless the book is targeted at young adults or is expressly Christian. Anyway, thanks for stopping by. And I did enter your giveaway for Jane’s Melody. I will say one thing. The author has been on the ball with friend requests and retweeting/favoriting tweets. I sure liek that!
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