My Review of Sixty Acres and a Bride (CFBA)

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Sixty Acres and a Bride Bethany House (February 1, 2012) by Regina Jennings
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A Word from Regina:

See me laughing. That’s what I do when someone calls me an author. Yes, it’s always been my dream, but I still can’t keep from giggling over it.

Other things I am – a Christ-follower, a wife, a homeschooling mother of four, a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University, and a voracious reader.

Getting reading time isn’t easy. Seems like my family does more than our share of traveling. My husband is an insurance adjuster (I know, save the hate mail) and travels with the catastrophe team often. That’s allowed us to see a lot of the United States. True many times it’s in the middle of a hurricane or blizzard, but after spending three weeks in a hotel room with six people, you’ll brave anything to get out and see the sights – no matter how damaged they might be.

We also serve on the Missions Team at an amazing church, so we break out the passports frequently. Highlights include singing at a leper colony in India, holding church inside a Mexican prison and showing the Jesus film to a tribe in Senegal who’d never heard the gospel.

But I don’t have to go far away for unusual. My family provides plenty of colorful material with their love for practical jokes, pithy observations and strong agricultural roots. Because of the family business, a significant chunk of my life has been spent at sale barns and auctions – often behind the scales where I weigh pigs. I like to think of myself as a “redneck bluestocking” but I brought an entire marketing team’s discussion to a screeching halt when I said those words, so you didn’t hear it from me.

When I have spare time I love to talk books and quirky characters (real and fictional).

ABOUT THE BOOK

With nothing to their names, young widow Rosa Garner and her mother-in-law return to Texas and the family ranch. Only now the county is demanding back taxes and the women have only three months to pay.

Though facing eviction, Rosa can't keep herself from falling in love with the countryside and the wonderful extended family who want only her best. Learning the American customs is not easy, however, and this beautiful young widow can't help but catch wandering eyes. Where some offer help with dangerous strings attached, only one man seems honorable. But when Weston Garner, still grieving his own lost love, is unprepared to give his heart, to what lengths will Rosa go to save her future?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Sixty Acres and a Bride, go HERE.

MY RATING

Spring

MY REVIEW

A fun and clever Ruth-esque story, Sixty Acres and a Bride is a treat! But while there are various connections between this story and the book of Ruth, I eventually came to realize that it isn't fair to directly parallel the two. These characters have their own personalities, their own back story, and their own goals that differ from the picture presented in the the book of Ruth. So if you're looking for the story of Ruth in Western clothing, you won't exactly find it here. But if you're looking for a sweet historical romance inspired by the book of Ruth, then eureka - you've found it!

Sixty Acres and a Bride is full of romance, drama, humor, and danger. Many of the characters certainly have their frustrating moments, and sometimes it's a wonder they take so long to discover the obvious. But the tension, though extended almost to the breaking point, is well-played, and it's sweet to see the hope and healing the main characters finally find. This is a story as bold and colorful as the lovely cover!

*With thanks to Bethany House through CFBA for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

P.S. I'm currently taking a class on Ruth & Esther, and one of the books we recently read is called The Gospel of Ruth by Carolyn Custis James. If you're interested in going deeper into the book of Ruth, I highly recommend it! I'm actually hopefully going to hear Carolyn speak at my school soon, which is exciting! =)

The Gospel of Ruth