Saturday, April 12, 2014

Vow Unbroken by Caryl McAdoo

About the Book
A spunky young widow hires a farmhand with a bad reputation to help her get her cotton to Jefferson to meet the wagon train, and sparks fly—but can she love a man who doesn’t love the Lord?
Susannah Abbot Baylor reluctantly hires Henry Buckmeyer to help her along the Jefferson Trace, the hard stretch of land between her Texas farm and the cotton market, where she is determined to get a fair price for her crop. It’s been a rough year, and she’s in danger of losing the land her husband left to her and the children, but she’ll need help getting both of her wagons to Jefferson safely. She knows Henry’s reputation as a layabout and is prepared for his insolence, but she is not expecting his irresistible good looks or his gentle manner. Soon they are entwined in a romantic relationship that only gets more complicated when Susannah learns that Henry doesn’t know God the way she does. Dangers arise on the road—but none as difficult as the trial her heart is going through.

Will Susannah and Henry’s love overcome their differences? And will she get her crop safely to the cotton market with enough money to save the farm? In this heartening and adventurous tale, a young woman’s fortitude, faith, and heart are put to the ultimate test.

My Thoughts
I would prefer to just not write this review at all, since I didn't really enjoy this novel and I don't like to talk bad about books even if I didn't like them. but I was given the book in exchange for my honest review so that's what I'm going to give.
For the most part I did not like the characters. Sue was, in her own words, a shrew, despite the fact that she was supposed to be a Christian. It seemed almost every scene she would say or do something uncalled for, feel remorse over it, decided to never do it again, then turn around and start all over again. Her daughter acted like she was six instead of nine and was a bit of a spoiled brat though she did have some good moments. Levi was okay, he had an attitude problem at first but he came around to be a pretty decent guy. Henry was the best of the bunch. Despite not being saved he was the most Christ-like of them all. He was kind, gentleman-like, respectful, generous, self-sacrificing, and hard-working. Honestly I thought he was too good for Sue.
The plot was okay, though I thought it was a little ridiculous that she thought the reason her husband had died was because she had gone against her father's wishes when she'd married him, and now refused to remarry without her father's blessing. I also wasn't a fan of the dialogue, it felt unnatural and rubbed me the wrong way.

That all being said, I'm apparently the minority in my thinking since this book has several 5-star reviews. So please don't take my word for it and take look at the other reviews before deciding whether or not to read this!
Meet the Author
Caryl has always loved to write and is excited with her first historical Christian romance VOW UNBROKEN from Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, set in 1832 Texas. For every good blessing - including 10 children (4 by birth, 6 by marriage) and 14 grandchildren - she gives God the glory. Caryl lives a country-life with Ron, her husband of forty-six years and four grandsons, outside Clarksville, Red River County Seat, located in far Northeast Texas

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

4 comments:

Stormi said...

Great review, I think that is the first time I have ever seen you not like a book since I started following you. I was beginning to think you just like everything you read. :)

Abbi Hart said...

Stormi-Thank you! I actually just recently posted a review for another book I didn't enjoy as much but I do tend to enjoy most of what I read! I have become pretty good at figuring out which books are for me and which aren't. I also really try my best to find at least a couple good things about the books I didn't like! Thanks for reading my reviews!

Dawn Janis said...

Yeah I didn't care for this one either.

Abbi Hart said...

Dawn-Glad I wasn't the only one!

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