Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Review: A Twist of Faith




A Twist of Faith
By Pepper Basham
Mitchell’s Crossroads, #1
Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, 2016
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
Number of pages: 308


Summary

A witty, sweet romance with memorable, honest characters. Love does not have an accent . . .

Dr. Adelina Roseland has worked ten years in research as an accent reduction specialist to attain her dream job. But a secret wager to transform Appalachian cattle farmer Reese Mitchell into corporate material challenges Adelina in ways she never expected, threatening her new position.

For one, Adelina didn't plan for the faith and friction of Reese, or the unexpected influence of his chaotic family. Now, drawn into a culture she'd tried to forget, Adelina finds the warmth of family, the hope of faith, and the joy of love melting away the deep wounds of her past.

But when Reese discovers that he's a pawn in her climb up the academic ladder, will he forgive Adelina s deceit or will their miscommunication end in two broken lives?

Amazon purchase link: http://amzn.to/1Tf0nDF


My thoughts

A Twist of Faith is a fantastic story! Whether you look upon it as shades of My Fair Lady with a modern Appalachian twist, or just a moving, poignant story with lots of heart, you are sure to be entertained as you fall in love with this Virginia setting and wonderfully real characters.

I can’t explain what it is about Appalachia, but ever since reading Catherine Marshall’s Christy many years ago, I’ve been drawn to stories with this setting. Pepper has done a beautiful job conveying the essence of the Blue Ridge mountain community and the people that inhabit it. A Twist of Faith is laced with humorous situations and dialogue, a swoon-worthy hero, and delightful chemistry between Reese and Dee, but at its very heart are the elements that define true Christian fiction:  faith, family, redemption.

While I’ve always been crazy about the Rogers & Hammerstein musicals, My Fair Lady has never been my favorite because I know that one person’s motives aren’t pure and the other person is going to get hurt. And that’s the case with Reese and Dee, but Pepper weaves everything together in a way that I loved. The idea of Dee working to improve Reese’s language skills was fascinating because my family ancestry is that of the north Georgia mountains, so I grew up hearing people talk this way.

The characters of Mitchell’s Crossing are the type of people you’d want for your friends in real life, and they are well drawn and complex. Secondary characters are so rich that they often stole the show, and they beg for future development in this series. I’m a cat person myself, but I fell in love with a dog named Haus. I don’t know if dogs can actually grin, but Haus seemed to have that endearing ability.

Amidst all the humor, sweet romance and electrifying chemistry is the beauty of Dee’s transformation – such as watching her laugh for the first time in years and experience a forgiveness that had no requirements. A Twist of Faith was hard to put down and I eagerly await all that is to come in this series. Highly recommended.

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Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of 5 great kids, speech-pathologist to about fifty more, lover of chocolate, jazz, and Jesus, and proud AlleyCat over at a group writing blog, The Writer’s Alley.

Her debut historical romance novel, The Thorn Bearer, released in May 2015, with the second arriving in February 2016. Her first contemporary romance debuts in April 2016.


Thank you to Pepper Basham and Singing Librarian Tours for providing a PDF copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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10 comments:

  1. Oh Carole!! This was such an amazing review! Thank you for the heart-felt words!
    I loved so many things about it, but this was great:
    "A Twist of Faith is laced with humorous situations and dialogue, a swoon-worthy hero, and delightful chemistry between Reese and Dee, but at its very heart are the elements that define true Christian fiction: faith, family, redemption."

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    1. Thank you so much, Pepper! You excel at this type of story because I feel that your finger is on the pulse of Appalachia and its people. I'll enjoy promoting this book!

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    2. Oh Carole! Thank you for saying that! I LOVE my 'world' and culture! And I want other people to feel it too :-)

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  2. Great review, Carole! This romance was especially sweet. The message of the lost being found gave this book a depth not always found in contemporary romances. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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    1. Exactly, Beckie! I appreciated the spiritual depth as well as the Appalachian setting.

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    2. You guys are so sweet! Thank you!

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  3. Replies
    1. And of course you didn't like this book at all. LOL! Just kidding! The chemistry between Reese and Dee was pretty special, wasn't it?

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