Love's Rescue Book Review

Keys of Promise Series

Book One

SUMMARY:  Can a girl enamored with the adventurous seas ever be content with the tame life of a Southern belle?

     When her mother dies, Elizabeth Benjamin heads home to Key West, determined to transform herself into the perfect Southern belle her parents always wished her to be.  But nothing goes according to plan.  Her brother resents her, the servants do no obey her, and Rourke O'Malley, the dashing man she vowed to forget, refuses to relinquish his hold on her heart.  Worst of all, it becomes painfully obvious that her father is not the man he appears to be.

     As family secrets come to light, Elizabeth is faced with a difficult choice: to perform her duty and abandon her dreams, or to leave her life of privilege behind to chase the man her father sees as little better than a pirate.

     From the first emotional page, author Christine Johnson throws you into a world of impossible choices, hidden desires, and heart-melting romance in the steamy South.

REVIEW:  There are a few things that this author does in this story that I found interesting.  The main love interests admit to being attracted and in love right from the beginning.  Now, it takes a little longer for them to tell each other but they do not deny their feelings.  Elizabeth's maid, Annabelle, is a lot more of a risk taker than others I've read about. I like her relationship with John and how she would risk anything to spend time with him.  Charlie is not your typical supporting character and I found him to be refreshing.  I would love for the author to use him as a hero in a future novel.

     There were also a lot more that could have been done with the story, in my opinion.  The relationship between Elizabeth and Annabelle was mercurial.  Elizabeth wanted Annabelle to be her close friend one minute and then, the next, would treat her like a slave.  Elizabeth's aunt went from being a tyrant throughout most of the book to being loving and understanding at the end.  The story was anti-climatic for me.  I like how the story ended with Elizabeth's father but I guessed it pretty quickly.
     All in all, this was a good book.  I look forward to reading others in this series and by this author.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Christine Johnson is the author of several books for Steeple Hill and Love Inspired and has been twice named a finalist forRomance Writers of America's Golden Heart award. When not writing, she loves to hike and explore God's majestic creation.  She and her husband, a Great Lakes ship pilot, split their time between northern Michigan and the Florida Keys.  Learn more at www.christineelizabethjohnson.com.