Today, I'm excited to bring you a different kind of book review:
I'm reviewing a trilogy!
As I've shared on other posts, I'm a member of InScribe Christian Writers' Fellowship. A few months ago, members were sharing their upcoming summer releases. I don't have a release, so I offered reviews.
Our saga begins with Rocky Mountain Redemption and Rocky Mountain Revelation. Both are set in the late 1800's in a Rocky Mountain logging camp. I'd never read a story set in this environment before, so I was excited to learn more about the setting and how it would affect the lives of our characters. I loved the details of the forest, the rhythm of the camp life, and the dangerous work required of the loggers.
Each book of the trilogy is a love story, set against the social challenges and constraints of the late Victorian era. We meet our protagonists early in the stories, so we immediately know who's going to fall in love with whom. What makes it so charming is how Lisa tells the story. She alternates point of view, so in one chapter we feel our heroine's thoughts and actions, and in the next, we feel our hero's. By writing in this style, we get a complete perspective on each character, allowing us to fully understand his and her struggles, challenges, and passions.
You can definitely read each book independently, but if you read all three, you'll meet familiar characters, and better understand some of the social and emotional dynamics.
I love ocean stories, so this new setting was so perfect for me - very different from the logging camp, and so full of wonderful, historical detail. You can fully imagine the world of the ship, the dynamics between the characters, and the tension caused by living in such tight quarters.
There are two things I particularly appreciate about Lisa's writing:
One, she deals appropriately with the restrictions of the era. The Victorian times were strict. Certain etiquette was required of men and women, and those rules were heightened by class. Lisa's characters live and make their choices in that world; we never see them trying to live by today's social rulebook.
And two, her characters aren't afraid of their faith. Some have it, some question it, some have lost it, but none are afraid to talk about it. This is also appropriate to the era, when most people of this particular society would have been raised in church. These books are more overtly "Christian fiction" than most of the books I review, but the scenes of faith were never preachy, and often very moving.
Oh, and make sure you grab a snack! All of our characters are connected to the food and service industry. Between the ship's homemade egg rolls, the logger's bacon-and-egg breakfast, and the constant mention of homemade donuts, these books made me hungry! Oh, did you know loggers get something called "second lunch"??? Me neither, but I'm thinking of starting it as a family practice in our home...
You can learn more about Lisa J. Flickinger and the Rocky Mountain Revival Series at
2 comments:
Thanks, Allison, I'm so glad you enjoyed the characters in the series. Your thoughts are lovely. Have a blessed day!
My pleasure! Blessings to you!
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