"Season of Joy" Offers All the Good Feelings of a Romance with the Power of a
Realistic Mainstream Best Seller!
Love
Inspired
Publication
Date: Nov 1, 2012
Years ago I would have said
that “Season of Joy” was too good to be an author’s first published novel. I
don’t say that any more. It is so hard to break into print at the
biggest publishing houses (like Love Inspired –whose books can be found in
nearly every Wal-Mart) that often an author’s best book is her first book. “Season of Joy” is such a book. I expect it
to win many distinguished awards during the next year. It has already been
nominated for RT’s 2012 Best First
Series Romance. That's a great start.
“Season of Joy” is a strong
contender for any writing award because it has the impact of mainstream realism.
That is, it deliberately transcends the customary
romance genre conventions.
“Season of Joy” is the type
of romance that highly literate romance fans (often English professors) select
to show their friends who read only 'so-called' literary quality works. Many critics love books like “Season of Joy” because such books are so demonstrably excellent. It is not hard to spot such a romance.
“Winter’s End” by Ruth Logan Herne and “Autumn Rains” by Myra Johnson were
immediately identifiable as very realistic works that would go on to garner their
share of laurels.
“Season of Joy” is an
inspirational romance. It is about changing one’s life for the spiritually
better. It is also about taking chances. The heroine, Calista, takes the biggest
chance. She volunteers to work at a homeless mission. No job is too lowly for
her to do. This is a big deal because she is a success-driven CEO of a growing
company she pioneered. Her single-minded pursuit of success has left her
without any real friends and a cat who hates her.
The hero, Grant, has his life in a holding
pattern. He needs to change his life but he just carries on letting his devotion
to his job, as director of the homeless mission, keep him from thinking about
having a real life with a wife and family. He has a strong hostility towards his father. He did not
choose to change his life as Calista did. Grant has change thrust upon him.
The character of the hero and
heroine plus the quality of the writing can best be shown by the following
quotes. ('He' is the hero, Grant and 'she' is
the heroine, Calista. )
“She wasn’t the CEO here, {at the mission} she
was just a woman who had lost her place in the world.”
***
“A huge smile creased his
face and Calista’s mouth fell open at the transformation. He was a good looking
man, but add in a dash of pure joy and he was breathtaking. She tore her gaze
away and met Lana’s laughing eyes behind the desk. Of course, the secretary
would think it was hilarious how women fell all over themselves in his
presence.”
***
“He seems really good with
the kids. Does he have any of his own? She suddenly wished she could snatch the
words back out of the air, especially since it was followed by a snort from
Lissa.”
***
“Calista felt her hear sink.
Then again, she wasn’t here to get a boyfriend or find true love. She was here
because her life had become a self-centered whirlpool of ambition, with her
swirling around at the bottom like a piece of driftwood.”
***
“Is there a kid version of
catnip? If there is, you must be stuffing your pockets with it.”
“Nope, I just listen to them. It’s funny how many people
forget that kids need someone to hear them,” he said, his words serious, but a
grin spread over his features.”
***
“But there was only so far
you could run from yourself. Then it was all about facing your fears and being
bigger than your past.”
***
“Every time a friend tells me
that I’d be great with someone, I know it’s doomed.”
***
“Now, if she could just get
everyone else to give her a second chance at being a decent human being, then
she’d be all set.”
***
“You’re not a terrible human
being. You’re just not very approachable. Or sympathetic. Or caring about
anybody’s personal life. Or..”
“All right! I got it.”
***
“And she is not one to
believe a lie. But when the heart first loves, it only sees perfection. With
time, the love remains but the heart knows the truth – no one is perfect. Only
God. That is what I mean.”
***
“A strange sensation had
crept over him while she spoke. It was a mix of yearning and dread, of
excitement and fear. He felt as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff.”
***
“She was done investing time
and effort into projects that didn’t make her happy. The mission made her feel
useful, and she’d made friend there.”
***
“But nothing would be able to
get past the fact that she believed in the power of the almighty buck and he
didn’t.”
*** ***
There are so many good quotes
in “Season of Joy” that it is a joy simply to see what the author is going to
write next. None of these quotes give away the plot. Much of the writing
is rewarding in itself. There are psychological insights as well as playful descriptions
of falling in love which so thrill fans of romance.
“Season of Joy” is a
wonderful book that is sure to go on to win much praise and success. Its strongest
point, its mainstream realism, (the author endlessly researched
homeless shelters all over the country) also provides its only weakness -- and that only as an
inspirational romance. As in real life, the ending comes with many unresolved
issues. The major inspirational challenge may actually be in a worse situation than
when the story began. (At least in regards to one of the main characters.)
Yes, readers will enjoy their HEA (happy ending) but it
does come with an asterisk. Yet, I can’t imagine any genuine inspirational romance fan not
loving this book, “Season of Joy”.
I hope there are many more seasons of joy to
come from this very talented debut author.
Enjoy Romantic Happiness with a Realistic Flair!
What?? I never saw this! I didn't even know this was here!
ReplyDeleteVince, you sly dog, you!
Thank you so much!