B.J. T. (meme) reviewed A Place Called Home / A Song for Silas (Place Called Home, Bks 1 & 2) on + 367 more book reviews
Lori Wick offers readers nostalgic, turn-of-the-century romances in her "A Place Called Home" series.
In the first book in the series, A Place Called Home, Christine Bennet doesn't know if she'll ever get over the enormous loneliness she feels now that her grandfather has died. The words of his will still ring in her ears: "In the event of my granddaughter's death, everything goes to Vince Jeffers." But Jeffers, her grandfather's business partner, may be up to no good. Afraid of what the future might bring, Christine obeys an anonymous note that tells her she is in danger and leaves town immediately. As she puts the pieces of a new life--and love--together, Christine wonders: Will she ever be able to go home again?
In A Song for Silas, Silas Cameron is the answer to a prayer for injured farmer Grant Nolan and his daughter, Amy. But the brotherly feelings Silas feels toward Amy soon blossom into love. Silas wishes his love could be returned. But Amy's heart has been broken before and she's afraid to fall in love again. Can Amy discover the truth about her feelings for Silas before he leaves town forever?
In the first book in the series, A Place Called Home, Christine Bennet doesn't know if she'll ever get over the enormous loneliness she feels now that her grandfather has died. The words of his will still ring in her ears: "In the event of my granddaughter's death, everything goes to Vince Jeffers." But Jeffers, her grandfather's business partner, may be up to no good. Afraid of what the future might bring, Christine obeys an anonymous note that tells her she is in danger and leaves town immediately. As she puts the pieces of a new life--and love--together, Christine wonders: Will she ever be able to go home again?
In A Song for Silas, Silas Cameron is the answer to a prayer for injured farmer Grant Nolan and his daughter, Amy. But the brotherly feelings Silas feels toward Amy soon blossom into love. Silas wishes his love could be returned. But Amy's heart has been broken before and she's afraid to fall in love again. Can Amy discover the truth about her feelings for Silas before he leaves town forever?
Sally B. (hvn4me) reviewed A Place Called Home / A Song for Silas (Place Called Home, Bks 1 & 2) on + 20 more book reviews
Lori Wick has a double saga in this one book and it is a very good read.
Hannah A. (selenahannah) reviewed A Place Called Home / A Song for Silas (Place Called Home, Bks 1 & 2) on
For A Place Called Home
DISCLAIMER:
I promise to be brutally honest with my opinion, but it should not be taken as fact. Any reader should read it for themselves, before they decide if this book has any merit or not. Do not judge this book biased solely on my opinion. If you do, you might miss out on a great read. You never know. It could happen. My review may contain spoilers, but I really strive to be spoiler-free. I borrowed this book from my local library. This book was not suggested to me by the author. I have no affiliation with the author or his/her publisher.
Main Character:
Christine is more of a little girl than a woman, when the story first starts off. This gives a great canvas for character development, however; she seems to stay this naive and trusting little girl until the very end. I did like her as a character, but she kept falling for easy traps. I feel like there could have been more action if she ever fought back, but Wick's strength is in romance and witty banter, not action nor adventure. She was a likable enough character, but I wish that she had more substance to her.
3 out of 5 stars
Evil Antagonist:
Well, there are really two strong evil characters in this book. One is living without Christ in one's heart, which I believe is really pushing the issue. The other is Mr. Jeffers, who is a truly despicable excuse of a man. I really like his character, but he didn't really make much sense like who did he owe so much money to? Wick keeps him one-dimension and doesn't delve into his character for some reason, even though she does several point of views from him throughout the book.
3 out of 5 stars
Minor Characters:
The characters in this book are simply delightful. I love Grandma Em and Silas, especially. I cannot wait to read the second book, because it is about Silas. I found the characters to be endearing and easily likable. I liked Julia even more after hearing her story, although the story is kind of masochistic. Wick, at times, stereotypes her characters, which is not always a great read, to each their own, I guess.
4 out of 5 stars
The Plot:
The story is an interesting one filled with excitement. I like the switching point of views. At times, it seems like there are too many POVs and Wick doesn't really delve into the minor characters' POV very well. She leaves many questions unanswered, not to make the reader reflect. I think that she just "forgot" to finish parts of the story. These exclusions take away from the overall story.
3 out of 5 stars
The Setting:
I really can find no fault in Wick's description of the world in which the characters reside. Her world is beautifully crafted and I love the vivid imagery. I cannot say anything more about it.
5 out of 5 stars
The Dialogue:
For the most part, Wick is really good with knowing what real people say, but at times, the dialogue is stilted or strained. It seems that she is trying to force a character to say something out of character and it just ends up being awkward instead of the mysteriousness or dual sided personality that she is going for. Otherwise than that, she is really true to human speech and her characters.
4 out of 5 stars
Engaging Surprises:
I have to say that this story followed a pretty predictable plot line. Now, that being said, I did find a few surprises. I really liked the identical twin aspect to the story. I did not see that one coming. Someone is murdered, which I did not expect in a Lori Wick book. An evil character tries to rape someone and that "rape" seems really out of character for a guy that just wants to see that someone dead. All in all, not very many good surprises.
2 out of 5 stars
Climax:
The high point of this novel is more like a bump in the road and the ending is rushed. Wick seems to gloss over Christine's situation and makes it brief. I feel like there was no point to the story, except to see a love story blossom out of very imagined danger. She could have done so much with this, but she just lets the story fall flat and lifeless.
2 out of 5 stars
Emotional Response:
I laughed at the funny bits and gushed at the romance slightly. Otherwise than that, I didn't feel for the characters. I also thought that Luke was overbearing and sexist at times. He was right though, Christine was a damsel in distress. She didn't even try to defend herself. She was very much a child.
2 out of 5 stars
Ending:
There wasn't much of an ending. Everything was hurried up and glossed over. It was very predictable and it just seemed like Wick just wanted to get it over and done with after seeing how many pages she wrote. I can quote the exact page when the rush starts.
1 out of 5 stars
The Writing:
I really enjoy Lori's style, which is why I have almost read all of her books. I am very disappointed to hear that she stopped writing novels, because I think even a crappy book written by her is worth reading. This book is not one of her best, but it is not her worst either. These novels are definitly the best Christian Chick Lit.
3 out of 5 stars
The Artwork:
Let's face it: the covers are old and dated. If she revamped her books, she could sell more of them to a younger audience. Her books are for adults, but for some reason, they seem more young adult to me.
1 out of 5 stars
Genre:
This book fits the genre of a Christian romance. There is nothing more to the story here, so look away if you are looking for anything more.
5 out of 5 stars
Title:
I think the title is fitting and Wick ties it into the story beautifully. I see nothing lacking in the title.
5 out of 5 stars
Overall, this book gets 3.7 out of 5 stars for me. I really enjoyed it and thought that it was worth reading. I have said about everything there is to say about this book. I am already reading the second book in the series and bought the third book as well.
DISCLAIMER:
I promise to be brutally honest with my opinion, but it should not be taken as fact. Any reader should read it for themselves, before they decide if this book has any merit or not. Do not judge this book biased solely on my opinion. If you do, you might miss out on a great read. You never know. It could happen. My review may contain spoilers, but I really strive to be spoiler-free. I borrowed this book from my local library. This book was not suggested to me by the author. I have no affiliation with the author or his/her publisher.
Main Character:
Christine is more of a little girl than a woman, when the story first starts off. This gives a great canvas for character development, however; she seems to stay this naive and trusting little girl until the very end. I did like her as a character, but she kept falling for easy traps. I feel like there could have been more action if she ever fought back, but Wick's strength is in romance and witty banter, not action nor adventure. She was a likable enough character, but I wish that she had more substance to her.
3 out of 5 stars
Evil Antagonist:
Well, there are really two strong evil characters in this book. One is living without Christ in one's heart, which I believe is really pushing the issue. The other is Mr. Jeffers, who is a truly despicable excuse of a man. I really like his character, but he didn't really make much sense like who did he owe so much money to? Wick keeps him one-dimension and doesn't delve into his character for some reason, even though she does several point of views from him throughout the book.
3 out of 5 stars
Minor Characters:
The characters in this book are simply delightful. I love Grandma Em and Silas, especially. I cannot wait to read the second book, because it is about Silas. I found the characters to be endearing and easily likable. I liked Julia even more after hearing her story, although the story is kind of masochistic. Wick, at times, stereotypes her characters, which is not always a great read, to each their own, I guess.
4 out of 5 stars
The Plot:
The story is an interesting one filled with excitement. I like the switching point of views. At times, it seems like there are too many POVs and Wick doesn't really delve into the minor characters' POV very well. She leaves many questions unanswered, not to make the reader reflect. I think that she just "forgot" to finish parts of the story. These exclusions take away from the overall story.
3 out of 5 stars
The Setting:
I really can find no fault in Wick's description of the world in which the characters reside. Her world is beautifully crafted and I love the vivid imagery. I cannot say anything more about it.
5 out of 5 stars
The Dialogue:
For the most part, Wick is really good with knowing what real people say, but at times, the dialogue is stilted or strained. It seems that she is trying to force a character to say something out of character and it just ends up being awkward instead of the mysteriousness or dual sided personality that she is going for. Otherwise than that, she is really true to human speech and her characters.
4 out of 5 stars
Engaging Surprises:
I have to say that this story followed a pretty predictable plot line. Now, that being said, I did find a few surprises. I really liked the identical twin aspect to the story. I did not see that one coming. Someone is murdered, which I did not expect in a Lori Wick book. An evil character tries to rape someone and that "rape" seems really out of character for a guy that just wants to see that someone dead. All in all, not very many good surprises.
2 out of 5 stars
Climax:
The high point of this novel is more like a bump in the road and the ending is rushed. Wick seems to gloss over Christine's situation and makes it brief. I feel like there was no point to the story, except to see a love story blossom out of very imagined danger. She could have done so much with this, but she just lets the story fall flat and lifeless.
2 out of 5 stars
Emotional Response:
I laughed at the funny bits and gushed at the romance slightly. Otherwise than that, I didn't feel for the characters. I also thought that Luke was overbearing and sexist at times. He was right though, Christine was a damsel in distress. She didn't even try to defend herself. She was very much a child.
2 out of 5 stars
Ending:
There wasn't much of an ending. Everything was hurried up and glossed over. It was very predictable and it just seemed like Wick just wanted to get it over and done with after seeing how many pages she wrote. I can quote the exact page when the rush starts.
1 out of 5 stars
The Writing:
I really enjoy Lori's style, which is why I have almost read all of her books. I am very disappointed to hear that she stopped writing novels, because I think even a crappy book written by her is worth reading. This book is not one of her best, but it is not her worst either. These novels are definitly the best Christian Chick Lit.
3 out of 5 stars
The Artwork:
Let's face it: the covers are old and dated. If she revamped her books, she could sell more of them to a younger audience. Her books are for adults, but for some reason, they seem more young adult to me.
1 out of 5 stars
Genre:
This book fits the genre of a Christian romance. There is nothing more to the story here, so look away if you are looking for anything more.
5 out of 5 stars
Title:
I think the title is fitting and Wick ties it into the story beautifully. I see nothing lacking in the title.
5 out of 5 stars
Overall, this book gets 3.7 out of 5 stars for me. I really enjoyed it and thought that it was worth reading. I have said about everything there is to say about this book. I am already reading the second book in the series and bought the third book as well.
