Debbie's Spurts

This reader's personal opinion, ©2012, all rights reserved.*

Once upon a time was a kindle free download (definitely did not read like a freebie and seemed well-edited).

Well, the politics weren't really that interesting nor the scandalous secret but main character sympathetic and well enough written. MIght have rated another star if scandal wasn't so lame and I wasn't still cringing from a scene where book's male lead (after nearly half the book of not doing much of anything, much less talking to her or to God in prayer) gets in the shower, suddenly gets religion and starts talking to God and being convinced God told him exactly what to do--just completely out of the blue for anything exhibited by character to that point.

Meager religion/faith parts of book were very jarring--just shoe-horned in instead of flowing naturally or having anything to do with plot or characters. Maybe to get published authors have to gimmick up with real religion genres or paranormal stuff rammed in there somewhere. I like my religious fiction to either be preachy/devotional or to be a living, day to day faith just naturally a part of the character's lives versus edited in. 

Whether or not it was Christian fiction did not matter to me (a good read is a good read and it is my religion so not offended personally) but book should have been clearly labeled as being in that genre.

*©2012. All rights reserved except permission is granted to author or publisher to reprint/quote in whole or in part. Copyrightholder posted on booklikes, BookRabbit, The Reading Room and may have cross-posted to other book sites. Posting on any site does not grant that site permission to share with any third parties.

Ratings scale used in absence of a booklikes suggested rating scale:

★★★★★ = All Time Favorite 
★★★★½ = Extraordinary Book. Really Loved It.
★★★★☆ = Loved It.
★★★½☆ = Really Liked.
★★★☆☆ = Liked.
★★½☆☆ = Liked parts; parts only okay. Would read more by author.
★★☆☆☆ = Meh. Okay. 
★½☆☆☆ = Disliked but kept me reading in hopes would get better.
★☆☆☆☆ = Loathed It. Possibly DNF and a torturous read.
½☆☆☆☆ = So vile was a DNF or should have been. An "uploaded" word spew or collection that should not be dignified by calling itself a "published book." Author should take remedial classes for language written in until basic concepts like using sentences sink in. Is author even old enough to sign a publishing contract or do they need a legal guardian to sign for them? Cannot imagine anyone liking.