A DIFFERENT KIND OF ROMANCE NOVEL

by NARITA ROADY

August 1, 2012

Deeply grieving the loss of her soldier husband, Jarrod, Corrie Saunders moves back to his home town in the Ozarks. He has been gone 6 months but her grief is still raw. She settles into his 150 year old family home that she inherited from him. Corrie hopes going back to where Jarrod grew up will somehow ease her pain of losing him and she will feel his presence. This makes her a vulnerable to family’s belief that the house is haunted, especially his elderly Aunt Trudy who proclaims to be a medium.
Eli, Jarrod’s cousin, is there to help her make repairs to the home and support her. He is a preacher and a godly young man with high standards. Both are surprised at how quickly they are attracted to each other, yet are besieged with guilt about their feelings. Despite their misgivings, their friend ship grows into romance with both trying desperately to crush increasing affections. The family believes the house has been haunted as long as they can remember. Corrie, not wanting to accept her husband is dead, chooses to believe it is Jarrod trying to contact her. Even though she was raised in church, she abandoned her faith in her teens. Eli on the other hand is very strong in his faith and knows what the Bible says about witchcraft. He tries to protect and warn Corrie but her desire to have her husband in some way is too strong.
When I started reading this book and it began to venture into the occult I thought, “Oh no, what have I gotten myself into.” I do not believe spirits can inhabit homes and inanimate objects, therefore I didn’t feel comfortable about this part of the book. Ms. Bateman handled it well and didn’t go overboard, and I appreciate that. The rest of the book was delightful. There was a sweetness and innocence about Corrie and Eli’s romance. While the author made it very clear the intensity of Eli’s love for Corrie, his self-control and respect for her but for the Lord was wonderful. I loved their conversations with each other. They were real and not artificial like many novels, and I found them quiet humorous.
The book was well written and I was impressed with the important spiritual lessons woven throughout the book. I received this book free from Waterbrook Press. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255