Book Review: A Time to Love, Quilts of Lancaster County Book #1 by Barbara Cameron

In time, I have come to enjoy my Nook for many reasons other than note taking and the ability to highlight text without depreciating the value of a book. There are apps I can download for my son (age 2) and I to play together, or interactive stories for children. I can check my e-mail, Facebook, and post blogs right from the home screen. But, my favorite feature of all is the book sharing.

Recently, a friend sent me a book suggestion, along with the comment: "Pretty 'wholesome,' but not bad."

I was not expecting an Amish romance when I downloaded the 'A Time to Love' by Barbara Cameron, that's for sure.

The setting is split between fast-paced New York City and the "plain life" in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. War correspondent Jenny King specializes in telling stories of how conflict affects the children of war torn countries until she is severely injured by a car bomb while filming. She flies home to the states where she undergoes several surgeries and ultimately moves in with her Amish grandmother, Phoebe, to recover. While at Phoebe's home, Jenny is reintroduced to Matthew, a conveniently widowed father of three who has been in love with Jenny since she visited her grandmother as a teen.

Overall, this book is probably the least seductive romance novel ever written. In fact, if it were a movie, I would expect it to be rated G or lower. The couple holds hands a few times, and BOOM! They’re ready to get married and have children (if Jenny hasn't been rendered infertile due to her injuries, of course). At one point, they even get in trouble because Matthew brushes her face with his hand.

What 'A Time to Love' lacks in seduction, it makes up in gospel. This is the first Christian romance novel I've ever come across, so I don't have anything to compare or contrast it to, but at times I did feel that the gospel got to be a bit overbearing. One thing I've learned in my writing courses in college is that you shouldn't overuse cliché terms – I don't think Cameron has figured that one out yet, though.

'A Time to Love' bridges the gap between Christian literature, romance novels, and general fiction, and aside from the easy-to-predict plot and sometimes-overbearing gospel, it's a decent book. I would probably read the others in the series if they were offered for free in eBook format.

Do you have any book suggestions? If so, post them in the comments below!