Okay, confession time: I stole the title "What I Read
Wednesday" from my dear friend Carol. It has a really nice ring to
it, though, so I'm gonna run with it (Remember, Carol, imitation is the purest
form of flattery).
So, without further ado...Here's my review. (Hey I made a
rhyme!)
Hailee
By Penny Zeller
For years, orphan Hailee Annigan was just a
ragamuffin in the Cincinnati streets, stealing food to keep her two younger
brothers fed. Her thievery landed her in
a home for delinquent youngsters, where her life was changed, thanks to her
teachers. Now, nineteen-year-old Hailee
excitedly heads to Montana to be a teacher, yet she’s still plagued by her
shameful past and the fear of never seeing her brothers again.
Based on his upbringing in
high-society Boston, no one would have guessed that Maxwell Nathaniel Adams,
Jr. would attend seminary and become a church pastor in rugged Montana. Even
now, Nate’s parents refuse to put aside their own plans for his future and
accept his calling.
When their paths converge, an immediate
attraction draws Hailee and Nate together, even as the pressures and demands of
others pull them apart. Can the unlikely pair come to terms with their pasts
and face the future together?
Andrea’s Take:
My very
first impression upon opening the package from the publisher was this, “That
girl [the model] is pretty. Who does she look like?” Then I stared at her face
until I figured it out. She looks a lot like a cousin of mine, which I thought
was pretty cool.
So we were
off to a good start, Hailee and I. Then I opened the book and got acquainted
with this faithful and adventurous young woman who warmed my heart. As I read on, I met Nate, the pioneer pastor with
the same commitment to his calling – a commitment strong enough to hold its own
in the face of strident opposition from Nate’s parents. Each of them saw God open a door, and walked
through it without hesitation, even though the path on the other side was
uncertain.
Some other noteworthy characters are:
Lucille Granger, the town gossip – Mrs. Granger never failed to
make me smile when she appeared on the page, and she has a scene in the second
chapter that had me laughing out loud. Even my very stoic husband got a chuckle
when I read it to him.
Zach Sawyer, Nate’s
uncle –Uncle Zach is a wonderful sounding board and advisor for Nate. A
pastor is so often the giver of wise council, and sometimes it seems he has all
the answers. People often forget that the pastor—especially a young one like
Nate—sometimes needs advice from older, more experienced Christian men. Zach
fills the role of Nate’s wise councillor well and willingly.
Clint and Tommy
Dickenson, Nate’s much younger twin cousins – I have it on very good
authority that Clint and Tommy are some of Ms. Zeller’s favorite characters in
this book (that is if you consider the author “good authority”). A more
good-hearted and mischievous pair, you’ve never read. In my family, we’d call
them “ornery,” and they certainly live up to that moniker.
Reuben Annigan – Too
much about this character would be a spoiler, and I want you to read this book.
But I will say this much, he enters the story late, and I didn’t get enough of
him. His background touched my heart. If Ms. Zeller decides to write a fourth
installment to Montana Skies, Reuben
gets my vote for the hero.
The ending
is just the kind I like. Hailee and Nate have a major hurdle to jump on their
way to happily ever after. I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say that
they stand firmly together, supporting one another to the end. I love when the
story gives the reader a chance to see the power of love in action between two
people. This story does just that.
Hailee is the third, and final, novel in
the “Montana Skies” series. I did not
read the first two books, but I think the references to them in this final
volume are enough to keep loyal readers satisfied, without distracting new
readers from this story. The last two chapters wrap the series up
beautifully, tying up the loose ends left from all three stories (except that
Reuben still needs a story, of course).
I received my copy of Hailee free from the publisher. All the opinions in this review are my own
honest impressions.
Hailee, along with a few other
books, is going to be up for grabs in a big giveaway in October. More on
that later, but be on the look out!
