Customer Reviews

That Certain Spark (Thorndike Christian Fiction)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

1892 is looking to be a good year for small town Gooding, Texas. They've finally gotten rid of that incompetent doctor and replaced him with not one, but two. Doctor Enoch Bestman is a veterinarian and his brother Taylor is a medical doctor. Too bad no one mentioned that Taylor was a woman. Enoch and his twin sister share a special bond though, and with his backing and her strength a little adversity and sexism is nothing, right? But as much as Taylor works to prove herself, someone is going behind her and sabotaging her. But the worst part is her first patient - Karl Van Der Vort. Everywhere she goes, every time she turns around even - there he is. How is she supposed to prove she is strong and competent, when she is surrounded by men that are waiting for her to mess up, or even more scary, causing her to mess up.
The story is good as a historical tale of a woman physician. But a story of a woman physician overcoming adversity? I must disagree. As the romance between Karl and Taylor takes hold (mostly by Karl's advances), he shows his love by beginning to refer to her as "his/my woman". Within the story, Karl finds God again, and this revelation alone seems to be what the author wants us to believe makes him a good match for Taylor. Here is my issue, and I think you will agree. Taylor's character is wonderful. She is very talented doctor, and an intelligent, witty, strong woman, while maintaining all the necessary feminism. This is a hard character to write, and Hake does it brilliantly. That being said the remaining characters in the novel are weak to say the least. Worse than that, they are meant to define Taylor by her support system and all they effectively do is belittle her. Enoch is her brother and described as her greatest champion. However, when it really matters he shows next to no faith in her ability as a doctor, and his attitude to the pursuit of a young widow in the town shows he is just as possessive of women as the most sexist men in the town. Karl is ten times worse. He takes it upon himself to protect Taylor, never coming to the idea that she is capable of taking care of herself. He decides that he loves her, she becomes "his woman". She pushes him away by explaining her passion for the career she chose, and what that means for a personal life. However, when he finally says the word, she jumps at it.
I hope this review hasn't given too much away, but it truly bugged me that a story that had so much potential, and a character that had the makings of a classic was so quickly given up for the sake of what amounts to a weak romance novel. Additionally, I felt the historical aspects of it broke down more than a few times. The dialogue sometimes felt like it was a contemporary novel with an 1892 label.
That being said. This book did end up with a 3 out of 5, and it is worth reading. I shook my head is mild disgust once or twice, but never threw it across the room in frustration. The story is good, the end has a bit of twist, and you will never want for medical drama.

What a delightful and fun book! It's easy to forget the struggles that women went through to enter into male-dominated careers. "That Certain Spark" by Cathie Marie Hake, reminds us of how difficult it was for women to fit in and be accepted as doctors. Between the tension of conflicting gender roles, the natural rhythm of sibling support and rivalry, and the surprising attraction between a progressive young woman and a traditional man, sparks are flying everywhere! This was entertaining from start to finish and I enjoyed every minute of it.

This was a cute plot, but was poorly written. I'm shocked this book made it through the editing process. Many times throughout reading, I got lost as to where characters were, who was talking, what was going on, etc. I didn't think there was a full enough development of some of the characters. The story was just plain choppy. The plot overall was very cute, but could have been developed much better.

That Certain Spark by Cathy Marie Hake

Twins apply for the positions of veterinarian and town doctor in Texas. But the town got more than they bargained for. The town doctor isn't a man like they expected, oh-no, it's a woman. What self respecting town has a female doctor? Well Enoch and Taylor Bestmen set out to prove the town's backward thinking men - wrong. Taylor's skill is unsurpassed and yet the local yokel's are unwilling to bend. Will Taylor be able to win them over?

This splendidly written book is fascinating and descriptive. I wanted to throttle a couple of characters and found myself empathizing with the heroine. How difficult it must have been for the first generations of female doctors. I adored the camaraderie that was built between the siblings and several of town's forward thinking citizens.

This book was carefully researched and historically astute.

Cathy Marie Hake doesn't leave any reader wanting with this book. She creates such down-to-earth characters in her book that it's easy to fall in love with them over and over again. I hope there will be a series made out of this book.

Publisher - Bethany House
2009
335 pages

Just wanted to let everyone know that this is book four in a series. The first one is titled Fancy Pants, the second is Forevermore and the third is Whirlwind. I believe the next one is titled Serendipity. All excellent reads! Hake really knows how to weave a good story!

I had a hard time with this one in the beginning chapters and got bored. Way too much dialogue that was hard to follow at times. The premise of a woman doctor in a man's world was a good one but the development of the story was not smooth or satisfying. I almost stopped reading about 1/3 of the way through. I wish this had been a better developed and written story.......It had potential.

The Town of Gooding, Texas just got their very own Veterinarian & Doctor siblings Enoch & Taylor Bestman. The only problem? Dr. Taylor Bestman in a woman! Within two minutes of stepping foot in town Taylor already has the town in an uproar! How is she to prove herself to these people? Especially to her very first patient, the town blacksmith?

The book starts out promising, flows nicely at first, but as it proceeds the conversations get harder and harder to follow, and the writing isn't as tight. The Characters are okay, but many of them lack depth. I didn't feel any emotional tie to either the heroine or the hero. This book had a strong beginning a weak middle and an okay ending.

On top of that, the main focus of this entire book wasn't as interesting as the background stories.

Definitely my least favorite book of this four part series. However, If you've read the other books in the series, go ahead and read it, you'll find many of your favorite characters of her past books in That Certain Spark.

The storyline was good and I was excited to read it, but it was a dispointing. The book felt rushed and hurried for the most part.

The town of Gooding, Texas is in need of a new doctor and a new veterinarian. Thankfully, brother and sister Enoch and Taylor Bestman answer the call and move from Chicago to Gooding only to find that in this small town, a woman doctor is not a welcome sight in 1892.

Karl Van der Vort is the town blacksmith. He is a tough, hard-working man and when an injury requires medical attention, the idea of having a woman doctor tend to his injuries does not exactly thrill him. While he admires Taylor's skills, he still does not approve of her being a doctor, until a threat could harm Taylor and her medical practice. Only Karl can protect her.

That Certain Spark was a cute story with very likeable characters, but I found that I just never did really get into the book. The writing didn't seem to flow, which made it difficult for me to stay engaged as the story moved along. I liked the idea of the story and I thought the characters were well written and well developed, but I just didn't get lost in the story the way I like to when I read a book. I found my mind wandering a bit from time to time and I had to remind myself what I just read. That Certain Spark was certainly not a bad book, and I will definitely want to read another book by this author.

Readers won't be disappointed; sparks certainly do fly in Cathy Marie Hake's newest book. We find ourselves in the pleasant little town of Gooding, TX, the place that acts as the setting for many of Ms. Hake's stories. Taylor and Enoch Bestman have signed contracts to serve as the town's local doctors. Taylor is the medical doctor, and Enoch is a veterinarian. The twins aim to rescue Gooding from a serious shortage of good medical care. But will they? Upon the Bestman twins' arrival, townspeople learn that Taylor is a woman. Some of the residents are happy about this fact, but others, including the mayor, are not. Seems Mayor Cutter overlooked the portion of Taylor's paperwork indicating that she is indeed, a woman. Taylor sets out to prove her worth and skill. Her first test involves saving Karl Van der Vort's life. Karl and his brother Piet are the local blacksmiths who are surprised to find a woman doctor in their midst. Karl, especially, doesn't think it's proper for a woman to work as a doctor, but cannot deny Taylor's skill, and more importantly, his debt to her for saving his life. Karl wrestles further with his feelings as he admires Taylor's spunk, and finds himself with feelings for Taylor. How will Taylor respond? Will sparks fly between the two? And what of the sparks that fly between Taylor, the mayor, and the others opposed to her practicing in town? Hake provides an entertaining journey with unexpected events and colorful characters. True to the title, That Certain Spark really does make a difference in the resident's lives. I enjoyed reading this; can't wait to see what Ms. Hake cooks up next. I hope it finds us in Gooding once again!