Customer Reviews

Sassy Cinderella and the Valiant Vigilante (Ruby Taylor Mysteries, Book 2)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Starting with a mysterious nighttime intruder and ending with a deadly game of hide-and-seek on a university campus, Sassy Cinderella and the Valiant Vigilante constitutes a literary home-run for the author, Sharon Dunn. Throughout the fast-turning pages, Dunn successfully carries on the lightly woven threads of several storylines, only to tie them neatly together as the story comes to an end.

Filled with memorable characters who interact with one another on a realistic level, Sassy Cinderella and the Valiant Vigilante takes the reader inside the mind of spunky, red-headed, relationship battered Ruby Taylor. Armed with a lifetime's supply of biting sarcasm and hilarious one-liners, thirty-one-year-old Ruby continues to hold the torch for her one-time boyfriend, Wesley Burgess. This "six feet of gorgeous," harbors no little attraction for the sassy Cinderella, either, and together, they struggle to put together a relationship they would be "proud to show to God."

Sassy Cinderella and the Valiant Vigilante is packed with mystery and perplexing questions. Did Dr. Aldridge really commit suicide, or is there a more sinister plot at work? Who is the strange man lurking outside the Aldridge house? Is the man who suddenly shows up at the Taylor house in the middle of the night claiming to be Ruby's long-lost brother really who he says he is?

In short, Sassy Cinderella and the Valiant Vigilante is a well-crafted, fast-paced read and receives full endorsement.

Craig Hart (...)

Ruby Taylor, the "Sassy Cinderella" of this story is a gutsy, opinionated, witty, new Christian who loves "Jesus, chocolate and a mocha with the steam rising from it" - and in that order. At the age of thirty-one she still lives with her mother, also a new Christian.

When Ruby was sixteen her mother went to prison for embezzlement and spent years there while Ruby and her brother, Jimmy, survived in foster homes. Ruby says, "I figure she owes me a few years of mothering."

Her brother suddenly shows up after a long absence under suspicious circumstances in the early hours of the morning. At first they are convinced it's a prowler and call the police. The responding policeman is none other than Wesley Burgess, Ruby's old love interest.

Ruby has been hired as an instructor to replace a professor who is reported to have committed suicide. As she hears bits and pieces about the death of Theodore Aldridge, she begins to doubt that it was suicide and proceeds to conduct her own investigation into Aldridge's relationships with his ex-wife, children, lover and a mysterious student whom she now has in one of her classes - who seems to be stalking her.

The more Ruby gets involved with the investigation the more she gets re-involved with Wesley. Since they both have made a decision to commit to living by God's Rules, they want to behave in a way that they will be worthy of the title "Christian." This however leads to some struggles with temptation.

Sassy Cinderella is a well-written, fast-paced, exciting page-turner and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The character I loved the most is that of Celeste, the cleaning lady who has Down's Syndrome. Celeste, with her child-like faith and her unconditional love for everyone, touched my heart big-time, and the message of what God's love is really all about came through loud and clear.

I am in the midst of writing my own book and I do not have time to be writing reveiws, but I loved this book so much, I had to spread the word. I would have never ordered this book. If it had been on display in a bookstore I might have picked it up because the cover design looks fresh. It tells me the book is not going to dull, but edgy. But, I've never heard of the author and I've never seen ads for it or heard it talked about on the morning talk shows. However, I am a judge for the leading awards for Christian fiction: the Christy's. It was sent to me to judge. Right away, the cover caught my eye. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down (which I could not say for previous contest novel I'd read). It is "zippy," almost irreverent, though filled with sound Christian truth-and so fun. It is not a gaggy romance or a pulse pounding mystery. It just made me smile to read it. I kept wishing someone was in the room so I could share parts with them-though when I did read parts to my husband he just looked at me. I guess you had to be there. I hope you'll read it so you'll "be there."

I just finished this highly entertaining mystery. It starts off with heart-pounding suspense that hooked me from the start. The drama of Ruby's broken family and broken spirit is interspersed with the clues of a suspected murder, and it really kept my attention glued to the page.

Ruby's character is real and flawed, utterly believable and easy to relate to for those of us with past mistakes. She's like anyone who is trying to overcome bad decisions--she whines, genuflects, denies, avoids, rages against, obsesses over and beats herself up for her damaged psyche, but she moves forward with pain, terror, and a tenuous trust in her God.

It is both a murder mystery and a diary of Ruby's struggles amidst her growing faith. I could relate to her self-doubts, her guilt, her feelings of unworthiness. She always turned to God for help, but it never came easily or smoothly. It showed with stark realism the difficulty of trusting and submitting.

I especially liked the foray into the disdainful attitude of academia toward Christianity, which I had experienced in college. The author handles the subject with no holds barred and no easy answer, but provides a blanket of comfort as Ruby wrestles with the topic in both herself and with her coworkers.

There is a bit more sensuality in this novel than in the first Ruby Taylor mystery, "Romance Rustlers and Thunderbird Thieves." I liked how Ruby's push-pull relationship with Wesley is so gritty and full of mistakes and yet so familiar to all of us who've been burned by love, who desire to change and honor God in a Christ-centered relationship. Ruby and Wesley are both flawed people trying to find their way toward each other, trying to overcome the habits and behaviors of the past.

The Chick-Lit feel of the narrative kept my attention with Ruby's quirky metaphors and humorous outlook on her crazy life. I think that many Post-Modern Generation readers will like the atmosphere of the prose and relate to Ruby's thinking.

Sharon Dunn just keeps getting better. I'm looking forward to the third installment of the Ruby Taylor Mystery series, scheduled for 2005.

Ruby Taylor, the "sassy Cinderella" of this book's title, is certainly opinionated and determined. An adjunct English instructor at her local college, Ruby is a new Christian who finds herself repeating a self-written mantra of "Jesus, mocha, and chocolate" to remind herself where she finds safety and comfort whenever she's rattled. She's got a lot to be rattled about. Aat thirty-one, she's living with her mother (another fairly new Christian), who spent years in prison for embezzlement, "so I figure she owes me a few years of mothering." Her brother Jimmy suddenly pops up after a long absence to live with the two women, and meanwhile, the professor Ruby was hired to replace turns up dead.

Ruby starts to dig into the death of Theodore Aldridge, but finds herself constantly running afoul of her ex-boyfriend, local cop Wesley Burgess. He's supposed to be the "valiant vigilante," I guess --- but it's really Ruby who decides to exercise vigilante justice while looking in to Aldridge's relationship with his ex-wife, children, lover, and an odd student whom she herself now instructs, and who won't leave her alone.

The more Ruby interferes with the murder investigation, the more she and Wesley interfere with each other --- and since both of them have renewed their commitment to living by God's rules, they are wary of heating up a relationship they don't want to consummate. To complicate matters further, six-foot Ruby wears her newfound faith as awkwardly as she does her clothes (one memorable ensemble includes moon boots, a lilac down coat, and mismatched mittens). She's constantly making faux pas with her colleague Donita, an eccentric but very intelligent PhD who makes Ruby feel insecure both professionally and personally as Donita rebuffs Ruby's attempts to introduce her to Christ over a bowl of M&Ms.

Unfortunately, Ruby's ultimate lesson is more sickeningly sweet than a vat full of chocolate: the office cleaning lady, Celeste, has Down's Syndrome, and after a session of singing "Jesus Loves Me," Ruby realizes that Celeste's simple faith is more potent than her own. I didn't buy this any more than I bought Ruby and Wesley's ridiculously mangled dates --- but I did buy the idea that Ruby knows she doesn't belong in academia, and I did buy Ruby and Wesley's knowledge that their courtship is more about hearts and souls than hands and lips.

I also bought Dunn's ability to pace a murder mystery; the plot elements relating to Aldridge's murder, murderer, and motive were very well done (and it seems I'm now catching on to the author's taste for alliteration, too). One of the funniest things in the book is how Wesley, cop of the beat, nearly always fails to show up in time to save Ruby. (Her mother has an excellent scene where she does so, however.) This book goes down as quickly as chocolate, as smoothly as a mocha, and leaves more than a lingering taste for Jesus --- just the thing for a comforting, fun read.

--- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick

Sharon Dunn populates a suspenseful plot with eccentric and endearing characters. Ruby Taylor has an attitude that is meant to protect her from getting involved in yet another in a long string of disappointing romances, but when Wesley Burgess steps back into her life as she faces unexpected danger, her defenses begin to crumble. Add a mother who served prison time and a long-lost brother who's involved in some highly questionable activities, and you've got a lively story that will keep you laughing, tearing up, and turning those pages!

Dunn does a super job of letting us see the vulnerability Ruby struggles so hard to hide from those around her. Ruby is determined to be obedient to God in all her relationships and avoid the dead-end paths she pursued before, but it seems as if no matter how hard she tries, she keeps messing up.

I found myself relating to the issues Ruby wrestles with and caring a lot about how she resolves them. This is an easy, enjoyable read with a message that will grip your heart. I highly recommend it!

With a touch of mystery, romance and a sassy college professor who works part-time at a feed store and pokes her nose into things full-time, Sharon Dunn has spun a delightful tale. Ruby Taylor is real woman learning to love God, her family, herself--and maybe the new guy on the policeforce. Or didn't she already decide that wasn't a good idea? At the rate she keeps running into him while investigating a former co-worker's suspicious suicide and her long lost brother's strange activities, it's hard to forget her feelings for Wesley, the town's rookie cop. I loved Ruby's sassy attitude and her sincere faith, but the cleaning lady and her simple, honest love impressed me most of all. Though the main plot will keep the pages turning, Sharon has sprinkled a few jewels about families, forgiveness and forgetting the past between the pages. Pick it up. You won't be sorry.

When a professor at the local university dies, Ruby Taylor is hired to take his place. She soon finds out that working at the university is not all she dreams it will be. Is Dr. Aldridge's death really suicide as everyone suspects? Suspenseful events soon start Ruby thinking otherwise.

Not long after Ruby starts her new job, her long-lost brother shows up in the early hours of the morning. At first, Ruby and her mother are convinced it is a prowler and call the police. The policeman who responds is none other than Wesley-Ruby's long-time love interest.

Soon it becomes apparent that things aren't as they seem on the surface. Who is the man who showed up on Ruby's doorstep? Is it really her brother? Who is the person hanging out around Ruby's office late at night - and who breaks in when she is away from her desk? What are they looking for?

SASSY CINDERELLA AND THE VALIANT VIGILANTE is an exciting page turning mystery. Readers will want to read the first book in the series Romance Rustlers and Thunderbird Thieves first as this book refers back to some of the previous events.

Ruby is an adorably sassy heroine, and I hoped that she would be able to at least earn a date with her hero. Sort of a chick lit type of mystery, the reader is instantly drawn into the story. I am usually able to figure out who the perpetrator is pretty quickly, but SASSY CINDERELLA kept me guessing until the end.

--- reviewed by Laura V. Hilton for Christian Bookshelf

Review by By Gretchen Hoffman

Redheaded Ruby Taylor is back with more adventures in book two of the Ruby Taylor Mystery series. This book is just as entertaining and hilarious as book one. Ruby's crazy, stubborn wit makes this story as great and intriguing as Ms. Dunn's awesome title.

Ruby's education (a master's degree in literature) finally gets put to good use. She gets hired to teach at the local university when one of the professors dies. But as Ruby begins to look into the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death, the more suspicious things appear. If that wasn't enough, Ruby has to deal with family issues that inexplicably pop up. Add a dash of romance (or lack thereof), her new faith, a piping hot mocha, and you've got Ruby's quirky life.

Ruby gets herself into even more crazy situations in this novel. It's fun, fast-paced, and an upbeat read. My kudos to Ms. Dunn. Highly recommended!

Good mystery novel, with a solid Christian commitment, but not preachy or (thank you so much!) insipid. Ruby is likable, and unabashedly loves Jesus, but is often wondering how to share the joy without turning people off. Don't we all! Nice subplot(s) and secondary characters. The mystery elements are shared with you (also very Christian) rather than presented at the end and were not entirely predictable! Nice book cover, and the editing seemed solid. Looking forward to reading the prequel and sequel - I found this book at Heaven and Earth!