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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fabulous Conclusion to Courting Trouble, June 5, 2008
This review is from: Deep in the Heart of Trouble (Paperback)
Essie Spreckelmeyer is somewhat of a legend in her hometown of Corsicana, Texas. As the founder of the Corsicana Velocipede Club and running her father's oil business, Essie's outrageous costumes for bike riding, as well as her often eccentric behavior no longer surprised the townspeople. After a disastrous affair of the heart, Essie had long lost her dream of a husband and babies and embraced Christ and spinsterhood instead.
Tony Morgan was the second son of the Morgan Oil company baron. Upon his father's death, Tony was disinherited and ordered to leave his family home by his older step-brother who was left everything. Tony took his mother's maiden name of Bryant, shaved mustache and beard, and traveled to Corsicana to find a job at Spreckelmeyer's - Sullivan oil company. Starting at the bottom, he knew if given a chance he could work his way up the ladder and restore both his name and eventually his fortune. Only one thing stood in his way - Essie Spreckelmeyer who seemed to have taken an instant dislike to the handsome drifter. The lines were drawn, the sparks were flying, and the battle of wills was on!
*** Ms. Gist's characters, are well-defined, generally very wise and almost always having a great sense of humor. While ranked as being `inspirational' her books are not at all preachy and she does not use numerous quotes from the bible to impart Christian beliefs. Instead, her characters (most of them) embrace the lessons allowing the story itself to give food for thought.
Essie is smart, independent and born way ahead of her time as far as standing up for women's rights, and opinionated - I'd liken her to the Gloria Steinam of her generation. Essie had once dreamed of marriage and babies to a handsome fellow, but unfortunately when she had fallen in love, the object of her affection turned out to be a cad. Consequently, while Tony was definitely attractive, she was gun shy and could or would not never ever want to trust her heart again.
Tony was frustrated, he'd never tried so hard to win another's trust and while around Essie he just couldn't seem to do anything right to please her. Their battles, whether over checkers, racing, or any number of physical/mental activities ended up being just that - battles. But when the real battle came for saving Tony from the hangman's noose for a murder he was framed for came about, he couldn't have asked for a better supporter, than Essie.
The supporting characters were plentiful as well as colorful, and added much to the richness of the tale which included scheming, vileness, sweet romance, and a lot of laughs. I especially loved Mrs. Lockhart, who recognized and kept Tony's secret identity as she coached him how to romance Essie by having him read plots in her romance novels. The underlying message of forgiveness and trust was a lesson that both Tony and Essie needed to be learn.
Purely a stand-alone though a follow-up to Ms. Gist's COURTING TROUBLE, this continuation of Essie's life is a most satisfying and lovely conclusion. Having considered myself lucky to have discovered this author from the very beginning with A BRIDE MOST BEGRUDGING, I have eagerly awaited the publication of her novels. Ms. Gist has since proved herself to be a consummate story teller using well-researched backgrounds, and blending in her fiction admirably along with actual events. A word to the wise - Ms. Gist is a talent you must discover for yourselves and any one of her books, which are all stand-alone would be a perfect start!
Marilyn Rondeau, RIO - Reviewers International Organization
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sequel that is better than the first!, July 5, 2008
This review is from: Deep in the Heart of Trouble (Paperback)
I am a big fan of Deeanne Gist's writing, but I was sorely disappointed by her third book, "Courting Trouble." I still can't quite exactly put my finger on why; it had a wonderfully unique plot with vivid descriptions of the time period, and lively characters. I think my problem with the novel may have been that I wasn't wild about the main character, Essie. Despite her outgoing personality and her attitude that she can do most anything she wants even though she's a woman, I found her to be a bit too simpering and naïve and she just grated on my nerves. I could have just chalked it up to the time period Essie was set in, but I know that Gist has never let that stop her from creating beautifully multi-dimensional and memorable characters before.
I picked up "Deep in the Heart of Trouble", Gist's fourth novel and the sequel to "Courting Trouble" simply because I believe in Gist as an author, and I didn't want to let the little fact that I am not a fan of her character keep me from enjoying her latest work. I was so pleasantly surprised to find that in the four years that had passed in the storyline between the two books, Essie grew up and became a character that I quickly fell in love with! She had learned a few lessons from her past and became a better, more well-rounded woman for it. I also loved that Gist added a little mysterious twist to the book, which brought along excitement and adventure... I don't want to give away too much, so I won't say anything more about that.
"Deep in the Heart of Trouble" is another wonderful example of how Gist bucks the traditional storyline for Christian Fiction, thus making her novels enjoyable to all readers regardless of their faith. While her characters are still conveying good Christian morals and a redeeming message of God's constant love and benevolence, her works, this book included, fail to be sappy or preachy. They tell tales of love and heartache and humor and joy that just about everyone can relate to and enjoy. This is not your typical novel from a Christian publisher, and I think most of us can whole-heartedly agree that that is a GOOD thing!
Grade: A+
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
3.5 Stars, Guess I'm Won Over, August 25, 2010
This is my third Deeanne Gist novel, and I have to say, she's such a touch-and-go author. I want to like this book. So badly. I keep switching between enjoyment and bitter disappointment.
First, why is it so common these days for publishing companies NOT to tell readers when something is a sequel? I found out this book is a sequel when I was two-thirds through the book. Maybe some readers think that's a great thing - the book is so good on its own, I never even realized I missed an entire back story! - but I think it's awful. If the book was amazing, I could forgive it and still be interested in Courting Trouble, but the book fails. Why would I want to go back and read the first story now? What a waste. If they had been clear that this was a sequel to begin with, I would've put the book down, picked up Courting Trouble, and read that first. Doesn't it make publishing sense to be clear about it? Now I have no desire to read it, and even less a desire to continue reading Bethany House books.
Now, regarding the actual story:
The plot starts off well, the suspense is intricate. Many of the historical facts are accurate and interesting. I enjoyed the tension of the unknown with regard to both Essie's and Tony's secrets. But then Gist does something incredible: she resolves the two main conflicts and introduces new ones! New conflicts which, I'll add, are far too boring and predictable to be interesting. As a result, the first half of the book is great and the second half is blegh.
Harley is one of the best characters in the novel, and his storyline is dropped without resolution. Not to mention the entire encounter with Mae is just so weird...was there supposed to be some childish love triangle between Harley, Mae, and Brianna?
I must take a break from reading so much Christian fiction. The whole "I gave my life to Jesus and now magically everything turns out okay" meme is starting to wax mundane.
Essie is a shining light. Her character is quirky, energetic, interesting. I related much to her - a former tomboy trying to reconcile a growing femininity. Tony is pretty well drawn also. He's a stand up guy, someone I felt Essie belonged with.
I suppose Gist wins me over with her writing. Her dialogue is impeccable. It feels real, it practically reads itself. In the end, I'm all about dialogue. I can forgive a book lacking an interesting plot if it's got good conversations. This one does.
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