Customer Reviews

Hearts Under Construction (Love Inspired #306)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book had great conflict with a few surprises along the way which certainly kept me reading from cover to cover. It was quite unpredictable and had a positive message in a "non preachy" way. I plan to read more of this author's books as it was very entertaining.

I really liked this book. It was a sweet story. And I liked that the main charecter wasnt some beatiful girl like in a lot of stories out today.

Diann Hunt, Hearts Under Construction (Steeple Hill, 2005)

What, really, does one say about a romance novel that hasn't already been said? I could focus on the generic plot, the endless repetition of the theme and the various kinks in it, the cardboard-cutout characters, etc., etc., etc., as has been done since the dawn of Dame Barbara. It's all here, as it has been in most every romance novel I've read in the past twenty years or more. But that sort of predictability is exactly what the readers of this sort of stuff seem to want. (And does no one else find this a tad strange?)

While the book's Christian slant suffers from the same flaws as the rest of it (mentioned above), the overall effect here is that what would otherwise come off as unbearably preachy here comes off as nothing more than being true to one's genre. Go figure, finally, a use for genre cliché. The expected upside to this being a Christian romance is that things never get all that hot and heavy; rather like the charming chick flick Return to Me a few years ago, Hearts Under Construction makes it seem like that first kiss is actually what all the fuss is about. And as anyone familiar with the history of modesty knows, there was a time when that was actually true.

It's genre romance, of course, and thus you can bring all your prejudices to the table, but when al''s said and done, it's certainly not bad genre romance. Just prepare to get frustrated at how stupid people can be, when simply talking to one another would have cleared things up in an hundred fewer pages. ** ½

I bought this book at a library book sale for 10 cents in hopes of it being a nice romantic comedy. I was enjoying it at first, but then the introduction of God ruined it for me.

The story focuses on Ellie Williams a woman with a fondness for chocolate and coffee as well as a huge resistance to change. She comes into work one Monday morning positive her boss (and close friend) Jax will promote her to partner at Wiley's Dream Homes. Her hopes are shattered when she sees Cole Preston at the office. He was handsome, charming, and, to her horror, Jax's new partner and her new supervisor. Instantly Ellie's resentment of being passed over for the promotion is seen in her relationship with Cole. Also, Cole's penchant for Ellie's dreaded "C" word (change) doesn't help things much. However Cole also holds a dreaded "C" word in his heart too: commitment. As the book progresses cute flirty bickering ensues as the two realize, with help from Cole's sneaky twin brother and Ellie's religious parents, opposites might actually attract.

The book starts off rather cute like your typical romcom novel. Ellie is your typical serial dieter who gives up within days to her secret chocolate stash and Cole is your average smooth talking heartbreaker who likes adventures and can't be tied down. Sure there are rather contrived moments (ex: Ellie trips into Cole's big strong arms)and one too many mentions of coffee and mochas/frappachinos (these characters have way too much caffeine; every other scene they are having it), but that is what makes it different from Shakespeare. You need some of these trite elements for a good romance novel. It was fun reading about the tension between Cole and Ellie as they bicker and try to adjust to being co-workers. However, the book soon takes a nosedive when heavy elements of religion is sprinkled in. I knew I was in trouble when I saw a quote from Corinthians before the first page. I tried to brush it off, telling myself that it probably had nothing to do with the story. I was dead wrong. At first the talk of God is light and intermittent throughout the first couple chapters. Yet, as the story moves more and more mention of God is seen till it becomes almost unbearable. Some cringeworthy moments include Jax recommending that Cole read The Gospel of John, prayers before EVERY meal (even before girly gossip at a restaurant), and when Cole gushes about his first prayer of commitment to Ellie. All of these things make you feel like you are half reading a fun flirty romance novel and the other part reading Christian propoganda (which this book could be labeled under too). I have no problem with religion, I just have one with it when I find it in a supposedly light beach read type of book. God and romance don't work and if they do it certainly isn't seen in this novel.