Customer Reviews

Sanctuary: The Birth Place (Harlequin Superromance No. 1158)

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

 

 

Ten years ago, sixteen-year-old Hope Tanner sought sanctuary at The Birth Place in Enchantment, New Mexico. There she gave birth and placed her child for adoption. It was a heart breaking decision meant to protect her daughter from growing up like she did in a polygamist community. Now an obstetric nurse, hoe lives very quietly, creating an oasis of her home as a refuge from her past. But she cannot forget the extended family she left behind.

Finally Hope returns to the tiny community where she was raised. She comes away with her very pregnant sister Faith and a fear that they cannot escape the past. Determined to give her sister an opportunity for healing and independence, Hope returns with her sister to New Mexico to The Birth Place. Her return sparks unimaginable conflict for those who hold tragic secrets about her purported daughter and the nature of her adoption, and the adoptive father, Parker Reynolds.

The fifth novel of The Birth Place series sparkles with author Brenda Novak's characteristic flair for endearing tales. Novak's look into the polygamist lifestyle will amaze many readers with it poignant, bittersweet quality. Novak's carefully crafted tale of heartbreak and triumph becomes one of those powerful reads that is impossible to put down. Memorable characterizations and impossible situations makes SANCTUARY come very highly recommended.

Ten years ago, knowing she had no one to turn to for assistance, a pregnant Hope Tanner escaped from her polygamous hometown Superior, Utah. She gave birth across the border at The Birth Place clinic in Enchantment, New Mexico. The Birth Place's head Lydia Kane arranged the adoption of her baby that Hope never touched once the child left the womb. Over the years she never forgot her loss though she knows she did the right thing for the sake of the infant.

Hope helps her pregnant sister Faith escape Superior by taking her to The Birth Place, a place that gave her a haven during her darkest moments. Feeling good about seeing people who have her hope when she needed it, Hope realizes how much she cares about these folks. However, administrator Parker Reynolds acts displeased and almost belligerent when he sees Hope, making her wonder who his son Dalton is.

The fifth novel in the Birth Place series (all by different authors) is a solid contemporary tale with a gender bender twist. Usually the lead female hides the child from the unknowing father, but in this case the adopted dad tries to conceal the lad from his biological mother. The story line is character driven as the widower Parker and the mother of his son Hope fall in love. The secondary cast from his son and in-laws, to the clinic's staff and her sister add depth to the understanding of the motives especially the fears of the prime couple making for a fine time for readers.

Harriet Klausner

I've read a number of Brenda Novak books now, and what I've learnt is that she writes well, but she's a dreadful romance writer.
I don't know why she even tries to write in that genre, as everything I've read by her - from romantic suspense to Harlequin SuperRomances - has the relationship as a very distant afterthought.

This book is no different.

I am actually very interested in the subject matter. How American authorities can allow old men to commit everything from incest to statutory rape is beyond me, and the mentality of these Mormon fundamentalists is something unbelievable to read.
As I'm not American, I find it morbidly fascinating that such a conservative country with such a strong emphasis on the separation of church and state can allow the Mormons to get away with what they do. I think the author presented a balanced view of polygamous societies, showing us what's so wrong with such an arrangement while also making the polygamists look like human beings.

But this does not change the fact that this book is marketed as a romance, and it simply is not one.
According to my Kindle, the hero and heroine are in the same room together for the first time 34% of the way through the book. In fact, the hero only appears in the setup, and then isn't in the book at all until 34% of the way into it! They have their first kiss 71% into the book, followed by a `closed door' sex scene 94% of the way in! They have almost no scenes together, and the scenes they are together in are not romantic in slightest - they don't even promise romance in the future.
This is a women's fiction book, plain and simple. You'll learn a lot about pregnancy, and spend a lot of time watching the heroine develop a relationship with her sister, but the hero is practically redundant in his own book!

On top of that, what in the world happened to the premise of the book? It's nowhere to be seen. The hero has raised the heroine's son, and yet it's not until the final 8% of the book that the author even deals with this storyline! Then - because of the very few pages left - the plotline isn't done any justice. Hope forgives Parker for lying to her and stealing her son ONE PAGE after she finds out about it! ONE PAGE!! It's the main plotline and it's resolved in a few paragraphs. Not only does it lack any emotional impact, but it cheats the reader out of the story we were promised.

Brenda Novak is clearly more interest in writing about pregnancy and childrearing, which is absolutely not my thing. This is my third book by her, and the third time I have been completely disappointed by her writing. I don't think is was right for the Harlequin editors to even pick this manuscript up for the SuperRomance line, as it is absolutely not a romance novel. I almost always love this particular branch of category romance, and it's disappointing to discover such a bland book.

Great subject matter with an unfortunate style of execution. This one is recommended for women's fiction fans, but not for romance fans.

Sanctuary, by Brenda Novak, is a well-researched book about polygamy and the effects of polygamy on its followers both in the sect and those who have left the sect. I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. All of her characters are believable, and realistic. I find the subject of polygamy to be a timely one in light of the new HBO series, "Big Love." For me, as a Mormon, it strikes a familiar chord even though The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints discontinued the practice of polygamy in 1890, when in order to become a state, Utah was forced to outlaw the practice. Brenda treats any intimacy between her characters in a discreet and tasteful way. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. It is a good, entertaining, and educational read. Brenda is an awesome writer.

Get up! Get your shoes on! Get in your car! GO BUY THIS BOOK! I just finished this book, and it is totally awesome! If you love romance, if you love a little bit of danger, if you love a great book, then this is a must have! Hope and Parker are the perfect characters, and you will definitely fall in love with these two and their story. This is my first time reading Brenda Novak, and I am hooked. I did not want to put the book down! I just can't say enough, but once you read the book, you will know exactly what I am talking about.

If you start this book near dinnertime, I practically guarantee you'll be ordering pizza! You just can't put this one down.

This book had three distinct elements that set it apart from an "ordinary": a romance with an insurmountable problem, the search for a child relinquished for adoption, intertwined with an extremely well researched look into the world of polygamy.

The community of Hope's origin was downright creepy-and from what I understand, quite realistic. I actually shuddered at some of the twisted statements made by the polygamous characters. The entire concept creeped me out...yet it set the tone for helping us understand Hope's strength and motivation to help her sister into a simple, peaceful life based on her own decisions. Brenda Novak manages to enforce that tone but without it overtaking the romantic and heartwarming elements of the story.

Makes me grateful for my wonderful husband, too...my ONE wonderful husband!!

For a Harlequin Romance, this was a particularly interesting one, as it deals with a girl who has run away from a polygamy community to save her child. Many plot twists and turns made this an interesting read.