Customer Reviews

Snow Angel: A Novel

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I accidentally ran into this one here at Amazon and read the blurb. Based on that, the cover and the fact this was from B&H's newer fiction line, I had to bite. I'm glad I did.

Jamie took some risks with this story. At times, it reads more like a secular romance novel. To some, she may have crossed a few lines in regards to passion and one specific scene of violence. Yet, the story is so compelling you are involved before you can resist. I liked the setting of this story, which she realistically painted with her words. Her characters were well-drawn and her plot pacing kept me turning pages. I highly recommend this award winner, though it's not for everyone. If you enjoy edgy Christian fiction, this one's for you. Jamie is a fresh voice in Christian fiction whose original prose will delight readers.

Elizabeth Smith doesn't know where she has come from but her future goals are clear ~ she just didn't count on a storm interfering with those plans.

Noah Wesley loves the solitary wilderness that is his Alaskan home but when God calls him to open his front door during a fearsome blizzard, the unconscious woman lying at his feet unlocks a chamber in his heart previously undiscovered.

While drawn to each other during Elizabeth's recovery, Noah knows he can't compete with her yearning to stake a claim in the Yukon gold fields. Noah fears for Elizabeth's safety as she pursues a perilous course but it is a more evil threat from her past that may haunt them forever.

Snow Angel captured my imagination from beginning to end. It is an epic romance with fast paced intrigue and an emotional intensity rarely achieved. Jamie Carie's gifted characterisation is of a calibre expected from a multi-published author not one writing her debut novel. Noah and Elizabeth have enormous depth, with appealing attributes alongside tangible weaknesses that evoke an emotional and compassionate response. Jamie does not shy away from portraying genuine romantic tension and desire and the dilemma that poses for Noah, a man of faith and integrity experiencing passion and attraction.

Jamie's prose is elegant yet accessible, placing the reader amongst the icy shards of the blizzard and the muck and deprivation of the gold fields. Faith and belief is interwoven seamlessly, gently revealing the loving heart of God amidst the heartache of loss and loneliness. Prepare to be swept away by this powerful tale of love and sacrifice and become a devoted reader of anything Jamie Carie pens in the future.

Part Christian romance, part historical adventure novel, Snow Angel features an indomitable female protagonist in the orphaned Elizabeth Greyson and a worthy love interest in mountain man Noah Wesley. These two forces of nature collide when Elizabeth collapses on the doorstep of Noah's remote cabin during an Alaskan blizzard. While reviving her, Noah becomes entranced by the unlikely contrast between this beautiful young woman's delicate appearance and her hardy, adventure-seeking constitution.

As Elizabeth regains her strength, however, Noah finds his romantic intentions spurned by Elizabeth's desire to shield him from her spotty past and pursue her dream of striking it rich as a gold prospector. The suspense mounts as Noah sets off across the Alaskan tundra in desperate pursuit of Elizabeth, who herself is being pursued by an unsavory figure from her past.

Set during the Yukon Gold Rush at the turn of the century, author Jamie Carie evokes a strong sense of time and place with her poetic writing style and discriminating use of historical details. The romantic tension between Noah, who represents the Christian ideal, and Elizabeth, whose tragic circumstances have led her morally astray, is both powerful and convincing. Carie illuminates various facets of Elizabeth's hard-luck story through several point-of-view characters, including Elizabeth's mother who has spent years searching for the daughter who was taken from her at age two.

While melodramatic in places and lacking the heated passion some romance readers may expect, Snow Angel will resonate with fans of religious-based love stories and historical fiction.

-Kevin Joseph (as reviewed for TCM Reviews)

Based in the late 1800's, Snow Angel is about a young girl named Elizabeth who was given away by her birth mother as an infant. She went through a couple of orphanages and then ended up being adopted by a very horrible set of parents. When the Alaska gold rush came around and Elizabeth had a chance to escape her horrible adopted parents she took it! She was then followed by a man who was paid by her adopted parents to find her, she had to continually be on the run, never trusting anyone or staying one place. Somehow she ended up on the porch of a man named Noah. Noah took an interest in her but could not get through to her tormented soul. Can Elizabeth stay safe from the man who hunts her and wants to destroy her life and can Noah convince her that he loves her and can keep her safe. Can both Noah and Elizabeth follow the voice and direction of God?!

Jamie Carie did a great job with developing characters that you just connected with right from the start. Even from the beginning you wanted to continue reading as fast as you could to see what was going to happen to poor Elizabeth. I really enjoyed this story because it encourages those that have struggled with broken families, hurt relationships and bad experiences that you can overcome those situations and learn to love again! It's very inspirational and encouraging!

Snow Angel is a wonderful tale of Elizabeth's search for identity and finding destiny instead. From the first page this novel hooked me and reeled me in, until the very last page when I really wasn't ready to let them go. Jamie Carie's wonderful description of the Alaskan frontier painted a beautiful word picture for me and it was more like watching a movie than reading a book. I liked this so much that I can't wait to see where her next one takes me. 2 thumbs up from me!

Snow Angel: A Novel

A romance with atouch of mystery set in the gold rush in Alaska, this book promises to be a comfortable winter and Christmas read. There is beautiful and ambitious Elizabeth, running from the secrets and the pain of the past to a slender hope of a wealthy future. There is Noah, a God fearing man who rescues from a blizzard and falls in love with her. And there is Ross, a ruthless guy with an agenda of his own.
The plot was rather promising and the cover beautiful and I was looking forward to enjoying this book.
However it proved to be really slow and after the first chapter things hardly moved at all. The plot was barely existent and it seemed like more emphasis was given to the character's inner thoughts than their actions.
Quickly, the book became mainly about forgiveness, which is a theme I am much interested in and the romance was centered around that, which I liked very much.
However, there was a huge problem with this book, and that is that God is essentially absent. People say "thank God" and "God help me" every now and then, but that's about it. The hero is a believer, the heroine is not and this doesn't seem to change by the end of the book. I was really disappointed by this, as I expected the really strong forgiveness theme to be backed up by Scripture and the belief in Jesus.
The writing is not so good, but that wasn't a major problem. This is after all the debut novel of the author.

Rating: 2/5

[...]

I enjoyed Snow Angel - it was a good read and fun to curl up with in front of my fireplace with a comforter and a cup of tea. The story seemed a bit anti-climactic to me at the end because it had felt like it ended a few chapters before and then the author had to quickly wrap up the loose ends, but all in all I enjoyed it and will keep this book on my personal bookshelf

THis was a very exciting novel. My husband and I read it together and we could hardly put it down! It had some profound messages in it and was an inspiring book of love and courage. A refreshing change from blood and guts TV trash.
NAncy Kitchen

Review by Kara Grant

This is Carie's first book, but if you're interested in other titles from her there is also:
The Duchess and the Dragon 2008

Love's First Light 2009

Pirate of My Heart 2011

This story takes place in the late 1800s and we learn right away that Elizabeth is taken from her mom at age 2 because she was born out of wedlock. However, the story intertwines with letters from a private detective who was hired to find her. Elizabeth is 18 years old when she ends up barely alive on Noah's front door during an Alaskan blizzard. She miraculously survives, but I was shocked at her determination and desperation. What kind of life is this girl running from where she'd rather die in a blizzard or take risks in the care of strangers? There's very little explanation about this until later in the story; the girl remains secretive and fearful while trying to pursue what she believes will be her freedom: panning for gold during the Gold Rush in the Yukon Territory of Canada.

*Possible Spoilers*
My main interest of the story was seeing Elizabeth get away from her past, watching the private detective relentlessly try to locate her so she could be reunited with a loving mom, and waiting for her beloved to find her in the dangers of the hunt for gold. The scenery described is awesome, but it's difficult to take in such wonders unless you're presently there. I can't imagine what those cold conditions are like and to learn that people died so easily while going after gold was heartbreaking. There's no graphic violence or danger described, but the author realistically writes the risks people were willing to take to find gold. I enjoyed Noah's character and Elizabeth's parents.

Despite the sadness and loss in this story, it was nice to see how everything worked out. I was turning the pages faster and faster at the end when her mom is about to find her; Carie describes the emotions every character would be feeling very well and it was so heartwarming. I thought as a first book it was a good story, but there's so much hardship the main character goes through. It's a happy ending, but the hardship lasted longer than the enjoyment and romance. Do I recommend it? Sure, but be prepared for a small dose of romance, a large dose of adventure, and a wild ride that only the gold rush can give!

I actually read Ms Carie's Wind Dancer first but after reading it had to read anything else written by.
Ms Carie's Snow Angel may be her first book written but it was written with insensity of challenges for her characters especially being it is based in Alaska during the gold rush. While it may be intense there is love and inspiration shown with Christian faith and values. Her characters and her story makes you feel like you are part of the story yourself
With her debut book she has hit the literary world running and has won the attention of so many readers to her first book Snow Angel.