Customer Reviews

Whirlwind (Only in Gooding!)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have read other books by Cathy Marie Hake and was greatly pleased. However, this book was not a whirlwind by any means. I thought the book was slow in the beginning because they were on the ship too long. Also, I couldn't help but dislike Mr. Clark and all of his lists he kept having to make. I liked the character of Millicent and that is why I continued reading. While it would be a great book to check out from the library, it certainly wasn't worth the 10 bucks I spent. I am still looking forward to another book by Hake, because this is not her standard.

This book is the third set in the town of Gooding, Texas. Though it is a stand-alone book with no intertwining plot lines, characters from the past (Sydney, Hope, etc...) enter the scene on occasion making for a happy reunion.

The story begins with Nanny Millicent Fairweather being terminated from her position in England. She has cared for and adored 2 little girls but their absentee father has decided it best to send them to boarding school. For a special lastday together she plans a day of fun and chaos with the girls.

From here the book jumps forward and she is on a ship setting sail for America with her sister and brother-in-law. This is where she meets Daniel Clark, a widower whose nanny has just abandoned her post before the ships launching.

She and Daniel are bound to butt heads as they are polar opposites. Where Millicent is whimsical and impulsive, Daniel is structured and orderly. His only concern is his son (after guilt concerning the loss of his wife).

Aside from the romance there are several other side plots addig depth to the story. I don't want to spoil them (they are rather good!) so i won't expand on that. Characters are well developed and realistic. This book is especially good for engaged and newlyweds-- I really think that it is a good example of learning to trust and compromise.

This book was fun to read-- very entertaining with some humor, tragedy, romance, and light suspense. If this were a shoe it would be a cross-trainer-- there is really something for everyone. Well done!

The book started out great. Great characters that were easy to believe and care for. The plot build up was also well written and left me wondering what was going to happen next.
Unfortunately after the first couple of chapters the book began a slow spiral downward, that only increased in speed the farther the book went on. The main character crosses an ocean and in doing so suddenly has a drastic personality change. None of her traits, personalities or actions match the ones that are shown in the first few chapters. I asked myself several times if the author was writing two books at the same time and got her characters mixed up. By the end of the book the main character is no longer believable, or someone that's easy to relate to.

The main male character in this book also doesn't seem to have main character traits or personalities that stay true to his character throughout the book, or that make sense. At the beginning of the book he's a very wealthy and successful, widowed, business man with an infant son. He crosses the ocean and all of a sudden he looses his intelligence and has become a fanatic with his fears and behaviors.

Some major character development needs to be done still in order for this to be a good book. After this book, I seriously hesitate to try any of this authors other books.

Cathy Mari Hake is one of my favorite authors and she did not disappoint this time around either! A very enjoyable read.

I started reading Cathy Marie Hake with Fancy Pants, and I haven't been able to stop. Though my experience with the Only in Gooding! series bounced around, I have come to regard this series as one of my absolute favorites.
Whirlwind was fun to read; the characters we meet for the first time- Daniel, Millie, Isabelle, and the kids- as well as the familiar names and faces from the previous two books are warm and personal. The characters are initally what makes a reader want to continue reading.
Like the rest of the series, Whirlwind begins with an introduction of the two main romantic characters; in this case, Millicent Fairweather and Daniel Clark. We get a good view of the surface hearts of these two and the series of events that follow are what build upon that. Millie is a competant caregiver; Daniel is a loving but slightly inept father who only wants the best for his son.
As the story goes on, we get to be introduced to the characters' strengths as well as their weaknesses. Millie is flexible and smart, but tends to be very formal with everyone but children. Daniel is organized and generous, but he tends to be slightly dictatorial. When he realizes that he has feelings for Millie, he becomes somewhat overbearing, especially when he thinks he's only being ultra-conscious for her safety. Which, of course, presents a miscommunication that ends up hurting Millie's feelings.
Eventually, as with all good romance, the pair iron out most of their problems- though by no means are they a couple without problems- and come to an understanding that works to complement each other's strengths. Through it all, Mrs. Hake has woven God's love as an example to follow, and a template for every relationship.

This book was a light read that I found interesting with the immigrant storyline and the journey on the ship. A few of the events were on the unbelievable side and not very realistic. I thought it was a 3 to 3 1/2 star.

This is the first book I have read writen by Cathy M Hake. I enjoyed it very much and have since purchased several other of her
books. The fact that her books were given approval by Tracie Peterson means much to me as I really like all Peteson books.
Hazel Hall

This was a great read! I enjoyed the way the story played out and the characters in the books. In the beginning it does start off on a sad note but then after that it just keeps getting better. When i first bought it i didnt think it going to be good and figured it was going to be okay at best. But i would definitely recommend it, especially because it is by cathy marie hake!

Whirlwind is the third in a series.This book was purchased for our church library. Cathy Marie Hake writes exciting Christian literature. The story takes place in Gooding, Texas, a town filled with stories set in the time our country was being settled. Read this one and you'll want to read the other three in the series.

I love Cathy Marie Hake's books to begin with and this one did not disappoint me. Where this is a stand alone book it is always fun to revisit previous characters from other books which this one did ... Forevermore and Fancy Pants are two of them! I truly enjoyed this book and I, for one did not feel they spent too long of a time on the ship. Now, I did agree with some of the others that Mr. Clarke was kind of a pain as far as personality-wise to begin with, but one has to remember, people often start out one way and then have to learn to compromise to make a relationship work. It is the compromising factor that has such a problem in so many of today's marriages and relationships to get to marriages. We have to learn to bend more so we do NOT break. Nanny Millicent was cute with her love of children and honestly with her love of life ... one could not help but learn to fall in love with her. This is a sweet book that makes an enjoyable read with a lot of light- hearted reading mixed in. Where there are some heartbreaking issues mixed in as well, that just adds to the flavor of this book ... that I did also enjoy. I would not, and did not give it a full five stars but very comfortably gave it a four star rating for enjoyment!, Good reading overall!!!!