At His Command - A Glowing Review
Weston Elliott
In one short month, cheerful army nurse Maddie Bright has become the darling of Prairie Springs, Texas. And if former Apache helicopter pilot Jake Hopkins isn't careful, she just might conquer his heart.

He can't take that risk. Maddie is chasing him all over town, but while Jake can't deny his insane attraction to her, neither can he confess the awful secrets he's keeping--especially the one about his having been partly responsible for her brother's death.

Those of you who know me at all probably know that romance is not, generally, my cup of tea. I'll be the first to tell you that the usual reasons are as follows: smut (meaning things I wouldn't let someone do in my living room), and stupidity (meaning the characters).

So when I had the chance to review a Christian romance, I figured at least one of those reasons would be gone. What the heck?

Happily, Brenda Coulter has two for two! Not only is there no smut, her characters are real - they're not just stupid for the sake of keeping the romantic suspense. And so I am more than glad to write an absolutely glowing review for her book "At His Command"!

Opening lines are something of a enigma for writers - and the first line of At His Command is an absolute prize winner.

"Texas attorney Jake Hopkins was severely allergic to two things: peanuts and a sweet young Army nurse named Madeline Bright. "

and the explanation in the next paragraph is just as good:

"All he had to do was clap eyes on the chestnut-haired, blue-eyed beauty and his pulse raced, his throat closed up, and his brain stalled out. Since that was pretty much what happened whenever Jake got too close to a peanut, he figured the evidence spoke for itself."

I have a standing rule to never disclose spoilers, so I don't intend to give much detail, but I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The long and short of it is that I would highly recommend this book, and here's why:

It is clean - no smut - but there is a really great kiss! It is a romance, after all!

It is religious - but not preachy. It shows the simplicity of living the faith one believes as a straight-forward part of life, without trying to explain why or convice anyone. I, personally, loved that!

The characters are real - stubborn, faulty, and true to life.

They're the sort of people you'd like to sit behind in church.

At His Command by Brenda Coulter
(ISBN 0373-874960, Large print ISBN 0370-813740)
Available for a limited time at Wal-Mart and many other stores beginning August 26, 2008

To read an excerpt, visit http://brendacoulter.com/

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2 Responses
  1. Cathy Witbeck Says:
    August 21, 2008 6:29 PM

    Sounds like a fun story. Thanks for the review.


  2. Cindy Beck Says:
    August 24, 2008 11:10 AM

    Weston,
    Wow, great opening line on that book. Thanks for reviewing it; I'll have to see if I can find it.


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