Book review: Rekindled (Tamera Alexander)

I won this book through a drawing at Callapidder Days. Many thanks to Katrina for hosting the contests, and many thanks to Tamera for giving away her book.

I'm not going to try to re-cap the book here - it would take too long and I don't think I'd do a very good job. :) So go to Tamera's website to read the blurb.

Given that I rarely enjoy standard Christian fiction, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I cared about the characters in this story. It is a good story of redemption and second chances, and I'd say it is one of the better books in the genre.

However, while I found it gripping (difficult to put down, actually) I didn't find it very enjoyable. Every good story needs tension, of course, but this book never lets you unwind. It eats, sleeps, and breathes tension. Whereas The Birth House (review: here) made me upset with my husband, Rekindled made me want to keep checking with Gabe to make sure we were still ok. Really ok. We're really ok, right? You love me and you're still here and we're really ok. Ok. You're sure? Right, ok.

I also felt like the ending wrapped up insanely quickly, given all that TENSION that had been carrying through the previous 325 pages!

Still, if you enjoy the genre, this is a good book to pick up. Just keep reminding yourself that it is a story, and try to keep a little distance.


It suddenly strikes me that what I read really has a large effect on my emotions. I'm going to have to remember that and be careful what I choose to read. Now I understand why my mom selected our reading material so carefully when we were growing up. She knew how influential books could be. Thank you, Mom!