2010 May 26

Book Review: Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas

Title: Welcome to Harmony
Author: Jodi Thomas
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: June 1, 2010
Paperback: 384 pages
ISBN: 978-0425235102
Genre: Fiction

From the Publisher:

Sixteen-year-old runaway Reagan has always wanted a place to belong. She’s never had a real home of her own, but perhaps she could borrow someone else’s. Under an assumed name and identity, she moves to Harmony, Texas, but keeps her distance from the welcoming townsfolk. Until prairie fires threaten Harmony-and Reagan learns the true meaning of family, friends, and home.

My Review:

Beautiful and heartwarming, Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas is a definite feel good novel about finding roots and belonging. Reagan is 16 years old and looking for a place to call home. After cleaning Beverly Truman’s nursing home room she has learned all about this woman’s home in the small town of Harmony and without knowing why, feels as though she belongs there. When Beverly passes away Reagan finds her way to Harmony and becomes Reagan Truman. The only person certain she is not a Truman is the cantankerous brother of Beverly, who takes Reagan under his wing, much to the surprise of the town. Reagan is trying to keep it their secret yet Noah McAllen, the sheriff’s younger brother, also known as “preacher” is quickly becoming her friend and Reagan, unaccustomed to kindness, friendships, and people caring for her, is uncertain how to proceed. Harmony, Texas is like no other town; it is equally divided into three sections belonging to the Trumans, the Mathesons, and the McAllens. Old family grudges are still alive and kicking in this old town as well as a fair share of secrets. Hank Matheson, rancher, head of the volunteer fire department and all around great guy promised his best friend, Warren McAllen, that he would take care of his sister, Alex McAllen. Alex McAllen, who took over becoming sheriff of Harmony when her brother Warren died, has other plans, which do not include Hank. Finally Tyler Wright, the only funeral director in the town and who has no idea how to talk to many people besides Hank and Saralynn, discovers an online relationship a woman named Kate. Is love in the air, will the old grudges be buried once and for all and will Harmony truly unite or will all be exposed when push comes to shove? Welcome to Harmony is a definite page-turner filled with an array of characters from gregarious to cantankerous and everything in between. The reader will have no trouble identifying with Thomas’ characters. Thomas draws the reader into Harmony with her descriptive prose, witty and delightful narrative and a plot line that steps just outside what the reader may expect and takes the reader on a delightful journey into the lives of the inhabitants of Harmony. I found Welcome to Harmony to be an extremely delightful and enjoyable book to read. To my dismay the end came too soon and my only complaint is that I must wait until fall for the next in the Harmony trilogy, Somewhere Along the Way, to be released. I would not hesitate to recommend Welcome to Harmony to any reader.

To learn more about Jodi Thomas and the other books she has written, please visit her website.

I received a complimentary copy of Welcome To Harmony by Jodi Thomas from Penguin to review. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

Spotlight: The Last Christian by David Gregory

Title: The Last Christian
Author: David Gregory
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Publication Date: May 4, 2010
Paperback: 416 pages
ISBN: 978-1400074976
Genre: Evangelical, Religion, Science Fiction

From the Publisher:

ABOUT THIS BOOK

In the future, it’s possible to live forever—but at what cost?

A.D. 2088.

Missionary daughter Abigail Caldwell emerges from the jungle for the first time in her thirty-four years, the sole survivor of a mysterious disease that killed her village. Abby goes to America, only to discover a nation where Christianity has completely died out. A curious message from her grandfather assigns her a surprising mission: re-introduce the Christian faith in America, no matter how insurmountable the odds.

But a larger threat looms. The world’s leading artificial intelligence industrialist has perfected a technique for downloading the human brain into a silicon form. Brain transplants have begun, and with them comes the potential of eliminating physical death altogether—but at what expense?

As Abby navigates a society grown more addicted to stimulating the body than nurturing the soul, she and Creighton Daniels, a historian troubled by his father’s unexpected death, become unwitting targets of powerful men who will stop at nothing to further their nefarious goals. Hanging in the balance—the spiritual future of all humanity.

In this fast-paced thriller, startling near-future science collides with thought-provoking religious themes to create a spell-binding “what-if?” novel.

My Review:

This novel was a DNF for me. While the novel did not appeal to me, it has received brilliant reviews. The reason I did not finish the novel was quite simple, I truly disliked the mixed genres. The premise of the novel is good, the character development is excellent and I encourage everyone remotely interested to check out the reviews.

About the Author:

David Gregory is the coauthor of two nonfiction books and a frequent conference speaker. After a ten-year business career, he returned to school to study religion and communications, earning two master’s degrees. David lives in Texas, where he works for a nonprofit organization.

Visit the Author’s website to learn more.

An excerpt of the novel may be viewed here.

I received a complimentary copy of The Last Christian by David Gregory from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.