Official Review: A Sinner in Paradise by Deborah Hining
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Official Review: A Sinner in Paradise by Deborah Hining
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Sinner in Paradise" by Deborah Hining.]
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After a shattering breakup with her fiancé, Geneva LeNoir abandons her life in Washington DC and returns to her family’s country home in West-Virginia. Once there, revitalized by the mountain air and surrounded by the love of her family, Geneva’s broken heart begins to heal. Sooner than expected, she finds herself whisked into a new romance. But the road to love turns out to be a difficult one, full of unexpected surprises and challenges. Torn between her desire for city flare and her love for her wholesome roots, Geneva begins a personal journey on which she must confront herself and grow as a person before she can find the road’s end.
This is a book for the romantic heart. It has all it needs: a passionate love story, unexpected turns of events, a fabulous countryside mountainous setting, lots of colorful characters, and plenty of crazy situations. All of this together paints a picture of a beautiful place and group of people that made for a thoroughly enjoyable literary voyage. I often had a hard time putting the book down.
One of my favorite things about the book was the way the author handled the main character’s personal growth. Because the book is written from Geneva’s perspective, I didn’t see the changes in her character until she did, even though the author set the stage ahead of time. I found myself continuously surprised by this, and ended up liking the character much more at the end of the book than I did at the beginning. I also really enjoyed some of the other characters in the book, and how the author gradually revealed their personalities, again, through Geneva’s eyes.
Another aspect of the book that I liked was that there were a number of side stories. For example, background was given about Geneva’s grandparents and parents. There were also other characters who told stories about people in their families or people they knew. Though departures from the main storyline, I enjoyed these because I found they added to the book’s richness and provided context that helped me better appreciate the characters and their culture.
Though I thought the book was well done overall, there are a few points I’d have to criticize. Generally speaking, I liked the rhythm of the book, but there were some passages I found a bit too long and stretched out, and others I really wished had been further developed. I also found some of the interactions between the characters to be a bit too much: the main character attracts a lot of admirers, all throwing themselves at her feet. I found this somewhat overdone. It could also use another read-through by a proofreader, as there were some errors (mainly typos, though not only).
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It is a good book for when you want to curl up on your couch with a hot drink (or for when you have neither your couch, nor a hot drink, but wish you did).
***
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Buy "A Sinner in Paradise" on Barnes and Noble
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This is a book for the romantic heart. It has all it needs: a passionate love story, unexpected turns of events, a fabulous countryside mountainous setting, lots of colorful characters, and plenty of crazy situations. All of this together paints a picture of a beautiful place and group of people that made for a thoroughly enjoyable literary voyage. I often had a hard time putting the book down.
One of my favorite things about the book was the way the author handled the main character’s personal growth. Because the book is written from Geneva’s perspective, I didn’t see the changes in her character until she did, even though the author set the stage ahead of time. I found myself continuously surprised by this, and ended up liking the character much more at the end of the book than I did at the beginning. I also really enjoyed some of the other characters in the book, and how the author gradually revealed their personalities, again, through Geneva’s eyes.
Another aspect of the book that I liked was that there were a number of side stories. For example, background was given about Geneva’s grandparents and parents. There were also other characters who told stories about people in their families or people they knew. Though departures from the main storyline, I enjoyed these because I found they added to the book’s richness and provided context that helped me better appreciate the characters and their culture.
Though I thought the book was well done overall, there are a few points I’d have to criticize. Generally speaking, I liked the rhythm of the book, but there were some passages I found a bit too long and stretched out, and others I really wished had been further developed. I also found some of the interactions between the characters to be a bit too much: the main character attracts a lot of admirers, all throwing themselves at her feet. I found this somewhat overdone. It could also use another read-through by a proofreader, as there were some errors (mainly typos, though not only).
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It is a good book for when you want to curl up on your couch with a hot drink (or for when you have neither your couch, nor a hot drink, but wish you did).
***
Buy "A Sinner in Paradise" on Amazon
Buy "A Sinner in Paradise" on Barnes and Noble
Latest Review: "The 30-Day Writing Challenge" by Sara Crawford
