I seem to be getting a string of mediocre novels lately and A Bride in the Bargain is no exception. This is not the first of Gist's novels that I have read, it is, however, the most disappointing. I have always enjoyed the development of her characters and story lines. Her her heroines always seem to possess a strength that surprises even themselves.
Perhaps the most disappointing factor of this book was its (to borrow my mother's term) provocativeness, while a far cry from a Harlequin novel, it was surprising for an inspirational romance. The emphasis on the physical very much detracted from the few moments of spiritual focus. While I appreciated the message that there will always be situations out of our control and we should not blame ourselves for them, I did not close the book with the same hunger to draw closer to Christ that I always feel at the end of a Lori Wick or Karen Kingsbury novel.
I think the best way to sum up my reaction would be 1 Corinthians 10:23 (NASB), "All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify." A Bride in the Bargain is not a "bad" book, but there are many better things to spend your time reading...including other books by Deeanne Gist.
