She Shall be Praised by Ginny Aiken

She Shall be Praised by Ginny Aiken. FaithWords, 2014. 400p. (9780892968466) Series: Women of Hope, #3

The summary and gorgeous cover drew me in but sadly I didn’t completely enjoy the story despite it’s interesting premise.

Goodreads Summary:

When socialite Emma Crowell stops the carriage on the way to Portland to 'exercise' her new puppy, the last thing she expects is to be left behind in decidedly unsuitable attire, let alone kidnapped. Fortunately, she is soon found by local rancher Peter Lowery. Unfortunately, he has no intention of abandoning his livelihood to take her back to civilization until the fall. He will, however, provide food, shelter and safety, and in return he expects Emma to earn her keep.

Emma is surprised to find she enjoys the challenges of life at the cabin and feels drawn to Peter and his young son Robby. But though willing to learn, no matter how she tries, she never seems to live up to expectations. As Emma seeks God's guidance and aspires to the picture of womanhood shown in the 31st chapter of Proverbs, Peter comes to realize that he may be underestimating the strength and character behind this woman's beauty.

My Review:

I read this last fall and you can tell I didn’t love it since I’ve put off writing the review for so long. The story seemed to drag and wasn’t quite believable at times. For instance, when she gets left behind, why didn’t the couple tasked with being her chaperone and traveling escort come back to look for her?

Also, it made little sense that Peter wouldn’t take her to the nearest town after he rescued her from the kidnappers. Sure he was committed to his sheep and making sure he could provide for his son and his employee, but it seemed terribly selfish, uncaring and stubborn of him not to take two (three?) days off to take Emma into town. Especially considering that later in the book he goes to town twice – once due to an accident and once for personal reasons. Don’t want to say more and spoil parts of the story.

Sheering sheep
Image credit

The characters were interesting though and diverse. And I certainly never knew that there were sheep ranchers in the mountains of Oregon. On a more serious note the book also addressed how cases of rape were treated by law enforcement. (Note: there are no sex scenes)

I haven’t read the first two books in this series but I don’t think it matters and I’m not sure it would make this book more understandable/believable.

But that's just my opinion. You might like it if you enjoy historical fiction and stories where a spoiled rich girl learns that life isn't always tea parties and balls.

I dislike giving low ratings but this one is just 2 or 2.5 stars sadly

Go read it! Find it at a library near you; Buy it from Amazon; Buy it from ChristianBooks.com; Buy it from Barnes & Noble

Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission.

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