Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett

     This was (obviously) a YA re-telling of the classic tale of Rapunzel, and it was very good--unique in many ways and very engaging; I liked it a lot.  There were definitely overtones of Disney’s “Tangled” (funny how once those movies get in your head they become part of your overall mental picture of the story), but this tale had a lot of really original elements to it as well.  I don’t want to give too many details (spoilers)…but it was a good story!

     The average reader is already familiar with the classic elements to the Rapunzel story, and I hesitate to mention the unique plot twists in this book lest I steal away the pleasure the reader will encounter in the newness and freshness of Bennett's additions, so I'll try to summarize without giving anything away--I'll tell you what things the classic tale and this particular rendition share: in this version, which takes place in the modern day (that's new!), Rapunzel is still in the tower, her “mom” is Gothel, she has magically long hair, she meets a boy, her eyes become open to the out-of-tower life and she must face danger to escape her prison. Why and how all this comes about is cleverly imagined by Cindy C. Bennett. "Rapunzel Untangled" is a fun book that I can highly recommend. There was no bad language and there were no sexual situations.

Trust the Saint by Leslie Charteris

     Remember the TV show “The Saint” with Roger Moore? Or perhaps you remember the rather cheesy 90s movie “The Saint” with Val Kilmer and Elizabeth Shue? Ah, yes. Well, here’s what those are all based on.Well, one of the books, anyway--there were quite a few!

     This is a series of short stories about our hero Simon Templar (the Saint)—a Robin Hood-type of guy who will go to any lengths--legal or not--to see that justice is done. The stories are highly entertaining and the writing is just as fun. My daughter and I winced and giggled over paragraphs like this one: “She was one of those unlucky young females who seem to have been created solely to boost the morale of their nearest competitors. Beside her, no other creature in a skirt could have felt hopeless. It might be kinder not to detail her specifications, but simply to say that for every apparently ultimate disaster in feminine architecture there must be something worse; and she was it.” Wow. Ouch. Politically correct much? Not in this book. Still, it was full of entertaining stories, clever writing and the absolute smoothness of our hero, the Saint. Fun. 

Bad language: I don’t think so.
Sex: None. Of course, we all know that the Saint could have his way with any woman, but there’s none of that in this book, thankfully.

To Be With You by Opal Mellon

     This is a clean love story—not Christian or religious in any way, but clean. Our heroine, Nicole, was sexually abused as a child and not only does she continue learning to live beyond that, but she also finds her way to love with a truly good man.

     I so appreciate clean love stories… and I have noticed that sometimes a lack of sex scenes is compensated for by excoriating troubles in the lives of the main characters. It doesn’t always happen that way in the clean romances, but it does in some—and this one is one of these. Not my favorite kind of story since I prefer my stories painless. But this one was well written and the main characters were very likeable.

Bad Language: none
Sex: Well , there was the abuse, of course—no descriptions, just consequences. And there was a little don’t-touch-me-there misunderstanding—clearly labeled as inappropriate. One thing that bothered me is that our hero (Nicole’s love interest), after declaring that he is saving himself for marriage, looks at himself in the mirror and thinks about his new dating interest seeing him naked if their relationship progresses. Huh? Bugged me a bit. Other than those little bumps, it’s clean.

In the Company of Others by Jan Karon

This is another in Jan Karon’s Father Tim series—the Mitford series, but this one doesn’t take place in Mitford. It takes place in Ireland.

     I don’t exactly know what makes Jan Karon’s books so magical. In this one, Father Tim (retired) and his lovely wife Cynthia intend to tour Ireland, but because of a re-injury of Cynthia’s ankle, they end up spending the entire vacation in the same guest house. So they never actually go anywhere! And yet the story is very engaging. I think it must be the way Karon can make her characters so alive and so interesting. I am sure it also has something to do with the absolute positive energy that floods every one of her books. They are somehow so sweet without being saccharine or cloying. They are very good.

     

     This was a great book—uplifting, inspiring, heart-warming, yup, all of that. There is a touch of mystery, a lot of interpersonal relationships, some faith-building experiences and a lot of beautiful countryside. I really liked this book. In fact, Jan Karon herself says “Of all the novels I’ve written, 'In the Company of Others' is my personal favorite, my dark-haired child.” Highly recommended.

Bad language: none
Sex: none

Hide in Time by Anna Faversham

 This book was sent to me by the author and I’m reviewing it at her request.

     This is a time travel romance kind of book, but not quite like others I’ve read. Our main character is in the 21^st century as a result of some sort of a time portal—that part wasn’t completely clear—but her trip here isn’t one way. She can go both ways, with some serious limitations. She desperately wants to right a wrong she left behind there and she wants to learn to enjoy her new life as well.

     I found the book engaging, if a little choppy in parts. The beginning was rather detached and it took me many chapters to understand the big picture of the story, but by the end I mostly “got” it. I had some questions, one of which is: why in the world did Laura, our main character, choose the matchmaking business? Seems like a tough thing to get into when you’re new to the century. And there wasn’t quite enough background on Xandra (our main character’s close friend) for me to understand why Laura was so into her (or looking for someone like her)—it seemed like that relationship was not quite developed. And I never really liked Xandra either…hm.

     Anyway, the dialogue was good and I liked our main character, Laura. I also liked the ending of the stories of all the main characters--very satisfying all around. It was a good first effort with just a few problems that were not too hard to overlook.

Bad language: none
Sex: none