Blue Moon Promise By Colleen Coble: Book Review

Lovely twenty-two year old Lucy agrees to marry (by proxy) a man she has never met in order to provide for and protect her young brother and sister. Her life seems to be in danger and she does not know why. The man she marries resents his father for choosing a wife for him without his permission or input. Because both of them are Christians and they fear for the father’s heart condition, they work to make a home together. It is a sweet story of how people can choose to honor marriage and learn to love each other, even if they are very different or don’t know each other at the start.

The themes of the story show the importance of not trying to control everything in everyone’s lives, and trusting God and those He puts in authority and protective roles in one’s life. Another theme was to accept oneself and not try to be like someone else to gain approval. I appreciated the value of these themes, as they are much needed in my life and many others’ lives.

Problems with the book: Passage of time was not kept track of very well. When Lucy had lived in Texas for two months, having come there in February, it should not have been June! Also, instead of there being four weeks between two consecutive full moons, there are at least six weeks! Weather wasn’t consistent either. There were six inches of snow on the ground, but an hour later, the children are noticing the red dirt on their shoes as they walk outside “across the scrubby yard.” Once when it was raining fiercely, the children are told to go play outside with no mention of the rain. On page 196, the word “not” was left out of a sentence, causing it to say the opposite of what was intended.

I read the book twice to be sure if these problems were really there. I think it needed a lot more editing to make it a concise, tightly cohesive book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. 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’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”