2-21-2024
The Black Umbrella by JoAnna Illingworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
First, I want to say I read this book because I saw the author on TikTok, and her videos made me laugh. So I figured the book would be funny too. And it was. After the success of The Outlander, it seemed like every new time-travel book had something to do with a Stonehenge-type setting, and it all got a bit derivative. I stopped reading them. But The Black Umbrella was different. I truly enjoyed the book and am waiting for book two to be delivered. It’s fun, it’s historical, and you’ll enjoy yourself. Read the book.
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Avid readers love to talk about books – good or bad. Now that I’m an author, I read lots of books that come from new and up-and-coming authors. I have the opportunity to act as beta readers for some, critique partners for others, and just plain old readers for the rest. Here, you’ll see my comments and rankings of the books I’ve enjoyed. I hope you’ll find some authors you’ve never tried before, and maybe become a new fan.
12-14-2023
As the daughter of missionaries, Kerrie Alexander has lived on Hatteras—an island in the Outer Banks—longer than any other place she’s been. When her parents inform her the family is slotted to go overseas again, she balks. Her life on the island—her job, her friends, even the handsome hero in her Sunday School class—makes her want to put down roots. But to do so, she’ll need to find a place to live, face being on her own, separated from any close family—something she’s never done before.
Firefighter and EMT Wade Hampton can face pretty much any emergency, except his matchmaking grandpa threatening him with disinheritance if Wade doesn’t get married in just three months. Not that Wade objects to the idea of marriage, but how does a guy who has no problem running into burning buildings find the courage to ask a girl like Kerrie out for a date? She’s a role model for everything good, and he comes from a rough and broken home. Not to mention, Christmas is right around the corner!
This is almost a marriage of convenience trope. (The story ends with the engagement.) But the sense of “we gotta do this now” is a main theme in the story. I enjoy reading stories that take place in areas of the country where I’ve never been. Almost like taking a mini vacation. This short novel takes place in the Outer Banks, off the coast of North Carolina. Wade is endearingly shy and stumbles in his efforts to ask Kerrie out. Kerrie struggles with the desire to leave the nest and her fear of cutting ties with her family, who plan to leave on their next mission adventure yet again. With a little boost from Wade’s interfering grandfather, the two finally acknowledge the attraction both have felt for quite a while. Set around Christmas, this love story is sweet and shares themes of family, roots, and redemption.
It took me a bit of time to figure out who the major players were, as there were several characters who popped in all at once in chapter one, but with a novella, the author doesn’t have a lot of time to ease things in. I give this a healthy four out of five stars. You’ll enjoy this as a Christmas treat.