What Dreams May Come Review

What Dreams May Come 

Review by Carolyn Miller @CarolynMAuthor

She's got her heart set on becoming a missionary. He's determined to recruit her for the job.
But is it possible to fall in love with someone you've never even met?

Susannah’s convinced that God has called her to the mission field. That’s why she’s serving him with single-minded focus in Orchard Grove, waiting for the day when she can leave her small town to take the gospel to the nations. Is falling in love with her missionary recruiter part of God’s plan for her life or a distraction from the real goal?

Scott loves his life. Traveling the globe, offering spiritual support to missionaries around the world offers enough excitement that the loneliness hardly ever gets to him …
Until he receives an application from a young girl with a heart for the mission field as large as his own, a young girl he finds himself falling for even before they get the chance to meet face-to-face.

Unfortunately, a promise Susannah made to her family may tear her and Scott even farther apart than the miles that separate them.

Book one in an inspirational sweet romance series by award-winning Christian author Alana Terry, who has won awards from Women of Faith, The Book Club Network, Grace Awards, and several others, What Dreams May Come is based off of the author’s own experiences falling in love with (and eventually marrying) her missionary recruiter.

I remember first hearing about this book on Carrie Booth Schmidt’s blog ‘Reading is my Superpower’ and being intrigued by the premise. When Bookbub recently had it on sale, the ‘Look Inside’ first few chapters were enough for me to snap it up.

It’s an interesting novel for a number of reasons. One, the plot follows the author’s own story of connecting with, and falling in love with, her missionary recruiter. To me, this added a sweet though slightly disconcerting element, as at times it seemed hard to separate fact from fiction. Maybe it’s just me, but when the hero says things like “You are the most compassionate, gentle-spirited person I know…there’s none as sweet or as giving or as selfless as you…” then it’s hard to read that without wondering what is fictional and what is (enhanced?) fact, which can feel a little intrusive.

Another interesting factor is how it progresses, with very short chapters told from alternating viewpoints, followed by a lengthy section devoted to emails as a form of flashback to fill in the details on what exactly happened in their relationship, then another section of action.

There is a great deal of introspection, with some chapters seemingly almost wholly consisting of characters questioning their motives and rehashing what happened, which, while helpful in understanding their thought processes, is not something I’m used to in contemporary fiction, and something that seems to fly in the face of ‘show, don’t tell’ writing advice we hear.

I’m not used to reading about such sheltered (almost Mary Sue type) main characters, so it was good to see characters like Grandma Lucy and Kitty add an element of grit and challenge. I’ve known ‘Grandma Lucy’ types, and enjoy the passion and directness they bring out in others, and the Kitty character was fully realised, someone I could see from my days working with special needs children in school.

Overall, this book appealed to me because I could relate to some of the heroine’s issues: the interest in missions, the questions about God’s call, and the doubts about relationships. This book is the first in ‘A Sweet Dreams Christmas Romance’ series, which sees Grandma Lucy return.

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked part-time as a public high school English and Learning and Support teacher.

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her Regency novels include The Elusive Miss Ellison, The Captivating Lady Charlotte, and The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey, all available from Amazon, Book Depository, Koorong, etc

Connect with her: website | facebook | pinterest | twitter

Book Review: Congo Dawn

Blurb

Melbourne secretary Anna Emerson's life is turned upside down when a stranger hands her a plane ticket to the Congo. The newly independent country is in turmoil, Simba rebels are on the move - but the invitation holds a precious clue to the whereabouts of her estranged father.
Dan Miller signs up as a mercenary commando to fight the Communist uprising. He supports the cause, but that's not really why he's there. A devastating tragedy has taken all meaning from his life, and he's got nothing left to lose. In the Congo, Dan's belief in the war begins to crumble. 

Anna heads deeper into danger as she travels from a grand colonial mansion to an abandoned hotel on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, to a leprosy mission in the jungle and beyond. Their two paths collide through circumstances more extraordinary than fate.

Inspired by real events, Congo Dawn combines epic drama with an intimate journey into the heart of a fractured family, as two characters, in search of people they lost, at last find a way to come home. It is a landmark novel about good and evil, and the inexhaustible power of love.

Review

This story begins in Melbourne, Australia, in 1964, with a young woman, Anna, who seems to have a rather ordinary life. The story soon moves to the Belgian Congo, Africa, where Anna finds herself in anything but an ordinary life. As she seeks to reunite with Karl Emerson, the father she hasn’t seen since she was a child, she becomes embroiled in the political, violent and terrifying life where unrest and civil war, poverty, oppression, and leprosy are part of the every day.  Anna’s character is of a brave, yet vulnerable woman, who discovers parts of herself she’d never anticipated as she meets and befriends the mysterious Eliza, then a compassionate and selfless missionary couple who work with lepers. She faces her deepest self and greatest need when confronted with the most extreme danger and fear.   

Anna’s journey unfolds between episodes of another story, that of Dan, a divorcee, safari leader from South Africa, who has been invited to join a Commando unit in the Congo to help the National Army fight against communist rebels. Dan’s past is evoked as he moves back to places he’s known in his younger days. While he is haunted by his memories and pain, he does not turn back from the mission he has committed himself to. He is a natural leader, with WW11 experience. His understanding of the men in his unit, the effects of war on individuals on both sides of a conflict, his ability to make life and death choices, and his integrity make him a very powerful and appealing character.

Some of the atrocities Dan and his special force unit face are horrifying and hard to read, yet there is a realism and depth to the writing which gives balance and perspective to these events in the history of the Congo and make it compelling reading.  

Although this is not a Christian novel and there is no apparent bias in the writing towards or against Christianity, some of the characters are portrayed as deeply spiritual, committed missionaries, whose dedication and faith are inspiring.  

The connection, past or potential, between the two main characters, Anna and Dan, is unclear until three quarters of the way through the book, which was a little frustrating but also intriguing. It is a love story but not a romance, so not for those who are looking for a light fantasy or feel good escape from reality. Quite the opposite. It seems very thoroughly researched and based on real events which demand the reader’s reflection and consideration. This is a story that I believe would be every bit as compelling for a male reader as a female and I’d highly recommend it.  

Carol

Carol writes historical novels based on her family ancestry in Australia from the First Fleet. They include the Turning the Tide series; Mary’s Guardian, Charlotte’s Angel, Tangled Secrets and Truly Free. Two of her earlier novels, Suzannah’s Gold and Rebecca’s Dream, were re-released by EBP.  Next of Kin was released in 2015 by Rhiza Press and the sequel, Beyond the Fight, was released in 2016. You can see more about Carol and her novels on her website, her Amazon author page or FB author page.

www.carolpreston.com.au

www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston

www.facebook.com/writingtoreach