Heather Day Gilbert: Miranda Warning

5 stars out of 5!!!

Whenever you embark on reading a new author for the first time, you don't know quite what to expect. Sometimes you are disappointed; sometimes you are mesmerized. But I love moments like these when an author writes in such an authentic way, full of messy, broken characters that point towards grace and hope.

Heather Day Gilbert has blown me away with Miranda Warning, which is part Christian fiction, part suspense thriller, and part Southern fiction. The dialogue is realistic and it is clear that Heather Day Gilbert knows West Virginia well. I also enjoyed that Thomas, the main character's husband, went to the University of Virginia, which is where my brother went to college! And speaking of characters, Tess Spencer was great! I found her to be the perfect mix of strength and spunk as well as vulnerable. One minute she is carrying a Glock or sawing down a tree with a rifle strapped to her back and the next minute she is leaning on her husband and husband's family for moral support. I also loved the realistic marriage and interplay between Tess and Thomas, which was a great representation of the stress, flirtations, disagreements, and love that those married can relate to. Their marriage is another great example of the messy, broken characters that we all can identify with since no person nor relationship is perfect.

I recently discovered another new author, Jaime Jo Wright, who's first novel I had read (The Curse Of Misty Wayfair) also blew me away. I can see many similarities between these two authors actually, and I must say this: we need more Christian authors and books that aren't afraid to present realistic, authentic, gritty, powerful, and poignant stories to readers.

So well done, Heather Day Gilbert, on the first novel of yours that I have read. It was a great read and I definitely will read more of your books!