Thursday, August 18, 2016

Book Review - Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof

One of the marks of a skilled writer is her ability to show character growth. Be Still My Soul, Book 1 of Joanne Bischof’s Cadence of Grace series, is a brilliant example of this skill. The story begins with Lonnie, a believer who can’t forgive and Gideon, an unlikeable hero. Lonnie’s bitterness is understandable. Her father is an abuser who forces her into marriage.

Gideon is one of the worst bad boys in Christian romance. He’s a vain, selfish slacker when he compromises Lonnie, and her father demands a shotgun marriage. This angers Gideon and he takes Lonnie away from her family on a grueling journey that reveals the depths of his cruelty.

Taking a character from unlikeable to redemption usually goes one of two ways. A come-to-Jesus experience or evolving over time. In Gideon’s case, his come-to-Jesus moment occurs in the form of a crusty old man by the name of Jebediah.

The secondary characters add more than interest to the story. Some help and some hinder Lonnie and Gideon, but all make you want to keep turning the pages to see if they get their reward or comeuppance.


Strong, realistic protagonists, endearing secondary characters, and sweeping descriptions of the Appalachian Mountains, all come together to make Be Still My Soul a memorable story. Even if you read it when it first came out, it's worth a re-read.

 I had an ulterior motive for reading this novel. Since the hero of my western series, Intrigue under Western Skies, was a snarky, arrogant rancher, I wanted to know how seasoned authors treated an unlikeable hero. A friend recommended Be Still My Soul to me. I’m so glad she did because I became a fan of Joanne Bischof and enjoyed the entire Cadence of Grace series.

Pretty Lonnie Sawyer is shy and innocent, used to fading into the background within her family, and among the creeks and hollows of the Appalchian hills. Though her family is poor and her father abusive, she clings to a quiet faith. But when handsome ladies' man and bluegrass musician, Gideon O'Riley steals a kiss, that one action seals her fate.  


***GIVEAWAY ALERT***

To celebrate STT's third Birthday, I'm giving away a copy of my novella, Cloaked in Love, today. Just leave a comment to be entered for either ebook or print copy.

WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED IN MONDAY'S WEEKLY WINDUP.


With Pa off on a cattle drive, Jeannie Baylor is alone on their isolated Wyoming ranch. When she's taken captive by a gang of ruthless outlaws, she realizes her virtue is in imminent danger, and her life is safe only as long as they need her house for a hideout.

Unexpectedly, the youngest outlaw, Zak Collins, a handsome man with bitterness evident in his tone gray-green eyes, proposes a fantastic scheme to save her life. Having no other choice, she has to trust Zak. But God gives her another way, and its success depends on the cloak she's crocheting for a friend.

13 comments:

  1. I love this series! Melissa is a fantastic author. Thanks for the opportunity to win your book.
    debsbunch777(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Debbie, and participating in our birthday celebration. Have a great day.

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    1. Thanks for visiting us today, Mary. Have a blessed day.

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  3. Joanne's books are so wonderful. This is the series that introduced me to her as an author. She's got a new one out I can't wait to read.

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    1. Agree, Linda, Joanne is a wonderful author and just got a 5-star RT rating recently.

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  4. Elaine, a great review for Be Still My Soul. Thank you for sharing. Joanne Bischof is a new author to me. Cloaked in Love was a great read filled with suspense, faith, and love.

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  5. Hi Marilyn, Thank you so much. Joanne is one of my comparable authors, meaning I try to gage my own writing by her standard. Be Still My Soul was published several years ago, and should be available in the library.

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  6. Thanks for this great review!!
    Connie
    cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Thank you for joining our party today, Connie. Stay tuned.

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  7. Elaine, thank you for sharing your great review. Joanne is a remarkable writer.

    mauback55 at gmail dot com

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  8. Always good to see you here at STT, Melanie. Thank you for your support.

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  9. Elaine - thanks so much for your thoughtful review on Be Still My Soul. Your blog here is lovely and I'm wishing you the best with Cloaked in Love!

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