A Great Catch

by Lorna Seilstad

Historical Romance / Inspirational

Release Date: May 2011

Synopsis:

She wants to change the world.
He wants to change her mind.

It’s the beginning of a new century at Lake Manawa resort in Iowa, but some things never change. When Emily Graham’s meddlesome aunts and grandmother take it upon themselves to find her a husband among the resort guests, the spunky suffragist is determined to politely decline each and every suitor. She has neither the time nor the need for a man in her busy life.

Carter Stockton, a recent college graduate and a pitcher for the Manawa Owls baseball team, intends to enjoy every minute of the summer before he is forced into the straitlaced business world of his father.

When their worlds collide, neither Emily nor Carter could have guessed what would come next. Will Carter strike out? Or will Emily cast her vote for a love that might cost her dreams?

My Thoughts:

If you recall my review of this author’s debut novel, you’ll remember that initially, the cover image threw me off and I read the book expecting to hate it—and was pleasantly surprised to find it was one of the best Christian fiction books I’d read in a long time.

I had a similar negative reaction when I heard about the topic of this novel: baseball. Baseball?! Really?! I mean, I like sports, but if there’s one sport I’d pass up free tickets to—heck, I don’t know if you could pay me to sit through a game—it’s baseball. *hurk*

But, since I enjoyed the previous book she’d written, I gave this one a go.

I’m glad I did! Once again, Seilstad has created memorable characters with unique goals, and placed them back in the same very different setting as her first novel. In fact, without giving any spoilers, I’ll mention that since it’s set in the same place, a number of characters from Making Waves show up here in a very natural way.

As for the negatives, I did find that the main character’s aunts grated on me after a little while, and though I realize they were supposed to be frustrating, there were moments when it seemed to go beyond my ability to suspend disbelief. But that’s a very minor thing over the course of a whole novel.

It’s not perfect, but it’s certainly good reading! I’ll be sharing this one with others and recommending it to library patrons. I hope Seilstad brings us back to Lake Manawa next summer too.

About the Author

A history buff, antique collector, and freelance graphic designer, Lorna Seilstad is the author of Making Waves and draws her setting from her home state of Iowa. A former high school English and journalism teacher, she has won several online writing awards and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.  Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".