Review #5 Angel's Den

Angel's Den

By Jamie Carie

Publication date: February 1, 2010

Rating: ****1/2

My Review:

On Emma's wedding day she thinks she is the luckiest woman alive because her incredibly handsome husband Eric chose her to be his bride. But as soon as the vows are said the nightmare of abuse begins. She thinks she will receive a reprieve when Eric plans a trip following the trail of Lewis and Clark but then Emma finds out that she must go too. Cartographer Luke Bowen can see that Emma is scared to death by her husband and he feels God has brought him to his new job to try to help her. How can he save Emma from the diabolical scheming of her husband? Eric will stop at nothing to get what he wants...

This was a moving and nail-biting novel. At times I had to stop reading because it was so painful to read about Emma's suffering. In spite of all she goes through, Emma emerges as a strong young woman. Luke is a multifaceted hero and he also has struggles to deal with, such as realizing that it is God who will save Emma, not himself. Throughout the novel there are people who see what is happening to Emma and some like Luke want to help her but they don't know how. Judge Littleton who is investingating a murder comes across their traveling expedition and he brings comfort and wisdom to both Luke and Emma.

The themes of father/child relationship echoes throughout the novel. Luke's relationship with his dad and his fear of disappointing him by choosing not to be a farmer, Emma's close relationship to her father, Eric's relationship to his father and its influence on his life, and the relationship between John Sumner and his "fallen" daughter Maggie all play an important part in the story and the journey of the characters.

The resolution of the novel took me by surprise. Once again Jamie Carie has delivered a touching story of redemption and faith. Angel's Den is a story you won't soon forget.

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this title for review from the publisher.