“The Still of Night”, Kristen Heitzmann

I was encouraged to read this by some new friends who are BIG fans of it.

This was a delightful surprise for me. I don’t typically read, “Women’s Fiction”, however, Kristen’s full-bodied characters and their development through the novel are tremendous. I now understand why my friends are so effusive in their recommendation.

In particular, Morgan Spencer, the male lead, is excellently portrayed and reflects a great understanding of the male psyche. He is both ambitious, selfish, blunt but also charming, chivalrous, extraordinarily generous and caring. I’d like to read the sequel just to see how Kristen further develops Morgan, especially his spiritual side.

I didn’t develop any real empathy for Jill Runyan, the female lead, and Morgan’s long-lost love. The novel circled around a number of matters in her life too many times and perhaps extended the novel a little longer than it needed to.

Kelsey’s faith was extraordinary and is a wonderful example of that “child-like” faith that we are called to have as we depend on God.

Another element of Kristen’s craft that I appreciated was her skill in building emotional peaks throughout the novel. Kept me wanting more, sometimes in laughter, sometimes in tears, but always grabbing my heart-strings.

I’m looking forward to the sequel and maybe I should read more Women’s Fiction.