Book Review: A Vision Of Lucy

Yay! I won a signed copy of A Vision of Lucy at a giveaway on Charity's blog Austenitis last year and finally read it (long time I know Charity)! My sister and mom read it just before I did and we all enjoyed the interesting story. 

A Vision of Lucy

Back Cover Synopsis: Trouble follows Lucy wherever she goes. So does a vision of second chances . . . and love. 
Lucy Fairbanks dreams of working as a photographer at the Rocky Creek newspaper. Her deepest hope is that her father will see her as an artist, the way he thought of her deceased mother, whose paintings still hang on their walls. 
But disaster follows Lucy on every photo assignment: a mess of petticoats and ribbons, an accidental shooting, even a fire. 
When Lucy meets David Wolf—a rugged, reclusive man who lives on the outskirts of town—she thinks she can catch the attention of the town with his photograph. She doesn't count on her feelings stirring whenever she's near him. 
Two things happen next that forever change the course of Lucy's life. But will these events draw her closer to God or push her further away? And how will David accept this new vision of Lucy?

Author Margaret Brownley

Visit Margaret Brownley's Website: MargaretBrownley.com

Author: I'd never read anything by Margaret Browley before but was very interested and thankful that she signed my copy before sending it to me! I discovered that this is actually Book 3 in her Rocky Creek Romance Series but as I read it didn't really matter too much that I hadn't read the other books because although common characters did pop up frequently there was enough explanation about them to not make the other books unnecessary. I would like to read the first two books, A Lady Like Sarah and A Suitor For Jenny, some day just to fill in the other couple's stories.

Interesting Bits: I love historical fiction and this piece set in Texas in the later 1800's did not disappoint with it's many historical references. Because Lucy is a photographer there's lots of interesting history about photography including all about wet and dry plates and exposure time. Opera houses, hot air balloons, stage coaches, newspaper printing, medicine, the Civil War and votes for women, and equal education for Chinese, African-Americans and Native Americans are all discussed.

Spiritual Points: Although Lucy is said to be a Christian and unbeliever David Wolf hears a message at church it is mentioned by the pastor that Baptism is unnecessary for a relationship with God. Forgiveness and redemption are themes in the book but it is not necessarily stated that redemption is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This is a bit disappointing as is the fact that although there is a change in David the reader isn't told weather he made a decision to trust Christ or not.

My Thoughts: Lucy is always getting into herself and others into trouble so there's lots of fun to be had! The story also talks about three other couples and their mishaps as they come together. I liked the story of the town of Rocky Creek too, how they all work together even though they all have different opinions about things. The plot is a little bit underdeveloped in places, there are a couple mysteries that never do get solved which bugged me a bit. Also there's a little bit more kissing in the book than I'd like between a couple that aren't even engaged. At the heart of the problems and mystery in the book is racial prejudice which in a lot of ways is not as big of a problem today as it was back then so in some ways it was harder for my sister and I to grasp why there was such a problem for David being as they called him "a half-breed". The story was very interesting with many twists and turns and made for a very fun read overall.

Have you read any books in the Rocky Creek Romance Series?
Are you a fan of author Margaret Brownley's books?

Very Truly Your's,