Sassy Cinderella and the Valiant Vigilante

Rating:
Summary: I just have to share
Review: I am in the midst of writing my own book and I do not have time to be writing reveiws, but I loved this book so much, I had to spread the word. I would have never ordered this book. If it had been on display in a bookstore I might have picked it up because the cover design looks fresh. It tells me the book is not going to dull, but edgy. But, I've never heard of the author and I've never seen ads for it or heard it talked about on the morning talk shows. However, I am a judge for the leading awards for Christian fiction: the Christy's. It was sent to me to judge. Right away, the cover caught my eye. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down (which I could not say for previous contest novel I'd read). It is "zippy," almost irreverent, though filled with sound Christian truth-and so fun. It is not a gaggy romance or a pulse pounding mystery. It just made me smile to read it. I kept wishing someone was in the room so I could share parts with them-though when I did read parts to my husband he just looked at me. I guess you had to be there. I hope you'll read it so you'll "be there."

Rating:
Summary: Humor, drama, mystery
Review: I just finished this highly entertaining mystery. It starts off with heart-pounding suspense that hooked me from the start. The drama of Ruby's broken family and broken spirit is interspersed with the clues of a suspected murder, and it really kept my attention glued to the page.

Ruby's character is real and flawed, utterly believable and easy to relate to for those of us with past mistakes. She's like anyone who is trying to overcome bad decisions--she whines, genuflects, denies, avoids, rages against, obsesses over and beats herself up for her damaged psyche, but she moves forward with pain, terror, and a tenuous trust in her God.

It is both a murder mystery and a diary of Ruby's struggles amidst her growing faith. I could relate to her self-doubts, her guilt, her feelings of unworthiness. She always turned to God for help, but it never came easily or smoothly. It showed with stark realism the difficulty of trusting and submitting.

I especially liked the foray into the disdainful attitude of academia toward Christianity, which I had experienced in college. The author handles the subject with no holds barred and no easy answer, but provides a blanket of comfort as Ruby wrestles with the topic in both herself and with her coworkers.

There is a bit more sensuality in this novel than in the first Ruby Taylor mystery, "Romance Rustlers and Thunderbird Thieves." I liked how Ruby's push-pull relationship with Wesley is so gritty and full of mistakes and yet so familiar to all of us who've been burned by love, who desire to change and honor God in a Christ-centered relationship. Ruby and Wesley are both flawed people trying to find their way toward each other, trying to overcome the habits and behaviors of the past.

The Chick-Lit feel of the narrative kept my attention with Ruby's quirky metaphors and humorous outlook on her crazy life. I think that many Post-Modern Generation readers will like the atmosphere of the prose and relate to Ruby's thinking.

Sharon Dunn just keeps getting better. I'm looking forward to the third installment of the Ruby Taylor Mystery series, scheduled for 2005.

Rating:
Summary: A Comforting, Fun Read
Review: Ruby Taylor, the "sassy Cinderella" of this book's title, is certainly opinionated and determined. An adjunct English instructor at her local college, Ruby is a new Christian who finds herself repeating a self-written mantra of "Jesus, mocha, and chocolate" to remind herself where she finds safety and comfort whenever she's rattled. She's got a lot to be rattled about. Aat thirty-one, she's living with her mother (another fairly new Christian), who spent years in prison for embezzlement, "so I figure she owes me a few years of mothering." Her brother Jimmy suddenly pops up after a long absence to live with the two women, and meanwhile, the professor Ruby was hired to replace turns up dead.

Ruby starts to dig into the death of Theodore Aldridge, but finds herself constantly running afoul of her ex-boyfriend, local cop Wesley Burgess. He's supposed to be the "valiant vigilante," I guess --- but it's really Ruby who decides to exercise vigilante justice while looking in to Aldridge's relationship with his ex-wife, children, lover, and an odd student whom she herself now instructs, and who won't leave her alone.

The more Ruby interferes with the murder investigation, the more she and Wesley interfere with each other --- and since both of them have renewed their commitment to living by God's rules, they are wary of heating up a relationship they don't want to consummate. To complicate matters further, six-foot Ruby wears her newfound faith as awkwardly as she does her clothes (one memorable ensemble includes moon boots, a lilac down coat, and mismatched mittens). She's constantly making faux pas with her colleague Donita, an eccentric but very intelligent PhD who makes Ruby feel insecure both professionally and personally as Donita rebuffs Ruby's attempts to introduce her to Christ over a bowl of M&Ms.

Unfortunately, Ruby's ultimate lesson is more sickeningly sweet than a vat full of chocolate: the office cleaning lady, Celeste, has Down's Syndrome, and after a session of singing "Jesus Loves Me," Ruby realizes that Celeste's simple faith is more potent than her own. I didn't buy this any more than I bought Ruby and Wesley's ridiculously mangled dates --- but I did buy the idea that Ruby knows she doesn't belong in academia, and I did buy Ruby and Wesley's knowledge that their courtship is more about hearts and souls than hands and lips.

I also bought Dunn's ability to pace a murder mystery; the plot elements relating to Aldridge's murder, murderer, and motive were very well done (and it seems I'm now catching on to the author's taste for alliteration, too). One of the funniest things in the book is how Wesley, cop of the beat, nearly always fails to show up in time to save Ruby. (Her mother has an excellent scene where she does so, however.) This book goes down as quickly as chocolate, as smoothly as a mocha, and leaves more than a lingering taste for Jesus --- just the thing for a comforting, fun read.

--- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick

Rating:
Summary: A Comforting, Fun Read
Review: Ruby Taylor, the "sassy Cinderella" of this book's title, is certainly opinionated and determined. An adjunct English instructor at her local college, Ruby is a new Christian who finds herself repeating a self-written mantra of "Jesus, mocha, and chocolate" to remind herself where she finds safety and comfort whenever she's rattled. She's got a lot to be rattled about. Aat thirty-one, she's living with her mother (another fairly new Christian), who spent years in prison for embezzlement, "so I figure she owes me a few years of mothering." Her brother Jimmy suddenly pops up after a long absence to live with the two women, and meanwhile, the professor Ruby was hired to replace turns up dead.

Ruby starts to dig into the death of Theodore Aldridge, but finds herself constantly running afoul of her ex-boyfriend, local cop Wesley Burgess. He's supposed to be the "valiant vigilante," I guess --- but it's really Ruby who decides to exercise vigilante justice while looking in to Aldridge's relationship with his ex-wife, children, lover, and an odd student whom she herself now instructs, and who won't leave her alone.

The more Ruby interferes with the murder investigation, the more she and Wesley interfere with each other --- and since both of them have renewed their commitment to living by God's rules, they are wary of heating up a relationship they don't want to consummate. To complicate matters further, six-foot Ruby wears her newfound faith as awkwardly as she does her clothes (one memorable ensemble includes moon boots, a lilac down coat, and mismatched mittens). She's constantly making faux pas with her colleague Donita, an eccentric but very intelligent PhD who makes Ruby feel insecure both professionally and personally as Donita rebuffs Ruby's attempts to introduce her to Christ over a bowl of M&Ms.

Unfortunately, Ruby's ultimate lesson is more sickeningly sweet than a vat full of chocolate: the office cleaning lady, Celeste, has Down's Syndrome, and after a session of singing "Jesus Loves Me," Ruby realizes that Celeste's simple faith is more potent than her own. I didn't buy this any more than I bought Ruby and Wesley's ridiculously mangled dates --- but I did buy the idea that Ruby knows she doesn't belong in academia, and I did buy Ruby and Wesley's knowledge that their courtship is more about hearts and souls than hands and lips.

I also bought Dunn's ability to pace a murder mystery; the plot elements relating to Aldridge's murder, murderer, and motive were very well done (and it seems I'm now catching on to the author's taste for alliteration, too). One of the funniest things in the book is how Wesley, cop of the beat, nearly always fails to show up in time to save Ruby. (Her mother has an excellent scene where she does so, however.) This book goes down as quickly as chocolate, as smoothly as a mocha, and leaves more than a lingering taste for Jesus --- just the thing for a comforting, fun read.

--- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick

Rating:
Summary: Sassy Indeed!
Review: Sharon Dunn populates a suspenseful plot with eccentric and endearing characters. Ruby Taylor has an attitude that is meant to protect her from getting involved in yet another in a long string of disappointing romances, but when Wesley Burgess steps back into her life as she faces unexpected danger, her defenses begin to crumble. Add a mother who served prison time and a long-lost brother who's involved in some highly questionable activities, and you've got a lively story that will keep you laughing, tearing up, and turning those pages!

Dunn does a super job of letting us see the vulnerability Ruby struggles so hard to hide from those around her. Ruby is determined to be obedient to God in all her relationships and avoid the dead-end paths she pursued before, but it seems as if no matter how hard she tries, she keeps messing up.

I found myself relating to the issues Ruby wrestles with and caring a lot about how she resolves them. This is an easy, enjoyable read with a message that will grip your heart. I highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Kept Me Turning Pages til Three
Review: The evening after my copy of Sassy Cinderella arrived, I tucked my baby in for the night and settled down for a good read. One by one, other family members said thier "good nights" and went to sleep. I read on. I finished the entire story in one sitting, finally closing the book at 3 a.m.!

As other reviewers have said, it's a fun book. I like Sharon Dunn's brand of humor, and I enjoyed the mystery, though I found the resolution a bit unclear. Even so, it was niether the laughs nor curiousity about who-dunnit that kept me up so late. It was the realistic characters facing up to real life challenges. Without becoming heavy, Sassy Cinderella incorporates such issues as wounded souls, the search for one's own life's work, hurtful words that seem to leap from the mouth of thier own accord, and awkwardness in the face of romantic emotions. Dunn's treatment of witnessing, as the attracting of others to the Christian faith is called in some circles, is of particular interest to me. Like Ruby, I have often felt that many of the recommended approaches to witnessing seem artificial, forced, and counter-productive.

As Christians, Ruby and her boyfriend have chosen to limit the physical expressions of thier mutual attraction. Ruby and Wesley make the most of the few, chaste, physical expressions that they're sure thier self-control can handle. Dunn skillfully proves that a writer need not produce R-rated material in order to generate excitement. I felt every tingle, zing, and explosion right along with Ruby!

It has been said that humor is one of the most effective ways to communicate important truths. Perhaps mystery is another. In conclusion, Sassy Cinderella offers something for everyone. It's funny; it's intriquing; and it's deep.


Rating:
Summary: Kept me guessing until the end.
Review: When a professor at the local university dies, Ruby Taylor is hired to take his place. She soon finds out that working at the university is not all she dreams it will be. Is Dr. Aldridge's death really suicide as everyone suspects? Suspenseful events soon start Ruby thinking otherwise.

Not long after Ruby starts her new job, her long-lost brother shows up in the early hours of the morning. At first, Ruby and her mother are convinced it is a prowler and call the police. The policeman who responds is none other than Wesley-Ruby's long-time love interest.

Soon it becomes apparent that things aren't as they seem on the surface. Who is the man who showed up on Ruby's doorstep? Is it really her brother? Who is the person hanging out around Ruby's office late at night - and who breaks in when she is away from her desk? What are they looking for?

SASSY CINDERELLA AND THE VALIANT VIGILANTE is an exciting page turning mystery. Readers will want to read the first book in the series Romance Rustlers and Thunderbird Thieves first as this book refers back to some of the previous events.

Ruby is an adorably sassy heroine, and I hoped that she would be able to at least earn a date with her hero. Sort of a chick lit type of mystery, the reader is instantly drawn into the story. I am usually able to figure out who the perpetrator is pretty quickly, but SASSY CINDERELLA kept me guessing until the end.

--- reviewed by Laura V. Hilton for Christian Bookshelf

Rating:
Summary: Fun read
Review: With a touch of mystery, romance and a sassy college professor who works part-time at a feed store and pokes her nose into things full-time, Sharon Dunn has spun a delightful tale. Ruby Taylor is real woman learning to love God, her family, herself--and maybe the new guy on the policeforce. Or didn't she already decide that wasn't a good idea? At the rate she keeps running into him while investigating a former co-worker's suspicious suicide and her long lost brother's strange activities, it's hard to forget her feelings for Wesley, the town's rookie cop. I loved Ruby's sassy attitude and her sincere faith, but the cleaning lady and her simple, honest love impressed me most of all. Though the main plot will keep the pages turning, Sharon has sprinkled a few jewels about families, forgiveness and forgetting the past between the pages. Pick it up. You won't be sorry.