Into His Arms

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Great!
Review: I haven't read a historical romance in quite a while, but I picked this one up based on the great cover quote and the price. Am I glad I did. The characters were well drawn and unique--no cardboard cutouts here. I really liked that the author showed the herione discovering who she has always been--not changing to meet a man's needs/desires. If you like sexy heros and strong heriones Into His Arms is for you.

Rating:
Summary: Wow.
Review: I must say that "Into His Arms" is probably the best romance debut I've ever read. Four stars from me isn't what it is with many reviewers--with me four stars are about as good as it gets. I'm almost ashamed I only paid $3.99 for it when I pay two or three times as much for books from authors who don't come close to Paula Reed's quality.

Faith Cooper is the sheltered Puritan daughter of a loving home. When she unknowingly attracts the attention of the cold, hard-line, middle-aged minister in her Massachusetts town she finds herself in an unexpected quandary. When the minister tells her parents that she must marry him, they look for a way out, but believing the man is God's vessel on earth they feel they would be fighting God's will to go against him. Faith, ever obedient and seeking to be a good Christian woman, knows she cannot marry this man and so decides she must risk disownment and leave the family she loves. Her plan is to seek refuge with an aunt in Jamaica who was disowned for marrying a Catholic.

Geoff Hampton is leading the life he always wanted. A privateer and captain of his own ship, he seems merely amused when he finds the prim Puritan stowaway. He doesn't expect to be irresistibly drawn to the woman, and he doesn't expect her to slowly make him change his perspective on life.

The plot of "Into His Arms" isn't original. You're probably reading the description and thinking that you've seen this before. Trust me, you haven't. Paula Reed has given this story such depth that for the first few chapters I'm convinced it can't be a real romance novel. These characters are so well fleshed out that every action and motivation seems real and sincere. There's nothing brand new here, and to be honest there are many clichés, but here they're handled so gently by this master storyteller that I find myself deeply moved--this is proof that in the right hands, even the most tired plot becomes new again.

Faith's crisis and subsequent journey have not just caused an inconvenience, they've forced her to question her faith and take a hard look at the beliefs she's held dear all of her life. There's character development and an internal journey here that you just don't see in romance novels. Not that there isn't romance, because there is and it is so passionate but so sweet at the same time that I find myself completely swept away by it.

Geoff doesn't quite get the full character treatment that Faith does, but the book doesn't really suffer for it. He grows as his love for Faith grows and he eventually experiences his own sort of epiphany. The funny thing is that the plot would make you think that Geoff is the bloodthirsty, lusty pirate type, but he isn't. In a way, he's really a beta type hero. Not to say he isn't a thoroughly and deliciously confident male, but he isn't a jerk like you expect normal alpha heroes to be. I love him, he's not just a romance novel hero, he's a real life hero you could live with. I'd happily jump "Into His Arms".

There are a few minor problems with this book. I enjoy the way that the anti-villain, Diego, is portrayed and how he's fully fleshed out, but I think his character gets a little too much attention. But maybe that's just because I'm so accustomed to normal romance formula, or maybe it's because I begrudge him every paragraph that could have been dedicated to the love story. Regardless, I actually hope he gets his own book, and that might be the first time I've ever thought that about a secondary character.

Also, the story slows a bit toward the end; not terribly, and it's still very readable, but it ends more in the way you'd expect a real book to, rather than a romance novel. Again, this problem may be more from me expecting formula and not exactly getting it. My preference would be to tighten up the story just a bit, and maybe tighten up the romance a little. But in the end I don't really care about any of my minor issues with the book.

"Into His Arms" is beautiful. I absolutely recommend it to anyone, and actually plan to hand it off to a couple of my friends who aren't romance fans. It's that good. And, it shows the potential this author has. I am almost afraid to say that I'm expecting great things from her, because I've read good debuts before and thought authors would get better but then they didn't. Then again, I've never read a debut this good, so I'm quietly crossing my fingers. Buy this book, you won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: A Compelling Debut!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Paula Reed's debut novel, Into His Arms. The characters were fresh and unique, well developed, believable and consistent. The romance was palpable and the characters remained true to themselves even as they fell in love and learned invaluable lessons about acceptance and trust. Descriptions were vivid, and I felt myself transported back in time, enjoying the glimpse of 17th Century Massachussetts, the Caribbean, and Jamaica. Ms. Reed clearly did her research, and it shows! This was a can't-put-down read that stays with you long after you read the last page.

I highly recommend Into His Arms, and I look forward to Ms. Reed's future releases!

Rating:
Summary: A Friend in Faith
Review: Paula Reed has written a romantic story that is also thought provoking and engaging.

The heroine, Faith, is written so that you can't help but like her. I found that I really cared about what happened to her. She's not just your ordinary pretty face in a romance novel!

I can't wait to read For Her Love! Thank you Paula Reed for an extraordinary and romantic read.

Rating:
Summary: Debut novel promises more to come
Review: Paula Reed's debut novel does what all good novels should do: leave you wanting more. Fortunately, INTO HIS ARMS is the first of a trilogy set in the Caribbean. Its believable characters are ones that you want in your life for a very long time. Faith Cooper immediately earns your sympathy when she is in danger of being forced into marriage with an exceptionally strict Puritan minister who is clearly destined to be a cruel, religiously fanatical husband with no love in his heart for his wife. He firmly believes that lust is a sin, even within the bounds of marriage and that he must help Faith learn to be an obedient Puritan wife. Faith's parents approve of the marriage so she has no choice but to run away from all that she has ever known.

Geoffrey Hampton is the captain of the ship where Faith has stowed away. He is immediately attracted to the beauty. Since it is painfully clear that she is a "lady," Geoff's second in command and best friend extracts a promise that Geoff will not touch Faith unless she admits that she wants him, too.

The story is fast-paced while Faith learns to deal with the many aspects of Geoff's life on land and at sea as she journeys to the island where her mother's estranged sister lives. Her father ostracized Faith's aunt because she married a Catholic. Since Geoff is a privateer for the English crown, there are encounters with Spanish pirates and unscrupulous sailors on and off shore. Of course, there is also the ever-present attraction between the ethical pirate and his stow-away. Since Geoff is an atheist, her aunt is a Catholic and Faith remains true to her Puritan upbringing, there are also many very interesting discussions of religious issues and their influences on society's cultures and beliefs.

Ms. Reed writes as if she were an experienced author. Her romance scenes are passionate; the adventure scenes are exciting. Her character development makes you want to know more about the secondary characters, opening the door for the sequels. One expects a happy ending to all of the challenges faced by Faith and Geoff, but you can't put the book down because you can't foresee how their problems can be resolved in a satisfactory way. One can only keep reading.

Hopefully, the second of the trilogy will be published soon.

Rating:
Summary: High seas: deep passion
Review: Paula Reed's debut novel is as thrilling as riding out a storm in a seventeenth century sailing vessel. Faith Cooper and Geoff Hampton are two of the most memorable characters I've met in a romance novel. Their journey--across the sea and toward a new understanding of themselves and the nature of love--is a journey we can all relate to.

Make a pot of tea, curl up and prepare to be transported into another world.