Book Description:
Lexie Logan thought she could run from God…but like the Prophet Jonah, she soon faced a storm of epic proportions.
Lexie knows God has called her to the mission field of Guatemala as a missionary’s wife, but she has no intention of obeying. She has her own dreams: she wants to complete a Master’s degree program in music and to play violin for the Topeka Symphony Orchestra.
As she waits to speak to an advisor, she pillows her head on her arms in the library of Kansas State University in June 2014, and wakes up in the back of a Conestoga wagon in June 1857, four years before the Civil War. Kansas is not yet a state, women do not have the vote, and slavery divides the nation. She is taken in by the Bells, who are homesteading in the newly opened territory.
While she lives with this family, God teaches her many things about obedience, trust, faithfulness, and love, but the most important lesson she learns is that there is no place in time or space where she can go to run from God, and there is nothing that can separate her from His love.
When given a second chance, will she obey though there is risk involved, or will she play it safe and settle for second-best?
My Thoughts:
First of all, let me begin by clarifying that I never, ever read science fiction, let alone fantasy. Ever. So, I had no idea what exactly I was getting into when I decided to read this book. All I can say is that I’m glad I gave it a chance.
Lexie Logan is a Christian, but she struggles with her plan and her will vs. God’s plans and God’s will. This is evident when her fiancé, Lance, tells her about his call to the mission field of Guatemala. Lexie already has her plans all laid out, and going to the mission field as a missionary’s wife isn’t one of them. Although she has some mixed feelings about saying no to being a missionary’s wife, Lexie continues on the path of her plans. While she waits to see an advisor at KSU, she falls asleep in the library and wakes up in a Conestoga wagon in June 1857 with people she has never seen before in her life. However, the family that finds her, the Bells, are on their way to a new homestead, and although they don’t understand why she’s dressed the way she is and why she’s so different from them, they take her in. What follows is a journey for Lexie, as well as a journey for the Bells and the others that Lexie comes to know during her time in the past.
I was completely sucked into the story from the get go. Once Lexie went back in time, I couldn’t read fast enough to find out what was going to happen. At first, and for quite some time, I found Lexie to be extremely annoying. Her reaction to so much of what was normal at that time was over the top. However, as God continued to allow her to go through certain things, and as He began to reveal things to her, she eventually came around. And that was what I enjoyed the most…her spiritual journey. Lexie’s journey had so many lessons about God’s love for us and plans for us. It was truly wonderful how the author wove all of that into the story, taking the reader along on the same spiritual journey that Lexie and the others went on. That being said, I not only recommend this book, but I will also be reading the rest of the trilogy. A big thank you to author Derinda Babcock for helping me find yet another genre to appreciate and enjoy.
*****I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and viewpoints are my own.
About the Author:
Derinda Babcock writes short stories and full-length historical novels (coming 2015). Most are told from the Christian world view.
