I had the chance to read "When Sparrows Fall" by Meg Moseley with WaterBrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program.
From the back cover:
Freedom. Safety. Love.
Miranda vows to reclaim them--for herself, and for her children.
A widow and mother of six, Miranda Hanford leads a quiet, private life. When the pastor of her close-knit church announces his plans to move the entire congregation to another state, Miranda jumps at the opportunity to dissolve ties with Mason Chandler and his controlling method of ruling his flock. But then Mason threatens to unearth secrets from her past, and Miranda feels trapped, terrified she’ll be unable to protect her children.
College professor Jack Hanford is more than surprised when he gets a call from his estranged sister-in-law’s oldest son, Timothy, informing him that Miranda has taken a serious fall and he has been named legal guardian of her children while she recovers. Quickly charmed by Miranda’s children, Jack brings some much-needed life into the sheltered household. But his constant challenging of the family’s conservative lifestyle makes the recovering mother uneasy and defensive—despite Jack’s unnerving appeal.
As Jack tries to make sense of the mysterious Miranda and the secrets she holds so tightly, Mason’s pressure on her increases. With her emotions stirring and freedom calling, can Miranda find a way to unshackle her family without losing everything?
I really liked this book. Although I found myself critiquing it in places and wondering if I actually liked it, I wanted to keep reading. I was surprised at how much the topic of homeschooling came up, because I am considering homeschooling in the future. I enjoyed the look into a Christian-fringe type of homeschooling family and agreed with the character Jack in his assessment of what was wrong and what was right about the way Miranda was doing things. I felt for the characters and fell in love with the children! I also enjoyed the spiritual journey of Jack and Miranda....and the love story of course!
What I didn't like was the blatant "hiding" of facts from the characters past. I felt like the author said the same things over and over and although I wanted to know more, I would rather have the hint of secrets than being told repeatedly about them but not revealing them. Does that even make sense?
I am giving this book 4 stars. 3.5 really. I liked it and wanted to pick the book up in free moments to read, but I didn't love it.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
