Paula Vince's Adelaide Hills Trilogy and new title, entry to CALEB 2011: Best Forgotten
From the author:
The relationship between our thinking patterns and what we make of our lives fascinates me. How much is somebody’s personality shaped by his sum of experiences? To what extent do the thoughts we choose make us into the people we are? When we erase the baggage and allow God to form us into something new, do we get a fresh chance to become the people we were meant to be? I have tried to weave these questions into a mystery/romance novel. I love it when a work of fiction not only entertains readers but also helps change us at the core. It’s a quest I’ve tried to take seriously.
BEST FORGOTTEN
Paula Vince
Even Before Publishing
Readers are now accustomed to expect a quality book with Christian under-tones from Paula Vince. But even so her latest book Best Forgotten surpasses others with romance, suspense, murder and intrigue interwoven with empathy and concern.
Courtney Lockwood awakes in hospital to find himself to be a young man without a past—total amnesia. His dental records confirm his identity and he is reunited with his family. But Courtney Lockwood with amnesia is a very different person from the Courtney Lockwood who raced in front of a car a few days earlier. What was he doing? Why was he running? Who was he running from? Courtney had yet to learn that all things do work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
In Best Forgotten Paula Vince has written another suspenseful novel that grips the imagination and deserves to become a bestseller. DS
Best forgotten by Paula Vince. Even Before Publishing, 2011 pb 284p $24.95
This is a mystery novel with an intriguing plot. Courtney has been struck by a car and wakes up in hospital with amnesia, and a strong sense of terror. Disturbingly he can’t remember why or of whom he needs to be afraid. With a family and girlfriend that he cannot remember, his surroundings show him that he has been leading a lifestyle that he now despises. Again the author evokes the reader’s empathy for her very genuine characters. The novel touches on themes of regrets, forgiveness and a God who changes lives. I found it hard to put this page turner down. AA, ACLA
PICKING UP THE PIECES
Paula Vince
Even Before Publishing
On his first date quiet and introverted teenager Blake Quinlan succumbs to a devastating crime of passion. The next seven years sees two families distraught and torn apart by blame, bitterness and remorse.
Set mainly in the Adelaide Hills Picking up the Pieces by Paula Vince is a gripping story that is hard to put down. So much so that I read it in just one day. Journey with the Parker and the Quinlan families as each family member discovers the darkness and hidden sin deep in their own hearts and their own need for repentance and forgiveness. This book is Christian fiction at its best: always exciting but with many delicate issues addressed in a sensitive and compassionate way. Be prepared to expect the unexpected. You will not be disappointed.
DS
PICKING UP THE PIECES
Paula Vince
Even Before Publishing
Two characters, whose lives have been blighted by a thoughtless, drunken moment, try to find a way to live with the knowledge of what they’ve become. Both the offender and the victim struggle to find a way to assuage the guilt and to overcome their grief. Vince gives us a compelling story about forgiveness, new beginnings and the grace of God. WN
PICKING UP THE PIECES
Paula Vince
Even Before Publishing
The Parker family and the Quinlan family are beset by a morass of life dramas. Discovering how they deal with the negatives in life provides not just a not just a page-turning reading experience but also some valuable life lessons. A romantic fiction story with a strong message about making wise choices and forgiving past mistakes. ACLA
A DESIGN OF GOLD
Paula Vince
Even Before Publishing
When the body of Shane is found washed up on the beach, his friend Nicola had no way of knowing the depths of pain and injustice she would experience, nor the way her life was about to change.
A Design of Gold is a family saga that holds the reader’s attention while promoting healthy Christian values. The story follows the lives of several young people and their families who are struggling to come to a place of peace, forgiveness and trust as they work through their grief in different ways. As a reader, I found myself entering into their lives, seeing the world from another perspective and quite often being engrossed in the story.
A Design of Gold deserves a place in libraries everywhere as a book to be read and re-read.
DS
A DESIGN OF GOLD
Paula Vince
Even Before Publishing
Reeling from a trauma which has left her struggling with grief and guilt, Nicola finds refuge in the Bowman’s home. Their son, Jerome, yearns to make a difference in the world but can’t see the needs under his own nose. Michael is trying to change his life but the odds are against him. The three young people discover love, acceptance and the true meaning of discipleship. This romantic drama, the sequel to The Risky Way Home, keeps the reader absorbed all the way through. WN
A design of gold by Paula Vince. Wombat Books, 2009 pb 239p
This novel picks up characters and threads from two of the author’s previous novels ‘Risky way home’ and ‘Picking up the pieces’. Set in Mount Barker SA, the novel centres on several young adults - Nicola, blaming herself for a tragedy, seeks refuge staying with family friends, while she grapples with guilt and self image issues. Her life then intertwines with Jerome, who has an idealistic fervor to make a difference with his life and Michael who is trying hard to guide his life away from past mistakes. The characters and plot work well together, with both romance and drama. Themes of Christian mentoring, acceptance and kindness run throughout. AA (published in ACLA newsletter, Off the Shelf)
THE RISKY WAY HOME
Paula Vince
Appleleaf Books
This is an excellent romance novel in which Paula Vince has blended wonderful characterisation with nail-biting suspense to create a down-to-earth story set in modern-day Adelaide.
I love the way she has brought out the characters’ real emotions without trying to over-spiritualise them. The characters all have vices, except perhaps old ‘Mophead’, the quiet hero, and even he has been through his struggles. There is a thread of gospel message which is directly applicable to the characters’ experiences. Rather than slotting in this message and tying it into the story (just in case the reader wants to make a commitment), Paula has brought out an element of walking with God that is part of everyday life. She has made it more real by incorporating the vulnerability and struggles of the characters with temptation, values and social prejudices.
It is one of those books where all the characters grow. They all end up better off at the end (except the villain) and each of them face and deal with their personal issues or vices. I have to say the plot is slightly predictable… I could tell roughly how it was going to finish up after the first couple of chapters. Nevertheless, I lost several hours sleep in restless anxiety waiting to finish reading it the following morning!
I think the characters really make this book, and Paula Vince has an excellent grasp of how personalities and relationships work. This is a non-threatening book to offer non-Christians, and enjoyable for everyone. AC
Picking up the Pieces, A Design of Gold and The Risky Way Home are available online from one of our sponsors. Or at your local Christian bookstore.