Review: Charged with Emotions
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 18, 2012
This is another emotionally charged story by Staci Stallings. DEEP IN THE HEART is still my favorite, but this one is very good, too--much better than COMING UNDONE.Jeff is one of the most unusal heroes. Although he is strong, courageous, and has hidden talents as a firefighter, he is extremely shy and self-conscious, especially around women. When he meets Lisa, circumstances and a strong attraction help them scale that rock wall.Lisa is pouring all her engeries into her advertising business, so she won't have time to feel lonely. She's attractive enough to have men hitting on her all the time, but she's tired of men who seek nothing but a physical relationship. She's had enough of fighting off unwanted advances and groping hands. In fact, she's given up on all men--that is until she meets the withdrawn Jeff. He doesn't even so much as touch her hand for the longest time, so she feels safe with him.The couple's relationship progresses nicely, albeit slowly, until one of Jeff's fellow firefighters is killed in an apartment fire, and Jeff's hands are severely burned trying to save him. Suddenly Lisa is faced with the fact she may someday find herself in the same situation as the dead friend's wife, whose storybook love match has now gone up in smoke, and Lisa doesn't think she could ever handle a similar situation. Jeff is deep in his own grief, but he realizes he can't ask Lisa to make the same sacrifice Eve has had to.I had only two possible criticisms of this book. First, Jeff and Lisa fall into such deep despair after the apartment fire that it went on for a little too long. It feels so real and is so understandable, however, the reader can relate. Secondly, in this novel, the Christianity seems more of an afterthought instead of being an intregal part. With the intensity of the grief, faith should have been a stonger element.These problems were minute when weighed against the scope of the full story, however. This novel is definitely a five.