Review: a sweet romance with a different storyline
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 24, 2012
I thought this was a very different plotline.I really liked Father Dominguez and his relationships: as a `son' and comrade to his senior Priest, as a father figure and friend to the young orphan, Chris, and as a potential love interest to the secular young woman, Antoinette, "Toni."Father Dominguez meets the Toni at the bookstore and he is awed by her beauty. He is surprised when they meet again and he can barely imagine that she is interested in him.  He cannot tell her where he lives or that he is a priest. He has to sneak out in the middle of the night to see her.His dilemma becomes more difficult as he continues to spend time with her, their friendship grows and they even go on a picnic with Chris.The clear - or you might say muddled - dilemma: Father Dominguez's life has been pledged to love and serve God.  He feels he cannot love another person in a full, personal way even when Toni is so clearly enamored with him. Can he change the commitments of his life? Would it be a betrayal or abandonment of his pledge?He burdens himself with lies and sneaking out like a teenage girl sneaking out to visit a boyfriend the parents disapprove of. Oddly when he counsels such a young girl he does not extend the circumstances or advise to his own situation. This is a true human failing that we are often blinded to our own circumstances, especially if we want to justify our wrong actions. Can Father Dominguez come to accept the possibility of a love and live other than what he has known?The story flows nicely and I was kept interested to find out what would happen. There were parts where I shook my head and parts where I was close to tears.  I liked the ending which has a bit of a surprise, even while there is some sadness too.  The interesting plot, likeable characters, natural emotion and human dilemma make a good package. I am interested to read more by this author.On a personal note - I am not Catholic although I was raised in a fairly "high" Episcopal church before moving toward to a charismatic, Evangelical  church home. When I was a teenager I actually saw a similar dilemma in real life with one of our Priests. Therefore I was even more curious where this story would go - I wasn't disappoited.