One of the benefits of being on Bookstagram has been discovering new authors and books. In this case, I got to read a book by two new-to-me authors! Instead of a non-fiction book review today, I wanted to share The Bookish Bandit by Erica Dansereau and Britt Howard as it felt like reading a biography, especially of Charlie's parents and their missionary work. Many thanks to the authors for providing a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Book Synopsis
“Steal my heart, not my pages.”
Aspiring author Charlie Blaire never expected to stumble across her own novel at her favorite bookstore. Except this novel isn’t hers. Published under someone else’s name, the book she wrote to cope with the loss of her missionary parents is already topping charts.
Irate, confused, and determined to regain the rights to her book, Charlie leaves her idyllic life in the countryside of Vermont to set things straight in The Big Apple. When she crashes into a charming stranger who offers to help, her faith in humanity and God’s handiwork is restored. But when secrets unravel and the final pages have been turned, what’s too good to be true may turn a blossoming love story into a star-crossed tragedy.
Andrew Ketner has it all: charm, good looks, a sizable inheritance, and an almost-guaranteed future at the helm of one of New York City’s most prestigious publishing houses. While life looks perfect from the outside, living in the shadow of an overbearing father while reeling from the faith-crushing weight of personal loss has left him feeling like he’s hardly living at all.
When he stumbles across a discarded manuscript he is convinced will be an instant success, it sparks an ember of hope he thought was long extinguished. The world looks brighter until he finds himself thrown into an impossible situation. Will he protect his family’s legacy or end up falling in love with the woman whose novel they’ve unwittingly plagiarized?
Source: Amazon
Book Thoughts
This story left me up until the wee hours of the night due to how much it hooked me in. Let me just say that I was completely invested in seeing how Andrew and Charlie's story turned out. The Bookish Bandit is one of those books that has such an eternal focus that the conclusion is not only romantically worthwhile, it left me wanting to embrace the hope of Jesus Christ to an even greater extent. At the end of the day, the story moves beyond the manuscript to what it means to leave a legacy. If the legacy of this book is to point people toward spending eternity with God—as was Charlie's mission, Erica Dansereau and Britt Howard have accomplished exactly that.
In having read a different book about a stolen manuscript earlier in the year, this book was much more satisfying and palatable in that the authors did not belabour the justifications behind this behaviour. Amends are taken seriously, and the characters deal with the ramifications in a sober manner. While this book was entertaining, it also posed the question of what we would do if we found ourselves in a similar situation. Trusting in God is more than a trope; it is a theme that both Andrew and Charlie learn to embody in their lives, which The Bookish Bandit beautifully demonstrates.
Book Summary
- Format of book: 📱
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Recommendation: 👍
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