#BookReview: Sins of the Mother - Victoria Christopher Murray

I'm a little slow to this party, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it.  The publisher sent me a copy of Sins of the Mother as a "you might also like" when I requested another book.  It took me a minute to realize that this was part of a series, but with a few minor exceptions, it was easy to catch up on what was going on.

Jasmine Larson Bush has had a pretty colorful past.  And I'd fill you in on that past, but all I could make out was that she slept with her archenemy's husband and got pregnant, while married to a minister herself.  Jasmine's husband, Hosea, agreed to love and raise Jasmine's daughter with Brian as his own and has done so for the past five years.  A shopping trip during the holidays turns from a joyous occasion into a tragedy when Jacqueline, the Bush's daughter, is kidnapped in the mall.

Brian and Alexis have had a rocky time since Brian slept with Jasmine Bush years ago.  Their once perfect marriage ended in divorce, but that hasn't stopped Brian from making every effort to reconcile with Alexis.  The stubborn Alexis has tried to distract herself with other men, but in her mind, she knows that her heart still belongs to Brian.  When news that his daughter has been kidnapped is brought to their attention, Brian rushes to Jasmine's side and leaves Alexis wondering if she's going to be hurt by him once again.

What did you like about this book?
Even though this is billed as Christian lit, the author doesn't go overboard with Biblical references.  Instead, they're sprinkled through as appropriate and the reader isn't overwhelmed by them.

What didn't you like about this book?
There's an assumption by the author that anyone picking up this book has read the previous books leading up to it.  While it was not difficult to follow along, it would have been helpful if more background was given about the characters so that anyone reading would have been brought up to speed immediately.  The members of the church disliked Jasmine, but the reader is not really told why.  Jasmine and Hosea live in New York, Brian and Alexis live in California.  If you're not familiar with the story, you have to draw your own conclusion as to how these couples met, interacted, etc.

What could the author do to improve this book?
As I said, additional background would have been great.

400pp
Published June 2010
Disclaimer: Received from the publisher

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