pretender review

The Pretender:A Blackguard in Disguise is the first book in the Caselli family Series. This book is set in the 1980's in the United States but with strong ties to Italy. The Caselli framily has been in the USA for over 10 years but still have many of the same cultural ties to the old country. The Caselli family had 3 sons then after much prayer finally had a daughter,Tillie, on which the entire family doted, loved, and fiercely protected. Tillie, also called Angel by the family, is not allowed to date until she is 18 without an escort and she is soon going to be 18. On a trip with her classmates to the Black Hills from her Sious Falls home in South Dakota Tillie happens to meet Noah who is a local young man who likes his alcohol and drugs. Tillie and Noah fall madly in love and quickly decide to marry. Noah completely changes his life, drops his vices cold turkey and starts faithfully attending the church that his brother officiates becoming a Christian. Unbeknownst to him however Tillie sees him in the local bar and an old girlfriend of his has drunkenly kissed him before he can get away from her. Tillie thinks that he has a girlfriend besides her and believes him to be a blackguard. A blackguard to her means a non-Christian man who is untrustworthy and certainly not a person who she would want to marry or even date. Tillie refuses to see him again and doesn't even talk to him about the incident. Noah continues to carry a torch for her, builds a house for them to live in after they marry and never knows why Tillie just dropped off the face of the Earth. Tillie settles into a depression for a long time worrying her family. Just a hint this is not your usual love story where it all works out and the two of them live happily ever after. They both do live happily but not together. I like this book and would love to read the rest of the series. It is a well written Christian love story that all the way through it I wanted to knock some sense into Tillie. It would be a good book for young and older women: I can't see men or boys being interested. It is a good book on judging those who one is sure has wronged them. Even though the book ends with Tillie just knowing that Noah wronged her and was not worthy of forgiveness the reader is always aware of Noah's goodness and trustworthiness. A good though for us all to remember that our life would be much richer in the way that is in God's plan if we planned our life around love and forgiveness instead of whatever it is that we are so sure that God's plan is. We all need to remember God is LOVE. I received this book in a giveaway from www.interviewsandreviews.com. (submitted by CB)