jjares reviewed on 7/10/2017 + 3308 more book reviews

Now that I've read almost all of Carla Kelly's books, I decided to re-read this book, that I originallyâ âconsidered proselytizing.

Julia Darling is engaged to the perfect man and isn't too happy about it. Ezra Quayle makes all the decisions and talks with her as if she were a child. Julia has just spent a year at the Fannie Farmer Cooking School and feels she knows a thing or two.

Younger sister Iris is getting married and Julia is preparing the food. When she sees how happy Iris and her new husband are, Julia comes to understand that something is seriously wrong with her engagement. She knows she must break the engagement but doesn't know how to broach the subject to her parents and Ezra.

While packing the last of Iris belongings for her move to her new husband's home, Julia comes across a newspaper ad for a cook; the headline reads, Desperate Rancher. The Wyoming ranch owner is looking for a cook. Julia decides to apply before she gets cold feet.

When Paul Otto sends back a ticket and an advance on her first month's wages, Julia decides to take the plunge. Things are very different out West; within minutes, men are introducing themselves to her and she receives a marriage proposal the first day. When she arrives at the Otto ranch, things are not Fannie Farmer fresh.

Taken as a whole, this is a moving story about a life-long Mormon meeting a man who is searching for more meaning in his life. Julia does not preach; she shows Paul a way through her example. Paul's interest in Mormonism is subtle and takes a long time to gel.

The title has an interesting slant; it is referring to a person's faith must be their own, not a borrowed light from another. I enjoy Carla Kelly's books because the plots and characters actions are so inventive.

Borrowed Light
1. Borrowed Light (2011)
2. Enduring Light (2012)

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