Snow Angel by Jamie Carie

Elizabeth, grown as the story opens, is obsessed with finding gold in the Yukon and ensuring her future. Adopted by a seedy couple to provide cheap labor panning for gold, she is forced perform some immoral acts. Hounded by an evil detective hired to locate her she learns how evil when he rapes her. Thereafter, she will do anything necessary for her survival.

During a severe storm, Noah finds Elizabeth at his door. Noah is a handsome, strong, God fearing man. He realizes as he gets to know her that she is fighting demons. Fate steps in again as the villainous detective shows up and threatens to kill Noah if she will not accompany him. She manages to escape with a group going panning for gold.

When Noah discovers she is gone, he is driven to find her, recognizing that he now loves Elizabeth perhaps more than he loves God, and although it bothers him, he accepts it as he has other forces in his life. When he catches up and asks her to marry him she lies to him since she considers herself unworthy of his devotion and love. She tells him she is already married.

Crushed, he helps her set up her camp and is about to leave her, when Joe, the evil detective, shows up and again threatens her but during the argument the truth comes out that she isn’t married. Noah is forced to defend himself and kills Joe.

Elizabeth and Noah marry and this should be a happily ever after ending, but Jane finds her using the papers that she had found after her father’s death. She explains the circumstances of Elizabeth’s birth. Elizabeth is confused. Noah agrees that she should go to New York City with her mother knowing that he may never see her again. When he is at his depth of despair with no hope in sight, he sees the aurora borealis and he hears God’s voice again.

The author was clever in her use of the prologue to set the back story, the use of actual letters to indicate that Elizabeth’s mother tried hard to find her child, and then the final shock of the grandfather’s malice.

Pacing was good; language was lush and her descriptions and use of adjectives were stunning; Carie's style is introspective and she has a keen ear for good dialogue.

Snow Angel is an excellent example of the Christian genre. Throughout the story, Noah keeps his love of God and because Noah has been ever faithful to God, He gives him that which he desires most.

Snow Angel is a pleasure to read.

Reviewer: Sandra McCart