At Every Turn
4.2
5
21
21
Alyce Benson is as impulsive and impetuous as they come. Raised in a family of means in 1916, she is accustomed to getting things taken care of, with money never being an object. But when she offers to donate three thousand dollars to the missionary work in Africa, she gets in way over her head. Thinking her father will just give her the money, she is in for a disappointment when her father refuses to give to her cause.
Left up the creek with no paddle, she tries to get creative on raising the money herself. Having a secret love of fast automobiles, she comes up with an idea of a lifetime. Her father's mechanic, Webster, tells her that her father's company is sponsoring a car he's been working on in upcoming races across the country. The winner can take home up to five thousand dollars in prize money.
But money slips through her fingers as she sees needs in the community she can't ignore. She turns to Webster to help her safeguard the money, but then things come up about him that make her question her judgement to trust him. Will she be able to keep her word and have the money ready for the missionary couple who so desperately need it? Or will she loose everything even as she tries to salvage her promise and the man she has come to love?
Mateer as always, gives a spectacular novel that can't be rivaled. The characters are alive and vibrant, the story line refreshing and humorous at times. But the absolute best part about her novels is the fact that she makes you feel like the story is your own. You forget that you are in the present day as you, (for just a moment) pretend it is you who is behind the wheel driving madly for the finish line. I can promise you an adventure if you read this novel, and I know you will enjoy every bit as much as I did.
May 12, 2013
Fun, but light reading
Alyce Benson is impetuous, slightly spoiled and raised by a wealthy father. She has a good heart though, and when she is attending a mission service, gets caught up in the moment, pledges $3000 if the ladies can raise the matching sum. But when she asks her father for the money, he turns her down cold. Now, her problem is to figure out how to get the money on her own.
One thing goes wrong after another, but when she takes a hobby she has, love for speed and cars, she convinces her fatherâÂÂs mechanic to let her race secretly to get the prize money.
But nothing is ever easy; her friends start to try to make her think that her fatherâÂÂs mechanic and friend is not being honest with her.
Can she prove that he is what he says he is or should she trust the man that wants to marry her?
Anne Mateer has the knack for writing a story that will draw you in. Alyce is spoiled, yes, but she is also sincere in her bumbling mistakes. When she hears the missionaries, she just wants to help them so bad. I could so relate to her in that. She just really wanted to help and assumed something about her father as well. I saw that in the course of this book, she grew up a lot. I loved the talks with her grandma, and thought that romance part of it was really sweetly done. It was not over the top, or super descriptive, but was just sweet.
This book was provided for review from Bethany House Publishing. The thoughts included are my own and mine alone.
December 12, 2012
A Flowery Romance
Anne Mateer spins an interesting plot in her book, At Every Turn. After hearing from missionaries on their way to Africa, Alyce Benson falls in love with a picture of some of the African children and impulsively pledges $3,000 to help the missionaries reach them. But when her unsaved Father refuses to give his money to spread the Gospel, Alyce finds herself weaving her own web of deceit in order to raise the money.
Working with her father's mechanic, Webster Little, Alyce disguises herself as a man in order to race cars in a sport that doesn't allow women. Along the way, she becomes entangled with feelings for both Webster and her father's accountant, Lawrence Trotter, who seems to want to help further her cause. Can she raise the money in time to help the missionaries? And how will she choose who wins her heart?
I enjoyed a turn of plot for a change, and I think that Mateer had the right idea. But oftentimes, her descriptions were a bit too much, when simple words would do. At times, I hurried through sections simply to get to the point!
While I found the plot interesting, I don't think I am likely to become an avid follower of this author.
*These opinions are my own. I was given a free copy by Bethany House Publishers to review.
November 18, 2012
At Every Turn
" 'I can drive her, Webster.'
"He chuckled. 'I know you can, Ally, butâÂÂ'
"I tugged at his sleeve until he turned. 'I need to drive her.'
"He straightened, hands on his hips.
"I gulped in as much air as my lungs would hold. 'I need to drive her in the race.'
" 'You what?' "
From the moment that Ally drives on to the pages, she captured and intrigued me to no end. She was lively, expressive, and had a passion for helping others. She made some mistakesâÂÂstarting with the fact that she promised to donate $3,000 to African missionariesâÂÂbut I could not help but root for her. Now, the main two leading guys brings up a problem. From the moment the book started, I was rooting for one guy (though I will not say which one). One ended up being rotten to the core, while the other one, who Ally had a hard time trusting, was the one with heroic character.
Although there were a few slow parts and the plot was not amazing, I enjoyed this book (especially after seeing it was in first person, narrated by Ally). It kept me reading way past midnight, flipping through the pages as fast as Ally sped in her vehicles. What drew me most was not the plot twists, action intensity moments, or epic journey, but the way characters seemed to breathe the same air as me, the descriptions that placed myself in the scenery, the unique situations that Ally faced, and the emotion-evoking scenes caused tears to be shed and laughter to be sung.
"I dropped to my knees beside him. His eyes fluttered open, head looked to one side. 'Go.'
"At least that was what it looked like he'd said. I heard nothing but the whine of engines circling the track.
"Then his eyes drifted shut."
Although the description pulls out the details that make At Every Turn seem like the main focal point is romance, I did not see it as such. Because of this, I think I enjoyed the book even more then I would have if it was all about romance. I loved how Ally's and the leading man's relationship played out. He was the perfect gentlemen, respecting her boundaries and aiding her through all situations; despite if she overly harsh on him.
This book was clean. I recommend it to anyone who loves a little bit of sas and excitement with a sweet story of friendship blossoming into love on the side.
I give this read four twirling wheels out of five for keeping me reading at every turn.
4 Stars
I received this book free from the publisher through Bethany House's book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
November 16, 2012
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