The Fire in Ember

Synopsis: "John Timmons' life is planned and orderly. He cares for his mother and four younger brothers, and their future depends on him to keep their Colorado ranch profitable. Ember Farrar (Bert) has run away from her lawbreaking family in search of a new life. But, when she attempts to return a horse that her brother had stolen, ranch hands believe she is a thief and a boy and they plan to hang her. John, who is also a deputy marshal, breaks up the hanging. After paying for the stolen horse, he takes the boy home to work off the debt. Later he learns Bert is a girl who refuses to tell him who she is and why she possessed a stolen horse. When ranchers report stolen cattle, Bert is a natural suspect. John is touched by Bert's sweet spirit and natural gift of music. Surely she's not a cattle thief. Bert fears for their lives when she is forced to either help her brothers steal or put the Timmons in danger. When John thinks Bert has betrayed him, he ignores God and turns revengeful. Will John learn who Bert truly is? Will their lives ever return back to normal?"

I did not enjoy "The Fire in Ember," by Diann Mills. It was boring and did not hold my interest, I had to put in a lot of effort just to finish it. The plot of a girl trying to escape her law-breaking family and right their wrongs, meets a man who was wronged by them, falls in love with said man, said man finds out about family ties and must decide if he can trust her, yada yada yada... Also, Bert's "conversion" was hardly believable and it seemed the author implied that works and repentance were necessary for salvation. The characters were one dimensional and I could not relate to them at all. I am glad I did not pay money for this book. I received it for review as part of the Zondervan Publishers blog program.