AUTHOR: Julie Arduini
DATE: 2014
PUBLISHER: Write Integrity Press
STARS: *****
Jenna Anderson, sassy city-girl, plows--literally--into Adirondack village, Speculator Falls with a busted GPS. She gets a warning from the sheriff but has ideas for the senior center to prove she belongs in town as their director. Town councilman Ben Regan is as broken as the flower box Jenna demolished. He’s grieving and wants to shut down the center before there’s too much change and heartbreak. They work on community projects and build a slow relationship, but the council needs to vote on the senior center’s future. Can Jenna show Ben both her and the center are worth trusting?
The author’s first person, present tense style of writing challenged me at first, but by the third or fourth paragraph, the power of the story drew me into Speculator Falls and the wonderful, sometimes quirky citizens there. I loved getting to know Jenna, Ben, Howard, and the other residents of Speculator Falls. Jenna’s drive to succeed in the place she feels God has called her, in spite of her fears of failure and rejection, spoke to my heart. In fact, all these characters are so well drawn, I’m sure I would recognize them if I could visit that homey small town. They will remain in my heart for a long time.
Entrusted is a well-written story with wonderful characters, a setting that makes me want to visit, and a storyline that tugs at the heart. For these reasons, I give Entrusted and its author five stars.