Old Fashioned

Surprising and delightful

I enjoyed this novel - it was surprising, fresh and different. It wasn't until I read the notes at the end that I realised the book is a novelisation of a movie (great observation skills right? since it is on the front cover) but never once was I reading it and felt it was missing anything or that it read like a screenplay.

Old Fashioned doesn't read like your regular Christian fiction, there is a much greater inclusion of what some might term 'secular'. Yet I found it to be realistic and very enjoyable. Clay has a past, one of which he is deeply ashamed. A former party boy he turned his life in a complete one eighty and now lives by his theories. Those around him find him strange and self righteous, but all Clay wants is to be a good man. When the free-spirited Amber moves into the apartment above Clay's antique shop, Clay is drawn to her. As Clay struggles to maintain his ideals, Amber questions him and pushes his boundaries and yet is the only one that seems to accept Clay as he is now. Girls, you'll just swoon at Clay and his old fashioned chivalry. At first I though he was perfect, but as you read, you learn there is more to his story and that maybe he is relying too much on being the perfect 'good' man and not enough on God. Amber struggles with her life, loneliness and her choices, and yet embraces every day.

You'll laugh, shake your head and maybe even roll your eyes. Some parts may have been a little stereotypical or over done, but the romance is very sweet and the characters enjoyable. I felt the book opens itself to a wide audience, as readers experience the very real struggle of living with your past and trying to make the right decisions in a world that either challenges you every step of the way or just laughs and points. A delightful read.

The publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.