At thirty-five Chrissy is still unwed ( a veritable unknown in the world of Mormons in Idaho), moreover, most men she dates are a little put off by her Mexican -American heritage. Still, her best friend, Amanda, keeps trying and eventually sets her up on one more blind date. Chrissy agrees but is fully prepared for disappointment. Micah turns out to be attractive and funny and interested. But, with one phone call everything changes because she has to ditch him to rescue her niece. Not a good ending. It's over before it has a chance to begin. Unfortunately, it is at that disastrous end that an even more disastrous event occurs. Chrissy's identity is stolen. Suddenly, she has a pile of debt amounting to $90,000, a criminal record and no job.
The premise of this story sounded intriguing, but I didn't hold out much hope for the book to really hold my attention because the premise also sounded a bit thin. I wondered how the author was going to drag it out for more than 300 pages. Pleasantly surprised if not shocked, I actually loved the story. Chrissy is a strong, smart, highly, self-reliant individual, but still real. She isn't superwoman. She struggles and looses faith. I cried when her heart got broken on top of all the rest of what she was experiencing because of other's choices. It seemed like all her agency was take by others, but she persevered and did something to make it better.
Micah was also a very real man with shortcomings and strengths, and Chrissy saw them both. This isn't a Cinderella story. It is a real life love and crime story. I also liked the way the author introduced the "enemy" early on instead of springing her on us at the end. While I didn't like her, or her intense, crazy devotion to her father's cause, reading about her made me realize the depth of evil involved in identity theft as well as gaining a greater understanding of why she made the choices she did. The action was believable and exciting, even though it drug a bit during the middle third of the story.
Faith in a god who loves and cares for his people is at the center of Chrissy's beliefs and strengths. She is comfortable in her own skin and faithful to her religion, and while, romance and crime are at the center of the plot, it is God who is at the center of Chrissy's strength. Some may be put off by that, but for me it made her real, not just some super human character who always triumphs. I would recommend this novel and this author to any one, and indeed, I have.
Origianlly published 3/24/2011
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