Hatteras Girl by Alice J. Wisler

I had the opportunity to read Alice J. Wisler's novel, Hatteras Girl.  I find I am obliged to abide by the overused expression "Don't judge a book by its cover".  Nevertheless, the cover does set the tone for this book: the finely, pink, manicured toenails, of the sand covered- corn, callous and bunion free feet of the twenty/ thirty- something year old  woman lounging on a quiet private beach, depicting wholesome, politically correct upper-middle class comforts and prosperity . This is further perpetuated by the opening line on page one: "Seated at the mohagany counter on a wobbly barstool, I wait for Mr. Wealthy and Available.  As I sip my Diet Pepsi....." continues the main character, Jackie,  as she relaxes  she casually listens to the ecclectic conversations of the Outer Banks tourists.  This another fine example of the newly popular genre of contemporary "Christian" romance novels- the formulaic criteria of which that the twenty- something year old beautiful heroine must have at least two aspirations in life- one of which must include finding a suitable marriage prospect. Whereas the  characters act on their politically correct morals and conscious, faced with minimal challanges, and there is always a happy fairy tale ending where goodness and justice prevail. In this case, Jackie Donavan wants a husband and she wants to accomplish the goal to own a bed-and-breakfast in the Outer Banks, tourist town in North Carolina.

I imagine this piece of fiction would be perfect to take as light reading on a vacation. For those readers who have actually visited the Outer Banks, this book will bring bck fond  nostalgic feelings. While it is not the intention of this book, this book perpetuates the antiquated yet firmly held belief  that a woman can only find true fullfilment in a relationship with a man, and that the beautiful young heroine always has a prospective suitor around the corner. If you enjoy romance novels, and shy away from any heavy duty reading/ literature of substance, this is the book for you. I can imagine those readers who enjoyed those Barbie made for TV movie fairy tales or Babysitter series books, graduating to novels such as these in adulthood. Nevertheless, Wisler has earned a reputation as  a skilled writer and her newest novel . As a blogger for Bethany House publishers, I recieved this book free for the purpose of writing a review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.