My first novel, The Cove is now available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle version. But what is it?
The Cove is a New Adult Contemporary Christian romance about an Olympic swimmer named Gail - a selfish, spoiled brat who destroys the lives of the three men who love her!
Okay, I’m being overly dramatic. But seriously, she’s not a very nice person.
From page one it’s very obvious that she’s going to end up falling in love with Todd. I’m not giving away the plot with that tidbit of information.
But she starts off the story by getting engaged to a man who she doesn’t really love (Stephan) at a time when she’s supposed to be waiting for her boyfriend (Patrick) to return from the Philippines where he’s been serving as a missionary.
Todd is Patrick’s best friend and is furious with Gail when she gets engaged to Stephan, understandably. They get into an argument and then they fall in love. End of story.
Okay, just kidding! That’s the beginning of the most confusing four months of Gail’s life. Now she’s waiting for Patrick, engaged to Stephan (by mistake) and in love with Todd. Except she doesn’t realize that she’s in love with Todd, until it’s too late.
One bad choice leads to another and then another and soon she’s in way over her head - pun intended! Several bonfires, one world championship swim meet, and a few trips to the cemetery, and this story takes on a life of its own.
Grab your box of Kleenex before you get to chapter nineteen, and don’t let the kids read chapter eleven! Have you read The Cove yet? What’s your opinion? –Julie L. Spencer
Read Excerpts from The Cove on my blog:
First Kiss
Chapter One
The Funeral
Read excerpts from my other novels here!
All of my novels fall into the New Adult Contemporary Christian genre. What is that? Click here!
Want to purchase my first novel, The Cove?The Cove?
and I decided to write a book review of it! I’m highly analytical in my reviews and want to approach this one in a similar manner. I like to analyze the characters, plot structure, a little bit of plot summary, how I felt when reading the novel, and what I liked & disliked. I also like to give an indication about whether the book was predictable and whether I’d read it again. Before I begin, I want to address the biggest criticism I’ve received about 
. I’ve been told that it doesn’t explain well enough the jargon that I use with regards to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is some truth to that in that there are a few uses of jargon in the first few pages that are more ‘foreshadowing’ and if the reader continues reading, a good deal of the confusion would be cleared up. I’ve also been told that the beginning of the book is a bit slow, but that if you could get past the first couple of chapters, you won’t be able to put it down. I don’t see that personally. But, I’m a bit biased! Now, on to the actual book review:
is a unique novel. I’ve never found a book quite like it. Not to insinuate that it is better or worse than any other novel, I’ve just never found one like it. It is too romantic to be a Christian novel but way too Christian (and clean!) to be a romance novel. It’s a bit scandalous in that the two main characters enter into an inappropriate relationship prior to marriage. But that is one of the main themes of the story; that waiting for intimacy until marriage is a very difficult thing to do. Another main theme is that the power of repentance is real and important! Another unique characteristic of 
is that the main female is not a heroine! She is a selfish, spoiled brat who destroys the lives of the three men who love her! Most people will not relate to her and will not like her very much. That’s okay. The reader falls in love with Todd, who is the real protagonist in the story, and the reader feels sorry for the other two gentlemen who (for some reason) love Gail. The plot of 
has a couple of interesting twists and at least one surprise that either shocks the reader or leaves them a feeling of ‘I knew it!’ There is a happy little ending that ties things up nicely, a lot of romance, and even a few (chapters worth of) tears! I’ve read 
many times, and would read it again in a heartbeat. I highly recommend it! Have you read 
? What’s your opinion? –Julie L. Spencer
as well as the disclaimer I wrote just after finishing the novel: