Love Comes Calling Review

by

Siri Mitchell

Bethany House Publishers

   When a look-alike friend asks Ellis Eton to fill in for her as a telephone operator, Ellis jumps at the chance. For her, the job will provide not only acting practice but the funds to get Ellis a start in the movies. She's tired of always being a disappointment to her traditional Boston family, and though she can't deny the way he makes her head spin, she knows she's not good enough for Griffin Phillips, either. It's simple: avoid Griff's attentions, work, and get paid. But in typical Ellis fashion, her simple plan spirals out of control when she overhears a menacing phone call...with her very own Griff as the target.

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    Siri Mitchell is one of my new favorite Christian fiction writers. A few months ago I read The Messenger, which, although a bit somber, was really, really good and very historically detailed. At first I didn't really care for her style of writing, but it's really grown on me and now after reading her latest book, Siri Mitchell has officially made my top ten list. One of the things I really love about her books is that they're always so well-researched. There's a lot of attention to historical detail and I love reading the author's notes at the end.

   That being said, this book is so much fun! It's a lot different than The Messenger, but I think I enjoyed it even more. I love the main character, the 1920s era, the high-society Boston setting, the way it's written from Ellis's perspective-- all of it. Reading it is like watching a movie. I read it in three days and by the time I was done with it I wanted to read it again. I really haven't a negative thing to say about this book!

   I think probably the main reason why I enjoyed Love Comes Calling so much is because I found Ellis Eton to be such a kindred spirit. Ellis is so refreshingly relate-able. She's so much like me, it's ridiculous. Her wild imagination, her penchant for getting into awkward situations, her difficulty concentrating on anything....I understand!!!  Do I ever! Ellis is extremely scatterbrained and often misinterprets things, and so she can be really annoying, but I didn't think she was that annoying because I could relate so much to how she felt. Of course, I hope I am not quite as scatterbrained as Ellis. But so many things she thought and did reminded me of myself! I love reading about heroines who are always getting into awkward situations and having misadventures, probably because so many times I find myself in awkward scenarios, so reading about Ellis's antics was immensely enjoyable. The whole grape juice-fermenting-in-the-closet incident was hysterical. :-)

   Ellis is definitely one of those characters who you really feel a bond with. At least, I certainly did. Also, I think the name Ellis is absolutely adorable. This is the first time I've heard of it as a girl's name and I love it.

  I really, really liked Griff. He was kind and principled and handsome and pretty much perfect, but not so perfect that it was irritating. And he loved Ellis, so he completely won me over. Officer Jack Feeney was also a pretty interesting character, and I liked how he had softened some by the end of the story.

   The story was totally riveting, which was one of the reason why I found it nearly impossible to put this book down. There were so many intriguing aspects to the plot and whenever something happened it just got more and more interesting! The whole prohibition/right and wrong premise was really good, I thought, and very well-written. I don't read many books set in the 1920s, and since Downton Abbey is set in England (haha), I didn't know a whole lot about prohibition prior to reading this book. It was educational and enjoyable! I love how Siri Mitchell isn't afraid to write about tough issues. This is only the second book of hers that I've read, but Love Comes Calling definitely had some serious issues in it, mostly concerning prohibition and political justice, and so while it was mostly a light-hearted story, I appreciated the more serious tone of it too. 

  Also, if I'd lived during the 1920s, I think it would have been such fun to be a hello girl! :-)

   So my final verdict on this book is, I absolutely loved it and I think it's one of the best historical novels I've read in a while. If you're a fan of Siri Mitchell's other books or historical fiction in general, I definitely recommend this book!

 My rating: 9 1/2 out of 10

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.