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43rd out of 531 books
—
547 voters
That Certain Spark (Only in Gooding #4)
Gooding, Texas, is about to gain a double blessing--a veterinarian and a doctor. But when siblings Enoch and Taylor Bestman arrive, the discovery that Taylor is a lady doctor has the town up in arms. Especially Karl Van der Vort, the town blacksmith, who becomes the first patient...against his will.
Though hesitant to believe in Taylor's doctoring skills, Karl finds himsel...more
Though hesitant to believe in Taylor's doctoring skills, Karl finds himsel...more
Paperback, 348 pages
Published
August 1st 2009
by Bethany House Publishers
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This book... When I got to the end, my reaction should have been, "Awww! Yay!! They got together!" like it usually is with these types of books, but I'm afraid to say that at the end of this book, I went, "YAY!!! IT'S OVER!!!" That's bad.
Why did I feel that way? Well, first, I read this after re-reading A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer, which was AMAZING. At the end of that book (which was the author's first), there was a page in the back that said something like, "Did you like this book?...more
Why did I feel that way? Well, first, I read this after re-reading A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer, which was AMAZING. At the end of that book (which was the author's first), there was a page in the back that said something like, "Did you like this book?...more
*Note: This book should have a 2.5 star rating!!!
Cathy Marie Hake, you disappoint me once again...This book is a flop. Simply put, it's not up to par with her first three books, Letter Perfect, Bittersweet, and Fancy Pants. It's more like Forevermore and Whirlwind, which I did not like. Hake has gotten into the habit of writing mediocre novels because she is not taking the time to develop her characters and plots. It's like she's just writing to fill up space; there's no flavor, or in this case...more
Cathy Marie Hake, you disappoint me once again...This book is a flop. Simply put, it's not up to par with her first three books, Letter Perfect, Bittersweet, and Fancy Pants. It's more like Forevermore and Whirlwind, which I did not like. Hake has gotten into the habit of writing mediocre novels because she is not taking the time to develop her characters and plots. It's like she's just writing to fill up space; there's no flavor, or in this case...more
Cute and endearing. A new doctor comes to town, and she's a woman. The town thought she would be a man, but nope, she wasn't. The men don't like it one bit and come up with a way to oust her--even though she has a four-year contract, a medical degree, heaps of experience, a compassionate and gentle manner, and a pretty mean skill with a scalpel. But what are those things compared with the fact that she's just a stupid woman? When Karl, the blacksmith, injures his leg, Taylor (that's the doc) has...more
Cathy Marie Hake has done it again...produced another amazing Historical Romance novel. I have read Hake's 5 previous books in this collection and enjoyed each one (Letter Perfect, Bittersweet, Fancy Pants, Forevermore, and Whirlwind). In That Certain Spark we find ourselves back in good old Gooding, Texas, but this time from the perspective of Taylor Bestman.
The residents of Gooding, Texas are up in arms when they discover that their new town doctor is a woman. Dr. Taylor Bestman gives up her s...more
The residents of Gooding, Texas are up in arms when they discover that their new town doctor is a woman. Dr. Taylor Bestman gives up her s...more
My Review
The Town of Gooding, Texas just got their very own Veterinarian & Doctor siblings Enoch & Taylor Bestman. The only problem? Dr. Taylor Bestman in a woman! Within two minutes of stepping foot in town Taylor already has the town in an uproar! How is she to prove herself to these people? Especially to her very first patient, the town blacksmith?
The book starts out promising, flows nicely at first, but as it proceeds the conversations get harder and harder to follow, and the writing...more
The Town of Gooding, Texas just got their very own Veterinarian & Doctor siblings Enoch & Taylor Bestman. The only problem? Dr. Taylor Bestman in a woman! Within two minutes of stepping foot in town Taylor already has the town in an uproar! How is she to prove herself to these people? Especially to her very first patient, the town blacksmith?
The book starts out promising, flows nicely at first, but as it proceeds the conversations get harder and harder to follow, and the writing...more
Dec 03, 2009
Lori
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Christian fiction fans, historical romance fans
Shelves:
books-i-ve-reviewed
Siblings Enoch and Taylor Bestman have just arrived in Gooding, Texas. Enoch is the new veterinarian, and Taylor is the new, long-awaited doctor. When the townsfolk find out that their new doctor is a woman, they’re ready to run her right back out of town ~ especially the men! Unfortunately, Taylor has to deal with one such man as her very first patient, Karl Van der Vort, not long after arriving in town. The women, and children, are fairly quick to accept Taylor’s medical expertise, while the m...more
It was a nice story, overall, I guess, and I must say that Taylor Bestman is a character that was written excellently. But the men Enoch and Karl were overbearing, to say the least, Enoch being the worst. I found it strange that Enoch was with Taylor throughout the beginning of the book when it came to gaining a reputation in Gooding as a doctor but once he found "true love", he sorta flopped. I was disgusted with the way he courted Mercy and it seemed to me that their marriage had nothing to st...more
I really liked That Certain Spark. The characters in this story were wonderful and the relationships were well developed. The sibling relationships between Taylor and Enoch and Karl and Piet were right on with loving teasing, sibling support and encouragement to develop in their relationships with God. The romantic relationships between Enoch and Mercy and Taylor and Karl showed the whimsy, struggle, support and developing feelings that normally develop as romantic love grows. The depiction betw...more
That Certain Spark by Cathie Marie Hake had many endearing qualities, but overall, it just did not capture my interest like I expected. I love the premise of the story of Taylor trying to secure her place in the town of Gooding, Texas as the new (female) doctor, in a time when it was hard for women to have credibility it that field. Taylor is a strong character that really stood up for what she believes in.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Taylor and her twin brother, Enoch, also the tow...more
I really enjoyed the relationship between Taylor and her twin brother, Enoch, also the tow...more
I read this book because I liked the cover. I had never read anything by this author before and it was a pretty quick read. Taylor and Enoch are twins and they come to the town of Gooding, Texas to be the new doctor and veterinarian. The town is shocked to discover that Taylor, the new doctor, is a woman, and many refuse to see her because of it. Her first patient is Karl, the town blacksmith, who also is against being seen by a woman doctor. However, he can't deny her skill in healing him and s...more
Anything read on the heels of Whirlwind is bound to fall short. I did enjoy this story tremendously. I loved the characters and the storyline and much more.
I did have difficulty reading it, however. I fear there was too much dependency on dialogue in the book and not enough on description. Many times I found that I was lost as to what was going on. I had difficulty picturing the scenes in my head on many occasions. Normally, I see the story unfolding like a movie in my head, but this one was ve...more
I did have difficulty reading it, however. I fear there was too much dependency on dialogue in the book and not enough on description. Many times I found that I was lost as to what was going on. I had difficulty picturing the scenes in my head on many occasions. Normally, I see the story unfolding like a movie in my head, but this one was ve...more
I always enjoy Cathy Hake's books, and this one did not disappoint.
Her females are strong and witty, and I could only hope I would be the same in this situation.
The Bestmans decide to move to Texas, to become the town Doctor and Vet. However the town is outraged to find the doctor is not the vet's brother, but indeed his sister. The town is upset and refuse a woman doctor.
Things go awry not only for the doctor, but for the vet as well as he has fallen in love with a young widow, with her own pr...more
Her females are strong and witty, and I could only hope I would be the same in this situation.
The Bestmans decide to move to Texas, to become the town Doctor and Vet. However the town is outraged to find the doctor is not the vet's brother, but indeed his sister. The town is upset and refuse a woman doctor.
Things go awry not only for the doctor, but for the vet as well as he has fallen in love with a young widow, with her own pr...more
I have been a fan of Cathy Marie Hake for many years now and this book did not disappoint. This story is about two twins a Enoch Bestman who is a veterinarian and Taylor Bestman who is a doctor. When they are both hired by the town of Gooding, Texas. The town when hiring the two did not realize that Taylor was a female and this becomes a big issue for this little town. Taylor is forced to show this town that she is a professional and is worthy of the respect of the townspeople. It was wonderful...more
Twins, Taylor and Enoch, are headed to Texas. He's a vet. She's a doctor. But the town of Gooding missed the message that Taylor was a she, and now she has to win over 80% of the populace in a matter of months.
A feat that might even be possible if Taylor was the type to schmooze or hold those in her debt accountable or even to declare her own achievements publically.
But she isn't. She's totally committed to her oath. To place the needs of her patients above anything else.
Especially her own safet...more
A feat that might even be possible if Taylor was the type to schmooze or hold those in her debt accountable or even to declare her own achievements publically.
But she isn't. She's totally committed to her oath. To place the needs of her patients above anything else.
Especially her own safet...more
1 like · like · see review
I won this book from Goodreads, and in all honesty, I don't know that I would have picked it up otherwise.
On one hand, I primarily liked the main character, Taylor, and how she was an independant woman in a time where that was unheard of. I liked the witty dialogue and how Taylor bantered with her brother and how her relationship with Karl develops.
On the other hand, I wasn't sure what the book was trying to be - a love story or a mystery... Regardless, I found each story line kind of lacking s...more
On one hand, I primarily liked the main character, Taylor, and how she was an independant woman in a time where that was unheard of. I liked the witty dialogue and how Taylor bantered with her brother and how her relationship with Karl develops.
On the other hand, I wasn't sure what the book was trying to be - a love story or a mystery... Regardless, I found each story line kind of lacking s...more
I really liked this book. Ms. Hake again did a very good job of a humorous but touching book.
Taylor Bestman and her twin brother Enoch come to the town of Gooding to make their living as doctor and vetinarian. They think it will be easy. But there is one problem. The townspeople didn't realise that the doctor was the woman. Taylor's struggle to become accepted becomes dangerous when someone keeps coming into her clinic and messing with things. Can her first patient, Karl, protect her? And can E...more
Taylor Bestman and her twin brother Enoch come to the town of Gooding to make their living as doctor and vetinarian. They think it will be easy. But there is one problem. The townspeople didn't realise that the doctor was the woman. Taylor's struggle to become accepted becomes dangerous when someone keeps coming into her clinic and messing with things. Can her first patient, Karl, protect her? And can E...more
This was an enjoyable read!
Cathy Marie Hake tells the story of a young lady doctor in the 19th century in a Texas small town.
Of course it isn't easy for a lady doctor to show that she's capable of what a male doctor could do. I loved Taylor's story because it was wonderful told. Also there was a sweet and pure love story for the lady doctor and of course a fight for her future.
It reminded me a bit of the first episodes of the tv show Doctor Quinn with Jane Seymour. I loved that tv show and that...more
Cathy Marie Hake tells the story of a young lady doctor in the 19th century in a Texas small town.
Of course it isn't easy for a lady doctor to show that she's capable of what a male doctor could do. I loved Taylor's story because it was wonderful told. Also there was a sweet and pure love story for the lady doctor and of course a fight for her future.
It reminded me a bit of the first episodes of the tv show Doctor Quinn with Jane Seymour. I loved that tv show and that...more
I didn't even finish it. The characters had way too much conversation that was hard to follow (whether a result of poor writing/editing, or too much attempted wittiness), I kept having to re-read the page to see what I had missed, only to discover that I hadn't missed anything. The conversations also seemed stilted and unnatural.
Luckily, I had checked out 2 books by this author, so I gave the other one a try before giving up on her completely, and was pleasantly surprised by the other one. I may...more
Luckily, I had checked out 2 books by this author, so I gave the other one a try before giving up on her completely, and was pleasantly surprised by the other one. I may...more
2 likes · like · see review
Karl Van der Vort is a strapping blacksmith who has absolutely no use for a female doctor. However, when Taylor Bestman accepts a position as the town doctor in Gooding, Texas, just after Karl has seriously injured himself at work, he reluctantly becomes her first patient. Even after she has successfully treated him, Karl still has his reservations, but when other men oppose Taylor's work and Taylor finds herself threatened, Karl becomes protective of the new doctor. Meanwhile, Taylor has commit...more
**This review features on my blog, Choice Reads as well, drop by :)
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Goodreads Summary
Gooding, Texas, is about to gain a double blessing--a veterinarian and a doctor. But when siblings Enoch and Taylor Bestman arrive, the discovery that Taylor is a lady doctor has the town up in arms. Especially Karl Van der Vort, the town blacksmith, who becomes the first patient...against his will.
Though hesitant to believe in Taylor's doctoring skills, Karl finds himself oddly protective of this surprising wom
I wanted to like this book. With the title, book cover and summary, I thought this book would be great. The first one hundred pages were okay. The story was slow to develop but I felt it would pick up. 200 pages in, I found the story had not picked up and was still dragging.
From the very beginning the town that Taylor Bestman moved to was against her for being a woman. Almost every line said from any character was about her being a woman doctor. It certainly grew old. Even the two main characte...more
From the very beginning the town that Taylor Bestman moved to was against her for being a woman. Almost every line said from any character was about her being a woman doctor. It certainly grew old. Even the two main characte...more
That Certain Spark by Cathy Marie Hake is the fourth book in the Only in Gooding! series. Twin siblings, Enoch and Taylor Bestman, come to Gooding, Texas to take on the roles of veterinarian and doctor, respectively. Unfortunately, the townsfolk missed the note in her recommendation that Taylor is a woman and they aren't ready for a lady doctor in 1892. Including the blacksmith Karl, even after she saves his leg from amputation. Even though he doesn't agree with her chosen profession, he finds h...more
I had the privilege of interviewing Cathy Marie Hake, on our radio show "Kingdom Highlights", for her new book, "That Certain Spark", Book Four in The Only In Gooding series published by Bethany House. I wish there was a town called Gooding so that I could move there and meet and live with the amazing residents of that town, that's how good a story teller Cathy Marie Hake is.
This time Ms. Hake returns us to Gooding when siblings Enoch and Taylor Bestman arrive to take up their positions as Veter...more
This time Ms. Hake returns us to Gooding when siblings Enoch and Taylor Bestman arrive to take up their positions as Veter...more
Read That Certain Spark by Cathy Marie Hake. The last book in the series.about a woman doctor in the 1900 when woman should be bare foot and pregnant. "Gooding, Texas, is about to gain a double blessing a veterinarian and a doctor. But when siblings Enoch and Taylor Bestman arrive, the discovery that Taylor is a lady doctor has the town up in arms. Especially Karl Van der Vort, the town blacksmith, who becomes the first patient against his will. Though hesitant to believe in Taylor's doctoring s...more
To me, this book seemed like a rough draft or a book still in progress rather than a finished work. The story was a little rough around the edges, sometimes hard to follow or hard to figure out who was talking. The main character is very interesting, a young woman who has a medical degree and moves to rural Texas in the 1870s to open a practice. She is intelligent and witty and capable of humorous banter. She is a fun character and very modern in her thinking, perhaps a little too modern. I felt...more
It was ok, just too much Christian versing throughout. I don't mind a bit of religion in a book, I am all for being able to find the good in a story and being able to relate life to a greater being. But when every other word is about being saved, it feels as if you are getting beaten on the head with it. It was hard to see the story between all religious phrases pushed throughout.
This was a fun book to read. I liked the premise - lady doctor in the 1800s in a town where men don't think she should be a doctor.
I was interested to read about how proper everyone one, and although I don't want to go to that extent, I think we've gone too far the other way in society now.
Even though Melody told me this is part of a series, it reads like a stand alone novel, and for that I am glad.
I was interested to read about how proper everyone one, and although I don't want to go to that extent, I think we've gone too far the other way in society now.
Even though Melody told me this is part of a series, it reads like a stand alone novel, and for that I am glad.
A little more melodrama than I like but overall a good read. I enjoy books where the main character stands firm in her desire to make a positive difference in the world how big or small it is in her/his life. One of the few female doctor's of the time and she wouldn't be intimidated by the traditional and male proud views against female practices.
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I thought that this book was ok. It was a little hard to understand. Many times I was lost when the author would describe a scene or a happening. I was like, what is happening? It would take a long time for me to figure out the plot. Or did I figure it out? Then ending was a letdown also. I was disappointed.
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As a child, Cathy Marie Hake had an imaginary playmate. Now "grown up," she indulges in a host of imaginary friends as she writes. She teasingly says she decided if those voices in her head were talking, she might as well write down what they said and make a living by doing it. She met her sweetheart in the High School department at church and married him after finishing nursing school. They live...more
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Oct 01, 2012 06:36pm
Oct 02, 2012 03:47pm