Red Temptation Spoiler
Frederic Laureano
Both in Bible reading and In CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) a key thing we do is to look at context- understanding one thing through the larger picture (i.e., for Bible reading, observing before interpreting; in CBT, we assess the larger connection between feelings, thoughts, and behaviors). Here is the broader backdrop for all the above Scripture passages:
Being overcome with fear is not what God desires for His children. I myself and a lot of fellow Christians can be so torn up with fear when facing uncertainty or a perceived threat, forgetting that this fear itself is not from God.
Fear and temptation are two different things. Responding to them requires a different stance. However, they can easily be confused with the other. My prayer for you today, my friend, is that you would know the freedom and joy that is in Christ the solid rock, who will complete the work He has started in you (Philippians 1:6).
After Jesus is purified from another temptation, he and Judas begin an embittered working relationship: Judas, who seeks to kill Jesus, is met with and repulsed by an opponent who does not resist him. Indeed, in this version of the story, it is Judas who holds his own leader accountable under threat of death if the latter should stray from his mission.
One particular event found in the Bible is played here like a sudden and unexpected plot twist, and it actually works: the story is at its best when it uses its differences from the Gospels to be unpredictable in a way that remains compelling. While various disciples speak of whether Jesus is the Messiah, he himself wields an axe, speaking with utter calm of inviting them not to a celebration but to a war. He pulls out his own heart, which bleeds everywhere.
But at first, I had to go into hiding from the internet for the last couple of days so I could read this, spoiler-free. And boy were there some serious spoiler-alerts everywhere (thank goodness they were alerted). THAT alerted me to stay away. ? Having gone into this one knowing what the outcome would be would have definitely stifled my enjoyment of it. Kept me from feeling and guessing the way I felt and guessed in this one.
Yep it made me feel all sorts of stuff. From eye rolls to grunts, to sighs to turning into a fire-breathing dragon. And at times I was swooning and wanting to act out the sweet adorable cuddling love-scene(s) that I was reading (and seeing and feeling).
Love the review. I finally exhaled on the last page! The wait was worth it. Loved a certain cameo appearance btw..I was giggling like a little school girl. Seriously like he was real. I love how authors intertwine their characters. On to the next.
Maryse! Great review! Thank you for reviewing it so quickly! This book has been so controversial to so many who loved the series. Exactly like you said, it felt so real. 83% was so incredible. Terribly sad but I felt like in that moment- I got it. It was painfully honest and emotionally raw. There were parts but I just feel like it was messy which made it relate-able. Too often these books gets wrapped up a little too nice and neat for real life.
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The automatic system has a pretty bad reputation. It has typically been vilified as the source of unhealthy temptations that must be overcome with willpower. Commonly, we educate people about why they should change their behaviour and rely on that information to persuade them enough to set goals and plans to change, diligently monitor their behaviour, and sort out a way to effectively follow-through with their plans each day. The problem is that these types of behaviour change strategies do not always work and when they do, it may only be for a short time.
Shelby MacIntyre has spent the last five years of her youth caring for her ailing mother. It was what she wanted to do, so she has no regrets. Now that her mother has passed though, Shelby wants to finally start living her own life. She plans to travel a little and enroll in nursing school, but first she wants to spend some time with her Uncle Walt and cousin, Vanni in Virgin River. Caring for her mother left Shelby with very little time for dating, much less a real relationship, so finding a man is also on her agenda. Shelby always thought she wanted a nice, clean-cut, well-dressed sort of guy, so when she develops an almost immediate attraction Luke Riordan, a rough-around-the-edges, former Black Hawk pilot, who is thirteen years her senior, she couldn't be more surprised.
Years ago during a visit to Virgin River, Luke and his brother bought a parcel of land on the river, complete with a house and six hunting cabins, intending to fix up the property and resell it for a profit. Now that he's retired from the army, he decides it's time to head back and get to work, but Shelby turns out to be a major distraction. Thinking that she's too young for him, Luke tries to keep his distance, but the lady seems intent on flirting with him. Soon he finds himself unable to resist her sweet innocence, but before he gets involved, he lets her know that he's not a commitment kind of guy. She seems content with keeping their relationship casual, but the passionate intimacy they share rocks Luke to the core. Before long, Luke isn't certain if he can let Shelby go when she's ready to leave for college, but believing that she needs to live her life and not be tied down to someone like him, he hides his true feelings. He may have underestimated Shelby though. She's a strong, determined woman who knows what she wants, and what she wants is a life with Luke.
Robyn Carr has really been on a roll lately with the Virgin River series. When I first started the series, I enjoyed the stories, but wasn't quite as impressed as other readers seemed to be. However, with each book I've read, they seem to keep getting better and better. In Temptation Ridge, Ms. Carr builds on the character of Shelby MacIntyre who was first introduced in Whispering Rock and pairs her with a brand new hero who has just come to town, tough guy and former Black Hawk pilot, Luke Riordan. There are also a couple of secondary romances brewing, we get to visit with all the residents of Virgin River, including all the past heroes and heroines, and say goodbye to another beloved character who has been there since the beginning. I was very saddened by this character's passing, and have to say that I know the author is doing her job very well when she creates a character who seems so real, I can actually cry over their death. As always, coming back to Virgin River is like coming home to visit family.
Luke is the owner of a group of broken down hunting cabins just outside Virgin River. After retiring from the military, he comes to town to fix them up, intending to resell them for a profit, but ends up finding a place where he feels at home. Luke has a reputation as a playboy, but he's a total goner for Shelby from the moment he first sees her on the road into town. Thinking she's too young for him, he tries to keep his distance, but it only takes one look at her for him to prefer her demure innocence over a slutty willing woman he meets in a bar. Almost instantly he begins to loose his taste for casual sex and barely even realizes it. When Luke started getting jealous of his brother, Sean's ability to charm Shelby, it was rather funny, although I think he was only half kidding about murdering Sean for it.:-) Luke may be a little rough around the edges, but he's incredibly gentle with Shelby. He's such a considerate and tender lover, and their love scenes were absolutely perfect. What Luke does for Art, an abused, homeless man with Down's Syndrome is nothing short of wonderful. It all goes to show what a big heart Luke has even though he tries to hide it. I thought it was rather funny that Shelby seemed to be the one who was OK with the casual nature of their relationship, while Luke was the one who was experiencing deeper feelings and beginning to be bothered by her easy-going attitude. In spite of knowing he's falling in love with Shelby, he fights it tooth and nail, in part because of his ex-wife's cruel betrayal. He also thinks Shelby is too young to be tied down to a man who's considerably older than her and that she should experience more of life before making a commitment to any relationship. On the surface this seems like selfless reasoning and I did understand his issues, but Luke was such an incredibly stubborn man, I almost wanted to jump into the story and smack some sense into him. He was ready to give up the only woman who truly loved him for himself and made him happy. Normally, I'm not a fan of a secondary character giving away important information about a main character because it usually takes away valuable relationship development from the couple. However, in this case, without his brother, Aiden's intervention, I'm not sure Luke ever would have come to his senses.
I realized when I was quite a ways into the story that the author was writing most of the scenes from Luke's perspective. We don't get a whole lot of input from Shelby's point of view, so a lot of what we learn about her comes from the way that Luke and the other characters view her and her own actions. Shelby is a very sweet girl who spent several years of her youth caring for an ailing mother. She didn't have to do this. It was her choice, and I think this alone shows what a strong, determined young woman she is. Now that her mother has passed away, Shelby is ready to start a new life and wants to go to nursing school, but first she comes to Virgin River to spend some time with her Uncle Walt and cousin, Vanni. Even though Luke is nothing like the man she'd envisioned for herself, Shelby finds that she is very attracted to him almost immediately. For being shy and sheltered in her youth, Shelby certainly comes out of her shell and blossoms very quickly. She seems to really enjoy flirting and teasing with Luke and then watching him squirm. Shelby is very kind and caring, but she's also very headstrong and independent. She definitely goes after what she wants and what she wants is an experienced, attractive man like Luke to be her first lover. She didn't expect to fall in love with him so easily, but when she believes that Luke doesn't return her affection, she decides that maybe it's time to leave town. I really appreciated that Shelby was so mature about their relationship. Right from the start, Luke was honest with Shelby about not being a commitment sort of guy, so after giving him ample time to express his feelings, Shelby doesn't whine or cry or beg for things to be different. She merely tells him how she feels and leaves the ball in his court. I loved the way Shelby went toe-to-toe with Luke in the last few pages. I was beginning to doubt this couple having an HEA, but Ms. Carr really pulled it off through Shelby's determination and assertiveness.
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