On the Road Again by Gail Sattler

Title: On the Road Again

Author: Gail Sattler

Publisher: Heartsong Presents

Series: Vancouver Series #3

More Information: http://www.heartsongpresents.com

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

How hard could it be to drive a tractor trailer?  Gwen Lamont thought, as she took the dare that her twin brother thrown at her.  Now that her best friends were married, Gwen did not have any plans for the summer and instead of staring at her walls, she took the opportunity to try something new.  It was a lot harder than she thought.  But when fate threw Lionel her way on an important delivery, Gwen started to wonder maybe he was the one God meant for her.

Gail Sattler does it again.  Ms. Sattler has written another appealing Christian romance that will ensnare you with its engaging characters, humor and inspirational plot.  The writing was well done and concise.  No words were wasted on prosy descriptions of scenery and feelings.  The locale gave this plot a certain flare of uniqueness that the usual romance might not have.  Since it is not exactly the most romantic of occupation, not many stories deal with life in the trucking industry.  However, the story made me more aware of the trials and tribulations of driving a tractor trailer and the impact it has on their family life.  The high point was the inspiring heroine.

Gwen Lamont was an engaging heroine that you can’t help but like.  Feeling left out now that her best friends were married, Gwen wanted to shake up her life.  Do something out of character.  And from this experience, she gained all whole new understanding of God’s will.  Truck driving is predominantly a male vocation.  So, when a beautiful young woman who just got her licensed showed up as her uncle’s partner, Gwen got a lot of heckling and instead of backing down, she wanted to prove to "the guys" that she could do it.  It emphasized the message that no matter what age or sex you are, everyone has the chance to achieve it if one does not give up.  And when a crude man questioned her “innocence”, she got in the man’s face and told him off.  You can’t help but respect her fortitude.  Lionel was a decent leading man.  Nothing really outstanding about him.  He was skeptical at the beginning of a woman driver, but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt since no one, except her uncle, was supportive of her endeavor.  He has the usual hang-ups about relationships but over time and by getting to know the heroine, Lionel’s feelings started to change.

The chapters were short enough that it feels like you are breezing through the story.  There was just enough events dispersed throughout so there wasn’t a lull in the story line.  The humor was timely placed and the inspirational aspects were situated in away that were easily associated to real life circumstances.  Great dialogue.  I love the support of the minor characters, even though they were mostly there for Gwen’s benefit.  As they near the end of their trip, I liked the realism of the couple’s problem.  They wanted to be together but their careers got in the way.  Even though predictable, I like how they resolve their issues in the end.

I highly recommend this.  This is my favorite from the Vancouver series.  The humor, a slight Christian overtone, great characters and a well-paced moving story is well worth the time and effort of an afternoon of reading.  I don’t recommend this to anyone who is expecting a hot read or those who don’t like inspirational romances.  Why didn’t I give it a full 5 stars?  I wouldn’t read this again but I’m definitely keeping it for my shelf.  Side Note: This is the third book in the Vancouver series.  Her brother is featured in the first book.