Pawe itibaren Chaquí, Bolivya itibaren Chaquí, Bolivya

This is one of Harlequin's freebies celebrating their many years in the business. I've actually read it before in another e-book format, but I downloaded it again as a Kindle for a re-read — I needed a light break from the longer, heavier classics I'm reading, like War and Peace and Ivanhoe, or have just read, like Villette, and usually, just re-reading a short no-brainer is enough to clear my head. It's pretty standard Harlequin fare, with a bit of the faith theme thrown in and a fair bit of mystery as well. And really, other than the faith part of the story, there's not much in the story for me to find fault. The mystery is done pretty well with enough red herrings to keep your attention away from the real culprit, but also enough clues so that when the villain is revealed it isn't a total surprise. The faith part of the story, on the other hand, is done in such a way that makes this and other religion-inspired books so problematic for me. What might in other books be referred to as gut instinct is referred to in this book as some kind of hint or nudge from God — like God is telling the characters something, warning them of danger, and so on. And what might in other books be referred to as the characters' trust in luck or fate or wholehearted gambling with risk and reward becomes in this book a conscious prayer to God for help and a total acceptance of whatever God may allow to happen in the next few scenes. It always seems like such a disingenuous move on the part of the author to me — after all, it's the author who plays God with these characters if you really think about it, and it just smells a little bit too much like deus ex machina with all this God interference. But anyway ... it's a likable read, even the second time around.