Product Description

Hi, my name is Bentley.

I'm a mutt with a dash of pit bull in the soup, and I have issues. I'm not likely to win any beauty pageants, and I'm afraid of cats. But my human, Norah Kent, thinks I'm the greatest despite all my shortcomings.

The problem is Norah won't go out with anyone who doesn't like me. Norah says she's perfectly happy being single, and that in God's time she'll marry Mr. Right. But I think God's time may be right now, and Mr. Right may be Officer Nick Haley -- the one guy who's afraid of a kitten-fearing basket case of a dog like me! I'll do just about anything to bring Norah and Nick together, even if I have to go . . . gulp . . . woof!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #484741 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Meet Norah Kent, a pet store owner who has her hands full, sharing her Christian faith with her best friend, Lilly, and caring for elderly Auntie Lou. Though she plans to one day become "the most enthusiastic wife and homemaker ever," for now she's single and devoted to animals. Norah's gifted at matching people, especially kids, with new puppies and kittens, but she's a little less talented at getting matched up herself. A number of local bachelors are interested, but she's not sure she reciprocates. Connor Trevain, a naval commander, pays more attention to Norah than to Lilly, who really has the hots for him. Also bidding for Norah's affections is Joe Collier, who keeps asking Norah out; everyone in town thinks she should snap him up, but she's not interested. The third in Norah's trio of potential mates is Nick Haley, a hunky cop who can sometimes be seen riding around town on a horse. Will one of these men capture Norah's heart? And will the inevitable love triangles with Lilly spoil a close friendship? Even though the characters could use more development, fans of Baer's Whitney Chronicles will enjoy this lighthearted Christian romance. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"The Whitney Chronicles is chick-lit fun for the Christian set -- and anyone else looking for a breezy, heartfelt read!" -- Kristin Billerbeck, bestselling author of What a Girl Wants and She's All That

"Baer [creates] fascinating characters with real-life problems and triumphs that show readers the details of living out faith daily." -- Romantic Times BOOKclub

About the Author
Judy Baer is the award-winning author of over sixty-five books, including the bestselling Cedar River Daydreams series, The Whitney Chronicles, Million Dollar Dilemma and Be My Neat-Heart. She lives near Minneapolis.

Customer Reviews

pleasant optimistic Christian romance
Pet store owner Norah Kent loves the Lord and animals; she dreams of one day having a family with Mr. Right, a person who must accept that she is prime caretaker of her beloved elderly Auntie Lou, is owned by Bentley the mutt, and must share her two passions especially her Christian faith.

Three bachelors show interest in Norah. US Navy Commander Connor Trevain seems to care for Norah, but she fears stepping out with him because her best friend Lilly wants him. The townsfolk push Joe Collier, who asks Norah for dates, but she knows he is not the one so has ruled him out. Finally there is police officer Nick Haley, who has three things going for him. Bentley has chosen him though he seems to fear the mutt and she keeps hearing the bells. Still Connor is nice if only Lilly wanted someone else like Nick for instance.

NORAH'S ARK is a pleasant optimistic Christian romance starring an upbeat somewhat innocent (too naive around men) protagonist and a cast of eccentrics starting with her matchmaking canine and a horde of other two legged, four legged, and no legged animals). The fast-paced breezy story line will provide fans of Judy Baer with plenty of entertainment from start to finish as the audience will wonder just who will win the Norah sweepstakes. The novel lives up to its classic second line "HAVE YOU HUGGED YOUR IGUANA TODAY?" as a fun filled tale.

Harriet Klausner

light hearted romance
A lot of people love animals, but Nora Kent carries it to extremes. She runs a pet store named, what else, Norah's Ark. A lot of people, like Rick Haley, think she overdoes her passion for pets. She has a mynah bird, named Asia Myna, a parrot named Winky, Hoppy, her Flemish Giant rabbit and Bently, a black and white dog, part beagle, part Staffordshire terrior,and a smidgeon of pit bull. Bently is a neurotic mess. he's afraid of everything, except Norah, whom he adores.
In addition to collecting pets, Norah attracts a wide assortment of people too. There's Lilly, who owns the Fashion Diva Shop and who wants Connor, a rich playboy, who is interested in Norah. There's elderly Auntie Lou who owns the antique shop and depends on Norah to watch over her. Joe who wants to marry Norah, and Rick, a mounted policeman with a beautiful horse named Sergeant Thunder.
Norah's Ark is packed full of quirky characters and quirky situations. Judy Baer has a great sense of the ridiculous that will keep you laughing all the way through the book. And Bently will steal every dog lover's heart. A fun, enjoyable story from the first page to the last.

A so-so read
This is not a bad book. The story is entertaining, but suffers greatly from unlikable characters, particularly the heroine. I think Norah is intended to appear sweetly innocent in the romance department, but she comes off instead as unrealistically dimwitted. She acts like the victim when her friend, Lilly, is angry that she went on not just one, but two dates with the man Lilly is actively pursuing. She thinks everyone should be okay with this just because she's not actually interested in the man. Lilly is justly upset with Norah over the mess, but loses sympathy points when she reacts like an adolescent. Then there's Joe, Norah's friend who she is established on page 2 as never having agreed to date. So when he offers later to step aside and let her date other guys, he looks like a jerk even though Norah manages to take it as a grand romantic gesture.

Several of the characters suggest forcing an older woman into a nursing home against her will almost solely because she "must be at least 80." And when there's theft and vandalism around town, they automatically assume one boy is responsible for everything because he was once seen in the vicinity with another boy. It doesn't occur to a single one of them that the other boy might at least have a share in the blame and we are left to assume this is only because they don't know his name.

Still, there are a lot of fun moments and worthwhile Christian sentiments. The author clearly has talent and I'm hopeful that another book by Ms. Baer would be more enjoyable.

Amanda Hamm, author of Dear Jane Letters