Alaskan Midnight: Northern Exposure/Hand Quilted with Love/Be My Valentine/The Baby Quilt

by Joyce Livingston

Award-winning author Livingston blends the charm of an Alaskan setting, the love of quilts, and wholesome romance into four modern stories of faith and healing.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Romance, Christian Romance

459 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[Aafje · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my second time reading this book. It had been more than ten years I was a junior higher when I very first read it and I remember loving it so I wanted to see if my thoughts and opinion would change. I didn't think it would but it did and I wasn't swayed in the still loving it category. It's still a good book and the love stories are cute but the dialogue is incredibly cheesy! It wasn't supposed to be a comical book but yet it made me laugh because all I could think was, "no one talks like this!" It was also one of my first pieces of Christian literature that I ever read and even though I am a christian myself there are very few authors who I really like as christian writers and Livingston isn't one of them. I've also changed since reading this book I was a very judgmental Christian when I was fourteen and would judge those who drank at all (just using this as one example from the book) but I don't anymore. The antagonist in the story are drinkers and the way they are painted it's like the author is saying anyone who drinks (even just a glass) of alcohol is evil. It's still not too bad of a book but it's not amazing either.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed these four stories. Even though they are four separate stories, with four separate couples as main characters, there is a thread going through them all that unites the characters in all of them and produces one completed story. I admire writers who have such imaginations that they are able to put together such incredible fiction stories. I highly recommend this book.

[Readers Truss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a sucker for romance and Christian romance fiction has been a good source.
So this was an easy read for me.
Would I recommend it?
Yes.
Does it go on my top recommended books list?
No

[Barbara Davenport · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written. It makes you think about your life.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book.
Four different books in one but all related in some way.

[S. Spelbring · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had never heard of Joyce Livingston before I picked up this book. In fact before I picked up this book I had never read a Christian Romance. This made for a completely new experience for me.

First of all, I need to delve into a little personal religion. I am not religious. With that in mind, it might be an idea to take this review with a grain of salt, and please understand that this is my opinion on this book. I will endeavor, as always, to be objective.

Alaskan Midnight is a compilation of four short stories involving four main couples (thought the first story actually follows two couples). All of the characters know each other and become friends by the end of the novel. The romance plot lines are all very, well normal romance plot lines, easy to follow, easy to see where the author is going with it, but still enjoyable.

I couldn't relate to many of the women in these stories. Victoria was way too overprotective, Glorianna was a bit oversensitive for me, Tina came off as just plain stupid (though I sort of understand why, it still annoyed me). And Jackie...well I guess you could call her the one I understood the most, but I still don't see why she couldn't just tell him "Screw you!" and forget him when he did that to her (but hey, we had our happy ending).

The Christian element in this book is that every single one of the characters either comes back to God, finds God, or is already saved by Him. The author writes the act of coming to God as a big factor in whether or not the romantic relationships will work out. Which if you're a Christian is a very nice touch in this book, however if you're not Christian, then you'll probably just think "ok, its probably good that both these people have the same level of religion/have the same religion" and leave it at that.

I must admit this book was a bit of a genre-shock for me, having never read a religious romance. I'm still not entirely sure what I think of this genre and I don't want to judge the genre on just one book. Though I'm not likely to read this book again, I am interested enough to read more Christian Romance books.

[Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are four different stories in this book about love, faith, and secrets. Each story is about 100 pages long so it is a quick and delightful read. If you don't like Christian literature, then this is not a book for you.

In the first book two strangers meet to find that their parents have fallen in love on a cruise ship and are now getting married. Both Victoria and Buck think their parents are acting irrationally and try to break them up. In addition, both of them have also turned their back on God. Do they break up the wedding? Do they find God? What is Victoria's secret about her son's husband?

The second story involves a young widow and how an aunt left her everything she owned in Alaska. Well after losing her husband she decided that moving to Alaska isn't such a bad idea. She meets her aunt's best friend and son. He shows her around Alaska and her inherited house and quilt shop. He is a confirmed bachelor and when Glorianna tells him about something her husband left her with he gets out of the picture fast. Meanwhile another guy will try to marry Glorianna. Will Trapper let Glorianna marry another man? What is her secret? What has her aunt planned all along?

The third storie involves a young woman named Tina who used to live in Alaska and is now returning with her terminally ill grandmother. She runs into her best friend from childhood, Hank. He offers to help her clean up her grandmother's house and gives her a place to stay. He is a lonely widower who wants children and a family. But trouble happens when Lucky, someone Tina knows from Chicago shows up and claims to be her fiance. Who is Lucky? Why is he with Tina? What will Hank do?

The fourth story involves Jackie who has lived in Alaska for 17 years and never married (that we know of). Her friends had met this new pilot and decided to try and set her up with him. Only problem is she already knows him, not only that she has a past with him. What is their past? Will they tell their friends? Or will they both leave Alaska in shame?

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christian short story books are always hard to critsize but with this one the flaw was so big I think one could fall through it.
Alaskan midnight has 4 short stories, they are about Tori and Buck,Glorianna and Trapper, Tina and Hank,and Jackie and Sam, . All the stories themselves were very good and the romance believable. This book also made me want to visit Alaska.
But the fatal flaw: so those names I wrote. I put them in order. Book one was ok. Had some pacing problems. Book two was good, so good infact that the author wont stop reminding the reader of what happened in book two. It gets recaped 7 times! Once in its epilouge, 3 times in book 3 and 3 more times in book 4. Just for comparison's sake. Book 1 gets recaped once, in book 2. Book 3 never gets recaped. But for some bizare reason the characters want to tell everyone all about book 2. It is a good book but after hearing the same story 7 times I could care less.
But yeah thats really the only major problem read if you must, the stories are good, once you get past the recaping. recommended for adults.

[Shelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

total fluff love stories - know how they'll end but still good mindless reads...

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually don't remember a lot except that the author needed to google traits of huskies.