This is an excellent book. I love how Allison follows her nudge and listens to God to help others. I cannot wait to read book 2!

I typically only give out 5-star reviews for books that are knock-my-socks-off amazing, the kind that I would stay up reading until midnight or later or the ones that I have read again and again. While this book isn't quite THAT good, in the Christian fiction genre I think it totally deserves 5 stars. It shies away from the pretty God that seems to only hang out in suburban upper-middle class habitats and asks what it means to radically follow Jesus. It ponders a salvation that does more than just save us so that we can be 'good, decent church people'.

But don't let that fool you...this is not a preachy book. It's snarky, funny, a little bit suspenseful, and yes...even had me crying into my Kindle at one point. (Tear stains on the Kindle = not the same as tear stains on book pages, just saying.)

As some other readers mentioned, there are some slow points, but keep going because it picks back up and once I got to that point I couldn't put it back down. (And couldn't wait to review.)

It's a shame that in Christian fiction the popular writers are the ones mostly dealing in fluff. The ones dealing in the grittier, more painful parts of the world seem to struggle to get the readership they deserve. I'll be requesting that my local library pick up this series and I plan on looking into some of her teen/YA fiction for friends of mine who want books for their daughters that find a middle place between 'sexy zombie vampires' and 'Squee! Isn't God all good and sparkly?!!'

Allison Chamberlain is a 40-something woman who's lived her Christianity behind stained glass. She's never had any interest in riding a Harley, certainly not in buying one, but one morning at church, she feels a divine "Nudge" to do exactly that. With no idea why God could possibly be asking this of her, Allison obeys. The purchase puts her on a road to meet new people. Her life changes, both instantly and slowly, as for the first time she is faced with the plight of "the least of these."

Ms. Rue's first person voice and dialogue are engaging as always. I really love her deep-point-of-view style. In fact, this might be the main reason I've never missed one of her adult novels (until this series; I realize all three are out and I'm just now getting to the first one). Her craft is truly excellent. This is a stellar example of a character-driven novel. If you're a reader who defines "plot" as high-speed action, then this book will move slowly for you. The story is about people, their interactions and reactions. Its fuel is more tension than suspense. But when the characters are well-drawn, this apparently works for me.

In the first chapter, Allison downright irritated me. I wanted to keep reading to discover if I'd ever like her. (I do, of course.) She's a complicated character--sardonic and sincere, tough and vulnerable, uncertain and determined, relationship-impaired in her own eyes yet constantly forging new connections with people who need her help.

Then there's Desmond, a fatherless twelve-year-old whose mother is slowly destroying both of them with her drug addiction and prostitution. Desmond is nearly as layered as Allison herself, swaggering and sweet-talking his way out of trouble, swearing and stealing because he's never been taught not to, yet also an artist with surprising insight into the people he draws. Another unexpectedly nuanced character is Bonner, the annoying-like-a-brother guy Allison knows from church who'd ask her out if she'd say yes. I didn't expect him to come through in such great ways by the end.

The Sacrament House "sisters," women rescued from prostitution and turning their lives around with the help of Allison and God, are more a collective character than individuals. Though each has her own broad personality type, they aren't given the details that would breathe them to life. The same goes for Allison's small group at church. However, I can't really consider this a flaw. The book has quite a large cast. Not everyone can be as deep as Allison and Desmond.

One character I hope will be developed a lot more deeply in future books is Chief. He's pretty awesome already (Harley-riding lawyer with piercing "eagle eyes" and an unflappable personality), but I know almost nothing about him at this point. I want details on his skepticism toward God, his friendship with Hank and how it began, his family (does he even have one?) ... etc. Yes, I'm most definitely going to be reading [b:Unexpected Dismounts|10302295|Unexpected Dismounts (The Reluctant Prophet, #2)|Nancy Rue|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328763056s/10302295.jpg|15204283], and curiosity about Chief is a big reason for that.

And now, a word (or ten) about the theme, since that's clearly where this novel's creation started. I could do with a little more subtlety. In fact, I was surprised how close the author came to preaching, since that isn't her usual tendency. Her message is two-pronged. First, legalism is not what Jesus taught and, as such, is not true Christianity. (With this, I agree entirely.) Second, love is what Jesus did teach and, as such, is what true Christians will spread and teach.

With this one, I agree, too. But Allison (and thus the author) often seems to believe that love equals acceptance. Period. It's a thin line to walk, I know, but it is a line. The scene that most bothered me is between Allison and her soon-to-be-former pastor. Now, to this point, Allison's church has not in any way supported her efforts with sheltering and rehabilitating these women. Her fellow church members (including her pastor) are all in favor of checking the women into rehab and doing other things from a distance. But up close and personal with hookers is a little too dirty-hands for them, and Allison's involvement is making them uncomfortable. Reverend Garry shows up to try to bring her back into the fold of the prim and proper. Thing is, his theology isn't wrong, merely his application of it. But Allison condemns both. From page 403:

[Garry]: "I just don't want to see you water down the gospel. We can't call someone a Christian just because she's stopped using drugs."

[Allison]: "Our trouble is that we're not talking about the same gospel. The gospel I know is the one where Jesus preached and lived the unconditional love of salvation. You know--the one where he ate at the same table with the hookers and the drug addicts and the victims of injustice and poverty--that one. The one you're talking about is the one I haven't read--where only the right kind of people get into the closed club and get saved."

The implication is that the Gospel is simply unconditionally loving people. End of story. Yes, Jesus ate with "tax collectors and sinners." He also called them out on their sin and told them to repent. There's not a single scene of repentance in this novel.

Interestingly, however, there are moments in which one or another of the rescued women seems to be behaving post-repentance. They're studying the Bible. They're telling others about Jesus. They're taking communion and seem to understand and embrace its meaning. Near the end, Allison describes salvation as embracing Jesus "as our personal savior" and describes one of the women as "on her way to a life of discipleship." So I guess the Gospel is present here, on the whole, but some parts of it are definitely glossed over. Which would likely bother me less if the book didn't fervently want me to agree with everything Allison says.

For the overtness of the themes and some truth blurring, I've got to deduct a star. However, I fully intend to read and enjoy this series. Nancy Rue has penned some of the best literary Christian fiction I've read. Her dialogue is clever and genuine and contains just enough humor. Her prose is unobtrusive yet artful. And her point of view is delightfully deep. I'm still a fan, and I look forward to the next book and, hopefully, finding out who Chief is on the inside, and why.

The Reluctant Prophet by Nancy Rue is an inspiring story of learning to listen to God. Allison Chamberlain is settled into her life at forty-two as a horse-drawn carriage driver in St. Augustine, Florida. She attends church regularly, enjoys a good relationship with the members of her Bible study, and living alone, until she gets a very distinct message from God to buy a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. This begins a rapid change in her life as she continues to listen to "Nudges" from the Lord. She buys the bike, takes lessons to ride it, becomes involved in the local owners group, HOG, and then feels drawn toward King Street, the red-light district in town. Chief, one of the HOG leaders, introduces her to a man dying in a nursing home whose only request is to see his crack-addicted prostitute daughter Geneveve before he dies. Allison answers that request, so when he gives another, to take care of Geneveve and her son Desmond, she can't say no to the dying man. Soon Allison has two more prostitutes living in her home, along with Geneveve and charming yet troubled Desmond, and she is ministering to them however God calls her to, which turns her Bible study friends and pastor against her. But Allison has been given a mission from God, and life has just gotten very interesting. I'm a big fan of Rue's Sullivan Crisp series with Stephen Arterburn. Her fiction has an unexpected depth and some of the most three-dimensional characters I've ever encountered. Reluctant Prophet is even better than my expectations. Allison has a very complex history, and she is a bit off-putting at first, but once readers fall in love with her, the pages begin to really fly. Rue brings up some difficult issues about American Christianity: salvation is for only the right people, if a person isn't living the life we approve of they aren't saved, and what does Jesus' life tell us to do about those in need? Allison's disillusionment with her church and pastor is, I think, very symptomatic of what is going on in with Gens X and Y in their relationship with the church. Rue somehow manages to do it all with both a sense of humor and a unshakable sense of righteousness. I don't think that Allison's story is over yet, there are some storylines open with Troy and her family history. I hope that Rue writes another book using this amazing cast of characters again soon!

This was an audiobook for me and I enjoyed it! The beginning was a bit slow but the buildup was great. The characters were written beautifully and they were believable. This book was up my alley since the premise was around Jesus' true ministry (not being safe behind church doors) and substance use. I always enjoy a redemption story I can relate to this story in more ways than one.

I don't remember the last time that I LOVED characters this much. So well developed with so much personality. Sinners, prophets, non-believers. They all were loved by me. I can't wait to read the other two books.

"...love is a huge and powerful thing, that it is a force to be reckoned with in a world that assumes evil is stronger than good..."