Tess is looking forward to finally getting the career promotion she's been working incredibly hard for, but she winds up getting fired instead. She figures her upcoming trip to Hawaii is just what she needs now to give her life a minute to get sorted out. But her tropical vacation leads to one disaster after another, including no less than a violent hurricane in Stranded in Paradise by author Lori Copeland.

This ChristFic novel of comical mishaps and a journey of discovery was once one of my favorite books. It takes a look into Tess's difficult family life, ties back into the Golden Age of Hollywood, and a romance unfolds while Tess simultaneously gains a new perspective on bitterness and trust.

Yet, while I can appreciate the story's central message(s), its style of delivery isn't what I particularly go for these days. The book takes a lot of time teaching lessons on faith and salvation, and through stretches of the read, it does indeed feel more like a spiritual lesson with an evangelistic emphasis than it feels like a story. There are also a number of technical errors that slipped through the editing phase of the 2002 print edition I read, including some recurring errors surrounding the dialogue.

Even so, it's an easy read with likable characters, and though my tastes in style have changed since I first read this book, it was nice to remember how and why the novel changed my life back then. ( )

"A funny-but-touching tale about everything that can go wrong and what makes it all right!" Tess has missed out on a top of the ladder job and decides go to Hawaii for a spur-of-the moment vacation. Everything that can go wrong, does....and this attractive, annoying young man keeps crossing her path. God has a plan for Tess and this young Christian man.