Review
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Title: Time and Eternity
Author: E.M. Tippetts
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Genre: Fiction
Year Published: 2008
Number of Pages: 229
Binding: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-59811-548-2
Price: $15.95

Reviewed by Jaymie Reynolds

Alice O'Donnell is a beautiful girl with a boyfriend she adores. When she joins his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she assumes that they will get married, settle down and start their own family. Because of her interpretation of an answer to her prayers, she feels that Darren is the one and that they will be engaged within a matter of months. However, as so often happens in life, God has different plans.

Before long, Darren is frustrated with the fact that Alice is trying so hard to live her religion. She doesn't want to make out and refuses to watch rated R movies. The differences in how Darren and Alice choose to apply their values ultimately leads to a breakup that is very painful, at least on Alice's part. Fortunately, because Alice feels that she was told that she will be engaged soon, she does not remain down in the dumps for long.

Alice notices Spencer Sharp. He is very attractive and is also considered one of the biggest catches in her ward. With this, the hunt is on. Time and Eternity is based around the stereotypical singles ward manhunt. However, it is a manhunt with a twist. While Alice is chasing that engagement ring, a young man named Gabe is chasing her.

Mothers and daughters alike can enjoy this book. It is filled with morally clean, easy to read content. Mothers will also love that the heroine is willing to stand up for her values and seeks to follow the promptings of the Spirit. This book is definitely geared toward an LDS audience. The humor and stereotypes involved are based solely on LDS culture.

E.M. Tippetts manages to weave most of the stereotypes about young, single LDS people and their wards into her book. In future books by this author, it would be nice to see more downplay of the stereotypes and a playing up of the believability of the characters. However, it does make for a humorous, if somewhat exaggerated, portrayal of premarital life in a singles ward.

While this book contains some deeper issues, it is the type of light reading that most people look for in a romance novel. Time and Eternity is the whipped topping of the printed world. It is light, fluffy and thoroughly enjoyable.