Title: The Path Home
Author: Caedem Marquez
Source: The author for review (goes on sale 8/1/11)
Mr. Dominguez is handsome, kind and content with life. He devotes his time to feeding the poor, being a good person and helping a homeless child named Christopher. Everything is as it should be.
Then, one day he sees her in a bookstore. Antoinette is tender, lovely, and everything any man could want. They fall in love the moment they see each other.
But there is a problem – he’s a priest. And she doesn’t know.
Father Dominguez must decide if his true path is with Antoinette, or with the God he has always loved. And he must do it soon, before he breaks not only his vows, but Antoinette’s beautiful heart.
I don’t read many romances because they tend to follow the same pattern: Girl meets boy (or knew boy previously), something keeps them apart (usually their supposed hatred or a misunderstanding) until all is cleared up, and the girl gets her happily ever after.
The Path Home is different from the usual formula so I enjoyed reading it. It’s told from the point of view of Father Dominguez. He’s likable, endearing and has a good sense of humor about the situation. And he can whistle a mean rendition of Blondie’s “One Way or Another”. His “happily ever after” isn’t going to be easy – he has to include the Church and Christopher in his decision. More pragmatically, what would he do to earn a living?
I also enjoyed the themes of love and home. How many kinds of love can one person experience? Is there enough room in the heart to hold them all? What makes a home? Is it acceptance? If you read The Path Home you may find the answers to those questions in your own life.