This compact reference book could not be more compact or less reference worthy. Featuring brief biographies of more than 200 saints this book adds little to what can be found in more reference worthy collections.

The biographies use the word "legend" a little too freely without backing up the reference with a resource.

The kindest thing I can say about this collection is that some of the black and white art which graces its pages are more inspirational than the hagiographies.

I looked forward to reading this book. I've never read any of Ms. Chambers' work before. In reading the blurb on the back cover, this book sounded like a great "western" tale, Lee Parker "of the Parker Ranch", and Karen Latham the niece of an antique shop owner in the small town of Twilight. Karen inherits the antique shop upon her aunt's passing and returns to the town. It seems that she spent many happy summers there with her aunt.

Her connection to the Parker family (who by the way ranches near the area, but doesn't frequent the town) was that seven years ago she was jilted literally at the altar by Alex, the younger Parker brother. Lee, who was to serve as best man, has always had Karen in the back of his mind, these past years. Lee doesn't even live on the ranch, but rather is a producer of sorts for some kind of Americana travelogue.

So for seven years she carries around this venomous hatred of all things Parker. The main plot of this story seems to focus on some implausible premise of a big movie production company using the little near-deserted town for a press premiere of their latest movie. There is more writing devoted to this than the actual relationship (such as it is) between the two main characters. Lee is in town to film a story about the premiere for his tv travel series. In the midst of her trip to Twilight, she has a serious suitor 'back home' who is pressuring her to marry him. It almost seems as if her attitude is to keep him around until something better comes along.

For the first 100 pages or so, the heroine doesn't even talk to the hero, other than to spew invective when she couldn't avoid him altogether. There is a brief kiss exchanged in the 120 page range, then back to the droning saga of the movie people. Then suddenly near the 200 page mark, Lee's great aunt Mae appears and has a brief conversation with Karen, and everything is (unbelievably) fine. All these bad feelings she'd harboured are negated overnight and she makes a 180 degree change in her attitude. All without any interaction at all with the hero.

Of course there's a big misunderstanding, and she's back to hating the Parkers. This see-sawing almost drove me nuts to read it. There is some controversy about a legend regarding the town and Lee's team uncovers it. The movie people were interested in the town based on the existence of this legend as historical fact. For many more pages than I care to count, this was the plot and setting.

The story dragged on and on and I found when I had finally plodded through it all, I was very disappointed and unsatisfied.