The third and final installment in the Ashley Stockingdale series. Ashley's trip to the altar takes some hilarious (and down right frustrating!) twists and turns, but in the end Ashley finally figures out exactly what she wants, how she wants it and who she wants it with. A fitting ending to the saga of Ashley. A fun, light summer read. ( )

The third and final installment in the Ashley Stockingdale series. Ashley's trip to the altar takes some hilarious (and down right frustrating!) twists and turns, but in the end Ashley finally figures out exactly what she wants, how she wants it and who she wants it with. A fitting ending to the saga of Ashley. A fun, light summer read. ( )

Rating: B-

My local Christian book store was having a liquidation sale, so I bought this book which is the third (and final) installment of the Ashley Stockingdale series. I had read the previous two a couple of years back and then gotten off the series because Billerbeck was a little too churchy-preachy for me (granted, I'm a Christian, but rather than you coming right out and telling me what she's struggling with and how she's overcoming it, or not, just let me figure it out on my own). Anyway, I decided it might be good to read how somebody else is writing about virtue and waiting... something that I did not find in hardly any of the afore-mentioned YA novels. Billerbeck's still super preach-y, but Dr. Kevin Novak is a dream, and if you're in to Christian chick lit, you can't get much better than Billerbeck. ( )

With This Ring I'm Confused by Kristin Billerbeck

Publisher/Date/No. of Pages:
Westbow, 2005, 294 p.
Plot Summary: What happens, When & Where, Central Characters, Major Conflicts
Ashley Stockingdale should be enjoying this time of her life--she's about to get married, her job is going well, her sister-in-law just had a baby. But her wedding is being taken over by her in-laws, her ex-boyfriend just got hired at her company, and her mom is too focused on being a grandma to help her much with the wedding. Ashley thinks all of this equals a crisis of huge proportions, of course, and this leads to scenarios like her having to be bailed out of jail while wearing a "Gone With The Wind" wedding dress. True love and faith get her through and help her learn how to get along with her in-laws, make sacrifices for her family, and give in when it's really important.






Style Characterisics: Pacing, clarity, structure, narrative devices, etc.
Ashley is truly out of control and even neurotic at times! I don't know how her fiance puts up with it, except that he is never there and that he acts like the perfect beau when he is. This book is mostly fun and frivolity, an escape from reality though the situations may be easily related too. But the characters are clear exaggerations--though I found myself identifying with Kay, Ashley's put together housemate.

How Good is it?
Just for fun. ( )

January 2006 ( )