Judy Baer

Contemporary/Christian

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Seems gaming is everywhere these days.

Turn on the TV, and you'll see B-grade celebs flipping cards for charity, their remaining 15 minutes dwindling down to the felt along with their poker chips.

State lottery scratch tickets?

In some communities, they're considered college and retirement planning tools.

Heck, even the middle-schoolers in my neighborhood had a floater of Texas Hold'em running most of last summer.

But you'd have to be a donkey -- that's card shark lingo for dummy -- not to realize that for some gambling is fun, for others serious business.

And therein lies the rub for Cassia Carr when she tries to give away $20 million in lottery earnings in "Million Dollar Dilemma," Judy Baer's vibrant, genuine, and funny new novel.

Cassia Carr's a P.K., or Preacher's Kid, who can cite a sort of scripture shorthand germane to almost any statement, question, or circumstance.

She shuns acquiring worldly goods because she knows the truth:

The more she gives away, the more of life's important stuff she'll receive in return.

"Proverbs 11:24, and all," she'd tell you.

Anyway, when Cassia inadvertently wins the state lottery -- she thought she was donating to the office baby shower envelope, not the weekly lottery pool -- she can't give away the dough fast enough.

Literally. Can't. Give it. Away.

No church or Christian organization is willing to accept what they see as ill-gotten gains.

Adam Cavanaugh, Cassia's world-weary, slightly-fallen-from-grace new neighbor has made a nice living as an international correspondent.

But it's not enough to help the dying kids he's seen while on assignment in famine-ravished Burundi.

If he sells the rights to a story about Cassia's ordeal, his paycheck could save the lives of a lot of Burundian orphans.

Now Adam's got a dilemma: Will his new friend think he's only been interested in her money?

Judy Baer is a super writer, and a smart one at that.

Were it not so, Baer might have forced a big ol' Altar Call to wrap up loose ends of faith formation for Adam.

Or, she could have provided a deus ex machina revelation to solve all Cassia's problems.

Instead, she chose to let Cassia and Adam get themselves out of Dodge -- with a little help from the Big Guy, and a lot of support from friends and family.

"Million Dollar Dilemma" is sophisticated in structure and story, but sweet and accessible.

My advice to anyone looking for a romance with genuine substance but no embarrassing sizzle?

Don't be a donkey.

Buy the book.

www.judykbaer.com

Next week's review and AuthorView: "My Fair Temptress," by Christina Dodd.