Kaleidoscope Summer
by
Rita Garcia
About the Book . . .
Samantha
Forrester has it all together. Deafness at age fifteen has not hampered
her success. Life, although predictable, has hit a comfortable stride.
Until.
Her
world crumbles when secrets of the past are brought to light. She
travels to Serenity Cove to settle her birth mother’s estate and search
for her true identity. Samantha soon becomes enamored with the town. And
then there's police chief Logan Delatorre who startles her pulse, and
grandparents who refuse to acknowledge her. More mystery unfolds when an
attack is levied against her—someone wants her out of Serenity Cove.
Samantha’s
faith is called into question when she stumbles over the need to
forgive. Can Dr. Ellie Clarimonde help her connect the pieces of her
past and learn the power of forgiveness?
About the Author . . .
Dr.
Rita Garcia is an inspirational novelist—her imagination was creating
stories when she was still too young to put pen to paper. Romance is a
big part of her novels. Hope is an even larger element of the stories.
Rita and her husband reside in Southern California. They have four
adorable daughters and seven fantastic grandchildren who fill their
lives with love and never a dull moment.
She
is a Clinical Christian Counselor, licensed by the National Christian
Counselors Association, and certified as a Biblical Christian Counselor
by the American Association of Christian Counselors. She has a passion
for helping others achieve their most important life goals.
Please visit Rita at her blog and website:
www.reflectionswithdrrita.com
Reader Review . . .
Samantha Forrest had a privileged childhood, although she often felt a distance between herself and her parents. Left death at age fifteen after a bout of meningitis, they provided for her financially but not emotionally. When, after their deaths, she discovered she was adopted, she began a journey to find her birth mother and to piece together the puzzle of the past. In Serenity Cove, she found all the pieces to the puzzle; the only question was, would she ever be able to make the pieces fit?
Written by a Clinical Christian Counselor, Serenity Cove is a fascinating look into the methods of counseling and therapy. The novel has an interesting premise in Samantha searching for her birth mother, and there is romance and suspense thrown in for good measure. Sadly, the suspense fizzles out halfway through the book, with the only mystery left being the paternity of Samantha.
The most interesting character of the book is Anne, whom we only meet through letters from the past and the remembrances of friends. I did appreciate Samantha's aggravation with Logan's take-charge attitude. It seemed very realistic that a man could subconsciously feel the need to "fix" everything for a hearing-impaired woman.
One thing that caused a problem for me was the change in point-of-view from chapter to chapter. I never understood why Logan was in the first person, while Samantha was in the third person. The fact that her chapters began with her journal entry was a nice touch, and gives the reader a clue as to her feelings at the moment.
It isn't a bad novel, and some will thoroughly enjoy it. For me, it just didn't keep my attention throughout. I found myself skimming some passages, especially when the dialogue contained too many clichés. But the theme of forgiveness and hope, as well as that of new beginnings, is good.
Clean romance with mild suspense; strong Christian themes; appropriate for adolescents and up.
3.5 stars
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Non-bloggers you can join too! Just keep track any way you wish and enter a link below if available or sign up in the comment section. You can even set up a special shelf on Goodreads to help you keep track!
Need some help finding titles to match the alphabet – Jandy’s Reading Room has a wonderful list to get you started.
Here is my list:
Reader Review . . .
Samantha Forrest had a privileged childhood, although she often felt a distance between herself and her parents. Left death at age fifteen after a bout of meningitis, they provided for her financially but not emotionally. When, after their deaths, she discovered she was adopted, she began a journey to find her birth mother and to piece together the puzzle of the past. In Serenity Cove, she found all the pieces to the puzzle; the only question was, would she ever be able to make the pieces fit?
Written by a Clinical Christian Counselor, Serenity Cove is a fascinating look into the methods of counseling and therapy. The novel has an interesting premise in Samantha searching for her birth mother, and there is romance and suspense thrown in for good measure. Sadly, the suspense fizzles out halfway through the book, with the only mystery left being the paternity of Samantha.
The most interesting character of the book is Anne, whom we only meet through letters from the past and the remembrances of friends. I did appreciate Samantha's aggravation with Logan's take-charge attitude. It seemed very realistic that a man could subconsciously feel the need to "fix" everything for a hearing-impaired woman.
One thing that caused a problem for me was the change in point-of-view from chapter to chapter. I never understood why Logan was in the first person, while Samantha was in the third person. The fact that her chapters began with her journal entry was a nice touch, and gives the reader a clue as to her feelings at the moment.
It isn't a bad novel, and some will thoroughly enjoy it. For me, it just didn't keep my attention throughout. I found myself skimming some passages, especially when the dialogue contained too many clichés. But the theme of forgiveness and hope, as well as that of new beginnings, is good.
Clean romance with mild suspense; strong Christian themes; appropriate for adolescents and up.
3.5 stars
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Pump Up Your Book book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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2013 A-Z Reading Challenge
Do you love to read? You know I do! Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book is hosting a reading challenge for 2013.This challenge will run from January 1st, 2012 until December 31st, 2013.
You
can join anytime. It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to
read one book starting with every letter of the alphabet.
So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z Reading Challenge.
A - Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the books you are reading to the list. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.
OR
B - Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A – The Azalea Assault B- Blue Monday C – Crops and Robbers D – A Deadly Grind etc.
Books can be read in any order and all formats – print – e-book – audio – are acceptable for this challenge!
So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z Reading Challenge.
A - Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the books you are reading to the list. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.
OR
B - Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A – The Azalea Assault B- Blue Monday C – Crops and Robbers D – A Deadly Grind etc.
Books can be read in any order and all formats – print – e-book – audio – are acceptable for this challenge!
Ready to join??
Sign up at Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book and grab the button.
Non-bloggers you can join too! Just keep track any way you wish and enter a link below if available or sign up in the comment section. You can even set up a special shelf on Goodreads to help you keep track!
Need some help finding titles to match the alphabet – Jandy’s Reading Room has a wonderful list to get you started.
Here is my list:
A AN ANGEL BY HER SIDE - RUTH REID - 4 stars
B
C CHRISTMAS WITH THE FIRST LADIES - COLLEEN CHRISTIAN BURKE
D THE DILEMMA OF CHARLOTTE FARROW- OLIVIA NEWPORT
E
F
B
C CHRISTMAS WITH THE FIRST LADIES - COLLEEN CHRISTIAN BURKE
D THE DILEMMA OF CHARLOTTE FARROW- OLIVIA NEWPORT
E
F
G
H
I ICONIC SPIRITS: AN INTOXICATING HISTORY - MARK SPIVAK
J
K KILLER RATINGS - LISA SEIDMAN
L TO LOVE A WOLF - BK WALKER
M MY NAME IS MARY SUTTER - ROBIN OLIVEIRA
N NEVER LET YOU GO - ERIN HEALY
O O! JACKIE - MERCEDES KING
P PERIL: FROM JACKBOOTS TO JACK BENNY - PEARL GOODMAN - 4 STARS
Q QUEEN OF THE AIR: A TRUE STORY OF LOVE AND TRAGEDY AT THE CIRCUS - DEAN JENSEN
R RAISING CUBBY-JOHN ELDER ROBISON
S SECRETLY SMITTEN - COLLEEN COBLE, DENISE HUNTER, KRISTEN BILLERBECK, & DIANN HUNT
T THE POSTMISTRESS-SARAH BLAKE
U UNCONQUERED: THE SAGA OF COUSINS JERRY LEE LEWIS, JIMMY SWAGGART, AND MICKY GILLEY - J.D. DAVIS
V VANISHED-IRENE HANNON - 5 STARS
W
X
Y
Z
I will be updating my list and will keep it posted on here. Check back to see what I've read, and comment and let me know when you join the challenge. Here's to a year of good reading!
H
I ICONIC SPIRITS: AN INTOXICATING HISTORY - MARK SPIVAK
J
K KILLER RATINGS - LISA SEIDMAN
L TO LOVE A WOLF - BK WALKER
M MY NAME IS MARY SUTTER - ROBIN OLIVEIRA
N NEVER LET YOU GO - ERIN HEALY
O O! JACKIE - MERCEDES KING
P PERIL: FROM JACKBOOTS TO JACK BENNY - PEARL GOODMAN - 4 STARS
Q QUEEN OF THE AIR: A TRUE STORY OF LOVE AND TRAGEDY AT THE CIRCUS - DEAN JENSEN
R RAISING CUBBY-JOHN ELDER ROBISON
S SECRETLY SMITTEN - COLLEEN COBLE, DENISE HUNTER, KRISTEN BILLERBECK, & DIANN HUNT
T THE POSTMISTRESS-SARAH BLAKE
U UNCONQUERED: THE SAGA OF COUSINS JERRY LEE LEWIS, JIMMY SWAGGART, AND MICKY GILLEY - J.D. DAVIS
V VANISHED-IRENE HANNON - 5 STARS
W
X
Y
Z
I will be updating my list and will keep it posted on here. Check back to see what I've read, and comment and let me know when you join the challenge. Here's to a year of good reading!
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A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere. - Groucho Marx
2 comments:
Thank you for a good review.
A great example of an efficient, an helpful, honest review...thanks so much for sharing...I will look for the book!
Michelle
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