Beneath the Night Tree Blog Tour

SUMMARY:
Julia DeSmit knew she would face the question eventually, but she didn't expect it now that she is finally content with the way her life has unfolded.  A single mother to her son and younger brother, she cherishes living with her beloved grandmother and is hoping to be engaged to Michael Vermeer - the man of her dreams - by year's end.

Then a cryptic e-mail from her son's father spins her world off axis.  She hasn't heard from Parker since he left her in a college parking lot without a backward glance.  But one look at her son - the spitting image of his father - is enough to convince her that, for better or worse, Parker is a part of their story.

Faced with this new reality and the potential unraveling of her unorthodox family, Julia begins a tightrope walk between what was, what is, and what she hopes will be.

REVIEW:
I like Julia.  She does not expect a hand-out because she is a single mom.  She does not want a pity party because she had a rough childhood with a dead-beat mom and a dad who did his best but died when she was young.  Julia is raising her younger brother Simon and her son Daniel, taking care of her aging grandmother, working a full-time job and taking classes at the local community college.  Michael, her boyfriend of five years, is studying to be a doctor in Iowa City, six hours away, so she only gets to see him occasionally.  Julia also struggles with Parker, Daniel's dad, and how to respond to his request to get to know his son.  The last time Julia saw Parker was when he told her to get rid of the child she was carrying then drove off.

This is the third book in a series.  Not having read the first two, I was a little lost when it came to some of the back story.  This book can stand on it's own;  I would have preferred more information about Parker than what was given in the book.  You aren't given a reason as to why Parker is suddenly interested in finding out if he has a child then wanting to get to know him.  Late in the book, Parker mentions to Julia that he has a sister and two nieces so I wonder if that is why but the author never says.

This is a good book and was really enjoyable.

Tyndale House provided me with a complimentary copy of this Advanced Reader Copy.

NICOLE BAART was born and raised in a small town in Iowa.  She wrote and published her first complete novel, After the Leaves Fall, while taking a break from teaching to be a full-time mom.  Summer Snow and Beneath the Night Tree complete the series.  Nicole is also the author of The Moment Between.

She has three sons and is the wife of a pastor.  One of her sons was adopted from Ethiopian so she is passionate about global issues and is a founding member of One Body One Hope, a non-profit organization that works with an orphanage in Monrovia, Liberia.  Nicole and her family live in Iowa.