What Follows After Book Review

SUMMARY:  In 1962, life was simple, the world made sense, and all families were happy.  And when they weren't, everyone knew you were supposed to pretend.
     For the past year, Scott and Gina Harrison have been living a lie.  While they show up at family get-togethers in the same car, they've actually been separated for over a year.  To keep up the charade, they've even instructed their sons, Colt and Timmy, to lie - to their grandparents, their teachers, and their friends.
     Colt, for one, has had enough, so he hatches a plan.  He and his little brother will run away from their Florida home, head for their aunt's house in Georgia, and refuse to come home until their parents get back together.  But when things go terribly, terribly wrong, Scott and Gina must come to grips with years of neglect and mistrust in order to recover their beloved sons, their love for one another, and their marriage.
     In this emotional story, bestselling author Dan Walsh takes you on a journey to rediscover the things that matter most in life - love, truth, and family.  With profound insight into the heart of a hurting child, he reminds us that a time will come to look back on hard times and smile, because we'll know that what follows after . . . is not what we expected at all.

REVIEW:  OH! MY! GOODNESS!!!  I'm going to be really honest here.  After reading the first eight chapters, I had to put the book down because I didn't think I could read any farther.  My two boys are about the ages of the boys in the book and my heart started breaking when I read the part where things start to go "terribly, terribly wrong."  After praying over it and giving it a day or so, I resolved to finish the book.  I am SO GLAD I did!!  Dan Walsh is an amazing author and made me feel like I was there in the background watching everything play out.  While I was still saddened about what had happened, I was encouraged to see how Gina and Scott were working together to find their boys and not blame each other.  The ending is also one to stick around for because, even though I had some idea of how the events would play out, I was not expecting the rest of the story.  This is an awesome book, one everyone needs to check out.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of several books, including The Unfinished Gift, The Discovery, and The Reunion, as well as The Dance and The Promise with Gary Smalley.  He has won three Carol awards, and three of his novels were finalists for RT Book Reviews Inspirational Book of the Year (2011-2013).  Dan lives with his wife in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel.  Visit www.danwalshbooks.com for more.

Summer of Joy Book Review

The Heart of Hollyhill Series

Book Three

SUMMARY:  As summer draws to a close, Jocie's world seems serene - but is it just the calm before the storm?

     Unbeknownst to Jocie Brooks and her family, two people are making their way to the small town of Hollyhill, Kentucky.  One everyone thought was gone for good and the other no one's ever heard of.  Still, one thing is for sure - they promise trouble.  The past is coming to call, threatening to destroy strong relationships that everyone has simply taken for granted.

     The summer of 1964 may be winding down, but the controversy in this little community where nothing ever seems to change is just heating up.

     Bestselling author Ann Gabhart invites you to Hollyhill for a story both exciting and enduring that will stick with you a long time after you turn the last page.

REVIEW:  After reading this book and stewing on what I wanted to write, the only thing that kept coming to mind was that the summary of the book had more hype than the book did.  Now, granted, two visitors did come to town but only one really shook up the family while the other shook up two people.  The only character I thought that might be a danger to any relationships was Edwin Hammond trying to break up David and Leigh's with his stalking, but he was already in town, working as Jocie's teacher.  

     One of my favorites characters throughout the book was Leigh.  I loved how she didn't care that David was older than her, that he had a grandchild and that her life would be on display was the preacher's wife if and when they got married.  She just loved David and just wanted to be with him and be a part of all that his life encompassed. 

    Wes is also another favorite.  His stories about being from Jupiter made me chuckle but his love for Jocie as one of his own children/grandchildren just melted my heart. 

     This is a good stand-alone book.  Even though I read the first book in this series but not the second, I was able to follow along easily with only a few hiccups.  There were just a couple of places that I would have liked to have known the background information that was in book two, but it was very minute. 

    This is a refreshing look at life in the mid-1960s.  Though segregation was a part of life in this time period, the church that David was a part of didn't subscribe to that train of thought.  A person was a person, no matter the color of your skin.  We are all made in the image of God.

      This is a good book, showing that if we love others like God loves us, we can do great things.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Ann H. Gabhart is the bestselling author of several novels, including Angel Sister, Small Town Girl, and Scent of Lilacs.  She lives with her husband a mile from where she was born in rural Kentucky.  Find out more at www.annhgabart.com.