The third book in the Grace Medical series jumps right in with action. Lauren Barclay has moved back to Houston to keep an eye on her younger sister Jessica. Lauren has always been the responsible sister and even has taken to covering for Jessica when she is late for work. The story opens with Elijah Landry's disabled brother Drew being brought into the ER at Grace Medical because he is having difficulty breathing. Eli is a PA(Physician Assistant) at Grace Medical. Lauren doesn't have kind thoughts towards Eli because he was involved with Jessica. Lauren and her parents have blamed him for Jessica's current decline in health.
Both Eli and Lauren are dealing with severe family issues along with the stress of working in the ER of Grace Medical. Lauren is in denial that Jessica has a problem and Eli is battling his father for more rights in caring for his brother. Add to that someone breaking into the staff lockers, someone stealing patients medications, a patient attempting suicide, a head nurse who's personality has gone from congenial to unreasonable, and a possible hurricane heading directly for the area, LIFE SUPPORT manages to keep the reader's attention riveted to the very end of the book.
I really enjoyed this story and would recommend it to the reader that enjoys a good medical drama along with family angst, romantic entanglements, mystery and faith. Eli's love for his brother and daughter was heart-warming and I could feel his pain and frustration with his father. Lauren's constant defense of her sister was believable and understandable, yet frustrating as I think in real life being a person on the outside looking in would feel. There was a little bit of confusion for me of what Eli and Lauren's past relationship was, but eventually we did get the story and that helped clear things up.
Thank you to the publisher Tyndale House through NetGalley for my copy for review. All opinions are my own.
Gerard and Jenna Bouvier live with his mother Brigitte.
Gerard is the heir to the family wine business and he hopes that someday soon
his mother will hand over the reins to him. Gerard has turned a blind eye to
his mother’s abuse of his wife Jenna. Being in a marriage arranged pretty much
by Brigitte Gerard and Jenna have spent their married life trying to please
her.
Feeling led by the Holy Spirit Jenna begins to seek what God
would have her do in her situation. Seeking an outlet Jenna has begun a
spiritual journey that she blogs about hoping to find her purpose and help
others find theirs. In her quest to submit only to the Lord Jenna seeks the
council of Matthew a spiritual guide. Never has Matthew been so touched by a
client than he has been by Jenna. They have an instant spiritual connection.
Brigitte has one goal in mind and that is to keep Gerard and
Jenna under her control. Being the ultimate business woman Brigitte is
determined that she will never allow her son to run the family business. She
takes steps to ensure that Jenna too will remain in her power.
Jenna feels the Holy Spirit
telling her that a time of trial is coming. Her prayer throughout is that she
will remain faithful no matter what comes her way. Throughout her circumstances
Jenna knows in her heart that God will never leave her or forsake her, but when
she no longer is able to feel the Holy Spirits presence she fears that once
again she has become a failure.
My Thoughts:
As I’ve been processing Lost and
Found since I finished I’ve been trying to think how to express how I felt at
the end. As with every book I have read by Ginny Yttrup I found the subject
matter thought-provoking and a story that stays with me for long after I finish
reading. Ginny has a way of making the characters in her books touch a person’s
heart. Her characters are very believable and consistent in their behavior. I
feel like I become a part of their lives as I read. Each character is fully
developed and able to produce all kinds of emotions in the reader. I totally
disliked Brigitte’s character and found myself wanting something bad to happen
to her! Jenna garnered sympathy and sometimes exasperation. Several other
characters also gave me some strong emotions to deal with. I have to be honest
and say that I didn’t care for Matthew’s character as a spiritual guide or
some-such that he called himself. I thought he and Jenna risked falling into a
relationship together outside of their marriages even though that didn’t happen
I felt that in “real life” it would have. I also had problems with some of the charismatic
and maybe “new age” material that to me was a bit over the top. I think the
final message in the book is that we must be willing to lose everything and
empty ourselves out to the Lord. He is the only one that matters.
In Author Julie Lessman's own words from interview on MY FAVORITE PASTIME April 5, 2013:
Tell us about upcoming
releases and works in progress.
Julie Lessman:Well,
the “Heart of San Francisco” series, which launches April 15, 2013, is kind of
a poor-man, rich-man scenario among three cousins during the Irish-political
landscape of 1902 San Francisco. Think Little
Women meets Dynasty.
And for those too young to remember the TV show Dynasty, think family wealth and poverty in a political setting.
This series is a bit of a departure for me because it’s a
lot lighter and I hope a lot more fun than the angst and high drama of my two
prior series.It will be shorter and
less complicated than the O’Connor saga, which means the books will be about
400 pages rather than my usual 500+, and the plots will be two-tier instead of
three- and four-tier.
You’ll have the romance between the hero and heroine front
and center, of course, but also a second-tier love story between the older
couple in the series, just like there was with Patrick and Marcy O’Connor. Only
instead of a happily married mother and father such as we had in the O’Connor
saga, Caitlyn McClare is a godly widowed matriarch who butts heads (and hearts)
with her rogue brother-in-law Logan McClare, with whom she was once in love.
Engaged to Logan at a very young age, Cait broke the engagement when she
discovered Logan’s infidelity, resulting in her marrying Logan’s brother
instead. Now, twenty-seven years down the road, Cait is a widow and Logan is
determined to win her back, so the romantic tension between these two
undergirds the romantic tension between our heroine, Cait’s niece Cassie
McClare, and the hero, Jamie MacKenna.
The one-line premise for Book 1, Love at Any Cost is: “A spunky Texas heiress without a fortune
falls in love with a handsome pauper looking to marry well.” And here’s the
jacket blurb:
Fooled by a pretty boy once, shame on him.
Fooled by a pretty boy twice, shame on me.
Jilted
by a fortune hunter, cowgirl Cassidy McClare is a spunky Texas oil heiress
without a fortune who just as soon hogtie a man as look at him … until Jamie
MacKenna, a handsome pauper looking to marry well, lassoes her heart. But when Jamie
discovers the woman he loves is poorer than him, Cassie finds herself bucked by
love a second time, sending her back to Texas to lick her wounds and heal her
heart. In her absence, Jamie discovers money can’t buy love, but love built on
faith can set a heart free, a truth he discovers a little too late … or is it?
I guarantee you there’s a lot of sass and fun in this new
series, so I’m really looking forward to introducing my readers to this lighter
style and the San Francisco McClares!
Make no mistake, when Julie Lessman says that there is a lot less drama and angst in this book, that does not translate into "boring"! LOVE AT ANY COST is anything but boring! There is drama, there is angst and there is romance and humor. And all of that squished into about 100 pages less than what Julie's novels normally are. While LOVE AT ANY COST gave my heart less of a workout than former Julie Lessman books I can't say that it gave it a total rest! The romance between Jamie and Cassie is fraught with humor and tension. Jamie is determined to do whatever it takes to win Cassie even if he has to fake a faith that he doesn't have. Cassie is determined to never be taken in by a pretty-boy again. When Jamie's plans are thwarted and Cassie's heart is once more broken it seems that nothing can bring them together again. As with all of Julie Lessman's books there is a secondary romance going on. Or at least Logan wishes there was a romance going on! He was once engaged to Cait, but she married his brother instead. Now she is widowed and Logan hopes to win her heart once more. One thing Cait has taught Cassie is that the man she courts needs to share the same faith as her. Now Cait finds that she must remember her own advice. With so many hurting hearts in this book one wonders how Julie will wrap it all up, because as she has always assured me all of her books have a happy ending and that is what keeps me reading to the end! I definitely recommend LOVE AT ANY COST and I am looking forward to the next book in the Heart of San Francisco series.
FUN FACT:
I was one of the winners in a contest that Julie was having to have a character named after me in LOVE AT ANY COST. Julie Lessman asked me whether I would like to have a lady of the evening or a socialite named after me. I chose the lady of the evening character! Why? Honestly I thought it would be interesting to choose something more edgier, totally opposite of what people would expect of me. So if you go to page 42(Chapter 4) Julie, a lady of the evening in the Barbary Coast is introduced. And this is the part of the story where I fell in love with the character of Jamie MacKenna!
Marceline Murphy has
had a crush on her best friend Julie’s brother Sam since she was 8 years old.
But Sam and his best friend Patrick O’Connor are known to be rogue’s when it
comes to women and alcohol. No heart is safe when they are around.
Marceline is an only child that has always wanted a large
family. She has envied her best friend’s large family for years. When both
Patrick and Sam set their hearts on Marcy she is determined to not be their
next conquest.
Marcy is the first girl that has ever made Patrick and Sam
want to change for the better. Both determined to win her heart, they join in
helping Marcy with the fundraising play for the parish. At first they join only
to gain Marcy’s interest, but one heart is changed forever. Will Marcy choose
Sam whom she has had a schoolgirl crush on for years or his best friend Patrick
whom she continually under estimates?
A Light in the Window is the prequel to the O’Connor family
story. If you have read any of The Daughters of Boston series or The Winds of
Change then you know how A Light in the Window turns out. But as with all of
Julie Lessman’s books it is not without its twists and turns to get to the
final outcome. A Light in the Window has become my favorite of the O’Connor
stories! Even though this story is “lighter” than the other books in the series
I found that there is still enough passion and angst to keep me on the edge of
my seat! One of the things that I definitely love about the whole series is the
faith interwoven through the characters lives. Each book shows how surrender to
the Savior can change the most hardened heart.
Julie Lessman is having a contest on her blog. Check it out:
Here are my reviews of the other O'Connor books in the series:
As Mary and Kate's mother lays in a vegetative state once again the girls are faced with tragedy. Their minister father has now passed away and they are left with decisions too difficult for them to face.
Mary is an artist, but once her mother's accident happened the light has gone out of her paintings. Mary has devoted her life to taking care of her mother. Now she must give up her extra art class after school in order to be more available to care for her mother.
Kate has always dreamed of going to college at Stanford and becoming a doctor. It was her mother's dream for her, and her constant secret for the past several years. Now that dream is about to be realized but with the death of her father Kate is confused about her responsibilities.
Irises was an engaging story. Mary and Kate's struggles with what to do once their father dies kept me turning the pages because I wanted to find out how things turned out. There were so many other issues in the book though that I couldn't give it a better rating. I didn't care for the new minister(Andy) and his goal of some day being the head of a more affluent church. His willingness to allow Kate in his apartment with the idea that things may lead to a sexual encounter was just wrong. His preaching of love and faith without actual guidance of how to gain those things showed that he had no business being a preacher. The girls' father even though he had been a minister for years had led his family with rules and antiquated ideas rather than teaching them about faith. So I guess that the author's portrayal of the religious figures left a dis-satisfied taste in my mouth. Even with that I found empathy for both Mary and Kate's characters. Both struggling with what has happened in their lives, having to face giving up dreams, relationships that have turned disappointing, and the ultimate decision of what to do about their mother all were written to be very believable. Definitely not a waste of time to read this book!
Priscilla White knows that she is called to be a missionary. After all, she knows she will never marry because of the heart-breaking secret she carries with her each day.
Dr. Eli Ernest has a dream to become a missionary in Oregon country. He too carries scars from his past. He also knows that the mission field is no place for a woman.
Unfortunately for both Eli and Priscilla the mission board is no longer sending out single people. They wish for only married couples to go into the field. With no other choice before them Eli and Priscilla enter into a marriage of convenience.
Eli resents having to take a woman across the hard trails to Oregon country. Priscilla is determined to show him that she is strong enough to make the journey. Neither one of them counted on the awkwardness that would occur when they met up with the other young couple traveling with them. Henry, a young preacher, and his wife Mabel have agreed to travel with Eli and Priscilla to Oregon country to start a new mission. Henry though is a former suitor of Priscilla's. She had told him that she would never marry, now she shows up married to another man.
The journey is filled with frustration for Eli, hardships for the entire party and near disaster at every corner. Will their determination to serve their Savior carry them through the many miles and hardships of travel? And what about Eli and Priscilla's agreement of a marriage of convenience? Will they be able to deny the attraction they feel for each other?
This is the second book I have read by Jody Hedlund and I must say that she is not afraid to delve into the cost of following Christ. Eli and Priscilla leave all that they know in order to bring the gospel to the lost Indian tribes in the Oregon country. They suffer hardships, illness, exhaustion and frustration(and fleas) at every turn and they still press on to serve Him. Ms. Hedlund is not afraid to show the weaknesses of her characters, their human-ness helps us to relate. If you are a Historical Fiction fan this book is for you!
Finley is on her way to Ireland as part on an exchange student program. She is following her brother’s footsteps after his death.Since Will was killed Finley has found herself in a downward spiral. She feels that God is no longer listening to her. Since reading Will’s journal and seeing how much he saw God while in Ireland, Finley believes that if she just follows in his footsteps that maybe God will meet her there also.
Beckett Rush is a hot young actor heading to his home in Ireland to film his latest vampire movie. When Finley, being bumped up to first class, sits next to him on their trip to Ireland he assumes that she too will be one of the many girls that swoon over him. He is in for a huge surprise. Finley is uninterested in his notoriety.
Finley’s host family runs a Bed & Breakfast. Finley is less than enthused when she finds that Beckett is staying there for the duration of the filming of his movie. Since Finley is without a car it puts a crimp in her following Will’s journal. Beckett offers to drive her around in return for her being his assistant. She helps him run lines. He finds her honesty refreshing.
One of Finley’s first assignments when she starts school is to adopt a grandmother from the local nursing home. She is assigned Mrs. Sweeney, a cantankerous woman who is dying. Finley tries to get out of the assignment or to get reassigned to someone else, but her teacher is not going for it. What Finley doesn’t count on is learning to love the woman and helping her find forgiveness in her last days.
With the mounting pressure of school, an audition at a conservatory, her mounting feelings for Beckett, and being unable to come up with an ending for her musical piece, Finley starts to spiral downhill. Will she meet God in this place or will she lose Him and herself in the process?
From the moment I picked up the book I had a hard time putting it down. Jenny B. Jones has a way of writing that captures the reader from the very beginning of the book until the last page is turned. I connected with the characters and empathized with both of them. Without being overly preachy Jenny B. Jones was able to show her characters struggle with faith and ultimate victory.
Tom Crane is working for a large Atlanta law firm hoping that he will make partner. His hopes are dashed though when he is "consolidated" instead. Finding himself without a job and girlfriendless(his girlfriend breaks up with him in a letter), Tom heads to his hometown to settle the affairs of his father who recently died in a drowning accident.
While Tom closes his father's law firm he stays with his uncle Elias. At first Tom doesn't want to hear anything from Elias about spiritual things. But when Tom has a spiritual encounter of his own in his father's law office he becomes more open and accepting of heavenly things.
Tom soon uncovers what looks to be an embezzlement scheme involving a client of his father's and an employee at the local Pelham company. Considering that he is best friends with Arthur Pelham's son Rick, Tom fully believes that his father's client was involved in the embezzlement.
When Rick's wife Tiffany starts flirting with Tom he is flattered and tries to rationalize his attraction to her. After all she assures him that their marriage is on the rocks and she is willing to leave it all behind to be with Tom. Tom soon realizes his rationalization as sin and repents of it. He soon becomes attracted to Rose Addington. Rose refuses to believe that her father was involved in any way in the embezzlement scheme. She challenges Tom to do further research into the events that led up to their fathers deaths.
That research soon lands both Tom and Rose in jail and in serious danger. With his life seeming to fall apart before his eyes, Tom has a hard time calling out to the God that he so recently trusted.
First off the positive: Water's Edge reminded me of reading one of John Grisham's novels, but add in a more spiritual content. I was engaged in the story and characters from the beginning through to the end. The writing flowed and the story remained fairly consistent.
The negative: For me the spiritual content was a bit too mystical mixed with charasmatic. When Rose talked about Tom's office being a "thin" place(a place where there is less separation between heaven and earth) I was thinking, "WHAT?!" Another time Tom asked his uncle if he was a mystic. He described a mystic as being "someone who withdraws from the world and spends time having weird spiritual experiences." Tom's whole relationship with the Lord was based on emotionalism and when the emotion wasn't there then he easily fell away into despair. At one point when everything seemed to come crashing down on him he contemplated suicide. To the point of getting the gun out and having it under his chin to do the job. I understand that we all have our mountaintop experiences, but to crash so low to want to end it all did not seem consistent with Tom's character.
In the sequel to Beside Still Waters Marianna is still confused about her feelings for Ben. With Marianna being Amish and Ben being English a romantic relationship would not be allowed.
Aaron has tried to put Marianna out of his mind. He even tried to focus his attention on Naomi for a while. Being unable to forget Marianna he decides to travel to Montana and try and win her heart.
After an accident keeps Aaron in Montana and in Marianna's family home for weeks, Marianna becomes even more confused. How can she have feelings for both Ben and Aaron?
The community in which Marianna and her family are now living is a mixture of Amish and English. Whereas before in Indiana The Amish did not mix with the English here in Montana Marianna finds herself working for them and caring for them in a way she never thought possible. Marianna is also discovering a more personal relationship with the Lord and struggling to make that relationship mesh with the Amish way of life she has been taught since her birth.
I am thoroughly wrapped up in this series! At the end of Along Wooded Paths is a sample chapter for the next book in the series entitled Beyond Hopes Valley which just whetted my appetite and caused me to hope it will come out soon. But since Along Wooded Paths will not be released until October 2011, I doubt that my desire will be satisfied!
Sam no longer turns into a wolf, but now Grace does. While Sam waits for warmer weather and Grace's return a girls body is found in the woods. This sets in motion Isabel's father's attempts to get the ban on hunting wolves lifted.
Since the girl was found near the Boundary Woods and close to Sam's house he is instantly a suspect. Especially since Grace too has seemed to have disappeared.
With the looming threat of the wolves being hunted and Grace being out there with them Sam and Cole must find a place to move the wolves.
In order to save the lives of the wolves and Grace Sam must do something he hoped he would never have to do again.
Although Forever is not always filled with action the ability of Maggie Stiefvater to keep a person engaged in the characters provides a fascinating page-turner. She has a way of explaining the thoughts and actions of the characters that makes you feel their emotional trauma right along with them. The love between Sam and Grace tugs at your heart. When you read about Sam's struggle to get his thoughts out into words you feel empathy for him. The relationship between Cole and Isabel was filled with tension. And the drama of the wolves' peril kept me holding my breath wondering which ones would survive. Great job Maggie Stiefvater! I will miss Sam and Grace, but I do have one complaint: I wish there were a different ending!
WORD DEFINITION: I have looked this word up and cannot find it in the dictionary. I am wondering if it is a typo, or if it is actually a word.
"I saw now that the kitchen floor was covered with dirt, the dull yellow lights illuminating where Cole's pacing had painted an OUROBOROS of filthy footprints in front of the cabinets." pg. 32 of Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
I love to read and find new words and their definitions. But this one is not find-able. If you know what it means let me know!
