Waiting for Sunrise by Eva Marie Everson (Review)

 

Paperback: 390 pages

Publisher: Revell (June 1, 2012)

ISBN-13: 978-0800734374

From the Back Cover

Sometimes finding your future means making peace with your past
Patsy Milstrap wishes she could leave her past behind. Though she tries to put on a brave front for the sake of her family, the wounds still ache, and the scars on her soul are still deeply felt. At her concerned husband's gentle insistence, they take a vacation from South Carolina on Cedar Key, an idyllic island on Florida's Gulf Coast. A week in paradise will do them good, he says.

When a familiar--and most unexpected--face greets her at a seaside restaurant, Patsy knows she can no longer run from the past. But what will opening old wounds mean? And what will the future hold?

With a large helping of Southern charm, Waiting for Sunrise is a touching story of family, young love, and the need for forgiveness. Eva Marie Everson expertly draws out the bittersweet moments of life, weaving them into a tale that will envelop your soul.

My Review:

 This is the second book in the Cedar Key series but stands alone fine. I liked the first book in the series also. The author's writing is easy to read and drew me in from the beginning. Although the subject matter is not always easy because it deals with abandonment and depression the plot and characters are well written. I liked Gil and how he dealt with Patsy and her issues. It has a contemporary feel even though the time period is the 1940s to 1960s. There is not a lot of religion in it so it has appeal to both crowds. Recommended.

About the Author

Eva Marie Everson is a successful speaker and the award-winning author of Things Left Unspoken, This Fine Life, and Chasing Sunsets. She is coauthor of the Potluck Club books and the Potluck Catering Club series. She lives in Florida.

Thank you Donna at Revell for my review copy.

Available now from wherever Revell/Baker books are sold.

Chasing Sunsets by Eva Marie Everson (Review)

Paperback: 373 pages
Publisher: Revell (June 1, 2011)
ISBN-13: 978-0800734367
Sometimes you get a second chance at your first love
Kimberly Tucker's life hasn't turned out the way she thought it would. While her ex is living it up, she struggles to understand what went wrong. When her two sons end up spending five weeks of summer vacation with their father, Kim plans a respite at the family vacation home on tiny Cedar Key. As she revisits the long-forgotten past, she discovers that treasures in life are often buried, and sometimes you do get a second chance at love.

Let yourself get swept away to an island retreat of warm tropical breezes, sandy beaches, and the most glorious sunsets you can imagine.

My Review:

Overall I enjoyed reading this Contemporary Christian fiction book. I could feel the beach atmosphere through the author's language. This author has a wonderful way with words.  I felt for Kimberly and her two boys. Divorce is horrible even when it is for a good reason. I have never been married but my parents are divorced. I loved Patsy her neighbor at the beach and can't wait to read her story next. The only thing I did not like about the book was the ending. It felt abrupt and not fully developed. I am happy this is the first book in a series set in Cedar Key. Recommended.


“Available June 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Thank you Donna at Revell for my review copy.

This Fine Life by Eva Marie Everson (Review)

It is the summer of 1959 and Mariette Puttnam has just graduated from boarding school. When she returns to her privileged life at home, she isn't sure where life will take her. More schooling? A job? Marriage? Nothing feels right. How could she know that she would find the answer waiting for her in the narrow stairwell of her father's apparel factory, exactly between the third and fourth floors?

In this unique and tender romance, popular author Eva Marie Everson takes you on a journey through the heart of a young woman bound for the unknown. Discover the joys of new love, the perseverance of deep friendship, and the gift of forgiveness that comes from a truly fine life.

Excerpt:
This is not the story of my(Mariatte) life. This is the story of my husband’s
life, or at the very least how the story of his life affected
mine and all those he touched just by his being near
them or with them. Thayne was like that, you see. Just by
being, he touched lives. He was infectious, upbeat, passionate,
determined. Next to the flame of his existence I was a
spark looking to ignite, a matchstick never quite making it
to the striker. But, in time, the same fever that burned within
him burned within me.

My Review:

Can I call this a historical Christian fiction novel even though it is set in the 1960s? Anyway it is a really good book sorta a coming of age story and a romance too. The plot and characters are well developed and interesting. I liked the progression of Mariette's character especially over the few years the book covers.

One of the main themes throughout the book is what is a fine life and how to get it. The descriptions are great and it is like actually being there in that time period. The front book cover is gorgeous too. Highly Recommended.

About the author:

Eva Marie Everson is a successful speaker, a popular radio personality, and the award-winning author of Things Left Unspoken. She is coauthor of the Potluck Club series and the Potluck Catering Club series. She lives in Florida.

Available May 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.



Thank you Donna at Revell for my review copy.

Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Things Left Unspoken
Revell (June 1, 2009)
by
Eva Marie Everson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eva Marie Everson taught Old Testament theology for six years at Life Training Center in Longwood, Florida and has written numerous articles for Crosswalk.com (including the acclaimed Falling Into The Bible series), and has had articles featured in numerous publications, including Christianity Today, Evangel, Christian Bride, Christian Retailing, The Godly BusinessWoman and Marriage Partnership magazines. Eva Marie has been interviewed by radio, television, newspaper, and Internet media outlets. In 2002Eva Marie was one of six Christian journalists sent to Israel for a special ten-day press tour.

Eva Marie’s work includes the award-winning titles Reflections of God's Holy Land; A Personal Journey Through Israel, Shadow of Dreams, Sex, Lies and the Media, and The Potluck Club series.

She is married, has four children and five grandchildren, and lives in Central Florida.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Every family--and every house--has its secrets. Jo-Lynn Hunter is at a crossroads in life when her great-aunt Stella insists that she return home to restore the old family manse in sleepy Cottonwood, Georgia. Jo-Lynn longs to get her teeth into a noteworthy and satisfying project. And it's the perfect excuse for some therapeutic time away from her self-absorbed husband and his snobby Atlanta friends.

Beneath the dust and the peeling wallpaper, things are not what they seem, and what Jo-Lynn doesn't know about her family holds just as many surprises. Was her great-grandfather the pillar of the community she thought he was? What is Aunt Stella hiding? And will her own marriage survive the renovation? Jo-Lynn isn't sure she wants to know the truth--but sometimes the truth has a way of making itself known.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Things Left Unspoken, go HERE

My Review:

Things Left Unspoken is a wonderful contemporary southern women's lit. book. I read it in one day. I was drawn in the beginning and I did not want to put it down. There was a little suspense about what the skeleton in the family closet was and a little romance too. The characters and plot were well developed. The writing was beautiful and definitely southern. Recommended. :)