The Chance

The Chance

by Karen Kingsbury

About the book (from the publisher):

Years ago, the day before Ellie moved from Georgia to California, she and her best friend Nolan sat beneath the Spanish moss of an ancient oak tree where they wrote letters to each other, and sealed them in a rusty old metal box. The plan was to return eleven years later and read them. But now, as that date arrives, much has changed. Ellie, bereft of the faith she grew up with, is a single mom living in a tired apartment trying to make ends meet. Sometimes she watches television to catch a glimpse of her old friend - Nolan, now an NBA star, whose terrible personal tragedies fueled his faith and his athletic drive in equal measure. But Nolan also suffers from a transcendent loneliness that nothing has ever eased. In their separate lives, as Ellie and Nolan move towards the possibility of a reunion at the old oak tree, Kingsbury weaves a tale of heart-wrenching loss, the power of faith, and the wounds that only love can heal.


My take:

I have read and loved most of Karen Kingsbury's books. Her Baxter series are among my favorites, and I own most of them. When it came to this book, I was slightly disappointed. As I read the book, the story line seemed vaguely familiar to me. Girl moves far away from boy because of a family scandal. Boy continues to write letters long after she has moved away. They both have feelings for each other that last over the years. Where had I heard this story before? In A Moment of Weakness, with Jade and Tanner. Granted, it was not the same exact story, but it was close enough that it made me wishing for a different story and hoping that her future novels will not repeat some of the same story lines. However, all that being said, I still enjoyed the story because I enjoy all of Karen Kingsbury's books. This story also brings back characters from The Bridge, Kingsbury's 2012 novel, and I enjoyed hearing about them again. Kingsbury has a wonderful writing style, and an amazing gift for words. I truly enjoy reading her work and look forward to her next novel. I would have to give this one a "4."


About the author:

After graduating from college in 1986 with a degree in journalism, Karen became a full-time reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Her first book, Missy’s Murder, was based on a murder story she covered in Los Angeles as a reporter. She sold a version of the story to People magazine in 1989. A New York agent read her People story and asked her for a book proposal. The book hit stores in 1992. She then wrote three more true crime novels. Next she wrote four collections of answered prayers and miracle stories before transitioning to inspirational fiction in 1998.

Her first novel, Where Yesterday Lives, was a real challenge for Karen to get published. Although publishing companies said they liked the story, they were not sure what to do with it since it didn’t contain foul language and had no sex scenes. Finally, the Christian publishing house Multnomah, published her novel and gave her a multi-book contract. Her books made a real connection with contemporary romance fans. Since her first novel, Karen has written more than 40 faith based novels, many of which have hit #1 on national lists. There are more than 15 million copies of her award-winning books in print.

Dubbed by Time magazine as the “queen” of Christian fiction, Karen receives tens of thousands of letters from readers who say that Karen’s fiction has dramatically changed their lives. These letters and e-testimonials of improved marriages, spiritual awakenings and new found hope have enabled her to formally trademark her work Life-Changing Fiction™.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Howard Books through NetGalley. 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: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

Forever Faithful: The Complete Trilogy

Forever Faithful: The Complete Trilogy

by Karen Kingsbury

This book is a compilation of Karen Kingsbury's Forever Faithful series books - Waiting for Morning (which I reviewed last year), A Moment of Weakness, and Halfway to Forever. The first book Waiting for Morning, tells the story of Hannah Ryan, who loses her husband and daughter in a car accident. A Moment of Weakness is the story of Jade Conner and Tanner Eastman, and Halfway to Forever wraps up the series with Hannah, her new husband Matt Bronzan, and Jade and Tanner's story.

I really enjoyed this series. I had read A Moment of Weakness a time or two before, but had never read Halfway to Forever, mainly because it sounded kind of depressing. I have to admit the book was pretty depressing until the last few chapters. But I still enjoyed wrapping up the series and finding out what happens to Hannah, Matt, Jade, and Tanner. The only other criticism I have is the weight of the book itself. While it might seem like a good idea to package 3 of Karen Kingsbury's books into one, it wasn't very practical for carrying, and holding it for long periods of time was not comfortable (ideally I like to have a book that is easy to hold and "curl up with").

I would give this series a 4. But if I had to individually rate the books, I would give Waiting for Morning a 5, A Moment of Weakness a 5, and Halfway to Forever a 4.

About the author:

After graduating from college in 1986 with a degree in journalism, Karen became a full-time reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Her first book, Missy’s Murder, was based on a murder story she covered in Los Angeles as a reporter. She sold a version of the story to People magazine in 1989. A New York agent read her People story and asked her for a book proposal. The book hit stores in 1992. She then wrote three more true crime novels. Next she wrote four collections of answered prayers and miracle stories before transitioning to inspirational fiction in 1998.

Her first novel, Where Yesterday Lives, was a real challenge for Karen to get published. Although publishing companies said they liked the story, they were not sure what to do with it since it didn’t contain foul language and had no sex scenes. Finally, the Christian publishing house Multnomah, published her novel and gave her a multi-book contract. Her books made a real connection with contemporary romance fans. Since her first novel, Karen has written more than 40 faith based novels, many of which have hit #1 on national lists. There are more than 15 million copies of her award-winning books in print.

Dubbed by Time magazine as the “queen” of Christian fiction, Karen receives tens of thousands of letters from readers who say that Karen’s fiction has dramatically changed their lives. These letters and e-testimonials of improved marriages, spiritual awakenings and new found hope have enabled her to formally trademark her work Life-Changing Fiction™.

Karen lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Don. They were married in June, 1988 and have six children, three of whom were adopted from Haiti. You can read her Adoption story. 

They celebrate their faith daily by laughing, loving and living life to the fullest. You can contact Karen atmoc.yrubsgniKneraK@neraK.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah. 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: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 

Longing

Longing

by Karen Kingsbury

In Karen Kingsbury's third book in the Bailey Flanigan series, Bailey is still dancing in the musical, Hairspray, on Broadway, and dating Brandon Paul, the hottest actor in Hollywood. When she goes home to Bloomington, Indiana for Thanksgiving and discovers that her first love, Cody Coleman, is in town to coach a game with his high school football team, she goes to the game reluctantly. She hasn't talked to Cody since seeing him at his new girlfriend Cheyenne's side in the hospital. When she goes to the game without Brandon, sparks definitely fly between Bailey and Cody. What will happen to her relationship with Brandon? And will Bailey and Cody be able to rekindle their old flame?

I was very excited to have the chance to get an advanced review copy of this book. Karen Kingsbury is my favorite author, and I have quickly grown to love Bailey Flanigan. 

Karen did an amazing job of writing this story. I found myself staying up later than I normally do, just so I could find out what would happen next. She has a way of pouring such life into each character, that you fall in love with each one of them. I felt torn between Bailey's men - Cody Coleman, her first love, or Brandon Paul, her new love. 

If you like Karen Kingsbury's writing, you will love this one. I recommend reading the first two books in the series (Leaving and Learning) first though, so you have more background. Ultimately, to get the most background, you would need to read her Baxter series, Firstborn series, and Above the Line series. But it isn't absolutely necessary to read those series in order to enjoy this book.

I give this book 5 stars. I can't wait for the last book, Loving, to be released in March 2012!

This book will be available at your favorite bookseller from Zondervan Books, starting November 22, 2011. You can pre-order it here or at your local bookstore.

About the author:

After graduating from college in 1986 with a degree in journalism, Karen became a full-time reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Her first book, Missy’s Murder, was based on a murder story she covered in Los Angeles as a reporter. She sold a version of the story to People magazine in 1989. A New York agent read her People story and asked her for a book proposal. The book hit stores in 1992. She then wrote three more true crime novels. Next she wrote four collections of answered prayers and miracle stories before transitioning to inspirational fiction in 1998.

Her first novel, Where Yesterday Lives, was a real challenge for Karen to get published. Although publishing companies said they liked the story, they were not sure what to do with it since it didn’t contain foul language and had no sex scenes. Finally, the Christian publishing house Multnomah, published her novel and gave her a multi-book contract. Her books made a real connection with contemporary romance fans. Since her first novel, Karen has written more than 40 faith based novels, many of which have hit #1 on national lists. There are more than 15 million copies of her award-winning books in print.

Karen lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Don. They were married in June, 1988 and have six children, three of whom were adopted from Haiti. You can read her Adoption story. 

Dubbed by Time magazine as the “queen” of Christian fiction, Karen receives tens of thousands of letters from readers who say that Karen’s fiction has dramatically changed their lives. These letters and e-testimonials of improved marriages, spiritual awakenings and new found hope have enabled her to formally trademark her work Life-Changing Fiction™.

They celebrate their faith daily by laughing, loving and living life to the fullest. You can contact Karen atmoc.yrubsgniKneraK@neraK.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan Books through NetGalley. 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: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 

A Thousand Tomorrows movie!

So today, the news released that Karen Kingsbury's book, A Thousand Tomorrows, will be made into a movie! I am so excited about this...I would actually love to see all of her books made into movies, especially the Baxter series!

Check out the new Facebook page dedicated to A Thousand Tomorrows here!

Guess I should start re-reading the book so my memory is refreshed before the movie comes out! I don't think a release date has been published yet, but I will post it on my blog once it has!