River's Call by Melody Carlson

River's Call
The Inn at Shining Waters - Book 2
Author: Melody Carlson
Publisher: Abingdon Press Fiction
Paperback: 320 pages
ISBN: 9781426712678

About the Book:

What happens when the ties between generations are severed?

It is the 1960s and Anna's daughter, Lauren, is confused, broken-hearted, and pregnant. The difficult situation seems to bring out the worst in the selfish girl. When Lauren chooses to stay with her manipulative Grandma Eunice, Anna worries her daughter will never become a mature adult and the relationship between Lauren, Anna and Eunice becomes even more strained. However, when she hits the lowest point in her life, Lauren returns to her mother, the river, and the Inn and Shining Waters. As time passes, Lauren, now a mother to her own defiant teenager, faces a new crisis, one that puts the entire family at risk.

My Thoughts:

I love everything about this series, from the gorgeous cover art to the captivating storyline to the characters. The characters are quite realistic and their problems are very real. Melody Carlson handles topics that are sensitive and demonstrates how God can help and heal them. She uses problems that affect many of us and tackles these issues to create a series that can be identified with and worth reading.


River's Call picks up where the first book of The Inn at Shining Waters series, River's Song, ended - just after Anna's marriage to Clark. With both on their second marriage, they bring their pasts with them, and Anna's problems become even larger when her self-centered college-aged daughter returns home.

This is the second book in the series, and even though there may be enough back-story to possibly read as a stand-alone, I would recommend not doing so. The first book really sets the stage for this one and makes one understand the relationship that Anna has with Eunice and why Lauren is the way she is.

I enjoy Melody's writing style. Her imagery and prose draws one in. At times I feel like I'm on the river and can smell, feel and hear everything in Anna's world. This is a wonderful series, and I can't wait to read the next book, "River's End"!!

About the Author:

Melody Carlson published her first book in 1995 and she has been writing prolifically ever since. To date, Melody has published over 200 books, making her one of the top 20 most prolific authors of all time. With total sales of over 5 million her award-winning books include: Homeward, Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon; Limelight; the Diary of a Teenage Girl series; the True Colors series; and the Carter House Girls series.

In her professional life, Melody has worn many hats: from pre-school teacher to political activist to senior editor. Currently, she writes full-time, and freelances from her home. She has two grown sons and lives in Sisters, Oregon with her husband, Chris, and Audrey, her yellow lab. They enjoy skiing, hiking, and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.

This book was provided by the author/publisher for this tour. I was not required to write a positive review, but instead, one that gives my honest opinion.

Recant Review for "Beyond Molasses Creek" by Nichole Seitz

Beyond Molasses Creek
Author: Nichole Seitz
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN:
Paperback, 320 pages
Genre: General fiction

Purchase here


About the Book:

Three lives are bound by a single book . . . and the cleansing waters of Molasses Creek.
Having traveled to the ends of the earth as a flight attendant, Ally Green has finally returned to the Lowcountry to bury her father as well as the past. But Vesey Washington is still living across the creek, and theirs is a complicated relationship—he was once her best friend . . . and also part of the reason she’s stayed away so long. When Ally discovers a message her father left behind asking her to quit running, it seems her past isn’t through with her yet.

As Ally’s wandering spirit wrestles with a deep longing to flee again, a young woman on the other side of the world escapes her life of slavery in the rock quarries of Nepal. A mysterious sketchbook leads Sunila Kunari to believe there’s more to her story than she’s ever been told, and she’s determined to follow the truth wherever it leads her.

A deep current intertwines the lives of these three souls, and a destiny of freedom, faith, and friendship awaits them all on the banks of Molasses Creek.

My Thoughts:

I had received a very nice comment from Nicole about the review of her book I had posted this morning. I had assumed that because the book came from Thomas Nelson (a well-known Christian publisher), that is was automatically Christian fiction. This, in fact, is not the case with Nichole's book. The book is categorized as GENERAL fiction and NOT Christian fiction. This fact changes my whole review and outlook about the book, so I have decided to post a recant.

"Beyond Molasses Creek" is an engrossing and enjoyable read that was difficult to put down. It deals with racism and stereotypes and shows how this can interfere and have a profound impact on people's lives.

This book is written from three points of view, creating characters the reader can connect with. Ally is a 60 year old woman who has lost her father and returns to his home to finalize things. Vesey was Ally's friend growing up and he has lived all his life across the creek from Ally's home. Sunila lives in Nepal and has worked all her life in the rock quarries.

Ally's discontent and searching for peace was replaced by running away. Whenever life became difficult, she looked for something to fill the need. She spoke of gods and had numerous stone replicas of different gods she found in her travels. She was hung up in the past and as the book unfolds, one can understand why.


Vesey is a strong character that knows exactly what he wants and where he is going to end up. He has lived a good and full life and is a lovable character (and my favorite). 


Sunila is also a strong character, even with her upbringing, she has a strength that shines through.


I will admit, I am a stickler for truth, so I struggled with some of the "white lies" that were told. A father tells a "white" lie to his daughter that she holds against him for a long time. A mother tells a huge "white" lie to her daughter, and she sees no harm in it. A set of parents tell a lie to their daughter because they need to protect everyone in the family. The lies seem OK in this story as they are just lies that won't hurt anyone and will "protect" those that are being lied to. I want to elaborate more, but I can't without giving away the story. What I will say though, is the last lie in the story came as a total surprise, because of the impact that lies have had on that person in the past, and it totally frustrated me!

This book is about love, loss, searching, forgiveness, understanding and healing. It's an emotional and well written story.  Since it is general fiction, it's geared towards all audiences, so don't let the publisher fool you. Yes, there's discussion about faith, but it's more of a clean read with a little Christian content.

About the Author:

Nicole Seitz is the author of several critically acclaimed novels - The Inheritance of Beauty, Saving Cicadas, A Hundred Years of Happiness, Trouble the Water, and The Spirit of Sweetgrass. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Journalism, and also has a degree in Illustration from Savannah College of Art & Design. Her paintings are featured on the covers of her books. Visit her at @NicoleSeitz,Facebook and www.nicoleseitz.com for more information. 

About the Party

Nicole is celebrating the release of Beyond Molasses Creek with a fabulous "Friendship" Facebook party! She'll be giving away a ton of great stuff (KINDLE TOUCH, some of her own beautiful artwork, a Book Club Prize Pack (10 copies of the book for your small group/book club and a Live Skype Chat with Nicole), and more!

CLICK the button (below) to RSVP for the party - then join us on February 16th for a book chat, story sharing and prizes! Hope to see you there!





Save the Date! 2/16!

Click here to see what others have to say about Beyond Molasses Creek.

I received a complimentary copy of "Beyond Molasses Creek" to read and honestly review for this tour.

Beyond Molasses Creek by Nichole Seitz

Beyond Molasses Creek
Author: Nichole Seitz
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN:
Paperback, 320 pages
Genre: Christian fiction

Purchase here


About the Book:

Three lives are bound by a single book . . . and the cleansing waters of Molasses Creek.
Having traveled to the ends of the earth as a flight attendant, Ally Green has finally returned to the Lowcountry to bury her father as well as the past. But Vesey Washington is still living across the creek, and theirs is a complicated relationship—he was once her best friend . . . and also part of the reason she’s stayed away so long. When Ally discovers a message her father left behind asking her to quit running, it seems her past isn’t through with her yet.

As Ally’s wandering spirit wrestles with a deep longing to flee again, a young woman on the other side of the world escapes her life of slavery in the rock quarries of Nepal. A mysterious sketchbook leads Sunila Kunari to believe there’s more to her story than she’s ever been told, and she’s determined to follow the truth wherever it leads her.

A deep current intertwines the lives of these three souls, and a destiny of freedom, faith, and friendship awaits them all on the banks of Molasses Creek.

My Thoughts:

"Beyond Molasses Creek" is an engrossing and enjoyable read that was difficult to put down. It deals with racism and stereotypes and shows how this can interfere and have a profound impact on people's lives.

This book is written from three points of view, creating characters the reader can connect with. Ally is a 60 year old woman who has lost her father and returns to his home to finalize things. Vesey was Ally's friend growing up and he has lived all his life across the creek from Ally's home. Sunila lives in Nepal and has worked all her life in the rock quarries.

I enjoy reading Christian fiction because of the message that normally comes through the pages. In "Beyond Molasses Creek" it was muddled and focused on Ally's discontent and searching for peace. She spoke of gods and had numerous stone replicas of different gods she found in her travels. She was hung up in the past and as the book unfolds, one can understand why.

This book is about love, loss, searching, forgiveness, understanding and healing. Although categorized as Christian fiction, the faith and love of God didn't come through as much as I would have liked. One of the biggest problems I had was with the lies. A father tells a "white" lie to his daughter that she holds against him for a long time. A mother tells a huge "white" lie to her daughter, and she sees no harm in it. A set of parents tell a lie to their daughter because they need to protect everyone in the family. The lies seem OK in this story as they are just lies that won't hurt anyone and will "protect" those that are being lied to. I want to elaborate more, but I can't without giving away the story. What I will say though, is the last lie in the story came as a total surprise, because of the impact that lies have had on that person in the past.

Although a very good and well written story, this one really pushes the Christian category for me. Yes, there's discussion about faith, but it's more of a clean read with a little Christian content.

About the Author:

Nicole Seitz is the author of several critically acclaimed novels - The Inheritance of Beauty, Saving Cicadas, A Hundred Years of Happiness, Trouble the Water, and The Spirit of Sweetgrass. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Journalism, and also has a degree in Illustration from Savannah College of Art & Design. Her paintings are featured on the covers of her books. Visit her at @NicoleSeitz, Facebook and www.nicoleseitz.com for more information.

About the Party

Nicole is celebrating the release of Beyond Molasses Creek with a fabulous "Friendship" Facebook party! She'll be giving away a ton of great stuff (KINDLE TOUCH, some of her own beautiful artwork, a Book Club Prize Pack (10 copies of the book for your small group/book club and a Live Skype Chat with Nicole), and more!

CLICK the button (below) to RSVP for the party - then join us on February 16th for a book chat, story sharing and prizes! Hope to see you there!


Save the Date! 2/16!

Click here to see what others have to say about Beyond Molasses Creek.

I received a complimentary copy of "Beyond Molasses Creek" to read and honestly review for this tour.