The Bridge

About the Book:  Molly Allen lives alone in Portland, but she left her heart back in Tennessee with a man she walked away from five years ago.  Ryan Kelly lives in Nashville and after several years on the road touring with a country music duo he can still hear the voice of the girl he can't get out of his head.  At least he can visit The Bridge - the oldest bookstore in historic downtown Franklin-and remember the hours he and Molly once spent there.  For thirty years, Charlie and Donna Barton have run The Bridge, even through dismal book sales and the rise of digital books.  Then in May, the hundred-year flood swept through Franklin and destroyed nearly every book in the store.  Now the bank is pulling the lease.  Despondent and without answers, Charlie drives through a blinding snowstorm and considers ending his life.  But before he can decide, he hits black ice and crashes.  Life changes and miracles and second chances begin to unfold. 

About the Author:  USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America’s #1 inspirational novelist. There are more than 20 million copies of her award-winning books in print, including several million copies sold in the past year. Karen has written more than 50 novels, ten of which have hit #1 on national lists.  Karen Kingsbury is best known for her Life-Changing Fiction™ and for creating unforgettable characters. When speaking before women's groups - some with more than 10,000 in attendance - Karen makes audiences laugh and cry with her compelling story-telling. She likes to tell attendees they have, "One chance to write the story of their lives," and her talk focuses on reminding women to live every day loving well, laughing often, and finding true life in Jesus Christ. Karen routinely speaks before more than 100,000 women each year.

My Thoughts on the Book:  Having been an avid Karen Kingsbury fan for years I was delighted when Simon & Schuster allowed me the opportunity to preview this book.  It was Karen Kingsbury at her finest.  The story is a touching tale of a young couple from differing backgrounds, an older couple who run a long standing bookstore, mother natures fury, tragedy, miracles, and second chances.  It is the kind of book you do not want to put down.  The characters are so real that you feel as if they are a part of you, which is the Karen Kingsbury style of writing.  I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to see what can happen when God is in control.

Disclaimer:  This book was given to me to review courtesy of Net Galley and Simon and Schuster.  I was asked only for an honest review and no payment was exchanged.  If I had to rank this book I would give it a 5.

Waiting for Morning

About the Book:  Once again Karen Kingsbury expertly weaves a heart-wrenching story. Hannah Ryan, a loving wife and mother suddenly loses her husband, Tom, and oldest daughter, Alicia, in a horrible car crash, due to a drunk driver. Her youngest daughter, Jenny, also in the car, survived, but Hannah only seems to see Tom and Alicia as the victims in the accident. As the story unfolds the reader sees Hannah expressing a deep hatred for Brian Wesley, the drunk driver who killed her family.  This deep hatred causes Hannah Ryan to believe that the only thing that will bring her peace is to see Wesley behind bars for the rest of his life. Hannah also harbors a great bitterness towards God and begins to feel that a God who would allow suffering of this magnitude was not a God she could believe in.  Although there are several believers she comes into contact with, Matt Bronzan, the district attorney, and Carol Cummins, who volunteers for the local Mothers Against Drunk Driving, neither of them can help her find her way back to God. Does she allow God back into her life, or does her bitterness overtake her?  Does Wesley get the stiffest sentence ever given in California history?  Read the book and find out.  You won’t regret it.

About the Author:  Karen Kingsbury is best known for her Life-Changing Fiction™ and for creating unforgettable characters. When speaking before women's groups - some with more than 10,000 in attendance - Karen makes audiences laugh and cry with her compelling story-telling. She likes to tell attendees they have, "One chance to write the story of their lives," and her talk focuses on reminding women to live every day loving well, laughing often, and finding true life in Jesus Christ. Karen routinely speaks before more than 100,000 women each year. USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America’s #1 inspirational novelist. There are nearly 20 million copies of her award-winning books in print, including several million copies sold in the past year. Karen has written more than 50 novels, ten of which have hit #1 on national lists.

My Thoughts:  I loved this book.  After I finished this book, I felt like I had not only read Hannah's story, but my own as well.  The book was painful and made me cry yet, after reading the book I found myself opening my Bible to Lamentations and reading it from start to finish and I also found a new found love of the sold hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”  This story was so real that I felt as if I was reading Karen Kingsbury’s own memoire.  I have read too many Karen Kingsbury books to count and cannot wait to get my hands on the next one.

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."