(Friendship Heirlooms Series Book 1)
Author: Karen Wiesner
Kindle Edition
File Size: 474 KB
Print Length: 194 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press LLC (December 1, 2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Buy Links
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Author's Website
Note: I received a review copy of this book free from the author, Karen Wiesner. The review posted below is based on my personal thoughts while reading the book.
Ratings: ★ ★ ★ ★
My thoughts:
The book tells the story of Zoe Rossdale and Curt Bertoletti. Curt left Zoe for another girl and Zoe couldn't let go even after three years. They met again while Zoe's walking her cat just after she had her hair cut off and suddenly, Curt realized his mistakes (actually after seeing her new straight hair!) and found himself wanting to reconnect with Zoe. It's an "ex-lover" story, the usual ex stuff, but really a good one (oh well, except the last part - explanations below).
It took me a loooong while to finish the book because every time I pick up this book, I couldn't control my emotions and tears would stream down my face. I usually take my books everywhere I go and this was the one book I couldn't read in public. The last time I read this book in public was in my doctor's clinic. I couldn't hide my red eyes to my doctor and I had to explain everything to her, like giving her the synopsis of the story *lol*. It was such an embarrassing day for me! After that, I vowed to never read romance in public ever again!
Past the first quarter of the book I was sobbing, makes my heart ache, literally. When Curt left Zoe (broke up with her on the phone), it's like the whole world came crashing down at her. She was fired in her first job, she caught her father having an affair with her mother's sister, she stopped school, lost her apartment, and it came to point where she can't even buy her own food! Who would not cry reading that kind of story? Anyway, it's all about forgiveness. I know the feeling. You've been hurt and even if you can forgive him, you can never forget those bad things he did to you. ;( This is such a heart touching emotional story....
Another thing I loved in the story was Curt and his family. They're Italian and they're very sweet. There are too many Italian things to learn while reading this book. That's something I immensely enjoyed reading!
The only thing I didn't like in the story was the christian theme, it was there all along but I failed to notice it in the first few chapters. It became a "hardcore christian" the last 50 or so pages. I've read a lot of christian-romance books but more often I knew the content before reading. In this book, I didn't know about the christian thing, and I found the lines a little "preachy". All in all, I loved the book and this one's gonna get 4-stars from me!
About the book:
Zoë Rossdale is the clumsy girl who always has her elbows, feet, eyes, and brass-red hair going in the wrong directions. She floats around in her own world, comfortable there alone, only to be jarred back into the real one when her obliviousness gets her in trouble again. After a lifetime of being evaluated critically—first by her own father, and then by everyone around her—and found wanting, she’s trying to change…for her own good. She’s reaffirmed her commitment to Christ and vowed not to do any of the stupid, possibly illegal, things she’d done for years on the pitiful excuse of surviving. After nearly being fired from the only job she could get to keep her from starving and living on the streets, she’s going to school once more and trying to do better for her über-patient boss. And she’s allowed her best friends to talk her into getting contacts, some new clothes, and a more flattering hairstyle. They tell her she looks beautiful, but she feels more like a dodo bird than ever before—until she literally runs into the only man she’s ever gone loopy over.
Curt Bertoletti has spent years trying to forget the seriously messed-up Zoë and her embarrassing ways. The only person who’d ever approved of the ditzy klutz was his mother, and his mother has become relentless in her cause to get him married and settled down. Surely that’s what conjured the appearance of Zoë... Zoë, who looks so little like the girl he remembers. Even as he vows that he won’t stray again—out of weakness or whatever it was that had him stone-gone over her before—he can’t help remembering how well he and Zoë fit together. They’d truly been two abnormal peas in an even stranger pod. But no other woman had ever gotten that misty look in her eyes when she looked at him, or kissed him like she’s forgotten anyone or anything else existed. No other woman made him so happy, so mad, so sad, and so content. Though he’s walking stronger in the Lord than he ever has before and he finally knows what he wants in life, he’s convinced Zoë Rossdale is not it—matchmaking mother or no matchmaking mother. So why can’t he forget her and be done with it?
For better or worse, Zoë will always be Zoë—the clumsy girl with her dress tucked into her pantyhose, toilet paper stuck to her shoe and trailing in her wake, the girl whose idea of falling in love is to stand at the edge of the precipice, throw out her arms and confidently jump into a free-fall. If Zoë will always be Zoë, the only question left is, can they both live with that fact? Forever?
About the author:
Karen Wiesner is an accomplished author with 96 books published in the past 15 years, which have been nominated for and/or won 125 awards, and has 34 more titles under contract. Karen's books cover such genres as women's fiction, romance, mystery/police procedural/cozy, suspense, paranormal, futuristic, gothic, inspirational, thriller, horror, chick-lit, and action/adventure. She also writes children's books, poetry, and writing reference titles such as her bestsellers, First Draft in 30 Days and From First Draft to Finished Novel {A Writer's Guide to Cohesive Story Building}, available from Writer's Digest Books. Look for Writing the Fiction Series: The Complete Guide for Novels and Novellas, her next offering from Writer's Digest Books, in May 30, 2013. Her previous writing reference titles focused on non-subsidy, royalty-paying electronic publishing, author promotion, and setting up a promotional group like her own, the award-winning Jewels of the Quill, which she founded in 2003. Jewels of the Quill produced two award-winning group anthologies per year published by Whiskey Creek Press from 2005-2011. All were edited by Karen and others. For more information about Karen's fiction and series, consult her official companion guide The World of Author Karen Wiesner: A Compendium of Fiction. Additionally, Karen is a member of Infinite Worlds of Fantasy Authors and World Romance Writers. Along with her writing, Karen enjoys designing websites, graphics, and cover art.
3 comments:
Hahaha! Sorry, but the incedent at your doctor's was hilarious! ;) Well, I was quite taken by the tile of this book. I don't know much about preachy stuff as I haven't really read any book that is, so to say and as you say, "hardcore christian". Nonetheless, I'm glad you enjoyed this one! It's does sound like an emotional story. Dunno if I'll read it, but thanks for the awesome review, Jenai! :)
Sarika @ The Readdicts
Sounds like a box of tissues should be bought alongside the book.
yeah, title's a bit hmmm cheesy? not sure about the word... ;)i was actually hesitant to read this because of the title.
sarika and tracey, thanks for stopping by...
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