Download Somewhere a Rainbow (South Carolina Series #3) (Heartsong Presents #338) fb2

In the wake of her husband's infidelity, death, and debts, Brooke and her son Ben move into a dilapidated honeymoon cottage; she accepts help from local carpenter Jake -- but does so warily, and only after making friends with his sister Ginger.

(Though reviews are inherently subjective, I prefer to provide some organization to my opinions through the use of a personal rubric. The following notes may contain spoilers.)

Plot and Setting: 4 -- Plot has unique elements and no major holes, but a few shaky bits and/or a slight lack of focus. A decent, enjoyable storyline. It did seem to drag out misunderstanding after misunderstanding for much of the plot, but had plenty of good moments, too. Setting is clear and believable. Timeline may be a bit hard to follow. A few more solid reference points would be nice.

Characters: 4 -- Main characters are relatable, realistic, interesting, and dynamic. Brooke and Jake both have some pretty deep scars from hurtful events in their pasts. The fumbling, difficult start to any sort of relationship is a direct result of this, which actually seems fairly reasonable. I liked how they grew toward trusting and opening up to each other. Some minor characters have depth, while others may be slightly stereotyped or simplified. Definite strong points in the relationships between characters. The little boys are fun, if not exactly deep, characters.

Mechanics and Writing: 3 -- Scattered typos, punctuation issues, and word errors, including a few major mistakes. Definite trouble with formatting (a number of odd, confusing line breaks in mid-paragraph), plenty of odd or awkward sentences, and a handful of spots which had inconsistencies or were just confusing. For example, Jake seems to go back and forth between knowing and not knowing about Brooke's past. Generally solid use of POV (all, or nearly all, Brooke and Jake), with at least two instances of head hopping. Average writing, with strong parts and parts that struggle.

Redeeming Value: 4 -- Partially focused uplifting themes or lessons. Trust and honesty are big themes. Brooke is understandably mistrustful of men after her husband's actions, and she's cautious around Jake for a long while, before finally coming to trust him. She also grows in her trust and faith in God. Jake is afraid the details of his past make him undesirable, but finds that being honest works out better than keeping secrets, and that his worth is in who he is now -- especially as a sinner saved by grace. Sex, alcohol, violence, etc, are not glorified, though Jake's past includes some of this; as well as time in jail (for a white-collar crime).

Personal Enjoyment: 3 -- I liked it. It was enjoyable and entertaining. I wouldn’t mind re-reading it someday, but it’s not a priority.

Brooke Haddon wasn’t sure how her marriage had gone so wrong. She’d been head over heels in love with Bruce, but he’d died in a car crash with his young mistress beside him. Bruce had been a politician and wouldn’t accept that Brooke wanted to stay with her son after he was born. They had lived in luxury, but now it was all gone, and Brooke had to watch her money. At least her in-laws had given her the beach house on Hilton Head. However, it hadn’t been used in a long time and needed a lot of repairs. Enter carpenter, Jake Randolph to help. Despite Brooke’s initial distrust she begins to see what a good man he is - that is until he reveals the secret he’s been keeping from her.

The book had several moments of head hopping, and it moved slower than most of Yvonne Lehman’s. It also repeated the same things over and over. However, the story was still interesting enough to warrant 4.5 stars, which rounded up to a five.

Karen Worth was to marry David Mackenzie and wondered why he didn’t meet her train in Martin City, Colorado when she arrived to prepare for their wedding. It wasn’t long until she faced the challenge of her life as she discovered her husband-to-be had been in a mining accident and suffered devastating injuries. Karen insisted David honor his promise of marriage. David begrudgingly did.
The author reveals the struggles each faces in responding to the obstacles which hinder a fulfilling marriage. David quickly married Karen out of spite.
David faces self-guilt as he believes he is responsible for a faulty design of the collapsed mine which caused the injuries (including his) and deaths of several men.
With continuous issues at Mackenzie’s mine, his family begins to wonder if something sinister is going on.
David fought a battle with pride believing Karen would not stay with a damaged man. The issue of his pride seemed belabored in the story and then he made a quick change of heart.
David’s character seemed to be overly stubborn in not recognizing Karen’s love was pure and her faithfulness true.
I enjoyed the scene of Karen and David in the mine. This is the talk the two should have had before they married.

This was a very enjoyable well-written book. This should be very helpful to those who have gone through a divorce or the death of a spouse -especially if that spouse committed adultery while married to you.
It does take learning how to trust others and at the same time, trying to be able to take care of yourself & your child without others help and especially not thinking you 'have to have' a man to help you.
What you need is to put your trust and life in God's hands, seek Him, depend on Him, help others and God will open doors for you.

This was a light and easy, clean read and I thought it was enjoyable. I could emphasize with both Brooke and Jake. Watching them work through their individual issues and their relationship was heart-warming. I do recommend this book.

I enjoyed the book. I like the author's work as have read several of her books. Enjoyable, light reading with a Christian emphasis which my choice in entertainment.

I have been a fan of her since I first read one of her "Finding Love in the Smokey Mountains" series. LOVED IT and this one is no different. THey are real stories with real life love/Christian situations. Lots of Scriptures for reflections but not preahy with them.

I enjoyed the depth of the characters and most especially the Christian message of hope, forgiveness and leaning on God to direct one's life.