25 Book Reviews

Thursday, December 31, 2015

A Beginning Author!! Evidence of more good things to come!

        "New Beginnings"
            By Pamela Jo

Synopsis:

Upon her return from her best friend Charlie's wedding, Victoria found that the beautiful city of Chicago had never seemed emptier and neither had her soul. She realized she was surrounded by all the people in the world and she still felt lonely. Deciding to take her friend Charlie’s advice and make a change in her life, she packed her bags and moved to the west coast of Florida. Little did she know that the young Amish girl that she met on the sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico would begin a spiral of emotional changes for both of them.

My Thoughts:  I must admit that I am always a bit leery when asked to review a book by an author that is making a debut. What if I don't enjoy the book? What if it is poorly written?? Do I want to be the one to discourage someone just starting out? Yuck!! I do NOT want to be the one to cause an up and coming author to stop writing!!  All of these feelings ran through my mind, upon reading the request of Pamela Jo. I had loved a book that she coauthored with popular author , Sarah Price, so just maybe I can do this!!

"New Beginnings" is the first in a series, entitled "The Sands of Time". I discovered very quickly that I did not need to worry at all about reviewing this book. It started out well, easy to read and enjoyable. The only negative comment I have, is, it just didn't last long enough. I was reassured by the author that this story would continue in the next book in the series. 

The characters are realistically and well described. It did take me a few pages before I figured out who was who, but I then found the main character , Victoria , someone with whom I could identify. The desire to find oneself and be happy with who you are runs throughout the story. Victoria does just that, as does her young Amish friend. 

The plot evolves quickly and smoothly. There are some twists and turns that keep the reader's attention. At times, I was completely surprised by the direction that the storyline took.

The setting is one that is well described and fitting for this theme of finding oneself, being thankful and following God's plan. The sunny beaches of Florida called to me as they were described. I could feel the sand on my toes and hear the sounds of the waves hitting the shores. I felt the hope and peacefulness that accompanies a day at the beach. 

This book is an easy , enjoyable read, different in nature from the usual Amish fiction genre. I am looking forward to the next in the series!! Get writing , Pamela Jo!!

This book was provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.


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