Reviews From A Man's Perspective: Home To Heather Creek by Kathleen Bauer

Before the Dawn begins just one week after the funeral of Charlotte's daughter, Denise. Denise's three children barely have time to process the death of their mother before they must move to the Heather Creek Farm they have never visited with grandparents they barely know. At age 16, Sam is fiercely protective of his younger siblings. Emily is 14 and desperately misses her friends. Young Christopher is only 8 and just wants to fit in. While Charlotte tries to help her grandchildren adjust to their new life, she also wrestles with her own grief and the enormous task of bringing her family together. Bob believes the fastest path to adjustment is a firm routine, with structure and chores, the same way they raised their own kids. However, that route led to Denise running away from home as a teenager and an estranged relationship with her family. Charlotte is worried about making the same mistakes she made with Denise. Is this her chance to make things right?

It is spring when the children arrive, and as Charlotte looks around the farm, she hopes the new life around them will signify hope and healing. The miracle of new life, along with God's healing touch, reminds all of them that it's always darkest just before the dawn.

Sweet September picks up at harvest time, as the children are settling into a new school year. While the harvest should be an exciting time, the children don't seem to be getting into the spirit. Emily is struggling with farm life, Christopher spends most of his time alone, and Sam is failing school. Trying to learn from what did and didn't work with her own kids, Charlotte is determined to get her grandchildren back on track.

As tenuous family bonds threaten to break apart, a mystery on the farm might be the one thing that can bond the family together. Charlotte sets out to uncover the truth, and as the kids unite to find answers, this cobbled-together family learns more about one another and the love that binds them together.

The lives of the Stevensons and their grandchildren unfold in this captivating story of the remarkable change that comes from the love of family, the kindness of others, sheer persistence and unshakable faith. As readers follow the Stevensons' inspiring stories, it's almost impossible not feel a part of this friendly, loving community, where God's grace can be seen in every circumstance.

Ok, so I'll admit that these books are outside of the norm for what I review, but I thought I would change things up just a bit. See, it seems that although my blog is "Reviews from a Man's Perspective", I don't seem to have any men read my reviews. So here's my attempt to see if this makes my blog any more successful :)

Since this review is basically for both books in the series, I'll add them both together here in my synopsis. This series revolves around a family that has a tragedy strike and the children involved move in with their grandparents. The children are from the city, and the grandparents live in the country on the farm. The first book deals with the adjustment that occurs as these generations attempt to marry their separate and different lives together. The second book is more with the family being settled and then uncovering family secrets. Secrets that can bring a family together again. Can Charlotte overcome some of the mistakes that she made with her own children and not make the same ones with her grand kids? Is Bob able to open himself up to a relationship with his grandson, a relationship that he wasn't able to build with his own son? Will these secrets provide the chance for this family to get through their grief and learn to rely on one another? A great series that will give you plenty of enjoyment when you BUY THE BOOK!

These books are actually written by two different prolific authors, Carolyn Aarsen and Tricia Goyer. This is always a challenge, especially in doing a series as it's hard to keep the same writing style and continuity with various authors. That isn't the case this time, though. These authors have managed to write their respective books seamlessly, as if they were sharing the same brain as they penned the books. The writing is reminiscent of days of past where life was much simpler and less fast paced. The detail of the characters, the insight into their thoughts, made the characters new friends. To me, the success of a book is whether I become attached to the characters, and I definitely did with these.

Is this a guy's book? Bottom line, not really. This book is high on feelings, thoughts and emotions. There's a storyline that takes you from tears of heartache to tears of joy that most men would not even begin to entertain. Maybe it's the fact that I'm carrying around a 14 week old Chihuahua now that makes me more open to exploring my thoughts and feelings.

About The Author

The author, Kathleen Bauer doesn't exist. This is a pseudonym adopted by the team of novelists who have written the Home to Heather Creek series published by the Books and Inspirational Media Division of Guideposts

Guideposts Books is thrilled to announce their brand new series, Home to Heather Creek, by Kathleen Bauer. The first two books, Before the Dawn and Sweet September, launch this month and Guideposts Books is celebrating with a Paperwhite Kindle Giveaway!