To say I am overwhelmed with amazement would be stating the case mildly. Every time I read the review written by the Grace Awards judges I catch my breath... wipe away tears... shake my head in amazement... Rather than babble on about it, I'm going to let you read it for yourself. Comments are welcome!
When Beth Gallagher runs out of gas on a lonely highway, a door opens to her future before she's entirely closed one on the past, and the past refuses to let go peacefully. FINDING BETH is both a suspenseful and layered romance with subplots that fill out the story without overwhelming it. Even while watching the hero and heroine fall for each other, there was enough emotional tension and suspension of certainty to keep hanging on to find out how it would happen and how they would overcome their major obstacles. Characters felt real and individual, and story twists built to a powerful dark moment for the main character. The reader will appreciate the way the author handled the thematic depth of the story and what happened in that dark moment. FINDING BETH deals with abuse on all levels -- emotional, physical, and spiritual -- and the scenes and character's reactions rang true. While this is Christian fiction, the author pulled back in places that might have become too "preachy" and allowed events to unfold naturally, not offering total solutions, but the reality that the characters would continue to have to work out their faith. Some of the characters were left at the end still trying to overcome their issues, which was good. So often novels with such heavy themes give us the problems sewn up too easily. In FINDING BETH, we're shown characters heading in the right direction and characters whose lives, like our own, are works-in-progress. As to the story's main conflict, the antagonist was absolutely heinous! The author did a terrific job of describing the most intense and vicious scene with just enough description to make us feel the heroine's horror, and yet she used enough discretion to keep it readable. This is a very good romance, with well-fleshed characters and deep themes that lovers of women's fiction will also appreciate. ~~ Judges: Naomi Musch (Team Leader), Joy Ross Davis, Betty Thomason Owens
~ Grace Awards Excerpt
I must give special thanks to each and every fan who nominated "Finding Beth" for the Grace Awards. It wasn't an easy task. It took some effort. Without the nominations, I would have never made it to the Finals and, therefore, would have never won the award. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this possible. Blessings and (((hugs))) to each of you!
Thank you, Grace Awards, for bestowing such honor on writers. Thank you, Judges, for your labor of love and support of Christian Writers!
~ Linnette R Mullin, Award Winning Author
2013 Grace Awards for Romance
2014 Finalist for SELAH Awards for Suspsense
Congratulations, Linnette! I look forward to reading Finding Beth. ~Joyce
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joyce! I hope you enjoy it! :D
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