life – Freshly Printed

dream daughter

Book Description

From bestselling author Diane Chamberlain comes an irresistible new novel.

When Caroline Sears receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970 and there seems to be little that can be done. But her brother-in-law, a physicist, tells her that perhaps there is. Hunter appeared in their lives just a few years before—and his appearance was as mysterious as his past. With no family, no friends, and a background shrouded in secrets, Hunter embraced the Sears family and never looked back.

Now, Hunter is telling her that something can be done about her baby’s heart. Something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Caroline has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage that Caroline never knew existed. Something that will mean a mind-bending leap of faith on Caroline’s part.

And all for the love of her unborn child.

A rich, genre-spanning, breathtaking novel about one mother’s quest to save her child, unite her family, and believe in the unbelievable. Diane Chamberlain pushes the boundaries of faith and science to deliver a novel that you will never forget.

5/5 stars for this one, without a doubt!

This book was so overwhelmingly emotional and textured. I actually cried at the end of it. Wow! I didn’t think I would feel so spent after reading a book, but the depth of writing here was incredible.

The story starts out with conflict. Carly Sears is living through an emotional time. She is pregnant with her first daughter while her husband is in Vietnam, and unfortunately he dies over there. She is living with her sister and brother-in-law and finds out some earth-shattering news that may help the outcome of her baby’s heart condition.

Jumping between Hunter and Carly’s lives, and the years 1970 and 2001 (among others), their story unravels to reveal boldness, faith, heartache, desire and intrigue. It was a fast read, and a very complex story line, but Diane made it very easy to follow. I was asking many questions throughout. And a heads-up, you will most likely laugh, cry and catch yourself sighing a lot through this book. There were many times I was like, “This book could go any direction!”

The amount of love and sadness that this book conveyed was a lot, but it was certainly worth the trip! The lengths we go to save those we love has never been tested like this!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I appreciate the opportunity to receive an advanced reader copy to do so. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I recently finished reading my first ever sports book! Though I tend to read novels, thrillers and Christian help books, I wanted to challenge myself to read something outside of my normal scope, and I was pleasantly surprised at this easy read.

The Matheny Manifesto was the name of a letter that Mike Matheny wrote to parents of a group of Little Leaguers that he was coaching in 2008. He read it out loud to them during a meeting, and though it was met with resistance at first, it proved to be beneficial for all of the children, parents and himself. It became a code for life that he lived by.

This book is peppered with eight keys to success: leadership, confidence, teamwork, faith, class, character, toughness and humility. Mike uses stories of baseball greats that he has encountered, or admired over the years and built a framework for life from their examples. He brought their ideas and lessons learned to each baseball practice and helped to build stronger players as a result. His own career is also highlighted in the book, along with some mishaps and disagreements, but both are necessary to show how he dealt with these instances.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is seeking how to help raise children in our time, since the truths of this book are still applicable to today. These truths don’t just apply to baseball. The mindset learned by these characteristics affect our life choices, how we interact with those in authority and how we perceive disaster. Mike points to his Christianity in times of trials, and that is always the best direction to go. If you love baseball, you’re in for an extra treat, as you journey with Mike. And remember, “Nothing worth doing right is easy.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher’s Blogging for Books book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html): “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”