Book Review: Until I Found You

 

ISBN # 9780764211522

 

From the Back:

Finding each other was only the beginning . . .

When Kate Darby swerves off a mountain road to avoid hitting a California condor, she ends up trapped in her car, teetering on the edge of a cliff. Terrified, she breathes a prayer that changes her life.

It's Nick Sheridan who comes to Kate's rescue. Nick is handsome and confident, and he seems to develop a habit of rescuing her, but Kate is in town only until her grandmother recuperates from a stroke. She's not planning to get involved with one of the locals.

Nick is a reformed veteran of life in the fast lane, a new Christian, and a travel writer. When he sees a car dangling on the edge of a cliff, the daredevil in him jumps into action. He doesn't expect to be swept off his feet by the car's occupant. He's made a vow--no dating for a year--but keeping that vow is going to be a lot more difficult now that he's met Kate Darby. . . .

My Reflections:

This is the first Victoria Bylin book I have read, and what drew me to this book was the beautifully crafted cover. It is stunning and drew me in right away, I had a stack of five books and picked this one on that merit alone.

The story starts off with an action packed punch. Kate meets Nick in a near death plunge off a mountains edge, this is where the book dived for me as well... I found the characters to be a bit flat in this tale I must admit, I tend to enjoy most books I review and usually can zip through a book in the blink of an eye. I had to blink a few more times with this one.

The characters Nick and Kate did not seem like a stellar love match to me. Kate is a tad clingy and can`t seem to decide what she really wants in life. Nick a new Christian has vowed to stay clear of dating for a complete year, and although they both have their convictions they both don`t seem terribly serious about any of them. Kate flip flops back and forth with her career as a advertising agent and running the Clarion, her Grandmothers small town newspaper. Nick`s new faith and the pull of a relationship with Kate who does not share his newly sprouted beliefs is a great idea to a wonderful plot, but this one just fell short of reaching its potential in my view.

The overall story line seemed a little forced and a little too predictable. The book also goes into great detail about the rescue of the Condors. (a bird that almost went extinct, but was saved by the intervention of a few dedicated individuals) I love birds, but I was not interested in the subject matter.

Now what I really enjoyed about this book was the story of Grandma Leona. Having worked with stroke patients in the hospital I was intrigued with Leona`s journey. I loved the insight this character shone on the plight of an individual who suffers a stroke and the pain and frustration that goes with it. This part of the plot was beautifully written, highlighting the impact anyone can have on the lives of others even when severely hampered..such a powerful message. This emphasized the truth that God has a purpose for everyone at every stage of our lives, healthy and whole, or not.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group"

About The Author:

 

Victoria Bylin

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