Wildflowers From Winter

GIVEAWAY!

GANSHERT, KAREN
WILDFLOWERS FROM WINTER

A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built a life far removed from her trailer park teen years. Until an interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa. Determined to pay her respects while avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. But the unexpected inheritance of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago forces Bethany to come up with a new plan.


Handsome farmhand Evan Price has taken care of the Quinn farm for years. So when Bethany is left the land, he must fight her decisions to realize his dreams. But even as he disagrees with Bethany's vision, Evan feels drawn to her and the pain she keeps so carefully locked away.

For Bethany, making peace with her past and the God of her childhood doesn't seem like the path to freedom. Is letting go the only way to new life, love and a peace she's not even sure exists?

My Review:
 
Wow -- what a stunning debut novel! Not sure if I have the words to describe the power in Ganshert's! Raw comes to mind first in relation to Bethany. She is buried deep under so many protective layers that I didn't exactly like her at first but I knew there were good reasons for the barricades she'd built up around her heart and it took the whole book  to lay them bear in a gut-wrenching emotional Epiphany that left me weeping.

What a contrast to Evan! Though propelled by anger (and justifiably so in many cases), we get the sense of a troubled past that he has dealt with and become stronger for. Bethany is his total opposite -- at least it looks that way on the surface -- and they butt heads from the very first page. The way Ganshert weaves these two stories together is sheer poetry (as is her delightful way with words.) Compelling scenes draw them closer together and just as quickly tear them apart. Over and over and over again. Their love story is gritty and real and filled with God's grace. A journey that will wring a gamut of emotions out of every reader. This one is worth it's weight in gold!

Giveaway Opportunity:
 
If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Wildflowers From Winter, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday July 22 2012. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!