A Broken Kind of Beautiful

GIVEAWAY

GANSHERT, KATIE
A BROKEN KIND OF BEAUTIFUL

Sometimes everything you ever learned about yourself is wrong.

 

Fashion is a fickle industry, a frightening fact for twenty-four year old model Ivy Clark. Ten years in and she’s learned a sacred truth—appearance is everything. Nobody cares about her broken past as long as she looks beautiful for the camera. This is the only life Ivy knows—so when it starts to unravel, she’ll do anything to hold on. Even if that means moving to the quaint island town of Greenbrier, South Carolina, to be the new face of her stepmother’s bridal wear line—an irony too rich for words, since Ivy is far from the pure bride in white.

If only her tenuous future didn’t rest in the hands of Davis Knight, her mysterious new photographer. Not only did he walk away from the kind of success Ivy longs for to work maintenance at a local church, he treats her differently than any man ever has. Somehow, Davis sees through the façade she works so hard to maintain. He, along with a cast of other characters, challenges everything Ivy has come to believe about beauty and worth. Is it possible that God sees her—a woman stained and broken by the world—yet wants her still?

My Review:

A Broken Kind of Beautiful is a rich testimony of God's everlasting, redeeming love. And it might just be a wake up call to many readers. Because Ivy is the kind of woman we like to judge. She's not particularly nice. In fact she's shallow, self-centered and uses her body as a weapon. Not an easy person to warm up too if you only look at the surface. Doesn't sound like a sympathetic heroine, right? Wrong!

Ganshert gives us glimpses into the reasons behind Ivy's brokenness from the very first time we meet her. And through the course of the book the author continues to peel away layer after layer of Ivy's protective façade, slowly revealing the lost child within.

Luckily Davis has a gift for looking beneath the glitz, glamour and games Ivy plays and what he sees is a desperate emptiness. An unsettled relationship develops between the two. Friends sometimes, wary adversaries most of the time. But though Davis is firm in his Christian convictions, he isn't perfect. He can't let go of past mistakes. There's a powerful scene about forgiveness that left me reeling. A huge 'aha' moment. I don't want to post spoilers so I won't say more but it's on page 240. Check it out when you're reading. (but don't skip ahead!)

A Broken Kind of Beautiful is so much more than just a love story between a man and a woman. It is also the redeeming love story of a Father and His beloved child. Honestly, I just wept through the last quarter of the book.

Ganshert has created a compelling story that would make an excellent read for a book club group. There is so much scope for discussion -- both literary and inspirational. A stunning novel that will challenge as much as entertain.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of A Broken Kind of Beautiful 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 October 5 2014. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!