All My Belongings

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RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!

RUCHTI, CYNTHIA

ALL MY BELONGINGS

Jayne Dennagee has spent her life running from the doctor death legacy of her father. His Kervorkian-copycat methods of euthanasia ruined her childhood, covering it in shame. She won't let him steal her future, too. After changing her name to Becka, she assumes a new life and new job caring for the ailing mother of a handsome young businessman, Isaac Hughes. Becka struggles to sort out her feelings for her new boss just as her patient passes away under unusual circumstances. Suddenly, her past catches up with her and the unnerving details of her heritage make Becka look like a murder suspect. Worse, all sense of home and all hope for love vanish.

My Review:

published in 2014

Well, this cinches it: I haven't met a Cynthia Ruchti book I haven't loved -- and I still have a lot of catching up to do! This one came to me courtesy of Audible Plus and I was beyond thrilled to discover the familiar voice of Bernadette Dunne as narrator so this definitely makes my top ten audible list!

An incredibly stirring story where faith plays an integral part of it all. Love the way the author shines light into the dark corners of Becka's complicated life. She's been broken by her neglectful upbringing but is hoping to put the past behind her by creating a fresh start for herself...new name and all. Only lies, no matter how well intentioned, are never easy to live with. 

I don't want to give too much of the plot away by saying much more other than that the twists and turns punctuated by beacons of grace make for a compulsive read. And I love Isaac -- his unwavering faith which doesn't mean he gets everything perfect all the time, but it does mean he turns to God when he doesn't. So much depth to explore -- in his relationship with his mother, the friendships cultivated in his men's group and, of course (!) his attraction to Becka. 

And then there's the unexpected mystery! Eeeeep!!!! And that isn't the only unexpected plot point to challenge this heroine and her hero! I was spellbound to the very last word!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook copy -- winner's choice.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of All My Belongings, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 29 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

They Almost Always Come Home

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!

RUCHTI, CYNTHIA

THEY ALMOST ALWAYS COME HOME

When Libby's husband Greg fails to return home from a two-week canoe trip to the Canadian wilderness, the authorities soon write off his disappearance as an unhappy husband's escape from an empty marriage and unrewarding career. Their marriage might have survived if their daughter Lacey hadn't died...and if Greg hadn't been responsible. Libby enlists the aid of her wilderness savvy father-in-law and her faith-walking best friend to help her search for clues to her husband's disappearance...if for no other reason then to free her to move on. What the trio discovers in the search upends Libby's presumptions about her husband and rearranges her faith.

My Review:

published in 2009

This was a treasure trove find in the Audible Plus catalogue and I think it's actually Cynthia Ruchti's debut novel! How cool is that? It's a stretch out of my usual reading comfort zone but I was immediately captivated by Libby's dilemma from the very first chapter. The author has a unique gift for drawing a reader into the broken, messy lives of her characters and creating something beautiful and healing and true from the tattered remnants and that's what she did with Libby.

I didn't know a whole lot going into this story, just the brief outline from the synopsis and, because it's not my usual genre, I wasn't sure what to expect. So I was unprepared for the force of emotion that assailed me right from the start. Libby isn't always likeable -- she's a bit sharp, caustic, sarcastic. Bitterness has invaded her heart as she's pulled away from God. Her marriage is on shaky ground and when her husband goes missing she prepares for the worst...only what does that look like? What kind of outcome is she dreading...or hoping for?

A deep dive into characterization enhances the plot as Libby's search for her husband leads her to rediscover her faith. What a powerful, redemption story! Forgiveness, acceptance, trust and ultimately hope replace the bitterness that has been darkening her days for far too long. 

I don't want to say too much more because Libby's journey, both the physical one and the spiritual one, should be unique and fresh for each reader. I will say that They Almost Always Come Home makes for a compelling, contemplative and at times edge-of-your-seat read. I couldn't put it down.

Goal Update: Goal #5 Diversify my reading -- set in Canada, Goal #9 Read  outside my comfort zone

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for paperback or ebook copy -- winner's choice.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of They Almost Always Come Home, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 15 2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

When the Morning Glory Blooms

GIVEAWAY

RUCHTI, CYNTHIA

WHEN THE MORNING GLORY BLOOMS

Becky rocks a baby that rocker her world. Sixty years earlier, with her fiance Drew in the middle of the Korean Conflict, Ivy throws herself into her work at a nursing home to keep her sanity and provide for the child Drew doesn't know is coming. Ivy cares for Anna, an elderly patient who taxes Ivy's listening ear until the day she suspects Anna's tall tales are not the ramblings of dementia. They're fragments of Anna's disjointed memories of a remarkable life. Finding a faint thread of hope she can't resist tugging, Ivy records Anna's memoir, scribbling furiously after hours to keep up with the woman's emotion-packed, grace-hemmed stories. Is Ivy's answer buried in Anna's past? Becky, Ivy, Anna -- three women fight a tangled vine of deception in search of the blossoming simplicity of truth.

My Review:

published in 2013

A quiet, gentle story about hope and the simplicity of truth. And that doesn't mean this is an uneventful novel -- it's just that the ambiance is almost reverential in the way these heroines' stories play out. And discovering the connections between 1890s Anna, 1960s Ivy and present day Becky gave me all kinds of chills and thrills. 

When the Morning Glory Blooms was dual timeline before that became a thing -- well triple timeline, really. Each heroine's story is equally compelling and I have to say the way the author brings a unique, era-appropriate voice to each woman gives so much depth to the characterization. 

Anna, Ivy and Becky are all facing the same challenges in different timelines -- and they each battle social pressures and judgment as they strive to find the blessings amidst impossible hardship. Definitely a sobering read but it is fused together with lighter moments too. And so many spine-tingling faith moments! And the significance of the morning glories -- honestly, I can't even. Moved me to tears and made me laugh and jump for joy too. Such a brilliant, unassuming tie-in.

I listened to the audible edition narrated by Melinda Sward who really breathed life into these multi-generational characters. Perfect match of storyteller and recording artist. 

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook copy copy -- winner's choice

If you would like a chance to win a copy of When the Morning Glory Blooms, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 23 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck! 

A Fragile Hope

GIVEAWAY

RUCHTI, CYNTHIA
A FRAGILE HOPE

Where does a relationship expert turn when his wife leaves him and he can't explain why?

Josiah Chamberlain's life work revolves around repairing people's marriages. When his own is threatened by his wife's unexplained distance -- and then threatened further she's unexpectedly plunged into an unending fog -- Josiah finds that his expertise, quick wit and clever quips are no match for a relationship that is clearly broken.

Feeling betrayed, confused and ill-equipped for a crisis this crippling, he re-examines everything he knows about the fragility of hope and the strength of his faith and love. Love seems to have failed him. Will what's left of his faith fail him too? Or will it be the one thing that holds him together and sears through the impenetrable wall that separates them?

My Review:

What a profoundly moving story! A Fragile Hope took me by surprise as it led me in a direction I wasn't expecting. Filled with raw emotions and the vulnerability of being human, Ruchti takes her characters (and readers) on an impactful journey of discovery. Forgiveness. Grace. Hope. The impact faith can have on every aspect of your life.

Truthfully, I didn't like Josiah very much in the beginning. Self-absorbed, egotistical, he has unconsciously elevated himself above his wife and Karin naturally struggles with being taken for-granted. And then his world implodes and emotions are stripped bare. Josiah has to re-evaluate everything he thought he knew and in the process he grows into a deeper understanding of what love really is.

My thanks to Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity Group for providing me with a copy of this book.

http://litfusegroup.com/author/cruchti

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of A Fragile Hope please leave a comment or send me an email 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 to make it easier for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday April 16 2017. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

The author is also holding a giveaway -- see the details below:

Celebrate the release of A Fragile Hope by entering to win Cynthia's Sign of Hope Giveaway!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of A Fragile Hope


• A metal wall scripture hanging

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on May 3. The winner will be announced May 4 on the Litfuse blog.

Song of Silence

GIVEAWAY

RUCHTI, CYNTHIA
SONG OF SILENCE

Music taught Lucy love and beauty. Could silence teach her hope?

Lucy and Charlie Tuttle agree on one thing: they're committed to each other for life. Trouble is, neither of them expected life to look like this. Charlie retired early, but Lucy is devoted to a long-term career...until the day she has no choice.

Forced to retire from her position as music educator in a small Midwestern K-8 school, Lucy can only watch helplessly as the program her father started years ago disintegrates before her eyes. As the music fades and a chasm separates her from the passion of her heart, Lucy wonders if her faith's song has gone silent too. The musical score of her life seems to be missing all the notes.

When a simple misstep threatens her silence Lucy forever, a young boy and his soundless mother change the way she sees -- and hears -- everything.

My Review:

Oh. Mercy. If ever there's a book that should be made into a movie, this is it! Profound. Stirring. A real slice of life with all the accompanying grit and absurdity that goes with it. I laughed, I cried...and cried...and cried. Lucy's story really spoke to my heart. I felt it deeply, partly I think, because I could relate so completely to all the unexpected upheavals in a carefully planned life. Been there. Done that. Still there.

Lucy is living through a Jonah season that tests her faith, her relationships and even her belief in herself. Song of Silence is told entirely from her perspective. Flashes of droll humour and sarcastic wit mesh with the kind of raw grief that cuts all the way to the bone. I could see myself in her at the strangest times. Like this unassuming shower scene: "How many prayers had God heard over the years? How many of them came from shower stalls? And how many were wordless like hers?" p. 58 That sense of loss, of emotions that overwhelm a body into a complete stupor. Haven't we all been there a time or two in our lives?

But Ruchti isn't cruel enough to leave Lucy floundering along this bumpy road alone. There is a wonderful cast of strong women who walk along side of her, holding her up when necessary but holding her accountable as well. A celebration of sisterhood that brought me to tears on more than one occasion.

And then there's poor Charlie. Why do I visualize him as an over eager puppy, so desperate to please but rarely getting it right? There were times I wanted to hug the stuffing out of him and even more times when I wanted to give him a slap up the back of his head Gibbs style. Bless his heart, he can't help it. It's a husband thing. And, on my goodness, Lucy's inner thoughts during those scenes brought about side-splitting laughter thanks to the subtle nuances of a very dry wit.

One of the most intriguing things about this novel is that I never knew where it would take me. I was blindsided often. Unexpected highs and lows and all the in-between stuff. The author kept me off-kilter which made those sharp jabs of emotion all the more powerful. Honestly, I lived inside Lucy's skin for the duration of this read. Such a powerful story of healing and hope and the sovereignty of God.

My thanks to Litfuse Publicity Group and Abingdon Press for providing me with a copy of this book.

http://litfusegroup.com/author/cruchti

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  Song of Silence 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 May 1 2016. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

The author is also doing a Music Themed Giveaway. To enter it follow the link below.



One grand prize winner will receive:
A copy of Song of Silence
A $150 Visa cash card

One second place winner will receive:
A copy of Song of Silence
A music-themed prize pack filled with goodies hand-picked by Cynthia
Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry! The giveaway ends on May 9th. The winners will be announced May 10th on Cynthia's blog.