Friday, March 9, 2012

Heart Echoes by Sally John

Heart Echoes
by Sally John
Side Roads, Book 3
Christian Fiction
Published March 2012
Tyndale House
368 pages



About the Book
In the aftermath of a massive Los Angeles earthquake, the perfect existence Teal Morgan-Adams has built begins to crumble. Teal’s daughter, Maiya, is determined to learn the identity of her biological father, despite the loving devotion of her stepdad, River Adams. But that’s a secret Teal hoped would remain buried forever. She has never shared the truth with anyone . . . not her family, not River, not even Maiya’s father.

As Maiya’s rebellion escalates, Teal receives tragic news from her sister and decides to take Maiya home to Cedar Pointe, Oregon, a place she’s avoided most of her adult life. But will her already-strained marriage survive the distance and the secrets she’ll be forced to face there? And can Teal erase the lies that echo in her heart?

My Thoughts
Teal has worked hard to forget her past and make a good life for her and her daughter. Marrying River may be one of the smartest decisions she ever made, but even that can't erase the past and the secrets she's carried for 17 years. When an earthquake hits L.A. and traumatizes Teal and her daughter hits a rebellious streak, Teal decides that returning home may be the only thing that can help put their family back together again.

Sally John is an incredible story-teller, and Heart Echoes is a beautiful story. John has a way with words that pulled me into the story so that I felt more like part of the story rather than merely a spectator. I felt like I was reading a movie at times. :)

I loved the characters in this book. They were "real" people—complete with flaws and real personalities. Maiya was an outrageous, drama-filled teenager (so glad I'm not still 16!); I alternated between wanting to hug Teal and wanting to shake her; and River seemed to be too good to be true, but I loved him just the same! The rest of the family and neighbors were equally interesting and I would love to see another book or two about a few of them. (Hint! Hint!)

Heart Echoes is an emotional story about secrets, family, faith, and love. Fans of writers like Nicholas Sparks and Denise Hildreth Jones will surely enjoy this wonderful book! [5 stars]

I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale House in exchange for my fair and honest review.

About the Author
When the going gets tough—or weird or wonderful—the daydreamer gets going on a new story. Sally John has been tweaking life's moments into fiction since she read her first Trixie Belden mystery as a child.

Now an author of more than fifteen novels, Sally writes stories that reflect contemporary life. Her passion is to create a family, turn their world inside out, and then portray how their relationships change with each other and with God. Her goal is to offer hope to readers in their own relational and faith journeys.

Sally grew up in Moline, Illinois, graduated from Illinois State University, married Tim in 1973, and taught in middle schools. She is a mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother. A three-time finalist for the Christy Award, she also teaches writing workshops. Her books include the Side Roads series, the Safe Harbor series (coauthored with Gary Smalley), The Other Way Home series, The Beach House series, and In a Heartbeat series. Many of her stories are set in her favorite places of San Diego, Chicago, and small-town Illinois.

She and her husband currently live in southern California.

Sally John Online
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook

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