Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Rise & Shine
by
Sandra D. Bricker
Available May 2014 from River North Fiction
Christian Fiction / Contemporary / Romance
About the Book
Shannon Malone thought she'd found her happy ending when she married
Edmund Ridgeway, but a diving accident on their honeymoon left her in a
coma. Waking
up to the news that she's thirty years old would have been daunting
enough . . . but she also learns that Edmund has lost his interim battle
with cancer and the
world has marched on without her. Her gorgeous doctor, Daniel Petros,
seems to know everything about her and becomes Shannon's tour guide into
a whole new world of
madness where reality television has taken over the planet and
everyone's life appears to revolve around a tiny screen on their cell
phones!
As Shannon struggles to navigate through the changes-both in the world
and in her-she also must discern real memories from imagined ones. Did
she really ever wear capris pants and entertain in her living room, or
was that Laura Petrie from her favorite classic TV show? And where is
her beloved dog, Freeway? Oh, wait! That was Jonathan and Jennifer
Hart's dog, not hers. Shannon's three elderly aunts flit through her
life in true Sleeping Beauty style with her well-being always a
priority.
And Edmund's sister Millicent descends like the Evil Queen she is,
trying to extract Shannon from any claim on the Ridgeway family fortune.
When a tornado moves through town and Shannon is knocked unconscious,
will Daniel's kiss awaken her once and for all?
My Thoughts
Rise and Shine is such a fun book! It seems that fairy tale retellings are quite popular right now, and Sandie Bricker has done a great job of creating a modern version of Sleeping Beauty.
To be honest, the premise was almost too sad for me to deal with. A woman has an accident on her honeymoon, goes into a coma for 10 years, finally awakens only to learn that her husband died of cancer several years earlier. So sad, right? But I trusted that Sandie would give me both a great story and a happily-ever-after ending (it's a fairy tale after all!), so I read the book despite my nervousness about the potentially-sad plot.
As I've come to expect from Sandie, Rise and Shine was great! The story is cute with plenty of laughs. Shannon's aunt is hilarious with her exclamation of "yippee!" every time Shannon remembers something. And Shannon and Daniel are fun, likeable characters. They definitely have some issues to work through, but it was fun to watch their relationship develop. Daniel was a great hero and I loved how he took care of Shannon. The best part of Shannon is that she is such a strong character—and only begins to realize it after she wakes up.
As great as the book was, I was a little disappointed in the ending. It felt really abrupt, and I just needed a little more. Maybe one more chapter or an epilogue? Overall, though, I definitely enjoyed this book and recommend it to fans of romantic comedies and/or fairy tales. [4.5 stars]
To be honest, the premise was almost too sad for me to deal with. A woman has an accident on her honeymoon, goes into a coma for 10 years, finally awakens only to learn that her husband died of cancer several years earlier. So sad, right? But I trusted that Sandie would give me both a great story and a happily-ever-after ending (it's a fairy tale after all!), so I read the book despite my nervousness about the potentially-sad plot.
As I've come to expect from Sandie, Rise and Shine was great! The story is cute with plenty of laughs. Shannon's aunt is hilarious with her exclamation of "yippee!" every time Shannon remembers something. And Shannon and Daniel are fun, likeable characters. They definitely have some issues to work through, but it was fun to watch their relationship develop. Daniel was a great hero and I loved how he took care of Shannon. The best part of Shannon is that she is such a strong character—and only begins to realize it after she wakes up.
As great as the book was, I was a little disappointed in the ending. It felt really abrupt, and I just needed a little more. Maybe one more chapter or an epilogue? Overall, though, I definitely enjoyed this book and recommend it to fans of romantic comedies and/or fairy tales. [4.5 stars]
I received a free copy of this book from River North through CFBA in exchange for my fair and honest review.
About the Author
For more than a decade, Sandra D. Bricker lived in Los Angeles. While
honing her chosen craft of screenwriting in every spare moment, she
worked as a personal assistant and publicist to some of daytime
television's hottest stars. When her mother became ill in Florida, she
walked away from that segment of her life and moved across the country
to take on a new role: Caregiver.
The author says that it was her 8th novel that opened the door to finding her way as a writer. "I'm a Christian woman, first and foremost," she says. "So it was a bit of a dream-come-true when Summerside Press chose me as one of two authors to launch the Love Finds You line."
Sandie's real-life role as cancer survivor has parlayed into her steadfast commitment to raising awareness and funds for ovarian cancer research. Spearheading a series of devotionals for Summerside Press (such as the popular His Grace is Sufficient...Decaf is Not), the author has stipulated that a portion of each contributor's proceeds will go to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.
"Being allowed to combine my faith and my humor with raising funds for my pet projects ... and still pursue my writing dream," says Bricker, "well, that's the best of all worlds, as far as I'm concerned!"
And one of the author's pet projects is animal rescue, evidenced by the special bond she has created with one particular formerly-abandoned puppy -- a red-haired collie with "killer brown eyes and the heart of the class clown."
The author says that it was her 8th novel that opened the door to finding her way as a writer. "I'm a Christian woman, first and foremost," she says. "So it was a bit of a dream-come-true when Summerside Press chose me as one of two authors to launch the Love Finds You line."
Sandie's real-life role as cancer survivor has parlayed into her steadfast commitment to raising awareness and funds for ovarian cancer research. Spearheading a series of devotionals for Summerside Press (such as the popular His Grace is Sufficient...Decaf is Not), the author has stipulated that a portion of each contributor's proceeds will go to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.
"Being allowed to combine my faith and my humor with raising funds for my pet projects ... and still pursue my writing dream," says Bricker, "well, that's the best of all worlds, as far as I'm concerned!"
And one of the author's pet projects is animal rescue, evidenced by the special bond she has created with one particular formerly-abandoned puppy -- a red-haired collie with "killer brown eyes and the heart of the class clown."
Sandra D. Bricker Online
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