Monday, March 14, 2022

Sunflowers and Suspicions by Karen Malley Blog Tour


About the Book

Book: Sunflowers and Suspicions

Author: Karen Malley

Genre: Christian Fiction

Release date: October, 2021

A Deception Revealed…

When Julie Wagner’s identical twin Jade goes missing, Julie travels to New York intent on pretending to be her sister so she can unravel the truth. There, she meets the the only person who has ever been able to tell them apart. Together, can she and her sister’s neighbor unravel a shady restaurant owner’s mysteries and find Jade?

A Fractured Family Healed…

Matt Callahan has lived across the hall from Jade Wagner for a year, but never understood the pain behind her eyes. When her sister appears in his apartment building, he is amazed at the differences he sees in the twins. As he helps Julie find her twin, he discovers that she just might be the answer to helping his own fractured family.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review

This is a fun Christian romance. There is a bit of a mystery but the anticipation of solving it was better than the resolution. There is also a bit of suspense but it is resolved with surprising ease. The main emphasis of the novel is romance. While Matt is ready to pursue an emotional connection, Julie has much she needs to work out. I liked all of her friends who are such a good support for her.

Malley explores the issue of struggling with guilt because of wrong decisions hurting others. Two characters are plagued with guilt for different reasons and it was good to see the healing nature of God's forgiveness. I also appreciated clearly distinguishing experiencing the consequences of mistakes from punishment for mistakes, which Christians do not experience.

This is one of several novels featuring the people of Pine Springs. While it read well on its own, I do suggest reading the previous ones first as much that happened to people in those books impact what happens in this one. This is a good romance for career age readers and includes a strong Christian message.

My rating: 4/5.

 

About the Author

Karen Malley lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons. She works full-time as a scientist but fits writing in her spare time whenever possible. This usually means writing in her pajamas on weekend mornings while the rest of the family is asleep. When not writing, she enjoys camping, hiking, playing board games, and especially reading! She loves reading faith-based stories because we can all use a happy ending.

Karen loves to hear from her readers. You can connect with her on her website:

www.KarenMalley.com. Sign up for her newsletter and you’ll receive a free short story in your mailbox each week.

More from Karen

Sunflowers and Suspicions is the third full book in the Pine Springs series. While you may discover some spoilers from the previous books, this book can be read as a standalone. I wrote Sunflowers in Suspicions because I loved the characters so much, I wanted their stories to continue!

This was a fun book to write. Julie was a minor character in the previous books in the series, and her story needed to be told. Living in the shadow of a glamorous twin sister hasn’t dampened her enthusiasm for life, but her self-esteem suffered a hit, making it difficult to believe a guy could be interested in her instead of her sister. Most of us have been there! God promises He’s given gifts to all His children, but if our gifts don’t seem to measure up to those we perceive others have, we lose our joy.

Granted, Julie has a lot more than that to deal with – her twin sister goes missing, and her former boss may know more than he’s letting on. Couple that with feelings of inadequacy since all her friends have special guys and the fact the guy Julie starts to fall for seems more interested in her sister, and it’s easy for her to feel second rate. God never wants that for us. While Sunflowers and Suspicions is a tale of suspense and romance, it also taught me a thing or two about accepting myself for who God made me to be. I hope it does the same for you!

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 14

Debbie's Dusty Deliberations, March 15

Inklings and notions, March 16

Texas Book-aholic, March 17

For Him and My Family, March 18

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 19 (Author Interview)

deb's Book Review, March 19

Inside the Wong Mind, March 20

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 21

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 22

Because I said so -- and other adventures in Parenting, March 23

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 24

Splashes of Joy, March 25 (Author Interview)

By the Book, March 25

Blogging With Carol, March 26

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 27

 

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review. The rest of the copy of this post was provided by Celebrate Lit.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

2 comments:

Rita Wray said...

Thank you for the review, sounds good.

MaureenT said...

Sounds like a great read!